TOBB University of Economics and Technology

Foreign Languages Department

PUNCTUATION
1. Period (.)
The most common or usual way to end a sentence is with a period. A sentence that tells us
information is called a statement. We usually put a period at the end of a sentence that is a
statement.
Incorrect: Brazil is a large country
Correct: Brazil is a large country.
2. Comma (,)

 Use commas to separate independent clauses in a sentence, for example:

- The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.

 Use commas to separate three or more items in a series.

- Marge loves spinach, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus.
3. Question Mark (?)

 Use a question mark at the end of a question.

- Do you like cats? Really?
4. Exclamation Mark (!)

 Use an exclamation mark after strong imperative sentences.

- Sarah! Get off that desk immediately!
COMMON CONNECTORS AND CONJUNCTIONS

1. Sentence. So, sentence.

Sentence, so sentence.
Ex. The grass is long. So, it will be mowed.
Ex. Tom made a lot of mistakes, so he had to do the assignment again.

2. Sentence. As a consequence, sentence.

Ex. I forgot that the cake was in the oven. As a consequence, it was burned.

3. Sentence. Consequently, sentence.

Ex. Tina lost her car keys. Consequently, she could not drive home.
 TOBB University of Economics and Technology
Foreign Languages Department

4. Sentence; as a result, sentence.

Sentence. As a result, sentence.
Ex. The drunk driver crashed into a police car; as a result, he spent the night in jail and lost his
driver’s license.
Ex. Tim was late. As a result, we could not go to the concert.

5. As a result of noun / noun phrase, sentence.

Ex. As a result of poor sales, the company went bankrupt.

6. Sentence. Therefore, sentence.

Sentence; therefore, sentence.
Ex. James is not feeling well. Therefore, he will not attend the meeting.
Ex. Governments need revenues to operate; therefore, they require us to pay taxes.

7. Sentence. Thus, sentence.

Sentence, thus sentence.
Ex. The committee voted against implementing the proposal. Thus, we must consider another
solution to the problem.

8. Sentence, but sentence.

Sentence. But, sentence.
Sentence. But sentence.
Ex. James decided to go to a movie, but Kim stayed at home to study.

9. Sentence, yet sentence.

Sentence. Yet, sentence.
Ex. Carl usually gets at least eight hours of sleep most nights, yet he’s always tired.

10. Sentence. However, sentence.

Sentence; however, sentence.
Ex. Everybody at the party saw the stranger. However, no one asked who he was.
 TOBB University of Economics and Technology
Foreign Languages Department

11. Sentence. On the other hand, sentence.

Sentence; on the other hand, sentence.
Sentence, on the other hand, sentence.
Ex. She hates cleaning the house. On the other hand, she doesn't mind cooking.

12. Because / As / Since sentence, sentence.

Sentence because / as / since sentence.
Ex. She’s taking psychology courses because she’s curious about human behaviors.

13. Because of the fact that / Due to the fact that / Owing to the fact that sentence, sentence.
Ex. School was cancelled today due to the fact that there was a snowstorm.

14. Because of / Due to / Owing to noun phrase / Ving, sentence.

Sentence because of / due to / owing to noun phrase / Ving.
Ex. Margaret couldn’t call her husband on her cell phone because of the low battery.

15. Thanks to noun phrase / Ving, sentence.

Ex. Thanks to Dave, we could finish the project on time.

16. Although / Even though / Though sentence, sentence.

Ex. Even though Cathy works hard on that course, she still isn’t getting good grades.

17. Despite / In spite of Ving / noun phrase, sentence.

Ex. In spite of the rain, we went camping.

18. Despite the fact that / In spite of the fact that sentence, sentence.
Ex. Despite the fact that Kate is good at tennis, she lost the match.

19. Sentence. Moreover / Furthermore / In addition / Besides, sentence.

Sentence; moreover / furthermore, sentence.
Ex. Students should be on time for classes. Furthermore, they must be prepared.
 TOBB University of Economics and Technology
Foreign Languages Department

20. For example / For instance / To illustrate, sentence.

Ex. I have been to many countries. For example, I have been to Russia, Canada, Mexico, and
Spain.

21. In conclusion / All in all / To sum up / To conclude, sentence.

Ex. In conclusion, I feel that she deserves to get the scholarship.

22. Sentence; in contrast / on the contrary, sentence.

Sentence. In contrast / on the contrary, sentence.
Ex. Winters in Vancouver are usually rainy and gloomy; in contrast, winters in Edmonton tend
to be cold and bright.

23. Unlike noun phrase, sentence.

Ex. Unlike Russian students, American students have a lot of free time.

24. Like noun phrase, sentence.

Ex. Like TOBB ETU, other private universities in Ankara have small campuses.

25. Sentence. Similarly / Likewise / In the same way, sentence.

Ex. Muscoda High School had an excellent band. Similarly, Nashua High School had a band that
received honours.

26. Not only noun but also sentence.

Not only noun, but also sentence.
Ex. Not only robots but also human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery.
Ex. Not only robots, but also human workers can detect malfunctions in machinery.

27. While / Whereas sentence, sentence.

Sentence while / whereas sentence.
Ex. While high level positions can be stressful at times, the financial rewards make them
extremely desirable.
 TOBB University of Economics and Technology
Foreign Languages Department

28. Whenever / When sentence, sentence.

Sentence, whenever / when sentence
Ex. When I hear that song, I feel sad.
Ex. Whenever I hear that song, I feel sad.

29. Just as / as sentence, sentence.

Ex. As I was leaving my dormitory, I ran into an old friend.
Ex. My roommate called just as I was leaving.

30. As long as sentence, sentence

Sentence as long as sentence
Ex. As long as I live, I will never forget that day.

31. As soon as sentence, sentence.

Sentence as soon as sentence.
Ex. As soon as we finished the semester, we went on vacation.
Ex. We went on vacation as soon as we finished the semester.

32. Now that sentence, sentence.

Ex. Now that Ed’s retired, he’s going to have more free time.

33. Sentence so that sentence.

Ex. We studied hard so that we would do well on the exam.

34. Sentence. Nevertheless / Nonetheless, sentence.

Sentence; nevertheless / nonetheless, sentence.
Sentence, nevertheless / nonetheless, sentence.
Ex. Jan got very good grades. Nevertheless, she didn’t get into graduate school.
Ex. Jan got very good grades; nevertheless, she didn’t get into graduate school.
Ex. Jan got very good grades, nevertheless, she didn’t get into graduate school.
 TOBB University of Economics and Technology
Foreign Languages Department

Correction Codes
Code Meaning Incorrect Sentence Corrected Sentence

SP Spelling I am very enthusiactic about the new I am very enthusiastic about the new
project. project.
SP

^ Missing Word That a very strange coincidence. That is a very strange coincidence.
^

C Capitalization My family came to madrid for my My family came to Madrid for my

graduation. C graduation.

P Punctuation If they offer me promotion I won`t think If they offer me promotion, I won`t think
about quitting. about quitting.
P

X Not necessary NASA plan a new trip to a Mars. NASA plan a new trip to Mars.
X

WW Wrong Word My students always do simple mistakes. My students always make simple mistakes.
WW

WF Word Form The book is very bored. The book is very boring.
WF

WT Wrong Tense The project is finished very late The project was finished very late
yesterday. yesterday.
WT

SVA Subject Verb My girlfriend usually miss the first train My girlfriend usually misses the first train
Agreement to work. SVA to work.

WO Word Order I very much like cheeseburger. I like cheeseburger very much.
WO

Art. Article The couple wants to buy small house. The couple wants to buy a small house.

Art.

?/ Unclear / The meaning is unclear, and the Rewrite using simple and direct sentences.
RW Rewrite correction is impossible.

Frag. Fragment Error After I have finished my task. After I have finished my task, I am going
Frag. to have a long vacation.