Punctuation Rules

Use colons and commas to introduce lists, quotations and appositives

A colon is typically used to introduce an element that explains, defines, or illustrates what came before. Colons almost always follow a stand-alone sentence. Use a colon to introduce a list that follows a stand-alone sentence. Do not use punctuation to introduce a list if it does not follow a stand-alone sentence. My parents have visited much of Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. My parents have visited much of Western Europe, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Use a colon to introduce a quotation that follows a stand-alone sentence. (Some style guides consider it acceptable to introduce any quotation with a colon, but if the quotation does not follow a stand-alone sentence, a comma is usually a better choice.) In his introduction, Jeong claims that most prior research in this area is unreliable: 'These oft-cited studies had small sample sizes and lacked control groups.' In his introduction, Jeong claims, "Most of these oft-cited studies had small sample sizes and lacked control groups." Use a comma or a colon to introduce a non-restrictive appositive that comes at the end of a sentence. These appositives always follow a stand-alone sentence. A comma is typically used, but a colon may sometimes be a better choice in order to create emphasis or a dramatic effect. Last Halloween I dressed up as my favourite superhero, Superman. As he flew closer, we recognised the man soaring through the air: Superman. Use a colon after a phrase like this, the following, or as follows if the phrase refers to what comes after the colon. The politician had this to say about the controversy: 'I maintain that the bill is unjust and must not pass into law.' You must use only the following materials: newspaper, ice lolly sticks, and masking tape.

Commas with non-restrictive elements

Use commas to set off non-restrictive information in a sentence. Non-restrictive information is supplemental; it is not necessary in order for a reader to identify who or what is being discussed. Without the information, the meaning of the sentence would still be clear. Tower Bridge, which first opened in 1894, took eight years to build. The underlined information isn't required to interpret the sentence. Tower Bridge took eight years to build. Without the information, a reader still knows which bridge took eight years to build. Do not use commas to set off restrictive information in a sentence. Restrictive information is necessary in order for a reader to identify exactly who or what is being discussed. Without the information, the meaning of the sentence would become unclear. The author Italo Calvino was born near Havana, Cuba. The underlined information helps a reader identify which author is being discussed. The author was born near Havana, Cuba. Without the information, a reader doesn't know which author is being discussed. solve

Use Dashes

A dash often represents a pause in a sentence. The dash can show a clear break or set off extra content from the rest of the sentence, such as an aside, an explanation, or additional details. According to legend, King Midas ultimately died of starvation—all because of his wish that everything he touched should turn to gold. The dash shows a clear break. William strives to control every aspect of his life, but life—surprise, surprise—doesn't always accommodate his wishes. The dashes set off an aside from the rest of the sentence. Certain quirks—repeatedly washing one's hands, checking that doors are locked, or counting things—may actually be symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The dashes set off additional details from the rest of the sentence. In dialogue or quoted text, a dash can indicate an interruption or mid-sentence correction. Lauren protested, "But—no, you're mistaken!" The dash shows an interruption.

Formatting titles

The title of a book, film, play, TV programme, magazine or newspaper should be in italics. If you write it by hand, it can be underlined instead. A Midsummer Night's Dream The title of a poem, song, article or short story should be in quotation marks. 'You Are My Sunshine'

Use hyphens in compound adjectives

A compound adjective is an adjective made up of more than one word. In general, use a hyphen to join the words of a compound adjective before the noun it is modifying. Do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun or pronoun it is modifying. an open-ended question the question is open ended that well-known actor that actor is well known my two-year-old cousin my cousin is two years old Compound adjectives always use a hyphen when the last word of the compound is free or the first word of the compound is self. the cold-blooded frog the frog is cold-blooded a self-conscious person a person who is self-conscious Compound adjectives never use a hyphen when the first word of the compound is an adverb ending in -ly or when the compound relates to a region or nationality. freshly washed sheets sheets that are freshly washed the Latin American artist the artist is Latin American Note that there are special situations where two adjacent modifiers do not form a compound. For example, adjectives modified by adverbs of degree (such as more, most, least, very or rather) are never considered compounds, so they do not use a hyphen. a more effective leader the leader is more effective Adjacent adjectives are only considered a compound if the first adjective describes the second adjective rather than the noun. an expensive new desk an expensive-looking desk In the first example, the desk is expensive. In the second example, the desk isn't expensive, but it looks expensive.

Decide whether ellipses are used appropriately

An ellipsis ( . . . ) is a series of three dots with a space before and after each one. It can be used to show where words in a quotation have been omitted. Ian applied to universities all around the world but ultimately decided to attend a university that is near his hometown. 'Ian . . . decided to attend a university that is near his hometown.' When using an ellipsis, make sure that the resulting text is grammatically correct and maintains the same meaning as the original. 'Ian . . . attend a university that is near his hometown.' This text is not grammatically correct. 'Ian . . . is near his hometown.' This text does not have the same meaning as the original.

Use semicolons and commas to separate items in a series

Both semicolons and commas may be used to separate three or more items in a series. In most cases, use commas to separate items in a series. Put a comma after each item in the list, except for the last one. The serial comma, or Oxford comma, is the comma that appears before the conjunction. The serial comma is optional. Our speakers will be Kevin O'Malley, Rachel Stein, and Linda Wu. Use semicolons to separate items in a series when using commas would be unclear, such as when one or more items in the series already contain commas. Our speakers will be Kevin O'Malley, an English professor; Rachel Stein, a print journalist; and Linda Wu, a blogger.

Correct capitalisation errors

Capitalise the names of people and pets. Laura Sparky Capitalise a title of respect if it is used with a name or as a name. Do not capitalise a title of respect if it is used as a common noun. Prince William Dr Chen a prince the doctor Capitalise the title of a family member if it is used with a name or as a name. Do not capitalise the title of a family member if it is used as a common noun. Mummy Uncle Dave my mother an uncle Capitalise initials. J. K. Rowling US DVD BBC Capitalise the names of months, days of the week and holidays, including words like Day and Eve. January Monday New Year's Eve Capitalise the names of historical events, periods and documents. Battle of Culloden Renaissance Magna Carta Capitalise languages, religions, nationalities and ethnic or cultural groups. Arabic Hinduism Canadian Hopi Capitalise proper adjectives and words derived from the names of people. Italian food Elizabethan Capitalise the names of places: Cities, nations, countries and other political divisions London Hong Kong Yorkshire Spain Places built by people, such as buildings, bridges, streets and monuments Linden High School Clifton Suspension Bridge ​ Geographical features, such as bodies of water, mountains, deserts, forests and continents Nile River Gobi Desert Antarctica Capitalise a direction word (north, south, east, west) if it is used as the name of a particular region. Do not capitalise a direction word if it is not used as the name of a region. the South West the North driving southwest the northern horizon Capitalise the names of formal organisations: Government bodies, such as legislatures, courts and official departments Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Guy's Hospital Companies and businesses Arcadia British Airways Tesco Nonprofits, clubs, teams and political parties Arsenal Labour Party Scouts Red Cross Do not capitalise a word like the or of, unless it is the first word of the sentence. the Parliament Act the Soviet Union

Commas with compound, complex and compound-complex sentences

Compound sentences Use a comma to separate two complete sentences that are joined with a coordinating conjunction, such as and, or, but, or so. We saw a flash of lightning, and seconds later we heard the rumble of thunder. When a coordinating conjunction joins something else, such as noun, verb, or adverb phrases, do not use a comma. As a rule of thumb, use a comma only if there is both a subject and a verb following the coordinating conjunction. Annie hurt her leg during a race and had to sit out the rest of the season. Complex sentences If a dependent clause is followed by a complete sentence, use a comma after the dependent clause. These dependent clauses usually start with a subordinating conjunction, such as after, although, as, because, before, if, since, unless, until, when, or while. If she ever gets the chance, Terri would love to visit the Egyptian pyramids. Compound-complex sentences The above rules apply for compound-complex sentences, too. Before the plane took off, we buckled our seatbelts, and the flight attendants gave safety instructions. Max sprinted to the bus stop, and if he had been just a minute later, he would have missed the bus.

Commas with direct addresses, introductory elements, absolute phrases, interjections, interrupters and antithetical phrases

Mild interjections and introductory words Use a comma after mild interjections, as well as words like yes, no, well, and however, when they are followed by a complete sentence. Oh, the sunset is so beautiful. Yes, that sounds great! Introductory phrases Use a comma after most introductory phrases—such as participle phrases, infinitive phrases, and long prepositional phrases—when they are followed by a complete sentence. (Commas are not usually necessary after short prepositional phrases of one or two words.) In just a few weeks, Mr Chen will be leaving for his trip to France. Breathing heavily, Maddie sprinted the last few metres of the race. Absolute phrases Use commas to set off absolute phrases. An absolute phrase usually consists of a noun followed by a participle phrase, adjective phrase, or other modifier. Hands shaking, Tony opened the letter and read it aloud. Amanda rushed inside the house, her clothes already wet from the rain. Direct addresses Use commas to set off the name of a person being spoken to. Bella, thank you. Thank you, Bella, for your help. Interrupters Use commas to set off interrupters, which are words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt the sentence with extra, or parenthetical, information. You, of course, may have a different opinion. The new theme park won't open, I'm sorry to say, until next year. Antithetical phrases Use commas to set off phrases that use the words not or unlike to qualify adjacent text. Alexander the Great was Macedonian, not Greek. Tara, unlike Megan, finds chemistry fascinating.

Join sentences with semicolons, colons and commas

Semicolons, colons, and commas can all be used to join two sentences. Use a comma to connect two sentences that are joined with a coordinating conjunction, such as and, or, but, or so. Hannah enjoys hiking and rock climbing, but Jim prefers to stay inside with a book. Use a semicolon to connect two sentences that are joined with a conjunctive adverb, such as consequently, however, or therefore. Hannah enjoys hiking and rock climbing; however, Jim prefers to stay inside with a book. Use a colon or a semicolon to connect two closely related sentences that are not joined with a conjunction. A colon is the best choice when the second sentence explains, defines, or illustrates the meaning of the first sentence. A semicolon is better when the second sentence is related to the first in another way. Hannah enjoys hiking and rock climbing: she has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro three times. Hannah enjoys hiking and rock climbing; Jim prefers to stay inside with a book. Also use a colon after a phrase like this, the following, or as follows if the phrase refers to what comes after the colon. Chelsea's reasoning was as follows: if they raised enough money with the bake sale, they might be able to afford new uniforms.

Use semicolons, colons and commas with lists

Use a colon to introduce a list after a complete sentence. If a list does not follow a complete sentence, do not use punctuation to introduce the list. My parents have visited much of Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. My parents have visited much of Western Europe, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Put a comma after each item in the list, except for the last one. The serial comma, or Oxford comma, is the comma that appears before the conjunction. The serial comma is optional. Our speakers will be Kevin O'Malley, Rachel Stein, and Linda Wu. Use semicolons to separate items in a series when using commas would be unclear, such as when one or more items in the series already contain commas. Our speakers will be Kevin O'Malley, an English professor; Rachel Stein, a print journalist; and Linda Wu, a blogger.

Commas with coordinate adjectives

When two or more adjectives of equal importance in a row are used to describe something, a comma is necessary to separate them. If adjectives placed next to each other have different degrees of importance in relation to the noun or pronoun they are modifying, no comma is necessary. 1.Could you put the word AND between the two adjectives and still have the sentence make sense? 2.Could you change the order of the adjectives and still have the sentence make sense? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then a comma is needed.