When you have completed CHAPTER 7, you should be able to:

• Use punctuation correctly.
• Apply capitalization rules to business writing.
• Use abbreviations appropriately.
• Apply number expression rules in business writing.

When you have finished Section 7.1, you will be able to:

• Use periods correctly to end sentences.
• Identify when, and when not, to use periods.
• Correct errors in the use of periods.
• Use question marks correctly after direct questions and in a series of questions.
• Use exclamation points correctly.

When you have finished Section 7.2, you will be able to:

• Use commas correctly in compound sentences and in a series.
• Use commas correctly after introductory words, phrases, and clauses.
• Use commas correctly to set off interrupting elements.
• Use commas correctly with consecutive adjectives and repeated expressions.

When you have finished Section 7.3, you will be able to:

• Use semicolons correctly to join independent clauses.
• Use semicolons and colons correctly before enumerations and explanations.
• Use colons correctly to introduce independent clauses and for emphasis.
• Use dashes correctly in sentences.
• Correct errors in the use of semicolons, colons, and dashes.

When you have finished Section 7.4, you will be able to:

• Use quotation marks correctly for direct quotations, definitions, special expressions, unfamiliar terms, titles of articles, and so on.
• Use parentheses correctly to enclose words that give additional information and for references.
• Combine other punctuation marks correctly with quotation marks and with parentheses in sentences.
• Use apostrophes correctly to form contractions and possessives.
• Correct errors in the use of quotation marks, parentheses, and apostrophes.

When you have finished Section 7.5, you will be able to:

• Use capitals correctly for the first words of sentences, direct quotations, and items in outlines and lists.
• Use capitals correctly in headings and in titles of publications.
• Correctly capitalize proper nouns, proper adjectives, titles, and names of commercial products.
• Correct errors in capitalization.

When you have finished Section 7.6, you will be able to:

• Use appropriate abbreviations correctly before and after personal names.
• Use abbreviations correctly in company and organizational names.
• Use abbreviations correctly in addresses, units of measure, and expressions of time.
• Correct errors in the use of abbreviations.

When you have finished Section 7.7, you will be able to:

• Determine when to express numbers as words and when to express them as numerals in sentences.
• Use ordinal numbers correctly in business communications.
• Use correct punctuation and symbols with numbers.