Rules of Punctuation (Square Brackets)

 Square Brackets

(a) You can use them to include explanatory words or phrases within quoted language:

e.g. Lew Perkins, the Director of Athletic Programs, said that Pumita Espinoza, the new soccer coach [at Notre Dame Academy] is going to be a real winner.

(b) If you are quoting material nd you've had to change the capitalization of a word or change a pronoun to make the material fit into your sentence, enclose that changed letter or word (s) within brackets:

e.g. Espinoza charged her former employer with "falsification of [her] coaching record."

Rules of Punctuation ( Ellipsis)

 Ellipsis

(a) When you're quoting material and you want to omit some words. The ellipsis consists of three evenly spaced dots (periods) with spaces between the ellipsis and surrounding letters or other marks. Let's take the sentence, "The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes from the Caribbean who were visiting the U.S." and leave out " from the Caribbean who were":

e.g. the ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes ... visiting the U.S.

If the omission comes after the end of a sentence, the ellipsis will be placed after the period, making a total of four dots. ... See how that works? Notice that there is no space between the period and the last character of the sentence.

(b) The ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence and is especially useful in quoted speech:

e.g. Juan thought and thought ... and then thought some more. "I'm wondering ... "Juan sid, bemused.

Rules of Punctuation ( The Apostrophe)

 The Apostrophe

(a) To denote possession with nouns. The singular noun takes an apostrophe followed by an s. Plurals ending in s add an apostrophe after the final s.

e.g. a lady's hat, the ladies' hats (i.e., the hats of the ladies), a weeks holiday, six weeks' holiday. An ass's burden Jones's cap, the Joneses' house (i.e., the house of the Joneses)

Be careful with unusual plurals (like men, children, mice) which are treated as if they are singular:

e.g. men's coats, women's rights, children's toys (never write mens' or childrens')

For proper nouns ending in a sounded e and and an s or in s vowel s (e.g, Euripides, Moses) add the apostrophe after the s:

e.g. Ulysses' adventures, Archimedes' principle, Jesus' mother (Note-also-for goodness' sake.)

In units involving two or more nouns or in a compound noun or phrase, put the apostrophe on the last word only:

e.g. William and Mary's reign, my father-in-law's house.

This does not apply if there is no joint possession:

e.g. My brother's and my sister's birthday.

Note: The apostrophe is not used in these words: yours, hers, ours, theirs or its (when it means belonging to it). (Would you write hi's for his?) It is, however, used in one's (belonging to one).

(b) To indicate a contraction. The apostrophe is placed where the letter (s) have been omitted:

e.g. didn't, can't, they're, you're, I'd (But note: shan't, won't).

(c) For the plural form of certain letters and figures, although this apostrophe is now often omitted:

e.g. The three R's, P's and Q's, in the '60's, if's and but's.

Rules of Punctuation (The Question Marks,Exclamation Mark,Quotation Marks)

 The Question Marks

This is used for all direct questions:

e.g. What are you doing: You will come, won't you? but not for reported questions: e.g. I wonder what he is doing. Ask him who did it.

(Don't forget the question mark at the end of a long question.)


Exclamation Mark

(a) Use an exclamation point at the end of an emphatic declaration, interjection, or command.

e.g. "No!" he yelled. "Do it now!"

(b) An exclamation mark may be used to close questions that are meant to convey extreme emotion, as in

e.g. What on earth are you doing! Stop!

(c) An exclamation mark can be inserted within in parentheses to emphasize a word with in a sentence.

e.g. We have some really (!) low-priced rugs on sale this week.

Note that there is no space between the last letter of the word so emphasized and the parentheses. This device should be used rarely, if ever, in formal text.

(d) An exclamation mark will often accompany mimetically produced sounds, as in

e.g. "All might long, the dogs woof! in my neighbor's yard" and the "The bear went Ger! And I went left."

(e) If an exclamation mark is part of an italicized or underlined title, make sure that the exclamation mark is also italicized or underlined:

e.g. My favorite book is Oh, the Places You'll Go!

(Do not add a period after such a sentence that ends with the title's exclamation mark. The exclamation mark will also suffice to end the sentence.) If the exclamation mark is not part of a sentence-ending title, don't italicize the exclamation mark:

e.g. I've asked you not to sing la Marseillaise!

In academic prose, an exclamation point is used rarely, if at all, and in newspaper wiring the exclamation point is virtually nonexistent.


Quotation Marks

(a) When the subject and verb start the sentence, they are followed by a comma, and the first word spoken has a capital letter:

e.g. They said, "We are going away."

(b) When quoting someone's words or from a book:

e.g. "To be, or not to be" begins a famous speech from Hamlet.

Take care, when quoting from a book/play/poem, that your own sentence leads naturally into the quotation.

(c) Further, punctuation around quoted speech or phrases depends on how it fits into the rest of your text. If a quoted word or phrase fits into the flow of your sentence without a break or pause, then a comma may not be necessary:

e.g. The phrase "lovely, dark and deep" begins to suggest ominous overtones.

(d) If the quoted speech follows an independent clause yet could be part of the same sentence, use a colon to set off the quoted language:

e.g. My mother's favorite quote was from Shakespeare: "This above all, to thin own self be true."

(e) Around titles of short stories

e.g. I read the story "White Knight at the Battle field" to him already.

(f) Around titles of poems

e.g. Your poem "The Wave" was certainly very touching.

(g) Around titles of songs

e.g. My favorite song is "The Yellow Submarine.

(h) Around titles of articles

e.g. That article "Why You Should Bring Your Own Lunch" was about unhealthy lunches.

(i) Around titles of chapters

e.g. The chapter "The Encounter with the Teacher" was quite funny.

(j) Use single quotation marks (only one quotation mark) around a quote that is in another quote.

"Ms. Redwood, the article you gave us, "Save the Environment, I was very interesting to ready," I said.

Rules of Punctuation (Dashes)

 Dashes

Two dashes are used when breaking off a sentence to insert an after thought or an explanatory comment or short list:

e.g. In August last year- I was with my family at the time- I had a serious accident. Nothing-food, plates, cutlery, pan's-could be left unattended.

A single dash may be used.

(a) When breaking off a sentence for an abrupt change of thought or when "tagging on" another construction:

e.g. The following day we had better luck - but that is another story.

(b) To emphasize a repeated word:

e.g. The new regime imposed rigid laws-laws which the police found difficult to enforce.

(c) When bringing together a number of items:

e.g. Tooth brush, can-opener, matches, soap pads-these are often forgotten by inexperienced campers.

Rules of Punctuation (The Hyphen)

The Hyphen

(a) When attaching a prefix (e.g. self-explanatory, anti-hero) and especially when confusion might result as with "re-sign" and "re-form"

(b) When forming a compound word from two or more other words:

e.g. son-in-law, a half-eaten biscuit, and a couldn't-care-less attitude, red-hot-smoking-jacket.

Distinguish "fifty-odd people" from fifty odd people.

Rules of Punctuation ( The Colon)

 The Colon

(a) To introduce a list

e.g. Speaking at Caesar's funeral, Anthony addresses the crowd; "Friends, Romans, countrymen ...."

(b) Before a clause which explains the previous statement. The colon has the force of the word "namely" or "that is":

(c) To express a strong contrast:

e.g. God creates: man destroys.

(d) To introduce a climax or concluding clause:

e.g. After pondering the choices before him, he came to decision: he joined the army.

(e) To make a pointed connection:

e.g. Jeremy became a director in just three months: his father was the chief shareholder.