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I. Grammar 3.7: More about Punctuation

Lesson Seven

More About Punctuation

In this lesson, we will learn more about the comma and other punctuation marks. But first, let
us examine some new words.

Words to Remember

1. "Council"—the Jewish high court, made up of seventy judges including the high priest.
Example: "All through the night the leading priests and the Jewish Council tried to find
something against Jesus so they could kill him."
2. "curtain"—the beautiful cloth wall that hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy
Place in the Jewish temple. Example: "As Jesus died, the curtain in the temple in
Jerusalem was torn into two pieces."
3. "earthquake"—the shaking and trembling of the earth's surface. Example: "The army
officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened
when Jesus died."
4. "dice"—small cubes marked with dots on each side, used for making choices, answering
questions, or playing games of chance. Example: "Then the soldiers gambled with dice to
decide who would get Jesus' clothes."
5. "high priest"—the highest-ranking priest in the Jewish religious system; the spiritual
leader of the Jewish nation. Example: "The men who arrested Jesus led him to the house
of Caiaphas the high priest."
6. "mock"—to make fun of; to treat with scorn and contempt; to laugh, tease, and ridicule.
Example: "Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and mocked him."
7. "Lord's Supper"—a simple memorial feast consisting of bread without yeast and grape
juice (or grape wine). Example: "While Jesus was eating the Passover meal with his
apostles, he instituted the Lord's Supper."
8. "new covenant"—the agreement that God has made with the followers of Jesus Christ.
Example: "God's new covenant went into effect when Jesus died."

The Comma (,)

Commas are used to separate items in a series (a group of three or more words, phrases, or
clauses listed in succession). A comma is placed after every item in the series except the final
one. Each item may be a single word or a group of words. Examples: "God is eternal, powerful,
intelligent, and personal." "Jesus healed sick people, drove out evil spirits, calmed a storm,
walked on water, and raised people from death."

Although it is common practice to drop the comma before the final conjunction, it is wise to
include the final comma in order to avoid confusion. Example: "Judas took the thirty silver
coins back to the priests, threw them into the temple, and hanged himself."

A comma is not used to separate a modifier from the word it explains. Example: "My kingdom
is not an earthly kingdom." Notice that there is not a comma between "earthly" and "kingdom."
As a rule, if you can substitute "and" for a comma, leave the comma in. Otherwise, leave the
comma out.

A comma is used to set off introductory words, phrases, or clauses at the beginning of a
sentence.

Introductory word: "Finally, the high priest stood up."

Introductory phrase: "At noon, the country became dark."

Introductory clause: "While Jesus was hanging there, he prayed for the people who were
killing him."

Commas are used to separate an "appositive phrase" from the rest of the sentence. An
appositive phrase is a group of words placed beside another word to tell more about it.
("Apposition" means "putting side by side.") An appositive phrase may come within a sentence
or at the end.

(Within): "There, on a hill called 'The Skull,' Jesus was crucified."

(End): "They led Jesus to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest."

A comma is used between two independent clauses that are joined by "and," "but," "or," "nor,"
or "for." Example: "He is guilty, and he must die."

A comma is not used when a conjunction is used to join verb phrases that share the same
subject.

Subject Verb Phrase Conjunction Verb Phrase

"The people spat in Jesus' face and hit him with their fists."

A comma is not used when a dependent clause follows an independent clause. Example: "He
was like a lamb that makes no sound when someone cuts off its wool."

Commas are used to set off side remarks such as "by the way," "incidentally," "I think," and "of
course." These remarks interrupt the sentence and are not absolutely necessary. Example:
"Peter, of course, was the first person to speak."

A comma is used to set off a "noun of address." A "noun of address" is the name of the
person(s) to whom you are speaking. Examples: "Father, forgive them."
Commas are used to separate items in dates and places. Example: "Maudine and I were
married June 2, 1955, in Garland, Texas."

A comma is used to separate a direct quotation from the clause that tells who is speaking.
Example: "Pilate said, 'What is truth?'"

As you can see, there are many uses for the comma. The comma is the most widely-used
punctuation mark.

Quotation Marks (")

Quotation marks are used to enclose a direct quotation, that is, the exact words of a writer or
speaker. Example: Jesus said, "Dear woman, here is your son." Quotation marks are not used to
enclose indirect quotations or summaries of what has been said or written. Example: Jesus told
his apostles that he was going to die..

Quotation marks are used to enclose titles of essays, chapters in books, conferences,
government publications, magazine articles, motion pictures, paintings, poems, short stories,
and seminars. Examples: Edgar Allan Poe's poem,"The Raven," is a disturbing poem. The title
of Lesson Twenty One is "More About Punctuation."

When there is a quotation within a quotation, the outside quotation is enclosed by double
quotation marks ("), and the inside quotation is enclosed by single quotation marks (').
Example: The Jewish leaders laughed at Jesus and said, "Let God save him. He himself said, 'I
am the Son of God.'"

The Semicolon (;)

A semicolon is used within a sentence to indicate a pause stronger than a comma but weaker
than a period. It is used to separate independent clauses that are closely related but not joined
by a conjunction. Example: "Have nothing to do with that man; he is not guilty."

A semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses when the clauses are linked by a
coordinating adverb such as "then," "however," and "therefore." Example: "They put a stick in
Jesus' hand; then they bowed before him making fun of him."

A semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses when they are punctuated by
commas, whether or not the clauses are connected by conjunctions. Example: "Jesus was
beaten, mocked, and shamed; and all his rights were taken away."

The Colon (:)

A colon suggests a break more complete than a semicolon but less complete than a period. A
colon is used to introduce a word, a list, or a sentence. It suggests that more information is
about to follow. Example: "So this is what I tell people: 'He is the Son of God.'"

A colon is not used after a linking verb or a preposition. Example: "The three basic colors are
red, blue, and yellow." In this sentence, no colon is used after "are." However, a colon is used in
the following sentences: "These are the basic colors: red, blue, and yellow." "The three basic
colors are as follows: red, blue, and yellow."

Ordinarily, a colon is used after the salutation of a business letter. Example: "Dear Mr. Smith:"
A colon is also used to divide major divisions from subdivisions in reference to time and
scripture. Examples: "It is now 8:45 A.M." "Please read Acts 2:38."

Other Punctuation Marks

1. In addition to the above-mentioned punctuation marks, the apostrophe (') is used to show
possession and to indicate the omission of letters in contractions.

(Possession): "Jesus' mother stood near the cross."

(Omission): "Jesus answered, 'Yes, that's right.'"

2. The hyphen (-) is used to join two or more words into a single unit, to join compound
numbers and fractions, and to divide words at the end of a line. There is no space before or
after a hyphen.

(Words): "I like to study the Easy-to-Read Bible."

(Numbers): "This is the twenty-first English lesson."

(Fractions): "We have only one-fourth as many children as they do."

3. The dash (—) is used to indicate a break in thought and to add related information to the
sentence. Example: "They nailed the criminals to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the
other on the left."

4. Parentheses ( ) are used to enclose comments added to explain something in the text of a
sentence. Example: "Every Sunday (the day Jesus was raised from death), the followers of Jesus
come together to worship God and to partake of the Lord's Supper."

If the comments enclosed within the parentheses come at the end of a sentence, the final
punctuation mark is placed outside the closing parenthesis. If a complete sentence is enclosed,
the final punctuation mark is placed inside the closing parenthesis. Examples:

The baby was lying in the manger (a feeding box).

The baby was lying in the manger. (A manger is a feeding box.)

5. Brackets [ ] are used to enclose comments made within quoted material. Example: "You will
not let the body of your Holy One [Jesus] rot in the grave." Parentheses are not added inside of
a direct quotation.

6. Ellipses(…) are used to indicate an omission of material in a direct quotation. Example: "The
Helper is the Spirit of Truth. … The Helper will teach you everything." In this sentence, several
verses of scripture have been left out of the quotation and replaced by ellipses. When ellipses
are used within a sentence, there are three dots. When ellipses are used at the end of a
sentence, three dots follow the period.

Your Assignment

Now, answer the questions on this lesson.

Take exam

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