PUNCTUATION

THE MOST IMPORTANT MARKS OF PUNCTUATION ARE:

. PERIOD (FULL STOP) , COMMA

? QUESTION MARK ; SEMICOLON
! EXCLAMATION POINT : COLON
-- DASH “” DOUBLE QUOTATION
- HYPHEN MARKS
‘ APOSTROPHE ‘’ SINGLE QUOTATION
MARKS
() PARENTHESES
[] BRACKETS
 END STOPS
Are marks of puncuation used at the end of a sentence: period,
question mark, exclamation point. 95% of all sentences
end with a period.
Use a period
 At the end of a declarative sentence
 AFTER MOST ABBREVIATIONS e.G. Oct.14, at 4 p.M.
 Properly in an outline: e.G.
I. Pre-work jitters
A. The night before
1. Setting the alarm clock
2. Sleeplessness
 USE THREE SPACED PERIODS TO INDICATE OMISSION e.G.
Some books are good, others are…not.
 Before a decimal, to separate dollars and cents: e.G. 17.26%
$4.85 $0.95
 END STOPS
Use an exclamation point
 To end a forceful interjection or to indicate surprise or
vigorous emotion: e.G. May I ask you-please!-To help me.
Remember
That emotion, surprise, command should be strong to warrant the “!”.
Writing dotted with “!”s is a form of “schoolgirl style”
An “!” after a long sentence looks silly; most of us don’t have sufficient
breath to exclaim more that a few words at a time.
To use a “.”, not an “!” after a mildly imperative sentence
E.G. Take your time and work carefully.
Use a question mark
 At the end of every direct question
 To indicate a series of queries in the same sentence
E.G. Are you going? Is your sister? John? Sheila?
 THE COMMA
Serves many different purposes and is the most widely used
mark of punctuation. It is also the most troublesome.
“Panda is a small animal that … eats, shoots, and leaves”
Four purposes of the comma:
To introduce, to separate, to enclose and show omission.
1) use it to separate long independent clauses in a compound sentence.
2) use it to set off a long introductory phrase from an independent clause
3) use a pair of commas to set off words inserted w/in a sentence
4) use commas to divide elements in a series
5) use a comma to prevent misreading:
E.G. The morning after a policeman came to the door.
 COMMAS TO INTRODUCE
1) to introduce a word, phrase, or, on occasion, a clause
E.G. If you want something done well, do it yourself.

2) to introduce a statement or question:

E.G. I wondered, why is she so aggressive?

3) to introduce a short quotation:

E.G. “I’ll never forget that,” she replied.

Unless a “?” or a “!” is needed:

E.G. “Do you think she’ll be there?”
Nb! When the quotation is either long or formal, use a colon
rather than a comma
 COMMAS TO SEPARATE
1) to separate independent clauses joined by conjunctions and, but, yet,
neither, nor, or
E.G. She didn’t like her work, and her distaste was obvious.
Sometimes comma is omitted, if the clause is short (4-5 words long)
2) to separate adverbial clause from the independent clause
E.G. By working hard and pleasing his employers, steve got a pay-raise.
3) to separate words, phrases, and clauses in a series
E.G. I chose a tray, selected my food, and paid the cashier.
Some writers omit the comma before the conjunction: “a, b and c”
4) to separate two or more adjectives when they equally modify the same
noun:
E.G. She wore an old, dirty dress and a new, pretty, expensive coat.
When the adjectives do not modify equally, use no commas: e.G. A large
green bug settled on the torn autumn leaf.
 COMMAS TO SEPARATE
5) to separate contrasted elements in a sentence:
E.G. The word begins with an s, not a c.

6) to separate words that might be misread

E.G. The stock advanced five points, to twenty-one.
Soon after, she got up and left the house.
The day after, the supervisor was absent himself.

7) to separate thousands, millions, etc., In figures:

E.G. The deficit amounted to $8,765,432,100

COMMAS ARE NOT USED IN TELEPHONE #, YEARS, HOUSE #,

ZIP CODES, SERIAL NUMBERS, ETC.
 COMMAS TO ENCLOSE
1) to inclose parenthetical words, phrases, or clauses:
E.G. You are, on the other hand, well suited for this work.
I believe, whether or not you want to know my opinion, that our company policy is
wrong.
2) to enclose non-defining clauses:
E.G. Denver, which is the capital of colorado, is densely populated.
The books, those that i own, are all paperbacks.
3) to enclose absolute phrases:
E.G. The performance over, we rose to our feet.
4) to enclose words in apposition:
E.G. James green, our manager, was a kindly man.
5) to enclose vocatives:
E.G. Workers of the world, unite!
6) to enclose initials or titles following a person’s name:
E.G. John campbell, ph.D., And robert romano, M.A. Are members of the council.
7) to enclose places and dates which explain preceding places
E.G. He lives in miami, florida. His address is 1607 ravinia road, peru 29, illinois
 COMMAS TO INDICATE OMISSION
Most sentences which require a comma to make clear that
something has been left out are poorely constructed and
should be rephrased.

In rare instances, however, using a comma to show omission

helps to avoid wordiness:
E.G. In this office are ten workers; in that one are sixteen
In this office are ten workers; in that, sixteen.
 UNNECESSARY COMMAS
Do not use a comma
1)before the first and after the last member of a series:
E.G. The tea was a cold, sweet, refreshing, drink.
2) to separate a subject from its predicate:
E.G. We requested, that the road be resurfaced.
3) before indirect quotation:
E.G. The candidate stated, that he was against taxation.
4) between two independent clauses where a stronger mark of
punctuation is required “comma splice”:
E.G. The foreman told me to be there early, I told him I couldn’t.
5) w/words in apposition which are difining:
E.G. My sister Margaret, is a lovely woman.
UNNECESSARY COMMAS (cont.)

6) indiscriminately to replace the word omitted:

E.G. Robin said, he would come to see me.
(The comma is incorrectly used for “that”)

7) in any situation unless it adds to clarity and

understanding:
E.G. Naturally, the first thing you should do, after
reporting for work, is to see your supervisor.

After the play, martha and i went home, by taxicab,

because we wanted, at all cost, to avoid subway
crowds.
 THE SEMICOLON
The semicolon is a stronger mark of punctuation than the comma; it signifies
a greater break or a longer clause between sentence elements.

Remember: the semicolon is used only between elements of equal rank; it is

entirely a mark of coordination.

Use the semicolon:

1) to separate independent clauses not joined by a simple conjunction:
E.G. “If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you; if you really make
them think, they’ll hate you.” – Marquis
2) to separate independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb (also,
anyhow, besides, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover,
otherwise, therefore, thus, etc.):
E.G. This job is not simple; however, it’s exciting and rewarding.
 THE SEMICOLON (cont.)
3) between independent clauses which are lengthy or contain internal
punctuation:
E.G. “As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will have its fascination; when it is looked
upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.” – Wilde

Do not overuse semicolon

Ordinarily, the semicolon has the same function as a period: it indicates a

complete break, the end of one thought and the beginning of another.

One fairly safe guide is: no period, no semicolon:

E.G. Inasmuch as joe has a fiery temper; we have to be careful what we say to him.
(A comma should be used instead of the semicolon)
Do not use it as a mark of introduction:
E.G. Dear sir;
DO NOT USE IT AS A SUMMARIZING MARK:
E.G. Answering the phone, typing, filing; these were my duties last summer.
 THE COLON
The colon is a mark of expectation or addition. It’s primary function is to
signal the reader to “watch for what’s coming.”
Use the colon:

1) to introduce a word, a phrase, or clause, or after an introductory

statement:
E.G. This is my problem: what do I do now?
2) to separate introductory words from a long or formal quotation which
follows:
E.G. Jefferson concluded his first inaugural address as follows: “and may that infinite
power which rules the destines of the universe…”
3) as a separating mark in special situations:
A) IN BUSINESS LETTERS: e.G. Dear mr. James:
B) TITLES AND SUBTITLES OF BOOKS: e.G. The english novel: A panorama
C) HOUR AND MINUTE FIGURES: e.G. 10:15 a.M.
D) Chapters and verses of the bible: e.G. Exodus, 12:31
E) VOLUMES AND PAGE REFERENCES: e.G. War and peace, II:122
 THE COLON (cont.)
Do not overuse the colon

Do not place a colon between a preposition and object:

E.G. I am fond of: New Orleans, Seattle, Denver.

Do not place a colon between a verb and its object:

E.G. He liked to see: TV plays, movies, and sitcoms.
She likes a number of activities, such as: swimming, dancing, and
cooking.
 THE DASH
The dash is a mark of punctuation used to denote a sudden break or shift in
thought.

“The interruption, the mark of abruptness, the sob, the stammer, the mark of
ignorance.”
It is the only mark of punctuation which is not on the standard keyboard. To
type a dash, use two hyphens; no space precedes or follow the hyphens.
Use the dash:
1) to indicate a break or shift in thought:
E.G. Do we—can we—dare we ask for more money?
2) to introduce a word or group of words which you wish to emphasize:
E.G. What he needed most he never got—love.
3) to set off strongly distinguished parenthetical material: e.G. I think—no, I
am positive—that you should go.
4) to indicate omission of letters and words:
E.G. Senator S– was from my hometown.
June—october 1990
 THE HYPHEN
Mark of separation used between parts of a word.

Use a hyphen:
1) to separate (join) the parts of compound words:
E.G. Fast-moving; sister-in-law; half-asleep; x-ray; know-it-all; forty-seven;
three-fourths

2) TO INDICATE THE DIVISION OF A WORD BROKEN AT THE END OF A LINE:

E.G. Knowl-edge, ste-nog-ra-pher
a) Never divide a monosyllable: e.G. Strength, laughed
b) Do not divide on a syllable with a silent vowel: e.G. Climbed, yelled
c) Do not divide a word with only 4 letters: e.G. Also, only, open
d) Divide two consonants standing between vowels: e.G. Struc-ture, alter-
native, exis-ten-tialism
e) Do not divide sums of money
f) Do not divide initials in a name or in proper names
g) Do not divide units of time
 QUOTATION MARKS
Use quotation marks
1) to enclose every direct quotation and each part of an interrupted
quotation:
E.G. “What will my starting salary be?” I asked the manager.
“Well,” he replied, “I’m not sure.”
2) in a dialogue use a separate paragraph for each change of speaker:
E.G. “Dad,” cried Neil.
“There, there, it’s gonna be just fine,” his father said.
3) to enclose words with a widely different level of usage:
E.G. The person who has “had it” so far is Saddam.
4) to enclose chapter headings and the titles of articles:
E.G. Grant wood’s famed painting, “American gothic,” was recently
reproduced in American heritage.
5) use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation: e.G.
The coach said, ”when you say, ‘I’ll be there on time,’ I expect you to
mean what you say.”
 QUOTATION MARKS (cont.)
In the british isles the use of the single and double quotation
marks is reversed from the way they are used in the united
states. There the normal quotations and short titles are
within single quotation marks. Double quotation marks are
used for titles or quotations within quotation marks.
Place quotation marks correctly with reference to other marks
1) The comma and the period always come inside quotation marks.
2) A question mark, exclamation point, or dash comes outside quotation
marks unless it is part of the quotation. A single question mark comes
inside quotation marks when both the non-quoted and quoted elements
are questioned.
3) The semicolon and colon come ouside quotation marks.
 THE APOSTROPHE
HAS THREE USES:
1) TO FORM THE POSSESSIVE CASE OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNS
2) TO INDICATE OMISSION OF A LETTER FROM WORDS OR A FIGURE FROM
NUMERALS
3) TO INDICATE THE PLURALS OF LETTERS, NUMERALS, SYMBOLS,
ABBREVIATIONS.
USE THE APOSTROPHE
1) AND S TO FORM THE POSSESSIVE CASE OF A NOUN NOT ENDING IN S: e.g.
children’s; town’s
2) TO FORM THE POSSESSIVE CASE OF A PLURAL NOUN ENDING IN S:
e.g. boys’; ladies’
3) ALONE OR WITH S TO FORM THE POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS ENDING IS S:
e.g. Robert Burns’ /Burns’s; (RULE: WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE)
4) AND S A IN THE LAST ELEMENT OF COMPOUND NOUNS:
e.g. my son-in-law’s boat; King Henry IV’s funeral; somebody else’s ticket
5) TO SHOW THAT LETTERS OF FIGURES HAVE BEEN OMITTED:
e.g. aren’t; shouldn’t; The Civil War was fought 1861-’65.
6) AND S TO INDICATE THE PLURALS OF NUMERALS, LETTERS, ETC.
e.g. Uncrossed t’s look like 1’s. He uses too many and’s and but’s in speaking.
 Put in semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, Italics (use an underline),
and parentheses where ever they are needed in the following sentences.
 1. The men in question Harold Keene, Jim Peterson, and Gerald Greene
deserve awards.
 2. Several countries participated in the airlift Italy, Belgium, France, and
Luxembourg.
 3. There's no room for error, said the engineer so we have to double check every
calculation.
 4. Judge Carswell later to be nominated for the Supreme Court had ruled against
civil rights.
 5. In last week's New Yorker, one of my favorite magazines, I enjoyed reading
Leland's article How Not to Go Camping.
 6. Yes, Jim said, I'll be home by ten.
 7. There was only one thing to do study till dawn.
 8. Montaigne wrote the following A wise man never loses anything, if he has
himself.
 9. The following are the primary colors red, blue, and yellow.
 10. Arriving on the 8 10 plane were Liz Brooks, my old roommate her
husband and Tim, their son.
 11. When the teacher commented that her spelling was poor, Lynn replied All
the members of my family are poor spellers. Why not me?
 12. He used the phrase you know so often that I finally said No, I don't know.
 13. The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars Volkswagens,
Porsches, and Mercedes Benz.
 14. Though Phil said he would arrive on the 9 19 flight, he came instead on
the 10 36 flight.
 15. Whoever thought said Helen that Jack would be elected class president?
 16. In baseball, a show boat is a man who shows off.
 17. The minister quoted Isaiah 5 21 in last Sunday's sermon.
 18. There was a very interesting article entitled The New Rage for Folk
Singing in last Sunday's New York Times newspaper.
 19. Whoever is elected secretary of the club Ashley, or Chandra, or Aisha
must be prepared to do a great deal of work, said Jumita, the previous
secretary.
 20. Darwin's On the Origin of Species 1859 caused a great controversy
when it appeared.