Punctuation BasicsTEACHING & LEARNING TOOLKIT

Produced by Central Michigan University’s Quality Initiative and Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Last updated 11/13/15

Table of Contents ► Marks to Use Infrequently � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

► Exclamation Mark ! � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

► Question Mark ? � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

► Slash / � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

► Marks That Are Often Confused� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

► Double Quotation Marks “� � �” (Often Confused with Single Quotation Marks)� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

► Single Quotation Marks ‘� � �’ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

► Hyphen - (Often Confused with a Dash) � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

► Dash — � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

► Parentheses () (Often Confused with Brackets)� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5

► Brackets []� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5

► Writers’ Favorites � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5

► Period � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5

► Semicolon ; � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6

► Colon : � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7

► Comma , � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7

► Apostrophe ‘ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9

► Appendix A: Punctuation Review

► References � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9

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Punctuation Basics

When you speak, you have more than words to help you communicate: You can pause, shake your head “no,” lean forward, raise your voice, and emphasize relationships with your hands� Punctuation is the nonverbal behavior of writ-ing—a powerful tool that helps readers under-stand the meaning of what you wrote and the relationships among words and phrases in your sentences� Marks of punctuation help readers pause where you want them to pause, signal emphasis when you want to emphasize, and can “link, separate, enclose, indicate omissions, terminate, and classify” (Alred, Brusaw, & Oliu, 2012, p� 454)�

Because marks of punctuation serve different functions, writers who use a variety of marks infuse their writing with a diverse set of logical relationships and emotions� After master-ing a punctuation mark, many students feel energized, as if the mark itself—existing as a possibility in their minds—opened a door to new thoughts�

Novice writers typically decorate prose with periods and the occasional comma� To appre-ciate how this style differs from expert writing, consider this passage, from journalist Michael Lemonich (2013), which describes a well-known artist who lost the ability to create new memories:

When you first meet Sue Johnson, it takes a few moments to realize that something isn’t quite right� “Hello!” she says brightly, looking up in surprise, with an expression of pure delight on her face� “Would you like to see my drawings?” Her glee seems strangely childlike for a woman in her early 60s; she’s just a little

happier to see you than feels appropriate, given that you’re a complete stranger� You might think for a moment that she suffers from an intellectual disability—what used to be called mental retardation� (p� 44)

When you began to read this passage, you spotted the first comma (,) and an apostrophe (‘), followed by double quotation marks (“� � �”), an exclamation point (!), a question mark (?), a semicolon (;), and a dash (—)—seven forms of punctuation (aside from the period) in a five-sentence paragraph that drew you into Lemonich’s story� Expert writers enjoy using the marks of punctuation described in this module because these marks aid readers’ comprehen-sion and help create musical prose�

Marks to Use InfrequentlyExclamation Mark !Writers occasionally use an exclamation mark to indicate strong feelings, such as surprise, urgency, or agreement (e�g�, “Terrific!”)� Exclamation marks are more widely accepted in informal writing, such as emails, than in academic writing (where they rarely appear)� Even in informal writing, excessive use of the exclamation mark can convey insincerity or immaturity (e�g�, “Hi Dr� Carlson! I really liked your class today! Can I stop by and pick up my exam? Hope to see you soon!”)�

An exclamation mark appears in the middle or at the end of a sentence, as in the following examples:

Life is tons of discipline� Your first discipline is your vocabulary; then your grammar and your punctuation� Then, in your exuberance and bounding energy you say you're going to add to that� Then you add rhyme and meter� And your delight is in that power�

~ Robert Frost, quoted by Mark Harris in "The Pride and Wisdom of Two Great Poets." Life, December 1, 1961

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Tomorrow—please write this down!—is the last day to respond to the survey�

The concert was awesome!

Question Mark ?A question mark ends direct questions (e�g�, Did you file the report?) and indirect requests (e�g�, Will you tell me when the confirmation arrives?)� When a question ends with a quotation that is also a question, use only one question mark (e�g�, Did you ask, “Who is she?”)�

Rhetorical questions are questions people ask without expecting an answer, and academic writers avoid these types of questions� For example, you would not introduce a term by saying, “What is epigenetics? Epigenetics is� � �” However, it is appropriate to use a question to raise an issue or forecast an upcoming discus-sion (e�g�, Given the overwhelming evidence that pellagra was not an inherited condition, why did politicians continue to say that it was?)�

Slash /A forward slash replaces omitted letters or words (e�g�, “w/o” means “without”), refers to alternatives (e�g�, yes/no questions), and separates elements in dates (e�g�, 06/04/2014)� Slashes also appear in mathematical equations�

Marks That Are Often ConfusedDouble Quotation Marks “. . .” (Often Confused With Single Quotation Marks)Most frequently, quotation marks enclose direct quotations (something someone said or wrote that is reproduced word for word)� Do not use quotation marks for selections you paraphrase (reword):

Correct: He said, “I had a terrible date�”

Incorrect: He said “he had a terrible date�”

A common error is using quotation marks to emphasize a word/phrase; instead, set the

word/phrase in italics (e�g�, When raising chil-dren, what you do is more important than what you say�)� Writers also use italics for unfamiliar foreign words and phrases (e�g�, He embossed je t’aime on every picture�)� Most style manu-als direct writers to set frequently-used Latin phrases in regular font (e�g�, a priori, post hoc), although guidance regarding specific phrases varies from source to source�

Double quotation marks can draw attention to words for the following purposes:

► To refer to a word as an object (e�g�, “Quickly” is an adverb)�

► To convey disagreement with or skepticism about the use of a word, or to imply that a previous use of the word was misleading (e�g�, People who advocate for “humane” slaughter of animals� � �)�

► To flag a word that is being used in a nonstandard way (e�g�, Plants “know” how to orient to the sun)�

Writers in countries that adopt British style conventions typically use single quotations to set off words for these purposes, but double quotation marks remain the standard for most US publishers�

In the US, periods appear inside quotation marks (e�g�, She said, “No�”), but the norm in some countries is to place all punctuation outside the marks� (For more discussion of quo-tation marks and other marks of punctuation, consult the Chicago Manual of Style Online, 2010, and Owl at Purdue, 2014)�

Single Quotation Marks ‘. . .’Single quotation marks are used infrequently in the US� Most often, these marks set off quoted material within a quotation (e�g�, Jason told me, “She closed the book, said ‘Good riddance,’ and left�")�

Hyphen - (Often Confused With a Dash)A hyphen connects words in compound words (e�g�, over-the-counter medication) and related modifiers that appear before a noun:

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It was a well-written paper� but Jamie’s paper was well written�

Because conventions for using or not using a hyphen are complicated, writers often look up individual words and phrases before deciding how to punctuate�

Dash —An “em” (long) dash can also be written as two consecutive hyphens (--), although this prac-tice is discouraged� In a sentence, an em dash conveys emphasis, an interruption, or a turn in thought, as in the following examples:

It was a cold winter—really cold�

His reasoning—except for his con-clusion about reality shows—was perfect�

His reasoning was perfect—but was it convincing?

Em dashes can also set off a list of items (as an alternative to enclosing the items in parentheses):

Three classroom teams (the Stars, the Jazz Girls, and the Sleepers) have the highest scores� or Three classroom teams—the Stars, the Jazz Girls, and the Sleepers—have the highest scores�

An “en” dash is longer than a hyphen (roughly the length of the letter “n”) but shorter than an em dash� The en dash is preferred for writing durations (9:00−10:00) and ranges (pages 332−354)�

Parentheses () (Often Confused with Brackets)Parentheses set off material that explains, doc-uments, or digresses (moves somewhat off the main topic), as in the following examples:

His drawing of the deltoid (a muscle at the top of the shoulder) was much exaggerated�

Most studies, however, found the opposite result (e�g�, Smith & Jones, 2014)�

Always bring meat to room tem-perature before roasting� (For a list of exceptions, see p� 321�)

Notice that when a par-enthetical comment (the information within paren-theses) is part of a longer sentence, the period goes outside the parentheses (at the end of the entire sentence)� When the par-enthetical comment is not part of a longer sentence, the period goes inside the parentheses�

Parentheses also enclose the numerals and letters that precede list items:

The rubric for this assignment focuses on (a) organization, (b) the depth of your critique, and (c) the quality of your resources�

Do not nest sets of parentheses inside one another; instead, use brackets to enclose infor-mation written within parentheses�

Brackets []Brackets set off (1) sentence components that are already within parentheses, (2) words inserted into quotations, and (3) the Latin word sic (meaning “that’s how it was,” which tells readers that quoted material containing an error or an unusual feature is reproduced exactly as it was written):

She usually attends every Monday (except the first of the month, when she has a Zumba [fitness] class)�

As the Fifth Amendment states, “No person shall be held to answer for a capital [eligible for the death penalty], or otherwise infamous crime� � �”

According to one source, “Fraud [sic] was a famous neurologist who

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changed the face of personality theory” (Driver, 1992, p� 2)�

In the last example, the author was referring to Sigmund Freud, a controversial personality theorist�

Writers’ FavoritesPeriod .A period appears in the following constructions:

► At the end of sentences that declare something (e�g�, The dog is a pit bull�)�

► At the end of sentences that tell someone to do something (e�g�, Plug in the device�)�

► After polite requests when a reply of “yes” is assumed (e�g�, Would you text me when you arrive because I am worried about the heavy traffic�)�

► In ellipses (sets of three periods separated by spaces) to indicate missing information (often in quotations, e�g�, “I have never understood� � �the enthusiasm about television�”)�

► In ellipses that flag pauses in thought or conversation (She said, “I didn’t realize � � �”)�

► After initials (e�g�, D� H� Lawrence), the numbers of list items (e�g�, 1�), and in rows of periods that link items in a table of contents to the corresponding page number�

In the US, periods appear within quotation marks�

Semicolon ;A semicolon can signal a pause and connect related ideas in a stronger way than a comma would� Because beginning writers tend not to use this punctuation mark, selective use of semicolons will make your writing sound more sophisticated (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2014), as in the following examples:

The food was wonderful; the guests were delightful�

I studied all night; therefore, I expect the test will be easy�

Semicolons are used for the following purposes:

► To connect two independent clauses (complete thoughts that can stand alone as sentences). In such cases, the semicolon takes the place of a conjunction that has been removed� For example, you could

Resource CornerUseful Terms for This Module

dependent clause – a group of words (clause) that adds to a main (independent) clause but does not express a complete thought.

e.g. – for example (from the Latin phrase exempli gratia).

i.e. – that is (from the Latin phrase id est).

independent clause – a group of words with a subject and predicate (a simple sentence) that expresses a complete thought.

infuse – to fill or inject something with a substance/item.

nonrestrictive clause – related words, including a subject and verb, that add to but do not restrict the meaning of what they modify.

novice – a person new to a field or inexperienced regarding an activity. The opposite of an expert (someone with a high level of skill).

parenthetical comment – a comment that appears within parentheses.

parse – to divide a sentence into its parts and determine the relationships among parts.

restrictive clause – related words, including a subject and verb, that restrict the meaning of what they modify.

urgency – a state in which you feel something needs to be done immediately.

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Punctuation Basics

say, “The food was wonderful, and the guests were delightful” or you could omit “and” and use a semicolon� In these types of sentences, the two clauses have equal weight or may contrast one another�

► To connect two independent clauses linked by a transitional phrase (e.g., “as a result”) or a conjunctive adverb (e.g., “therefore”). For example, you could write, “The elderly know their memories are unreliable; as a result, they are easy targets for scam artists who describe a nonexistent purchase or prior conversation�”

► Occasionally, to connect independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., but, yet) if the clauses are long or contain embedded commas. In these cases, the semicolon helps readers parse the sentence (e�g�, “Some users alter the default phone settings to select a different ring tone, turn off notifications, and add icons to the home screen; but others, who are less technically savvy, live with the default settings�”)�

► To separate list items that already have embedded commas. For example, you could write, “The articles reviewed in this paper reported original research; were peer reviewed; and were retrieved by the keywords “epigenetics,” “obesity,” and “prenatal�”

Colon :The colon also adds variability and sophistica-tion to your writing� A colon links a complete thought (i�e�, an independent clause) to a word, phrase, sentence, or list that expands upon, identifies, or explains the portion of the sentence before the colon, as in the following examples�

This essay discusses two forms of color mixture: additive and subtractive�

Italy is a magical country: If you want to relax, fall in love, or just eat like a king, a tour of Italy should be in your future�

A colon places emphasis on what follows the colon� For example, you could write, “Only

locally-grown vegetables appeared on her table,” or you could emphasize “locally-grown” by writing, “Only one type of vegetable appeared on her table: locally grown�”

When information following a colon is not a complete sentence, do not capitalize after the colon� Some manuals recommend capitalizing the first word of a sentence that follows a colon, whereas others say it is unnecessary to capi-talize� Whichever convention you use, the first word after a colon should always be capitalized if it is (a) a subtitle following the title of a book or film, or (b) one of two related sentences that follows the colon�

In addition to playing an important role in sentences, colons appear after salutations in business letters (e�g�, Dear Customer Service:), in biblical references (e�g�, Genesis 23:3), in ratios (3:1), and in numerals that report time (11:30 p�m�)�

Comma ,After the period, the comma is the most fre-quently used mark of punctuation—and the most difficult to use correctly� Contrary to myth, you should not place a comma wherever you detect a pause while reading� As one writing manual explains, “Although you would pause wherever you encounter a comma, you should not insert a comma wherever you might pause” (Alred et al�, 2012, p� 81)� Instead, comma placement is determined by sentence structure� The following guidelines explain the most common functions of commas� (For more information, consult a style manual, such as the Chicago Manual of Style, or an online resource, such as Owl at Purdue, 2014�)

To separate two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction. An indepen-dent clause is a complete thought with a subject and predicate� In other words, this type of clause can stand alone as a sentence� You can join two sentences together with a comma and a coordinating conjunction—the short words and, but, or, and nor, and sometimes so, yet, and for� (To conjoin means to join together�) The comma helps readers parse the two sections of

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a long sentence, as in this example (from Klug & Cummings, 2000):

The majority of the world’s rice crop is grown and consumed in Asia, but it is also a dietary staple in Africa and Central America� (p� 128)

In this sentence, “it is also a dietary staple in Africa and Central America” is an independent clause that could have been typed as a separate sentence� When each independent clause is short, the comma can be omitted (e�g�, The bell rang and the students left�)� It is an error to use a comma when the second clause is dependent (does not have a subject):

Incorrect: The job candidate was socially skilled, but light on experience�

Correct: The job candidate was socially skilled but light on experience�

Most sentences with the word because do not take a comma� (The word because and what follows is a clause that cannot stand alone, as in “because I was tired” or “because they were mad�”) However, you should insert one if the meaning of the sentence is only clear with the comma�

Correct: I left because my phone rang�

Correct: He did not lose the election, because he denied writing the controversial letter� (“He did not lose the election because he denied writing the letter” implies that he lost the election�)

To separate three or more items in a series. In the US, it is typical to include a comma between each item in a series:

Please place the “Draft” watermark on your document, remove your name, and upload the document to your Blackboard work group�

To flag where transitional or introductory words/phrases end and the main clause begins. Transitional words/phrases at the beginning of a sentence, such as “Furthermore,” “For example,” and “On the other hand,” are followed by a comma� When a dependent clause is moved to the beginning of a sentence, a comma signals the end of that clause, as in the following example:

When a national holiday falls on January 15, the grant due date is the following business day�

In this example, notice that the sentence could have been written, “The grant due date is the following business day when a national holiday falls on January 15�”

When a word at the beginning of a sentence closely modifies the sentence or the verb, a comma is not inserted (e�g�, Certainly you should apply for the job�)�

To mark the beginning and end of information that could be removed from the sentence (nonessential information). Commas help readers parse sentences with an embedded

Resource CornerCommon Comma Errors

overuse commas. Unless a rule specifically requires a comma, fewer is better.

use a comma alone to join two sentences (this is a comma splice).

Incorrect: I searched for reviews on the topic, I then read the most recent ones.

Correct: I searched for reviews on the topic and then read the most recent ones.

put a comma before the first item in a series or after the last item in a series.

Incorrect: The menu included, fish, chicken, and a vegetar-ian option.

Incorrect: It was a large, attractive, and modern, building.

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structure, as in the following example:

The new program requirements, which go into effect in the fall of 2015, do not raise the number of credits required for graduation�

To decide when a comma is required, it is helpful to determine whether a clause (a group of words with a subject and verb) is restrictive or nonrestrictive� A restrictive clause limits the possible meaning of a preceding subject� For example, “My student who lives in Midland wrote that paper” restricts the student under discussion to the one who lives in Midland� In contrast, “My student, who lives in Midland, wrote that paper” tell us something about the student (that he lives in Midland) but does not imply that living in Midland identifies a single student� In the first example, the restrictive clause is not enclosed in commas because the clause is central to the meaning of the sentence� In the second example, the nonrestrictive clause is enclosed in commas (because this clause can be removed without sacrificing meaning)�

To separate adjectives that modify a noun. Whenever two more adjectives have equal status (can be reordered), use a comma to sep-arate them� Do not, however, place a comma after the last adjective in a list�

Incorrect: The broken water main damaged the newest, most reliable, copier in the work room�

Correct: The broken water main damaged the newest, most reliable copier in the work room�

To set off quotations and dialogue. Do not, however, use a comma when the quotation already ends with a question mark or is inte-grated into the sentence (e�g�, by using the word “that”)�

Correct: “I love it,” she whispered�

Correct: “What do you think?” he asked�

Correct: Dr� Green wrote, “The past should not constrain the future” (1932, p� 4)�

Correct: Marshall Lawrence was not the first critic to say that the law was “an affront to the majority of Americans” (2006, p� 21)�

To separate phrases with contrasting ideas. In the sentence below, “not within the budget” is a dependent clause (not a complete sen-tence), and most sentences with dependent clauses following but do not take a comma� In this case, however, the comma emphasizes contrasting ideas (from Alder et al�, 2012, p� 84):

The project finished on time, but not within the budget�

To avoid confusion. General rules for punctu-ation usage are sometimes broken to avoid con-fusion� For example, consider how the comma in the second sentence of this pair helps readers understand the meaning of the sentence (from Capital Community College Foundation, 2014, bullet point #8):

Outside the lawn was cluttered with hundreds of broken branches�

Outside, the lawn was cluttered with hundreds of broken branches�

To follow typographical conventions. Style guides include many rules for how to use commas in dates, addresses, geographic names, and other specific situations (e�g�, when abbre-viations for professional degrees follow names)� Because these rules are numerous, challenging to remember, and can vary depending on the audience, it is best to look up individual rules as needs arise�

Apostrophe ‘In academic writing, the apostrophe is most fre-quently used to convey ownership (possession), as in “Madeleine’s mirror” and “the family’s min-ivan�” Do not use an apostrophe when referring to a decade (e�g�, the 1960s) or the plural form of abbreviations with all capital letters (e�g�, she scooped up the PDFs and ran to the meeting) or a final capital letter (e�g�, hundreds of PhDs)�

An apostrophe also marks omitted letters in contractions (e�g�, He couldn’t ) and numbers in dates (e�g�, the class of ’18)� Contractions are rarely used in academic writing�

10 | © Central Michigan University

Punctuation Basics

ReferencesAlred, G� J�, Brusaw, C� T�, & Oliu, W� E� (2012)� Handbook of technical writing� New York, NY: St� Martin’s

Press�

Capital Community College Foundation� (2014)� Rules for comma usage. Retrieved from http://grammar�ccc�commnet�edu/grammar/commas�htm

Chicago Manual of Style Online (16th ed�)� (2010)� Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press� (Available to CMU students at www�lib�cmich�edu through CENTRA, the searchable database of library resources�)

Giabaldi, J� (2009)� MLA handbook for writers of research papers (7th ed�)� New York, NY: Modern Language Association of America�

Klug, W� A�, & Cummings, M� R� (2000)� Concepts of genetics� Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall�

Lemonich, M� D� (2013, November 3)� The art of memory� Time, 182(19), 42–47�

Owl at Purdue� (2014)� Punctuation. Retrieved from https://owl�english�purdue�edu/owl/section/1/6/

The University of Wisconsin, Madison, the Writing Center� (2014)� The writer’s handbook: Using semicolons� Retrieved from http://writing�wisc�edu/Handbook/Semicolons�htm

Photographs courtesy University Communications

© Central Michigan University | Appendix | 11

Punctuation Basics

Appendix A Punctuation Review

Mark Main PurposesExamples of Correct Usage

Examples of Incorrect Usage Explanations of Errors

Apostrophe ‘ To convey ownership and to mark omitted letters in contractions and omitted numbers in dates

The children’s drawings were delightful�

The childrens’ drawings were delightful�

“Children” is already plural�

Brackets { � � � }

To set off sentence components that are already in parentheses and to enclose sic (a flag that tells readers when an error or unusual feature of a quotation is reproduced as it was written)

(Results for the control group [n = 23] appear in the second column�)

"The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker�”

[Results for the control group (n = 23) appear in the second column�]

Johnson wrote in his diary, “It afected [sic] me more than I told anyone at the time�”

Brackets and parenthe-ses are reversed�

Past spellings and word choices may be retained for historical accuracy, but minor typos in quotations should be corrected without point-ing out the error�

Colon : To introduce a list or phrase/sentence that expands upon, identi-fies, or explains part of the sentence before the colon

Table 1 lists findings for two measures: tem-perature and air quality�

Table 1 lists findings for: temperature and air quality�

In academic writing, information before the colon should be an independent clause (a complete sentence)�

Comma , To separate items in a series and to set off words/phrases belong-ing to grammatical units that take a comma

After the presen-tation, he was very angry�

He was very angry, I noticed that right away�

Do not use commas to splice two sentences together� Instead, use a semicolon, divide into two sentences, or reword to avoid the error�

Dash (em) — To convey emphasis, and interruption, or a turn in thought

He said—and I cannot emphasize this enough—that it “wasn’t good practice�”

He said—and I cannot emphasize this enough— “wasn’t good practice�”

The sentence with the interruption removed must be grammatically correct�

Dash (en) − To convey durations and ranges

Refer to pages 3−8�

Refer to pages 3 – 8�

Do not put spaces before and after em or en dashes�

12 | Appendix | © Central Michigan University

Punctuation Basics

Mark Main PurposesExamples of Correct Usage

Examples of Incorrect Usage Explanations of Errors

Double quotation marks

“� � �” To enclose quotations, to convey that a word is being used as an object or in a nonstandard way, and to convey skepti-cism or criticism of a word/phrase

Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream�”

The articles “a” and “the” are difficult for international students to master�

Martin Luther King once said he “had a dream�”

Interest in “epi-genetics” has increased dramat-ically in recent years�

Do not place para-phrased material in quotation marks�

Do not enclose words simply because the reader might not be familiar with the word; instead, introduce and define the term�

Exclamation mark

! To show strong feelings I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! Tell me again! What did you do!

Do not overuse excla-mation marks� Also, the last sentence should end with a question mark�

Hyphen - To write a compound word and connect related modifiers that appear before a noun

It was a well-writ-ten paper�

The paper was well-written�

Modifiers that appear after the noun they modify are not joined by a hyphen�

Parentheses (� � �) To set off material that explains, documents, or digresses (moves somewhat off the main topic)

A recent meta-analysis answered this question (Smith & Lockland, 2014)�

(See Smith & Lockland, 2014 (and also Jones, 2003) for reviews)�

Do not nest parentheses�

Period � To end sentences and abbreviations

He said, “She was brilliant�”

I liked it� (It was yummy�)

He said, “She was brilliant”�

I liked it� (It was yummy)�

Periods go inside quota-tion marks�

Period goes after the sentence�

Question Mark

? To end direct questions He asked, “What time is it?”

He asked me what time it was?

The sentence as a whole, which includes an indirect question, is a statement�

Semicolon ; To separate list items that have embedded commas and to join two sentences together without using a con-necting word

Fill in your name in dark, black ink; sign the document; and mail it back in the enclosed envelop

I loved the play; she is always a crowd-pleaser�

Fill in your name; sign the document; and mail it back in the enclosed envelope�

I loved the play; and so did Leslie�

Use commas to separate list items unless there are commas within an item�

“And so did Leslie” is not an independent clause�

© Central Michigan University | Appendix | 13

Punctuation Basics

Mark Main PurposesExamples of Correct Usage

Examples of Incorrect Usage Explanations of Errors

Single quotation marks

‘� � �’ To set off material within double quotation marks

“Did she say, ‘I decline’?” asked Jeremy�

Did she say, ‘I decline?’

Use double quotation marks for a direct quo-tation that is not nested within quotation marks�

Slash / To flag where letters or words are omitted, to refer to alternatives, and to separate elements in dates

To protect confi-dentiality, please delete all names/addresses from the transcript�

Do you want the chicken / would you prefer a vege-tarian dish?

Do not separate inde-pendent clauses with a slash�