Punctuation Rules

Punctuation Rules

¨  Comma Examples

The lengthy, detailed, mind-numbing research paper was finished after an all-night session.

¨  Comma

¨  Divides all items in a series

ú  Including the last two items, even if they are separated by “and”

¨  Comma Examples

For the ward dinner, we’ll have mystery meat, mixed vegetables, green Jell-O with shredded carrots, and potatoes and gravy.

¨  Comma

¨  Divides nonessential, or interrupting, elements from the essential sentence elements

¨  Comma Examples

Mad cow disease, the cause of which is unknown, decimated the British beef industry.

¨  Comma Examples

Mad cow disease, the cause of which is unknown, decimated the British beef industry.

¨  Comma

¨  Sets off a direct quotation, if the material quoted forms an independent clause

¨  Comma Examples

The bookstore clerk said, “We didn’t order enough copies of the textbook.”

The bookstore clerk said that they “did not order enough books.”

The bookstore clerk said that they failed to order sufficient textbooks.

¨  Comma

¨  Is used in dates before and after the year, when the format is month, day, year.

¡  Is not used with partial dates or with other date formats (e.g., day, month, year)

¨  Comma Examples

I will send you the material on July 8, 2011, which is three days before you need it.

I will send you the material on 8 July 2011, which is three days before you need it.

I will send you the material on 7/8/2011, which is three days before you need it.

Which format do you use – 7/8/2011 or 8/7/2011?

                Best to avoid this format and its confusion.

¨  Comma

¨  Provides clarification when / where needed

¨  Comma

¨  Provides clarification when / where needed

¨  Semicolon

¨  Textbook calls it a “super comma”

¡  Only one of its functions

¨  Semicolon

¡  Divides two independent clauses without a conjunction

   The clauses must be closely related

¨  Semicolon Examples

Last spring was the warmest in 30 years; this spring was the coldest.

Last spring was the warmest in 30 years; my nose is too long.

¨  Semicolon

•       Precedes a conjunctive adverb between two clauses

   Conjunctive adverbs include therefore, thus, however, nonetheless, and some others

¨  Semicolon Examples

Last spring was the warmest in 30 years; however, this spring was the coldest.

Our “Swimwear in January” sale, however, sold out in two days.

¨  Semicolon

¨  Divides items in a parallel series where there are internal commas

¨  Semicolon

¨  Divides the terms i.e. and e.g. from preceding independent clauses

¡  i.e. = “that is,” from the Latin id est.

¡  e.g. = “for example,” from the Latin exempli gratia

¨  Semicolon Examples

There is a high expense limit for senior executives; i.e., vice presidents and the CEO.

There is a much lower expense limit for real people; e.g., mail room workers and customer service reps.

¨  Semicolon

¨  Semicolons are never used to introduce lists

¨  Semicolons are never used in letter salutations

¨  Semicolon

¨  Semicolons are never used to introduce lists

¨  Semicolons are never used in letter salutations

¨  Colon

¨  Introduces items that complete a sentence, when preceded by an independent clause

¨  Colon Example

We created special parking spaces for these essential people: the receptionists, the salesperson of the month, and the printer repair person.

¨  Bad Colon Example

We created special parking spaces for: the receptionists, the salesperson of the month, and the copier repairman.

¨  Colon

¨  Introduces items in a bulleted or numbered list

¡  Preceding independent clause is not needed here

¨  Colon Example

We exceeded our sales goals by:

¨  Visiting each customer twice a week

¨  Offering deep discounts for quantity purchases

¨  Bringing Krispy Kreme doughnuts

¨  Colon

¨  Is always used for the salutation line in a business letter

¡  Commas may be used for personal letters

¨  Dash

¨  Not a hyphen – it’s longer

ú  Hyphen:                               -

ú  “N” dash:                             –

ú  “M” dash:                            —

¨  The “n” dash is used more than the “m” dash

¨  Dash

¨  Sets off sentence interrupters or introductory phrases

¡  The “m” dash is the traditional choice here.

¡  No spaces are used before/after the “m” dash.

¡  The “n” dash with before/after spaces is now used more frequently.

¨  Is used in date ranges

¡  The “n’ dash is the traditional choice here.

¡  No spaces are used before/after the dash.

¡  The hyphen is sometimes used but is not preferred.

¨  Dash Example

He implied – though he didn’t actually say it – that we had won the sweepstakes.

Plan to come next Tuesday – there will be refreshments.

He wrote his best novels from 1948–1971.

¨  Hyphen

¨  Connects prefixes and base words

¡  When the prefix ends with the same letter that begins the base word

ú  Anti-inflammatory

ú  Shell-like

¡  When the prefix and base word might be confused with another word

ú  Re-form vs. reform

¨  Hyphen

¨  Connects prefixes and base words

¡  When the prefix is “self-”

ú  Self-serving, self-absorbed

ú  Not selfish (“ish” is not a word)

¡  When the word might otherwise be mispronounced

ú  Co-worker, not coworker

¡  When the base word is capitalized

ú  Anti-American

¡  When the base word is a number

ú  Pre-1930 Ford Model T

¨  Hyphen

¨  Used to join compound adjectives

¡  Well-rounded intellect

¡  Bell-bottom trousers

¡  Ill-fitting toupee

¡  Small-business managers

¡  Quickly written paper (no hyphen)

ú  “ly” words don’t need hyphens

¨  Not used when adjectives follow nouns

¡  That was a 12-year-old complaint.

¡  That complaint was 12 years old.

¡  Hyphen

¨  Not used for these prefixes, unless there is a chance of confusion:

¡  Pre

¡  Re

¡  Sub

¡  Semi

¡  Parentheses

¨  Set off incidental comments

¨  Introduce abbreviations for longer terms

¨  Enclose enumerations

¨  Parentheses Example

Their alley-oop play (a pass for a dunk) had more “alley” than “oop.”

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is widely considered an oxymoron.

You need to get (a) the text, (b) the Harvard case, and (c) blank paper.

¨  Quotation Marks

¨  Used for direct quotations

¡  Not used for paraphrases or inexact quotations

¡  Punctuation goes inside the closing quotation mark.

¨  Also used sometimes to indicate that a phrase is inexact

¡  Never used to provide emphasis

¨  Quotation Marks Example

He said, “Okay, I’ll sign the contract.”

He said that he will perform the work.

Laundry detergents are “new and improved” every year.

We want to see the “big” picture so we can “synergize” our efforts. (Good example of bad business writing.)

¨  Ellipsis Marks

¨  Indicates an omission in a quotation, or a pause in informal writing

¡  Must not be used to change the essential meaning of the quotation

¨  Usage:

¡  Is used with a space before and after the ellipsis

¡  At the end of a sentence or phrase, is used with the period or comma, with no extra space

¨  Ellipsis Examples

Our goal is to be, among many other things, the Wal-mart of luxury car dealers.

¨  Ellipsis Examples

Our goal is to be … the Wal-mart of luxury car dealers.

¨  Ellipsis Examples

If we want to build a new 200,000-square-foot building, we will have to increase sales by 200 percent.

¨  Ellipsis Examples

If we want to build …, we will have to increase sales by 200 percent.

¨  Ellipsis Examples

The snowstorm produced a series of short circuits that snowballed into a statewide power outage that took over a week to repair.

¨  Ellipsis Examples

The snowstorm produced a series of short circuits that  snowballed….

¨  Ellipsis Examples

The “Adulterous Bible” – 1631

¨  Exclamation Point

¨  Use it sparingly!

¡  One per document is usually enough; otherwise, its impact is diluted!

ú  If everything sentence has an exclamation point, then the impact is the same as if no sentence had one!

ú  Never use more than one to end a sentence!!!!!

¡  Try to go a whole week without using one!