Guide to spelling, punctuation and grammar

P
RACTICE
(
ANSWERS ON PAGE
157)
Below are two paragraphs, each consisting of six sentences. Rewrite
them using one simple sentence and two complex sentences.
a) Women, on average, earn 30% less than men. Government
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16 – G
RAMMAR AND ACCURACY

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legislation under the Equal Pay Act has obviously not had the
desired effect. It is a change in fundamental attitudes that is
required. Government may have to use compulsion to equalise pay
between the sexes. Economic disadvantage does not help the cause
of women’s rights. These are supposed to be at the heart of
government policy. 
b) The majority of film producers are hoping to make the ultimate
blockbuster. This means that most films have a sameness about
them. They are full of special effects, very loud soundtracks and
juvenile content. A large potential audience exists for more
intelligent cinema. Film-makers should not underestimate the taste
of their audiences. At some point, audiences will tire of no-brainer
movies.
PUNCTUATION
All sentences start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. Of
course, you have to know when one sentence ends and another begins so
that you can employ the correct punctuation mark. Read the following
aloud:
The football authorities are very concerned about agents, they are
seen to be profiting from the game and not putting much back into
it, naturally sports agents defend themselves against these charges,
the impression persists, however, that agents are leeches on the
sport
The flow of meaning when you read that passage aloud should have told
you that some of the commas inserted are not ‘strong enough’. Full stops
are required at three places: 
The football authorities are very concerned about agents. They are
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H
OW TO WRITE ESSAYS

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seen to be profiting from the game and not putting much back into
it. Naturally sports agents defend themselves against these charges.
The impression persists, however, that agents are leeches on the
sport.
As there is a full stop after ‘charges’ and a new sentence begins, ‘the’ has
to become ‘The’ as the first word of a new sentence. The commas that
surround ‘however’ are correctly used as ‘however’ is an interjection, a
linking word or phrase or a word that is used for emphasis. Common
interjections include ‘for example’, ‘however’, ‘of course’,
‘nevertheless’, ‘then’, ‘on the other hand’, ‘similarly’, ‘equally’. When
these interjections are used at the beginning of sentences, they usually
require a comma after them:
Of course, the evidence is vague.
However, there is another point of view about this issue.
If they are used in the middle of a sentence and they interrupt the flow
of meaning, then they require a comma before and after:
The result, nevertheless, was total stalemate.
The opponents of the bill, on the other hand, argue heatedly for
total reform.