Punctuation Marks and Their Common Functions
Period ( . )
To indicate the end of a declarative sentence.
Example: Here is the place.
To indicate that letters are used as abbreviations
Example: Dr. Carle D. Reynolds
To indicate decimal fractions
Example: 16.34
Three Periods--Elipses ( ... )
To indicate that a portion of quoted matter is omitted
Example: "To recieve, obey, and pass on..."
Comma ( , )
To separate independent clauses joined by a conjunction
Example: This is the street, but I don't know the number of the house.
Note: no comma is used unless each statement is independent.
Example: You will police the area and maintain a fire watch.
To separate parts of a series
Example: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
To separate coordinate or "equal" adjectives in a series
Example: a loud, sharp blast
Note: Unless the adjectives modify the same noun in the same way, they are not in series and no comma is used. To test, check if the adjectives can be reversed. If not, no comma.
Example: heavy woolen clothing
To separate introductory statements beginning with such words as when, while, since, if, because, until, although, and whenever (or other subordinate conjunctions)
Example: When the rain was falling, there was very little wind.
To set off introductory prepositional phrases (starting with on, in, at, to by, for, of, through, etc.)
Example: By the time she crawled into bed, she was too exhausted to sleep.
Note: Short prepositional phrases (3 words or less) are not always followed by commas.
Example: In Japan he served as platoon commander.
To separate non-essential elements from the rest of the sentence. A non-essential element is a word or group of words that gives additional identifying information about someone or something already identified; it's non-essential because the statement is clear without it.
Examples: The President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, rates a salute.
I visited Albany, the capital of the state of New York.
Note: Commas are NOT placed around essential elements--those that limit meaning or give identifying information about someone or something not already identified.
Example: The procedure that you are required to follow is explained in TM 5-250.
To set off introductory phrases beginning with verb participles ending in -ing, -ed, -en, etc.
Example: Having turned off the lathe, I stopped the motor.
To set off such expressions as you, no, well, on the other hand, you might say, and of course, (such expressions are called interrupters)
Example: He was, of course, the first person I saw.
To set off such expressions as he said from direct quotations.
Example: "That decision," he explained, "must be your own."
Note: No comma is used to separate such expressions from the rest of the sentence if the sentence is an indirect quotation (often introduced with the word that).
Example: He explained that the decision must be my own.
To separate contrasting elements
Example: The wall is gray, not blue.
To prevent misreading
Example: Undressing, the child ran into the bathroom.
To set off the name of a person addressed
Example: Frank, may I borrow your skill saw?
Semicolon ( ; )
To separate independent statements that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor for, yet, so)
Example: Black is a mixture of all colors; white is the complete opposite.
Note: If the independent statements are short, a comma may be used.
Example: Horses sweat, men perspire.
To separate independent statements when the second statement begins with such conjunctive adverbs or phrases like therefore, however, thus, otherwise, on the other hand, for example, in fact, that is, etc.
Example: I submitted a request six months in advance; still, I did not receive a permit in time for the departure.
To separate independent statements joined by conjunctions if such statements are long or they contain internal punctuation
Example: Classic science fiction sagas include Star Trek, with Mr. Spock and his large pointed ears; Battlestar Galactica, with its Cylon Raiders; and Star Wars, with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader.
Apostrophe ( ' )
To show possession (if the word does not end in s, add an apostrophe and an s.)
Example: The doctor's advice, the housewife's choice, man's clothing, Martin's house
Note: If the word is singular and ends in s or an s sound, use aposrophe and an s
Example: Mr. Schultz's car
unless pronunciation is awkward:
Example: Miss Simmons' coat
To indicate omission of letters in contractions
Examples: can't, won't, doesn't, haven't, it's
To form the plural of letters, words, and symbols that do not have logical plurals
Example: three 2's, too many &'s, and seven c's
Dash ( -- )
To indicate sudden, abrupt break of an unfinished word or sentence
Example: "She will take charge of this post and--Wait a minute. Who are you?"
To set off a summary of a preceding series
Example: Food, clothing, shelter, and a sense of humor--those are the things a man needs to survive.
Hyphen ( - )
To join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun
Example: a one-way street, chocolate-covered peanuts
Use a hyphen with compound numbers
Example: forty-six, sixty-three
Our much-loved teacher was sixty-three years old.
To avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters
Example: re-sign a petition (vs. resign from a job)
semi-independent (but semiconscious)
shell-like (but childlike)
Use a hyphen with the prefexes ex- (meaning former) self-, all-; with the suffix -elect; between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters.
Example: ex-husband, self-assured
To divide the words at the end of a line if necessary, or show a break between syllables
Example: pre-fer-ence, sell-ing
Quotation Marks (" " and ' ')
To set off quoted matter (including punctuation marks, usually. See a handbook for details.)
Example: "I saw it," he replied.
Note: Indirect quotes are not set off by quotations
Example: He said that the decision must be my own.
To indicate a quotation within a quotation (single quotation marks)
Example: I replied, "When I asked him if he had ever heard of the American Revolution, he said, 'I saw it.'"
To enclose titles of short stories, poems, magazine articles, portions of books, and individual television show episodes
Example: Good diagrams can be found in the chapter entitled "Engine Constructions" in Dean Austin's book Automotive Mechanics.
Italics
To indicate the titles of books, plays, magazines, long musical compositions, works of art, movies, and television show series
Example: I highly recommend The Technique of Clear Writing, by Robert Gunning.
To indicate the use of foreign words
Example: And there I was, en dishabille.
To indicate that the writer is referring to a word rather than to the sense that it conveys
Examples: He mistook was for saw.
Can you spell precede?
(Note: Letters, figures, and symbols, when used as such, are also italicized.)
Examples: The m looks like a w.
Type & rather than and.
Parentheses ( )
To set off digressions or elements which provide extra information
Example: The progress report (Form #78) is submitted each week.
I told him (Travers) exactly what to do.
To enclose numbers and letters enumerating parts
Example: The principal parts are (1) the present tense, (2) the past tense, and (3) the past participle.
Brackets [ ]
To set off material inserted in a direct quotation
Example: Audubon reports that "if there are not enough young to balance deaths, the end of the species [California condor] is inevitable."
Colon ( : )
Used after an independent clause (complete sentence) to direct attention to a list, an appositive, or a quotation
Example: He laid down three rules: no smoking, no idle talk, and no sleeping
Example: A rainbow consists of the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Example: The speaker quoted a popular saying: "We grow too soon old and too late smart."
To separate two independent clauses (complete sentences) when the second one summarizes or explains the first.
Example: Faith is like love: it cannot be forced.
Slash ( / )
To indicate the end of a line of poetry
Example: Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, / A flash of wine, a Book of verse - and Thou
To set off phonemic transcriptions
Example: In French the /e/ is pronounced as /A/.
To separate paired turms (use sparingly)
Example: pass/fail
producer/director
