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What Is Punctuation And How Should I Use It

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What Is Punctuation And How To Use It

The following sections identify common punctuation usage within the English language. While each subheading identifies widely accepted rules for practical application, it must be noted that there are always exceptions and alternatives. Proper punctuation can make the difference between respect and rejection, and should be directed to offer readers a natural and comfortable flow of ideas. To ensure that punctuation does not overwhelm a text, individual ideas must be considered in terms of a thought progression and should allow for pauses and transitions as they would in natural speech.

Punctuation Apostrophe

Apostrophes are used for a variety of purposes in modern text. One instance is with contractions where the apostrophe is placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed. Additionally, apostrophes show ownership and are placed prior to the (s) at the end of a word to demonstrate singular possession. Plural nouns demonstrating possession use an apostrophe prior to the (s) in cases such as women’s and after the (s) in cases such as pitchers’.

Punctuation Brackets

Brackets or parentheses are used for several circumstances including demonstration of clarity or addition, reference to other authors, and enclosure for numbers in a series of listed items. Falling at the interim or at the end of a statement, brackets highlight the author’s aside, additional text, or clarify a statement. When referencing external works, brackets recognize the authors, identifying the source of data. To clarify a number sequence, each number should be placed inside of its unique set of brackets prior to the item that it represents.

Punctuation Colons

Colons represent a transitional punctuation, often indicating the presence of a list or as a semicolon replacement. Colons will precede the list and will always follow a complete sentence unless used in conjunction with subsequent bullet points. When replacing a semicolon with a colon, two independent sentences are joined, oftentimes highlighting the relationship between clauses. Colons are also used to introduce quotations in text which are more than three lines in length or following the salutation in a business letter.

Punctuation Semicolons

Semicolons join two independent clauses in which a conjunction has been excerpted. Transitioning between clauses using words such as however, therefore, namely, etc., the semicolon links the two thoughts without using a period. When the subsequent text after an independent clause is a list, semicolons may be used in conjunction with the aforementioned transition words to complete the thought. Semicolons are also important in a series where one or more of the units contain a comma. Finally, semicolons can be used prior to a conjunction in which independent clauses border either side.

Punctuation Commas

Commas are used to separate articles in a series of three or more words or word groupings. Additionally, commas are used to separate two adjectives where the word and could be inserted between the qualifiers. When directly addressing a person or inserting a name, place commas before and after, noting that if such text were removed, the sentence would still make sense. Commas are used to separate the day of the month from the year, the city from the state, and titles from proper names. Commas also separate a dependant clause following an independent clause as well as text which interrupts the natural flow of a sentence. Commas are commonly used to bridge two independent clauses prior to a conjunction.

Punctuation Hyphens & Dashes

Hyphens are used as junctions between compound nouns and verbs. Compound adjectives are also hyphenated if they come before a noun, acting as a singular idea. Adverbs not ending in –ly are also as compound words and should be hyphenated when found prior to a noun. Hyphens are used for compound numbers, fractions, and prefixes if they fall before proper nouns. There are two major instances of dashes, one which operates as a replacement for commas, semicolons, or colons; adding emphasis or highlighting a change of thought. The second is used in place of (to) for periods of time as well as in place of a hyphen to combine open compounds.

Punctuation Termination Marks

Termination marks are primarily used to end sentences; however, they may also be used internal to sentences for abbreviations or a break in thought demonstrated by three full stops (…). While termination marks always fall outside of parentheses in a sentence unless an entire sentence is enclosed within, they must remain inside of quotation marks at all times. When spoken, the termination mark indicates a pause in speech and should be used to highlight a natural sentence flow in writing. Exclamation points function similarly, highlighting a statement as one of joy, anger, surprise, etc. Their placement is similar to the termination mark, falling at the end of a sentence.

Punctuation Question Marks

Question marks are a form of punctuation which most often represents a question or query. They are placed at the end of a sentence to highlight a direct question. Secondly, they are used if a sentence is both question and statement, highlighting the ending query. Question marks anticipate a response or operate as indicators of rhetorical statements. Such punctuation is oftentimes grouped under a terminating heading and is used to indicate a transition in thought or idea. Generally question marks are used as a dialogue between characters or between writer and reader to offer a more active script.

Punctuation Quotation Marks

Quotation marks highlight particular instances of text with characteristics of direct speech, titles, and secondary speech. Always placed external of punctuation such as commas and periods, quotation marks indicate that there is dialogue, quoted material, or importance surrounding the highlighted text. Single quotation marks are used within a quotation to indicate that an additional speaker was quoted. They are also used in some formatting to indicate the title of a journal publication or short story. Double quotation marks are for direct quotations and titles and will always fall outside of single marks and punctuation. They are used most regularly to represent speech and oftentimes demarcate the title of a journal or short story when using particular referencing stylization.

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