English help and tips please?

Question

Today my teacher told me to stay after class because she had to tell me something. She told me that my writing skills sucks and its not even at accademic level. She said my spelling and reading skills are really good, but i really need to work on the writing. I forgot to tell her but, i can write but i just don't know the rules of writing. Like using the comma's correctly, etc. Do anyone know any good ways for me to improve my writing skills?

Answer 1

Ask your teacher for some worksheets with the rules and some exercises for you to try. If she sees you are serious about improving then she wil be more than happy to help. Also buy a grammar guide and keep reading, it is a great way to sub-consciously pick up good spelling and grammar

Answer 2

Ask her for a grammar book. She can probably check one out for you--and look over it. Learn about prepositional phrases, gerunds, and all that jazz--you need it to learn correct comma placement. She can also give you lessons, after, before school, whatever, and worksheets on sentence structure and variety. And, if your vocabulary needs work go to freerice.com. It's not my website and I'm not advertising for it--promise--but it quizzes you on really weird and hard vocab words and gives rice to starving people through the UN every time you get a vocab word right. So, anyhow, there is a reason that your English teacher has her job, and that is you, the student. She should put extra work into helping you and you should try to get better. Good luck!
(If you could afford it, a writing tutor would be a good idea.)

Answer 3

www.teachervision.fen.com/writing/punctuation

APOSTROPHES:
1.Indicates the possessive case of singular and plural nouns, indefinite pronouns, and surnames combined with designations such as Jr., Sr., and II: My sister's husband; My three sisters' husbands; Anyone's guess; They answer each other's phones, John Smith Jr.'s car.
2. Indicates joint possession when used with the last of two or more nouns in a series: Doe and Roe's report.
3. Indicates individual possession or authorship when used with each of two or more nouns in a series: Smith's, Roe's, and Doe's reports.
4. Indicates the plural of lowercase letters: Dot your i's and cross your t's.
5. Indicates omission of letters in contractions: aren't, that's, o'clock.
6. Indicates omission of figures in dates: the class of '63.


COMMAS:
1. Separates the clauses of a compound sentence connected by a coordinating conjunction: A difference exists between the musical works of Handel and Haydn, and it is a difference worth noting. The comma may be omitted in short compound sentences: I heard what you said and I am furious. I got out of the car and I walked and walked.
2. Separates and or or from the final item in a series of three or more (optional): Red, yellow, and blue may be mixed to produce all colors.
3. Separates two or more adjectives modifying the same noun if and could be used between them without altering the meaning: a solid, heavy gait. But: a polished mahogany dresser.
4. Sets off nonrestrictive clauses or phrases (i.e., those that if eliminated would not affect the meaning of the sentences): The burglar, who had entered through the patio, went straight to the silver chest. The comma should not be used when a clause is restrictive (i.e., essential to the meaning of the sentence): The burglar who had entered through the patio went straight to the silver chest; the other burglar searched for the wall safe.
5. Sets off words or phrases in apposition to a noun or noun phrase: Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, was a student of Socrates. The comma should not be used if such words or phrases precede the noun: The Greek philosopher Plato was a student of Socrates.
6. Sets off transitional words and short expressions that require a pause in reading or speaking: Unfortunately, my friend was not well traveled. Did you, after all, find what you were looking for? I live with my family, of course.
7. Sets off words used to introduce a sentence: No, I haven't been to Paris. Well, what do you think we should do now?
8. Sets off a subordinate clause or a long phrase that precedes a principal clause: By the time we found the restaurant, we were starved. Of all the illustrations in the book, the most striking are those of the tapestries.
9. Sets off short quotations and sayings: The candidate said, “Actions speak louder than words.” “Talking of axes,” said the Duchess, “chop off her head.”—Lewis Carroll
Indicates omission of a word or words: To err is human; to forgive, divine.
10. Sets off the year from the month in full dates: Nicholas II of Russia was shot on July 16, 1918. But note that when only the month and the year are used, no comma appears: Nicholas II of Russia was shot in July 1918.
11.Sets off city and state in geographic names: Atlanta, Georgia, is the transportation center of the South. 34 Beach Drive, Bedford, VA 24523.
12. Separates series of four or more figures into thousands, millions, etc.: 67,000; 200,000.
13. Sets off words used in direct address: “I tell you, folks, all politics is applesauce.”—Will Rogers. Thank you for your expert assistance, Dolores.
14. Separates a tag question from the rest of a sentence: You forgot your keys again, didn't you?
15. Sets off sentence elements that could be misunderstood if the comma were not used: Some time after, the actual date for the project was set.
16. Follows the salutation in a personal letter and the complimentary close in a business or personal letter: Dear Jessica, Sincerely yours, Fred.
17. Sets off titles and degrees from surnames and from the rest of a sentence: Walter T. Prescott, Jr.; Gregory A. Rossi, S.J.; Susan P. Green, M.D., presented the case.

SEMICOLON:
1.Separates the clauses of a compound sentence having no coordinating conjunction: Do not let us speak of darker days; let us rather speak of sterner days.—Winston Churchill
2. Separates the clauses of a compound sentence in which the clauses contain internal punctuation, even when the clauses are joined by conjunctions: Skis in hand, we trudged to the lodge, stowed our lunches, and donned our boots; and the rest of our party waited for us at the lifts.
3. Separates elements of a series in which items already contain commas: Among those at the diplomatic reception were the Secretary of State; the daughter of the Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, formerly of London; and two United Nations delegates.
4. Separates clauses of a compound sentence joined by a conjunctive adverb, such as however, nonetheless, or hence: We insisted upon a hearing; however, the Grievance Committee refused.
5. May be used instead of a comma to signal longer pauses for dramatic effect: But I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thought will be of the Corps; and the Corps; and the Corps.—General Douglas MacArthur

PARENTHESES:
1.Enclose material that is not essential to a sentence and that if not included would not alter its meaning: After a few minutes (some say less) the blaze was extinguished.
2. Often enclose letters or figures to indicate subdivisions of a series: A movement in sonata form consists of the following elements: (1) the exposition, (2) the development, and (3) the recapitulation.
3. Enclose figures following and confirming written-out numbers, especially in legal and business documents: The fee for my services will be two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).
4. Enclose an abbreviation for a term following the written-out term, when used for the first time in a text: The patient is suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)



QUOTATION MARKS;
1.Double quotation marks enclose direct quotations:

"What was Paris like in the Twenties?" our daughter asked.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the Chief Usher said, "the President of the United States."

Robert Louis Stevenson said that "it is better to be a fool than to be dead."

When advised not to become a lawyer because the profession was already overcrowded, Daniel Webster replied,"There is always room at the top."

2.Double quotation marks enclose words or phrases to clarify their meaning or use or to indicate that they are being used in a special way:

This was the border of what we often call "the West" or "the Free World."

"The Windy City" is a name for Chicago.

3. Double quotation marks set off the translation of a foreign word or phrase:

die Grenze, "the border."

4. Double quotation marks set off the titles of series of books, of articles or chapters in publications, of essays, of short stories and poems, of individual radio and television programs, and of songs and short musical pieces:

a series of books: "The Horizon Concise History"

an article: "On Reflexive Verbs in English"

a chapter in a book: Chapter Nine, "The Prince and the Peasant"

a short story: Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades"

a poem: Tennyson's "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington"

a television show: "The Bob Hope Special"

a short musical piece: Schubert's "Death and the Maiden."

5.Single quotation marks enclose quotations within quotations:

The blurb for the piece proclaimed, "Two years ago at Geneva, South Vietnam was virtually sold down the river to the Communists. Today the spunky little . . . country is back on its own feet, thanks to 'a mandarin in a sharkskin suit who's upsetting the Red timetable.'"--Frances FitzGerald

6. Put commas and periods INSIDE quotation marks; put semicolons and colons OUTSIDE. Other punctuation, such as exclamation points and question marks, should be put inside the closing quotation marks only if part of the matter quoted.


PRINTABLES AND WORKSHEETS:
Punctuation Situation
Discovering Punctuation 2
Discovering Punctuation 9
The Missing Treasure (capitalization & punctuation)
The Bouncing Balls (punctuation)
Find the Questions (when to use question marks)
The Sailboats (periods after statements)


This website is for grades k-12, but has a LOT of printable worksheets, etc. to help you learn the rules of writing. Hope it helps. :=]

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/sentpatt.html:
Simple sentences . . .
contain only one independent clause.

Compound sentences . . .
join two or more independent clauses (simple sentences) but no dependent clauses. Compound sentences join ideas of equal importance.

Complex sentences . . .
join one or more dependent clauses (sometimes called subordinate or embedded clauses) to the independent clause. Complex sentences are useful when your writing includes some ideas that are more important than others. The independent clause contains the main idea, and the dependent clauses convey minor or subordinate ideas.

PUNCTUATION (continued):

COLONS:
1. Use a colon to signal the reader that a series of words, phrases, or clauses follows a complete sentence.
The baseball coach claimed that the team's success stemmed from four things: consistent hitting, solid pitching, good fielding, and excellent teamwork.

2. Use a colon to signal the reader that a second complete sentence explains a closely related preceding sentence.
The supervisor's remark was straight to the point: I won't tolerate workers who show up late.

3. Use a colon to signal the reader that a name or description follows a complete sentence when you want to put a lot of emphasis on that item.
The preoccupied burglar didn't notice who was standing right behind him: a smiling police officer

4. Use a colon to introduce a long quotation after a complete sentence.
In his book, Language is Sermonic, rhetorician Richard Weaver described how language may influence us:
Sophistications of theory cannot obscure the truth that there are but three ways for language to affect us. It can move us toward what is good; it can move us toward what is evil; or it can, in hypothetical third place, fail to move us at all.

5.Also used:
...to separate titles and subtitles:

Richard Nixon: The Tarnished President
...to express time:
The accident occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
...to cite a law or Biblical passage:
According to Minnesota statute 1:49:002, it is unlawful to feed licorice or peanut butter to goats.
...to end a salutation:
Dear Rachel:
...to separate the place of publication and the publisher in a bibliographic entry:

West, Gerald. How to Write Best Sellers. New York: Henry
James Publishing, 1973.