ATS1340 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES WORKBOOK 1 ISSUE 4 | Seite 3

ATS1340 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES
DAY 5 SESSION 1
SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF PUNCTUATION
PREPARATION
1. Review the PowerPoint: Seven Deadly Sins of Punctuation .ppt on MOODLE
READING
1. Truss, Lynne 2003 Eats, Shoots and Leaves: the zero tolerance approach to
punctuation. Profile Books, London.
2. http:// grammar.about.com/od/punctuationandmechanics/a/semicolon09.htm
PRE-TEST: Correct the following errors in the use of semi-colons:
Even though France was officially a Republic; many people still favoured the monarchy.
The initial challenge the USA faced was to reduce Iraq’s access to Western media sources;
support in the United Nations as well as weapons supply from sympathetic Middle Eastern
states.
The steps taken by the Allies included a number of policy initiatives; isolate Iraq
internationally; impose a no-fly zone and enforce an embargo on oil exports.
It was decided that; Rudd was no longer capable of commanding support within Caucus,
consequently; he had to go.
GENERAL ADVICE: SEMI-COLONS, COLONS & COMMAS



If in doubt, DON’T USE THE SEMI COLON.
Full colons that indicate the start of a list should come after a noun (or
gerund).

PRE-TEST: INSERT COMMAS, SEMI-COLONS, FULL COLONS, APOSTROPHES, FULL
STOPS….THE LOT! [DISCUSSION/CHECK ON WEBINAR]
ATS1297 is a first year subject offered in the Faculty of Arts at a large Australian university its
objectives are to scaffold new and returning students academic literacy skills in particular the
curriculum pays special attention to developing participants academic writing and their critical
thinking the unit is offered in first semester and whilst not part of an ‘official’ sequence students can
continue along a pathway leading to Professional Writing (ATS1298) and Advanced Professional
Writing (ATS2/3490) the unit is offered at the two main campuses of the university numbers
attending the lectures at each campus are roughly identical (approx 100) and in terms of cohort
demographics appear to be quite similar although the number of mature age/returning students is
slightly greater at the campus on which this study/paper reports the unit is offered entirely as a faceto-face onshore program

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