Tertiary Catalogue

Some of the most misused and misunderstood pieces of punctuation are also the smallest. This programme provides a practical review of two important punctuation marks - apostrophes and speech marks. We begin with the troublesome apostrophe - its origins, functions and the reasons why it remains a necessary part of the English language. The programme provides a detailed look at how to use apostrophes to indicate possession and to spell contractions. We also revise the proper use of quotation (or speech) marks, and examine some common errors in using these tricky punctuation marks in written expression. Show Less

Many people have problems using punctuation marks correctly. Recent technological developments such as email, text messages and online instant messaging have required many English expressions to be simplified and shortened, prompting many people to question whether we still need punctuation at all. In this programme, we explore the reasons for the continuing importance of learning to master punctuation. We provide some straightforward revision of the five most commonly-used punctuation marks: capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks and commas. Join us for an interesting look at how punctuation rules enable us to make ourselves understood more clearly. Show Less

Punctuation is something many people have trouble getting their heads around. This programme provides a comprehensive guide to proper punctuation. We examine some common punctuation errors and pitfalls, and explain how to improve our written expression. We'll look in detail at the functions of colons, semicolons, dashes, parentheses and ellipses. These punctuation marks are often avoided in everyday writing, due to confusion about their features and functions. In this programme we offer some simple rules to optimise the use of these punctuation marks, and demonstrate that effective punctuation needn't be complicated. Show Less