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Mastering the Mechanics: Periods

Last updated 5/31/2016

 

Visual: Walden University Writing Center logo is visible at the bottom of the screen along with a notepad and pencil background. “Walden University Writing Center. Your writing, grammar, and APA experts” appears in center of screen. Slide changes to background of dictionary page. A green text box appears which reads: "Mastering the Mechanics: Periods."

Audio: Guitar music plays.

 

Visual: Slide changes to a blue, brown, and grey slide titled "Periods." In upper right corner of the screen is an image of a period. The body of the slide has three bullet points which provide rules for using periods, with examples after.  These read:

  • "At the end of a complete sentence: All faculty are required to attend the meeting.
  • After a parenthetical citation: All participants were under the age of 10 (Wilson, 2003).
  • In certain abbreviations: i.e., et al., U.S."

Audio: Periods should go at the end of every sentence. A couple of specific nuances, places where I often see errors with periods: when you have a parenthetical citation like this one, at the end of the sentence, the period should go after the citation, not before.

 

Visual: As narrator says “like this one” pointer gestures to example below "After a parenthetical citation." Then, the period after (Wilson, 2003) is highlighted as the narrator says "after the citation."

Audio: I very often will see students put the period here but because the citation is still part of the sentence, the period should go after the citation.

 

Visual: As narrator says “put the period here” the space between “age of 10” and (Wilson, 2003) highlights to demonstrate where a period should not go when there is a citation in the sentence.

Audio: And then also, in certain abbreviations you'll want to include periods. So for example, "i.e." and "e.g." and the abbreviation "et al." should have a period after "al." The abbreviation "U.S." according to APA should include periods.

 

Visual: As narrator reads through examples, periods in “i.e.” and “e.g.” and “et al.” and “U.S.” highlight.

 

Visual: Slide changes to notebook and pencil with Walden logo from first slide. Text reads: “Walden University Writing Center. Questions? E-mail writingsupport@mail.waldenu.edu."