Punctuation By Marianna Barbosa Nina Filippone Vanessa HansenQuarty
Punctuation By: Marianna Barbosa Nina Filippone Vanessa Hansen-Quarty
Punctuation • The marks, such as period, comma, and parentheses, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.
Commas • Commas enclose, separate, and set off information • Opener, Sentence • “Yesterday at the press conference, the coach…” • “Interrupter” • Her hair, brown and flowing, was held back by a scrunchy. • Always include a comma when the conjunction is For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. • Incorrect: He walked all the way home and he shut the door. • Correct: He walked all the way home, and he shut the door
Apostrophes • In plural possessive terms, place the apostrophe after the "s. " • In singular possessive terms, place the apostrophe before the "s. ” • Incorrect: Our schools' collection • Correct: Our school's collection • Plain plural words do not require the use of an apostrophe. • Incorrect: The lawyers' could generally be found after hours • Correct: The lawyers could generally be found after hours • Pronouns don’t use them, unless it’s a contraction!
Quotation Marks • Use “quotation” marks… • Around what is said aloud, signaling dialogue • Around direct quotations • Around titles of short works (poems, short stories, etc. ) • Use ‘single’ quotation marks when a quote is within a quote
Italics and Underlining • Used to distinguish certain from others within a text. • • • Titles: U. S. News and World Reports Names of Vehicles: Titanic Foreign Words/Phrases: et cetera Words as Words: “The word basically is profound…” For Emphasis: “I really don’t care what you think. ” Words as Sounds: “Grr went the bear. ”
Numbers • Really simple…don’t write Arabic numerals over 10! • 1, 2, 3 -10 • X, XII, etc. • Know your Roman Numerals!
Hyphens/Slashes • Often, Hyphens distinguish between a noun and a verb form, but even so, you cannot be sure which form contains the hyphen. • Has-been (noun) Has been (verb) • Send-off (noun) Send off (verb)
Semi- Colons • Connecting two clauses that do not necessarily correlate • “Felicia balled up the napkin in her fist; she didn’t say anything. ” • When clauses are long or contain internal punctuation. • “If you approach the colt slowly, talking in a calm voice, you can gain his confidence; but if you move abruptly or speak sharply, he will bolt. ”
Colons Used to point ahead and to separate. • Announces a list to follow • Separates a title from a subtitle. • The Masks of God: Creative Mythology
Exclamation Points • Indicates extremes of anger or excitement • Can act as a visual scream of an emphatic command • Don’t overuse exclamation points!!! Please!!!! *irony*
Parentheses, Dashes, and Brackets • Primarily enclose information, primarily separating it from the rest of the sentence. • Dashes- Emphasize the elements they enclose. • Parentheses- de-emphasize interrupters and non essential elements. • Brackets- Usually enclose clarifications.
Ellipsis Indicates where parts or parts of the original statement have been deleted • Before: “For the root of genius is in the unconscious, not the conscious, mind. ” • After: “ For the root of genius is in the unconscious … mind” Include the part of the quote needed to explain your point!
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