Punctuation Skills

End Punctuation

Periods
Use a period to end all sentences except direct questions and exclamations. Periods are also used for abbreviations.

Examples: 3 p.m. | 2 a.m. | Mr. Jones | Mrs. Stevens | Dr. Smith | Bill, Jr. | Pennsylvania Ave.

Note: an abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase.

Question Marks
Question marks should be used following a direct question. A polite request can be followed by a period instead of a question mark.

Direct Question: What is for lunch today? | How are you? | Why is that the answer?

Polite Requests: Can you please send me the item tomorrow. | Will you please walk with me on the track.

Exclamation Marks
Exclamation marks are used after a word group or sentence that shows much feeling or has special importance. Exclamation marks should not be overused. They are saved for proper exclamatory interjections.

Example: We’re going to the finals! | You have a beautiful car! | “That’s crazy!” she yelled.

Commas
The comma is a punctuation mark that can help you understand connections in a sentence. Not every sentence needs a comma. However, if a sentence needs a comma, you need to put it in the right place. A comma in the wrong place (or an absent comma) will make a sentence’s meaning unclear. These are some of the rules for commas:

1.    Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction joining independent clauses

Example: Bob caught three fish, and I caught two fish.

2.    Use a comma after an introductory phrase or an adverbial clause

Examples:
After the final out, we went to a restaurant to celebrate.

Studying the stars, I was surprised at the beauty of the sky.

3.    Use a comma between items in a series.

Example: I will bring the turkey, the pie, and the coffee.

4.    Use a comma between coordinate adjectives not joined with and

Incorrect: The kind, brown dog followed me home.

Correct: The kind, loyal dog followed me home.

Not all adjectives are coordinate (i.e., equal or parallel). There are two simple ways to know if your adjectives are coordinate. One, you can join the adjectives with and: The kind and loyal dog. Two, you can change the order of the adjectives: The loyal, kind dog.

5.    Use commas for interjections and after yes and no responses

Examples:
Interjection: Oh, I had no idea. | Wow, you know how to play this game.

Yes and No: Yes, I heard you. | No, I cannot come tomorrow.

6.    Use commas to separate nonessential modifiers and nonessential appositives

Examples:
Nonessential Modifier: John Frank, who is coaching the team, was promoted today.

Nonessential Appositive: Thomas Edison, an American inventor, was born in Ohio.

7.    Use commas to set off nouns of direct address, interrogative tags, and contrast

Examples:
Direct Address: You, John, are my only hope in this moment.

Interrogative Tag: This is the last time, correct?

Contrast: You are my friend, not my enemy.

8.    Use commas with dates, addresses, geographical names, and titles

Examples:
Date: July 4, 1776, is an important date to remember.

Address: He is meeting me at 456 Delaware Avenue, Washington, D.C., tomorrow morning.

Geographical Name: Paris, France, is my favorite city.

Title: John Smith, PhD, will be visiting your class today.

9.    Use commas to separate expressions like he said and she said if they come between a sentence of a quote

Examples:
“I want you to know,” he began, “that I always wanted the best for you.”

“You can start,” Jane said, “with an apology.”

Semicolons
The semicolon is used to connect major sentence pieces of equal value. Some rules for semicolons include:

1.    Use a semicolon between closely connected independent clauses that are not connected with a coordinating conjunction.

Examples:
She is outside; we are inside.

You are right; we should go with your plan.

2.    Use a semicolon between independent clauses linked with a transitional word.

Examples:
I think that we can agree on this; however, I am not sure about my friends.

You are looking in the wrong places; therefore, you will not find what you need.

3.    Use a semicolon between items in a series that has internal punctuation.

Example: I have visited New York, New York; Augusta, Maine; and Baltimore, Maryland.

Colons
The colon is used to call attention to the words that follow it. A colon must come after a complete independent clause. The rules for colons are as follows:

1.    Use a colon after an independent clause to make a list.

Example: I want to learn many languages: Spanish, German, and Italian.

2.    Use a colon for explanations or to give a quote.

Examples:
Quote: He started with an idea: “We are able to do more than we imagine.”

Explanation: There is one thing that stands out on your resume: responsibility.

3.    Use a colon after the greeting in a formal letter, to show hours and minutes, and to separate a title and subtitle.

Examples:
Greeting in a formal letter: Dear Sir: | To Whom It May Concern:

Time: It is 3:14 p.m.

Title: The essay is titled “America: A Short Introduction to a Modern Country”

Parentheses
Parentheses are used for additional information. Also, they can be used to put labels for letters or numbers in a series. Parentheses should be not be used very often. If they are overused, parentheses can be a distraction instead of a help.

Examples:
Extra Information: The rattlesnake (see Image 2) is a dangerous snake of North and South America.

Series: Include in the email (1) your name, (2) your address, and (3) your question for the author.

Quotation Marks
Use quotation marks to close off direct quotations of a person's spoken or written words. Do not use quotation marks around indirect quotations. An indirect quotation gives someone's message without using the person's exact words. Use single quotation marks to close off a quotation inside a quotation.

Direct Quote: Nancy said, “I am waiting for Henry to arrive.”

Indirect Quote: Henry said that he is going to be late to the meeting.

Quote inside a Quote: The teacher asked, “Has everyone read ‘The Gift of the Magi’?”

Quotation marks should be used around the titles of short works: newspaper and magazine articles, poems, short stories, songs, television episodes, radio programs, and subdivisions of books or websites.

Examples:
“Rip Van Winkle” (short story by Washington Irving)

“O Captain! My Captain!” (poem by Walt Whitman)

Although it is not standard usage, quotation marks are sometimes used to highlight irony or the use of words to mean something other than their dictionary definition. This type of usage should be employed sparingly, if at all.

Examples:
The boss warned Frank that he was walking on “thin ice.”

(Frank is not walking on real ice. Instead, Frank is being warned to avoid mistakes.)

The teacher thanked the young man for his “honesty.”

(In this example, the quotation marks around honesty show that the teacher does not believe the young man’s explanation.)

Periods and commas are put inside quotation marks. Colons and semicolons are put outside the quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation points are placed inside quotation marks when they are part of a quote. When the question or exclamation mark goes with the whole sentence, the mark is left outside of the quotation marks.

Examples:
Period and comma: We read “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Skylight Room,” and “The Cactus.”

Semicolon: They watched “The Nutcracker”; then, they went home.

Exclamation mark that is a part of a quote: The crowd cheered, “Victory!”

Question mark that goes with the whole sentence: Is your favorite short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”?

Apostrophes
An apostrophe is used to show possession or the deletion of letters in contractions. An apostrophe is not needed with the possessive pronouns his, hers, its, ours, theirs, whose, and yours.

Singular Nouns: David’s car | a book’s theme | my brother’s board game

Plural Nouns with -s: the scissors’ handle | boys’ basketball

Plural Nouns without -s: Men’s department | the people’s adventure

Hyphens
Hyphens are used to separate compound words. Use hyphens in the following cases:

1.    Compound numbers between 21 and 99 when written out in words

Example: This team needs twenty-five points to win the game.

2.    Written-out fractions that are used as adjectives

Incorrect: One-fourth of the road is under construction.

Correct: The recipe says that we need a three-fourths cup of butter.

3.    Compound words used as adjectives that come before a noun

Incorrect: The dog was well-fed for his nap.

Correct: The well-fed dog took a nap.

4.    Compound words that would be hard to read or easily confused with other words

Examples: Semi-irresponsible | Anti-itch | Re-sort

Note: This is not a complete set of the rules for hyphens. A dictionary is the best tool for knowing if a compound word needs a hyphen.

Dashes
Dashes are used to show a break or a change in thought in a sentence or to act as parentheses in a sentence. When typing, use two hyphens to make a dash. Do not put a space before or after the dash. The following are the rules for dashes:

1.    To set off parenthetical statements or an appositive with internal punctuation

Example: The three trees—oak, pine, and magnolia—are coming on a truck tomorrow.

2.    To show a break or change in tone or thought

Example: The first question—how silly of me—does not have a correct answer.

Ellipsis Marks
The ellipsis mark has three periods (…) to show when words have been removed from a quotation. If a full sentence or more is removed from a quoted passage, you need to use four periods to show the removed text and the end punctuation mark. The ellipsis mark should not be used at the beginning of a quotation. The ellipsis mark should also not be used at the end of a quotation unless some words have been deleted from the end of the final sentence.

Example:
“Then he picked up the groceries…paid for them…later he went home.”

Brackets
There are two main reasons to use brackets:

1.    When placing parentheses inside of parentheses

Example: The hero of this story, Paul Revere (a silversmith and industrialist [see Ch. 4]), rode through towns of Massachusetts to warn of advancing British troops.

2.    When adding clarification or detail to a quotation that is not part of the quotation

Example:
The father explained, “My children are planning to attend my alma mater [State University].”