Punctuation

We’ve already talked about over-using punctuation. Here, we’ll look at using routine punctuation: full stops, commas, colons and semicolons, hyphens and dashes.

Full Stops (Also Called Periods or Full Points)

Everyone knows where to put a full stop. Or do they? Obviously, full stops are used at the end of a sentence, but what about other uses?

For example, should you put full stops in abbreviations like U.N., N.A.T.O. or the E.U.? Would you say Dr. Freud or Mrs Robinson or Mr. Hyde; the U.S. President or the UK Prime Minister?

The choice is entirely up to you. As with most things, however, it’s important to choose your style and stick with it.

• UK style generally avoids full stops in abbreviations (e.g. USA) and contractions (e.g. Mrs).

• US style tends to use them (U.S.A., Mrs.).

Bear this in mind: lots of full stops can look untidy and distracting in print, especially in longer works like novels. It’s not vital, but I suggest you omit full points no matter what English you are using.

Whatever you decide, stick with it!

Commas

It can be tricky to know when and where to use commas. Here are some simple rules.

(a) Separating items in a list

•       ‘She spoke French, Portuguese and Italian.’

•       ‘She spoke French, Portuguese, and Italian.’

Which is correct? The answer is: both! The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma) before the final and in a list of three or more items is used more often in US English than in UK English. Whether you use it or not will depend on your personal preference. Don’t mix the two styles.

(b) Commas before and, but, so …

A common mistake is to put commas after a word such as and, but or so that separates two independent clauses (a clause is a separate part of a sentence):

Mistake: ‘She told me she would be there at lunchtime and, she would be wearing a hat.’

In this case, there’s no need for a comma at all, and certainly not after and. Putting a comma after and sticks out as a huge error and will deter your potential reviewers and readers.

You can use a comma before and, however, if you’re connecting two main clauses (when both parts of the sentence have equal emphasis):

‘Mona took guitar lessons for two years, and now she’s a very good performer.’

Also use a comma before these coordinating conjunctions (words which connect clauses) when you’re linking two main clauses:

but

for

nor

so

yet

or

•       ‘He had very little money, but he was happy.’

•       ‘Susanna rushed out of the room, for she couldn’t bear to look at Giorgio any longer.’

•       ‘Professor Edwards refused the offer of red wine, nor would she accept any kind of refreshment.’

•       ‘I’ve spent the morning cleaning the house, so now I can relax with a good book.’

•       ‘She had many years’ teaching experience, yet she still felt a thrill as she entered the classroom.’

•       ‘We can take the next turning on the left, or we can sit in this traffic jam for the next three hours.’

 

Don’t use a comma before because, however, unless the meaning would be ambiguous or confusing without it. For example:

•       ‘Larry didn’t go to the ball game because he was drunk.’

•       ‘Larry didn’t go to the ball game, because he was drunk.’

There’s a subtle difference in meaning here. In the first example, it isn’t clear whether Larry didn’t go to the ball game because he was drunk or for some other reason. In the second example, with the comma, it’s clear that being drunk caused Larry not to go to the ball game.

You can see the difference a simple comma makes!