Guide to punctuation
- 1. Guide to Punctuation (Taken from University of Sussex website) The Full Stop The full stop (.), also called the period, presents few problems. It is chiefly used to mark the end of a sentence expressing a statement, as in the following examples: Terry Pratchett's latest book is not yet out in paperback. I asked her whether she could tell me the way to Brighton. There is one common error you must watch out for. Here is an example of it (remember, an asterisk marks a badly punctuated sentence): Norway has applied for EC membership, Sweden is expected to do the same. There are two complete statements here, but the first one has been punctuated only with a comma. This is not possible, and something needs to be changed. The simplest way of fixing the example is to change the comma to a full stop. You can also write the following: Norway has applied for EC membership, and Sweden is expected to do the same. The comma The comma (,) is very frequently used and very frequently used wrongly. There are four different uses: The Listing Comma The listing comma is used as a kind of substitute for the word and, or sometimes for or. It occurs in two slightly different circumstances. First, it is used in a list when three or more words, phrases or even complete sentences are joined by the word and or or; we might call this construction an X, Y and Z list. A listing comma is also used in a list of modifiers which all modify the same thing. This time there will usually be no and present at all, but again such a comma could be replaced by and without destroying the sense: This is a provocative, disturbing book. Her long, dark, glossy hair fascinated me. The Joining Comma The joining comma is only slightly different from the listing comma. It is used to join two complete sentences into a single sentence, and it must be followed by a suitable connecting word. The connecting words which can be used in this way are and, or, but, while and yet. Remember: you cannot join two sentences with a comma unless you also use one of these connecting words. Note also that most other connecting words cannot be preceded by a joining comma. For example, the connecting words however, therefore, hence, consequently, nevertheless and thus cannot be used after a joining comma. The Gapping Comma The gapping comma is very easy. We use a gapping comma to show that one or more words have been left out when the missing words would simply repeat the words already used earlier in the same sentence. Here is an example: Some Norwegians wanted to base their national language on the speech of the capital city; others, on the speech of the rural countryside.
- 2. Bracketing Commas Bracketing commas (also called isolating commas) do a very different job from the other three types. These are the most frequently used type of comma, and they cause more problems than the other types put together. The rule is this: a pair of bracketing commas is used to mark off a weak interruption of the sentence ‹ that is, an interruption which does not disturb the smooth flow of the sentence. Note that word `pair': bracketing commas, in principle at least, always occur in pairs, though sometimes one of them is not written. Look carefully at this example of bracketing commas: These findings, we would suggest, cast doubt upon his hypothesis. If you have set off some words with a pair of bracketing commas, and you find you can't remove those words without destroying the sentence, you have done something wrong: Yet, outside the door, lay a whole new world. If you try to remove “outside the door”, the result is not a sentence since those words are essential to understand it. In that case don’t use bracketing commas. If the interruption comes at the beginning or end of the sentence, use only one bracketing comma: Unlike most nations, Britain has no written constitution. To sum up: • Use a listing comma where and or or would be possible instead. • Use a joining comma before and, or, but, yet or while followed by a complete sentence. • Use a gapping comma to show that words have been omitted instead of repeated. • Use bracketing commas to set off a weak interruption. The colon The colon (:) has only one major use: To explain that what follows it is an explanation of what precedes it. The semicolon The semicolon (;) is used to join two complete sentences into a single written sentence when all of the following conditions are met: 1. The two sentences are felt to be too closely related to be separated by a full stop. 2. There is no connecting word which would require a comma, such as and or but. A semicolon can always, in principle, be replaced by a full stop or by the word and preceded by a comma: Women’s conversation is cooperative; men’s is competitive. Women’s conversation is cooperative. Men’s is competitive. Women’s conversation is cooperative, and men’s is competitive. To sum up: • Use a colon to separate a general statement from its specifics. • Use a semicolon to join two complete sentences which are not connected by words such as and, or, but, yet, while.