Lesson Overview

Proper grammar, sentence structure and paragraph structure are essential and in-dispensable in life, especially in academic research. Without proper grammar and punctuation, effective communication is diminished. The Skills Centre Grammar sessions will take your grammar and language skills to a new level.

Transitions and connecting words will become your new best friends. In addition, you will learn communication etiquette. You will know how to communicate properly with your lecturers and advisers ensuring the best possible outcomes for you.

SPAG your work! (spelling, punctuation & grammar)

Commas

Commas have seven functions:

To separate the elements in a list of three or more items.
Before certain conjunctionsg. “and”, “but”, “for”, “yet”, “or”, “so”, etc.
To separate introductory elements in a sentence.
To separate direct speech or quoted elements from the rest of the sentence.
To separate a word or group of words that interrupts the flow of a sentence and adds additional (but nonessential) informationin a sentence.
To separate elements that express contrast in a sentence.
To separate several adjectives (words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns).

The Comma Splice

Otherwise known as the ''Comma Mistake''. This occurs when either a full-stop or semicolon should be used rather than a comma, because you are joining two independent clauses or two stand-alone sentences. In order to use a comma, you require a dependent and an independent clause, or one stand-alone sentence and one incomplete sentence.

Short and precise is the best method applied in academic writing. You don’t need to make a big sentence.

Colons (:)

Colons should not be used when the initial clause (a group of related words containing a subject that tells readers what the sentence is about) cannot stand alone and make a complete sense. Colons are used to do the following:

To introduce an idea.
To introduce a list.
To introduce quoted material.

In UCC you are not required to capitalise after a colon. This is only in American English.

Semi-colons (;)

If you are going to use a semicolon to connect two clauses, it is very important that the two clauses are both independent or in other words, can form a complete sentence standing alone, having a subject and a predicate. Semicolons are used to do the following:

In complicated lists.
Separating closely-related independent clauses.

Brackets

Round Brackets ( )

Round brackets are also called parentheses and have the following functions:

To insert or isolate extra Information.
To include dates.
Commonly, a part of your citation method.

Your points should be clear and precise. Additional information can cloud your argument and you should consider what is relevant.

Square Brackets [ ]

Square brackets are used in academic writing to make the text clear and are commonly seen in quoted material in your assignment. They have the following functions:

To make the text clearer.
To mark where a [word or] passage was omitted from an original material by someone other than the original author.
To mark modifications in quotations.
The bracketed expression "[sic]" is used after a quote or reprinted text to indicate the passage appears exactly as in the original source, where it may otherwise appear that a mistake has been made in reproduction.
A bracketed ellipsis, […], is often used to indicate omitted material.

Ellipses ... or ...

The use of ellipses indicates an omission of words, a phrase, or even an entire paragraph or more from a quotation.

Em Dash -

This is often overused because it is a multipurpose punctuation mark. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons⁠ and, in each case, to slightly different effects.
They can be effective if they are used sparingly. The em dash is without spaces on either side, but you can also set the em dash off with a single space on each side. You will need to refer to the style guide from your department. The em dash has the following functions:

A pair of em dashes can be used in place of commas to enhance readability.
Are considered less formal but are also more intrusive.
Draw the reader’s attention to the information.
Can be used in place of a colon when you want to emphasise the conclusion of your sentence. The dash is less formal than the colon.
Can indicate missing portions of a word.

Do not mistake the em dash (—) for the slightly narrower en dash (–) or the even narrower hyphen (-). Those marks serve different purposes.

Punctuation essentials