Punctuation

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The Comma ( , )

The comma marks a short pause between elements in a sentence. There are four types of comma: the
listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas.

-A listing comma can always be replaced by the word and or or:

Vanessa seems to live on eggs, pasta and aborigines.

Vanessa seems to live on eggs and pasta and aborigines.
Choose an article from the Guardian, the Independent or the Times.
Choose an article from the Guardian or the Independent or the Times.

-A joining comma must be followed by one of the connecting words and, or, but, yet or while:

The report was due last week, but it hasn't appeared yet.
The motorways in France and Spain are toll roads, while those in Britain are free.

-A gapping comma indicates that you have decided not to repeat some words which have already occurred
in the sentence:

Jupiter is the largest planet and Pluto, the smallest.

-Bracketing commas always come in pairs, unless one of them would come at the beginning or the end of
the sentence, and they always set off a weak interruption which could in principle be removed from the
sentence:

My father, who hated cricket, always refused to watch me play.

We have a slight problem, to put it mildly.

The period ( . )

A period is a small dot-shaped punctuation mark that is used at the end of any sentence that is intended
to make a statement. As with other punctuation marks that end sentences, the period should be placed
directly behind the last letter of the last word of the sentence.

When to Use Periods:

Use periods in sentences that make statements.

 My dog retrieves the paper for me each morning.

 Gloria wants to be a nurse after she finishes high school.

 Our city’s police cars are painted black and white.

You should also use periods at the end of sentences that are intended to instruct or command.

 Rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

 Lock the door behind you.

 Place recyclable items in the blue bin next to the dumpster.

Periods can also be used at the end of a sentence that contains an indirect question.

 The coach asked Jared why he was late for practice.

 My mother used to wonder why my brother’s room was cluttered.

 I have something to ask you.

How to Use Periods

After ending a sentence with a period, insert a single space before beginning the next sentence. This rule
has only been in place since modern word processing became common – back in the days when people
used typewriters, one would insert two spaces behind periods and other punctuation marks that end
sentences.

Periods are also used with abbreviations.

 Washington, D.C.

 5 p.m.

In the event that the abbreviation ends a statement, a command, or an indirect question, the period
that ends that abbreviation is also used to complete the sentence.

 If you want to visit the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History, you will need
to travel to Washington, D.C.

 Arrive at 5:30 p.m. to get a seat for the concert; it begins at 6 p.m.

Although acronyms are abbreviations, they do not normally require periods. If you are using an acronym
that is pronounced as a word such as NOW, NATO, RADAR, or SCUBA, you don’t need to insert periods
between the letters. If you are using an acronym that is pronounced by speaking the letters individually,
you may or may not need to use periods between the letters. Some examples include FBI, NBA, NCAA,
NAACP, U.S.A., and U.N.I.C.E.F.

The Question Mark ( ? )

The question mark marks the end of a question.

 When will we be arriving?

 Why did you do that?

 Does any of this matter?

  He’s certain to be elected, isn’t he?

Question marks are used in direct questions, i.e. when the actual words of a speaker are used. A
reported question should end with a full stop.

 The lady said, ‘Where are you going?’

 The lady asked where she was going.

Note that you put a question mark at the end of a question, even if the words in the sentence are not in
the normal question order, or some words are omitted. Care is needed here as such a sentence can
look, at first sight, like a statement rather than a question.

 You know he doesn’t live here any longer?

A full stop, rather than a question mark, is used after an indirect question.

 I’d like to know what you’ve been doing all this time.

 I wonder what’s happened.

A full stop also replaces a question mark at the end of a sentence which looks like a question if, in fact, it
is really a polite request.

 Will you please return the completed forms to me?

 Would you please call my brother and ask him to collect my car?

The Exclamation point ( ! )

The exclamation mark is used after exclamations and emphatic expressions.

 I can’t believe it!

 Oh, no! Look at this mess!

The exclamation mark loses its effect if it is overused. It is better to use a full stop after a sentence
expressing mild excitement or humors.

It was such a beautiful day.

I felt like a perfect banana.

Penelope S. Lopez 118-4763