LEC052038 RUTH JOHN S MECHANICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

Mechanics of Academic Writing. 

Mechanics refers to rules pertaining to the written language like punctuation, capitalization and spelling. A clear understanding of these mechanics is essential for effective communication of one’s ideas. 

Punctuation:

The primary purpose of punctuation is to ensure the clarity and readability of your writing.

Period(.):

The purpose of a period is to show the end of one sentence or statement. It is placed directly behind the last letter of the last word in the sentence. It is also used in abbreviations. 

Ex. I like apples. 

       I am watching the B.B.C. news.

Comma(,):

Commas separate ideas, add pauses and help one list things clearly. They also let us connect words, phrases and clauses together to make longer sentences. 

Ex. Please keep the apples, oranges and pomegranates together. 

Question Mark(?):

A question mark is used at the end of a interrogative sentence. 

Ex. What would you like to drink?

Semicolon(;):

A semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a semicolon is used to join two or more ideas (parts) in a sentence, those ideas are then given equal position or rank.

Ex. We can go to the museum to do some research; Mondays are pretty quiet there.

Colons(:):

Colons follow independent clauses and are used to present an explanation, draw attention to something, or to join ideas together. 

Ex. My roommate gave me the things I needed most: companionship and quiet.

        Life is like a puzzle: half the fun is in trying to work it out.

Hyphen(-):

The hyphen is used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. 

Ex. I took a much-needed vacation last weekend. 

Single quotation mark (‘ ’):

Single quotation mark is used to emphasize a word or a term. 

Double quotation mark (“ ”):

A double quotation mark is used to quote someone else’s writing with your own. 

Apostrophe ('):

An apostrophe is used in the marking of possessive case of nouns.

Ex. I will meet you at Linda’s place. 

Capitalization:

Capitalization is used at the beginning of a sentence. It is also used for proper nouns.  



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LEC052004. Agna Philip. "Critical analysis of the significance of Lear's madness in King Lear"

Critical analysis of the significance of Lear’s madness in King Lear      Lear, the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s play King Lear is a king whose insane behaviour contributes a significant part in the play. His madness paved the way for his redemption and made him a better human. It also serves to provide a message to the leaders of Jacobean England as well.    Lear’s decision to divide the kingdom was an insane behaviour of suspicion. “Myths abounded about the catastrophic consequences of such division, leading to bloody civil war and fratricide. Shakespeare was writing during the reign of James I, a king seeking to strengthen ties between his two hostile kingdoms, England and Scotland” (Fox 255). Lear’s lunacy to divide the kingdom and its terrible consequences are portrayed as a caution for King James. Moreover, the play aids King James to realize the strength of natural power over human potency.    The effect of storm made Lear understand the insign...
Read more

LEC052009.Annette Sebastian. Critical analysis of the significance of 'equivocator' in Macbeth.

  The elements of equivocator overshadows throughout the tragic play  Macbeth  by William Shakespeare. Equivocator is a person who bends the language to deceive someone from interpreting the truth hidden in it. Equivocation was a defending strategy used by Jesuits in Shakeperean time to save their lives from the protestants. Its use was a heated debate during the Gun-powder plot.Written during the 1606, Macbeth reflects the socio-political aspects of the period.The equivocator portrayed in the porter's dream alludes to the Jesuit priest Henry Garnet. The technique of equivocation was brilliantly implemeted in the play through various charcters and their dialogues.The elemets of equivocation fills the play and it has also helped the audience in anticipating the plot.  Historically, the equivocator in the porter’s dream alludes to the trial of Henry Garnet for his complicity in the Gun-powder plot.Henry Garnet was a Jesuit priest who was hanged proving guilty in Gun-po...
Read more

LEC052001 Adwaidh. S Critical analysis of the equivocator in Macbeth

  Equivocation in Macbeth can be examined in the light of historical events. The playwright uses equivocators to condemn and criticize the act of equivocation practiced by the Jesuit Priests of  England, who planned the gun powder plot to execute the king James I of Scotland . Throughout Macbeth's life equivocation is playing crucial roles from his transformation into the king to his tragic death. In Macbeth there are more episodes of equivocation, compared to a single episode in Shakespeare's early play Hamlet , which was written in 1599. The play is filled with equivocal appearances-women with beard, Macbeth in "borrowed robes", a day turned into night, a peaceful castle without and a burning cauldron of evil within.  The Gunpowder Plot was discovered in 1605,finding father Henry Garnet guilty of the plan. Macbeth was written in 1606,with much more episodes of equivocation than the early play Hamlet which was written in 1599 and had only a single episode of equiv...
Read more