LEC052026 Jyothis Cyriac - "Mechanics of Writing"

 

Mechanics of Writing

    Mechanics of writing comprises of rules, regarding spelling, punctuation, capitalization and abbreviation aimed at making a piece of writing perfect. It is futile if the intended meaning and ideas are not conveyed properly through writing. In order to make writing precise and grammatically correct one should know and apply the nuances of these mechanics. Especially academic writing has to follow certain rules and it must be in a systematic manner.

Spelling

Good writers are able to present their writing without any spelling mistakes. A slight change in a word’s spelling may completely change the idea.

Punctuation

The primary purpose of punctuation is to ensure the clarity and readability of a piece of writing. It clarifies sentence structure, separating some words and grouping others.

1.Full stop/ period (US) (.)

It is used at the end of a sentence. Sometimes it is also used after an abbreviation.

E.g., I am going for a walk.

Mr. White, Dr. Arun

2.Comma (,)

Comma is used between items in a list and to show a pause in a long sentence. It is also used when you want to add extra information.

E.g., I need some pen, paper, pencils and a book.

The woman, who I’d met last week, waved as she went past.

3.Question mark (?)

It is used after a direct question.

E.g., What is your name?

4.Exclamation Mark (!)

Exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence to express surprise/shock etc.

E.g., I can’t believe it!

5.Colon (:)

Colon is used to introduce a list or a quotation in a sentence. It often demonstrates or elaborates whatever was previously stated.

E.g., You need the following: paint, brushes, water, clothes.

He had just one fault : an enormous ego.

6.Semicolon (;)

The semicolon is somewhere between a fullstop and a comma. It is used to separate two parts of a sentence. It can be used to join phrases and sentences that are thematically linked without having to use a conjunction.

E.g., I like your brother; he is a good friend.

I spoke to Linda on Monday; she can’t come to the meeting tomorrow.

7.Hyphen (-)

Hyphen is used to join two words together. It is also used to show that a word has been divided and continues on the next line.

E.g., blue-black

Everyone in the room was horri-

ffied by the news.

8.Apostrophe (‘)

Apostrophe has two very different functions in english: possession and contractions. The most common use of apostrophes is for contractions where a noun or a pronoun and a verb combine. It is used at the place of missing letters too.

E.g., don’t, I’ll, It’s

Paul’s pen

James’ house

9.Brackets [] and Parentheses ()

Generally, ‘parentheses’ refers to round brackets and ‘brackets’ to square brackets. Round brackets has similar use of a comma where we add explanation or extra information. Square brackets are meant for special purposes as in technical mannuals.

10.Double quotation mark (“ ”)

The double quotation mark is used to quote something directly or to set off titles of essays, journal articles, poems, short stories.

E.g., Benedict said, “I love acting.”

11.Single quotation mark (‘ ’)

The single quotation mark is used to emphasise a word or a term. It is also used to contain a quote within a quote.
E.g., Nikitha said, “She was very encouraging. ‘You did a brilliant job’, she said.”

12.Dash

En-dash (–) An en-dash indicates a range and can be understood as a symbol for through.

E.g., The summer course is from April – June.

Em-dash (—) An em-dash produces a sudden break in thought in the sentence. It is also used to give some additional information.

E.g., I think I should call Richard—his legal advice is good— for help.

13.Braces ( { } )

Braces also known as curly brackets are used to set off items in a set to show they are a unit.

E.g., {2,4,6.8,10} are even numbers from 1 to 10.

 

Ref :  Cambridge Learner's Dictionary.