Quick Punctuation Reference Loretta Kmech COURTESY of DDC PUBLISHING

® Quick Punctuation Reference Loretta Kmech COURTESY OF DDC PUBLISHING. Schools may duplicate this at no charge. APOSTROPHE SEMICOLON Insert a comma before the words and, or, Use an apostrophe and “s” to show When a sentence contains two complete nor, for, and yet when they are used possession for words that do not end statements which are related in meaning to join two complete thoughts in a long with the letter “s”. and are not joined by the words and, or, sentence. Someone’s ring was left on the sink. but, yet, nor, for, use a semicolon to separate the statements. There are many jobs available for a good I used Mary’s typewriter. typist, and I know you will get one. Make the appointment with the doctor’s On our staff three girls do the typing; two girls take the coffee breaks. We would like to have our products on display secretary. at the International Trade Show, but we cannot afford the exhibit fee. It is against our company’s policy to accept Use a semicolon to separate two complete a resignation without formal notice. statements joined by and, but, or, nor, for, Our next proposal must include a clause for and yet when one or more commas are price and wage increases, or we will be forced to go out of business. Use an apostrophe to show possession necessary in either statement. for words that end with the letter “s”. I have decided to cancel my subscription to If we expect to finish this job in two The National Teachers’ Conference will be your magazine, for the articles no longer weeks, we will have to work ten hours interest my family. held in New Orleans. a day; but Carol has volunteered to The government evaluates all companies’ work full time until it is done. The hotel manager did not confirm our pension plans. reservations, nor did we receive a cancellation in the mail. Three doctors’ reports were submitted SEMICOLON/COMMA TEAM for review. The field was covered with snow and ice, Use a comma to replace a missing word yet two players insisted upon completing or group of words. Use an apostrophe to show that a number the game. or numbers were omitted. Ruth is a collector of stamps; Carole, of magazines. Use commas to enclose a group of words the Spirit of ‘76 = the Spirit of 1776 that adds information to a sentence the graduating class of ‘77 = the graduating Notice that the comma takes the place of but does not affect the meaning of the class of 1977 is a collector. The semicolon separates sentence. the two statements. The booklets, which you may find helpful, Use an apostrophe and “s” to show the were sent out yesterday. plural of letters or figures. COMMA Mr. Jackson, who has lived in your We sell more size 5’s than any other size When the name of the person you are neighborhood for many years, will we stock. writing to is mentioned in the body of sponsor you for membership in the club. My handwriting is so sloppy everyone the letter, enclose it in commas. mistakes my i’s for e’s. Thank you, John, for answering my letter. DO NOT use the commas to enclose a group of words that restricts or changes Use an apostrophe and “s” to indicate the John, I am depending on you to get the order. the meaning of the sentence. possession of an abbreviated word. I missed you at the meeting, John. Each student who completes this course I work in L.A.’s tallest building. will know how to use the machine. Use a comma after introductory words You are requested to report to the D.A.’s Every letter that has more than five errors office. and expressions such as however, should be retyped. therefore, well, yes, no, for example, Use an apostrophe and “s” to show the namely, in fact, etc. Note: If the underscored words are plural of an abbreviated word. Yes, we will attend the meeting. removed, the meaning of the sentence How many c.o.d’s did you ship today? However, we may not arrive on time. is completely changed. This section of the plane is reserved for VIP’s only. Use commas to enclose words such as When the main part of a sentence is however, therefore, of course, neverthe- introduced by an incomplete thought In informal letters, use an apostrophe to less, etc. that interrupt a sentence beginning with when, since, because, as, show that a letter or letters were omitted. without changing its basic meaning. if, or although, use a comma to separate don’t (do not) You will, therefore, meet me on time. the incomplete thought from the rest of can’t (cannot) The contract must, of course, be signed the sentence. doesn’t (does not) by an authorized agent of your company. When you visit our branch office, Mr. Jones will show you our word processing center. The contractions are used only in informal Use commas to enclose names, titles, letters. dates, or descriptive words that make Since we ordered this machine two months the meaning of a word or words clear after we spoke to you, we cannot understand to the reader. why there should be a price difference. Our salesman, Mr. Wilson, has been with Because we could not agree on the format, us for many years. our catalog went to the printer three weeks late. Mr. Wilson, our area manager, will call on you. As you know, there is an additional charge for shipments that are sent by truck. I will see you on Thursday, May 25. If you complete this course, you will have a Ants, those annoying picnic companions, chance to do a better job. are found in many parts of the world. Although our supply is limited, your order will be shipped on time. COMMA continued DASH QUOTATION MARKS Use commas to enclose an incomplete The dash (two hyphens on the computer, Use quotation marks to enclose titles thought beginning with since, if, when, no space in between) is used for of articles, chapters, movies, etc. as, although, because, etc. when it falls emphasis or a sudden interruption in Read the article, “How to Increase within a sentence but does not change thought. The dash should be used Productivity,” in your handbook. the meaning of the sentence. sparingly because the words enclosed John thinks that the early morning, when in the dashes are strongly emphasized. A quotation mark, exclamation point, or there is the least smog, is the best time Our district manager—fully aware of the dash is placed inside quotation marks to go jogging. shortage—shipped you a replacement when it relates only to the quoted Florida, because of its mild climate, attracts immediately. material. many visitors. They started the project last week—but this is He asked, “Will you be there?” The security gate, as you may know, is not your concern. only open during business hours. He shouted, “Your house is burning!” HYPHEN A question mark is placed inside the Use a comma to separate a group of Use a hyphen to tie two or more words quotation marks when both parts of words beginning with since, if, when, together when they describe the word the sentence are questions. where, although, etc. when it appears immediately following. Did he ask, “Will you be there?” at the end of a sentence to provide first-class mail speed-building device additional information but does not city-wide survey up-to-date report change the meaning of the sentence. A question mark, exclamation point, or Use a hyphen to join a numbered figure dash is placed outside quotation marks You may order our new model in three weeks, and its unit of measurement. when it relates to the entire sentence. if you don’t mind waiting that long. 40-hour week 13-cent stamp Did he answer, “I will be there”? We planned to start the meeting at 7 a.m., when the noisemakers would be asleep. 30-pound turkey 10-day trip The comma or period goes outside I sent your motor to our repair center, where quotation marks when the material all defects are repaired in two days. Certain expressions are spelled with a hyphen. quoted is a number or letter. The union leaders accepted the contract, although they didn’t inform the press. ex-senator secretary-treasurer Please turn to Appendix “3”. President-elect You will find the explanation in Schedule “A”. Use commas to separate two or more words that describe a person, place, PARENTHESES If you are quoting the words of more than one person, start a new paragraph for or thing. Use parentheses to enclose dates, each change of speaker. He was tall, dark, and handsome. references, or a group of words which Arizona is a hot, dry, dusty state. are only loosely connected with the John Smith said, “I will be unable to attend The long, narrow, winding road might sentence. Use parentheses sparingly; the meeting.” intimidate a new driver. they slow down the reader. Frank Jones insisted, “All salesmen must attend the meeting.” Use a comma to separate a series of Punctuation marks go inside the words of group of words. parentheses when they apply to I received your purchase order for staples, the words enclosed in the parentheses. paper clips, index cards, and pencils. Both groups expressed an interest in western We arrived at the airport, waited on line, movies. (Your movie was shown three times.) picked up the tickets, and missed the flight. Our promotional package was designed to fit Punctuation marks that apply to the entire on top of your counter, inside your showcase, sentence go outside the parentheses. or in your display window. The terms of the contract are outlined in Chapter 11 (page 20). Use a comma to separate words that They agreed to permit some military presence would be missed without the comma. for a limited time (perhaps up to ten years), To John, the boss seemed very unfair. yet no final contract as signed. Soon after, he decided to quit his job. 275 Madison Avenue Use a comma to enclose a group of New York, NY 10016 words that stands apart and delivers only its own meaning. 800-528-3897 The meetings having ended, the salesmen fax 800-528-3862 went out for cocktails. She entered the office, application in hand, to apply for the job.

Use a comma to separate two contrasting © 1984 and 1998 items. © DDC Publishing I ordered 50 cots, not 15. 275 Madison Avenue, Put your eraser on the desk, not the typewriter. New York, NY 10016 The more I try, the less I succeed.