Rules of Punctuation
I. THE COMMA
A.Use commas to separate items in a series.
Ex: I went to the store to buy bread, cheese, eggs, and milk.
1. If items are joined by and, nor, or or, do not use commas.
Ex. I went to the store, and I bought bread and cheese and eggs and milk.
2.Independent clauses in a series are usually separated by semi-
colons, unless the clauses are very short.
Ex. I went shopping yesterday; I spent a lot of money; and I decided that I would need to save my pennies for a while.
B.Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun.
Ex. It was a snowy, cold, dreary day.
When the last adjective before a noun is part of the noun, omit the comma
before the adjective.
Ex. We found an old wooden chest in the attic.
C.Use a comma to separate independent clauses joined by FANBOYS (FOR, AND, NOR, BUT, SO, YET)—otherwise known as COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS.
Ex. He worked hard on his research paper, and he knew that he would get
an A.
D.Use a comma to set off nonessential clauses and nonessential participial phrases.
1.Nonessential clause—a subordinate clause that is NOT needed for in the sentence because it provides additional information not necessary to the sentence’s meaning.
Ex. Miss Raub, who is an English teacher at EmmausHigh School, is dedicated to her students.
2.Essential clause—a subordinate clause that IS needed for the meaning of the sentence.
Ex. A magazine that has scholarly writing will be used in class.
3. Nonessential participial phrases follow the same rules:
Ex. Miss Raub, wearing her favorite shoes, felt like a million
bucks.
4.Essential participial phrases also follow the same rules:
Ex. The magazine running an ad for Nike tennis shoes will be the one that we use.
E. Use the comma after certain introductory elements.
1.after words such as well, gee, yes, no, and why.
Ex. Well, I suppose that’s a good answer.
2.after introductory participial phrases
Ex. Eating lunch when he normally eats breakfast, John wondered if his work hours were healthy.
3.after introductory prepositional phrases.
Ex. In front of the school, the group of girls stood and gossiped.
4.after an introductory adverb clause
Ex. When it is raining, I don’t go outside.
F.Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt.
1. appositives and appositive phrases, unless they are “restrictive” (closely related)
Ex. Paul Green, my cousin from Georgia, visits once a year.
2.words used in direct address
Ex. I think, Michelle, that the answer to that question is clear.
3.Parenthetical expressions—phrases and words such as “I believe,” “I think,” “on the other hand,” “however,” “to tell the truth”
Ex. The seniors, I believe, caused my headache on homecoming day.
G.Use commas in certain conventional situations.
1.to separate dates and addresses
a. between the date and the year
b.between the city and the state
c.between the street and the city
Ex. On June 30, 1963, my father’s business moved to 837 Main Street, Seattle, Washington98104.
2.after the salutation of a friendly letter and after the closing of any
letter
Ex.Dear Delia,
Sincerely yours,
Rose
3.Use a comma after a name followed by Jr., Sr., PhD., etc.
Ex. B. Raub, Ph.D.
II. The Semi-colon
A. Use a semi-colon between independent clauses if they aer not joined by a conjunction.
Ex. I decided to do my homework; I had English, Math, and Spanish worksheets.
B.Use a semi-colon between independent clauses joined by the following words:
for examplefor instance
that isbesides
accordinglymoreover
neverthelessfurthermore
otherwisetherefore
howeverconsequently
insteadhence
Ex. Bernard did not study for his English test; however, he still managed
to receive an 84%.
C.A semi-colon may be used in place of a comma to separate
independent clauses IF the clauses contain a number of commas.
Ex. I bought my new home, a small Cape Cod, a year ago; but since I will
be getting married, I decided to sell it.
D.Use a semi-colon between items in a series if the items contain
commas.
Ex. I invited Howard, a friend from college; Patti, my college roommate;
and Sarrah, my sister, to the party.
III.The Colon
A.Use a colon to mean “note what follows”
Ex. He is taking five courses this semester: accounting, acting, statistics,
English, and finance.
Do NOT use a colon when the list follows a verb or preposition.
Ex of what not to do: The items you should buy at the store are: posters,
desks, chairs, and bulletin boards.
B.Use a colon before a long statement or announcement.
Ex. A Tale of Two Cities begins with these words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of darkness.”
C.Use a colon in certain conventional situations.
1.when writing the time, between the hour of minute.
Ex. I finally woke up at 10:00 AM.
2.between a chapter and a verse in a Bible passage
Ex. My Sunday school teacher asked us to read John 3:16.
3.after the salutation of a business letter
Ex. Dear Sir or Madam:
IV.Underscoring, Italics, and Quotation Marks
A.Use underscoring or italics when referencing books, magazines, works
of art, album titles, etc.
Ex. The magazine Newsweek is an informative one.
B.Use underscoring or italics when referencing words, letters, figures, and foreign words.
Ex. How many times does the appear in this paper.
C.Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a direct quotation;
remember to begin the quotation with a capital letter.
Ex. The student asked, “Why do we have to learn grammar?”
D.When a quotation is divided into two parts, the second part begins
with a small letter.
Ex. “I think,” said the teacher, “that you will be quite successful in this
class.”
E.The following rules of punctuation apply to quotation marks:
1.Commas and periods are placed INSIDE the closing quotation
marks.
Ex. “When you have decided on a topic,” said the teacher, “you
will be ready to begin the research process.”
2.Colons and semi-colons are placed OUTSIDE the closing
quotation marks.
Ex. Miss Raub said, “You may submit your work tomorrow”;
however, you will still receive a reduction in your score.”
3.Question marks and exclamation marks are placed inside the
quotation marks IF they are part of the quotation; otherwise, they are placed outside.
Ex. As a part of the quotation: “Wow! That sounds great!” she
yelled.
Ex. Not part of the quotation: Did she just say, “I love that
book”?
F.Use a single quotation for a quotation inside a quotation:
Ex. Mary asked, “Did Steve say ‘I’m tired’ in your class”?
G.Use quotation marks for short stories, poems, songs, chapters, articles,
and other parts of books or periodicals.
Ex. Did you hear the song “You Belong to Me” while we were in the
grocery store?
H.Use quotation marks to enclose slang words, technical terms, and
other expressions that are unusual in standard English.
Miss Raub is “the bomb.”