PUNCTUATION &

MECHANICS RULES
Punctuation
• Following the rules of punctuation, and mechanics help to keep
our writing clear and consistent
• Punctuation is placed in text to make meaning clear and to make
reading easier.
• Punctuation, refers to printed symbols that are used to clarify
relationships between words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence
• The concept of “correct punctuation” changes based on writing
content and style
• The function of a punctuation mark is the basis for the rules
governing its use and should be the basis for determining
whether or not it is needed
Capitalization Example

• First word of every sentence • Thank you for the letter.

• The pronoun ”I”
• Names of people including initials
and titles
• Names of streets, towns, cities,
states, & countries
• Titles of stories, movies, TV shows,
video games,etc.
• Names of specific buildings and
monuments
• Days of the week, month, and
holidays
• The first word of a direct quotation
• My friend and I love horses.
• Mr. and Mrs. Lio were seen by Dr.
Tau.
• Motsoaledi Road, Polokwane,
Texas
• Star Wars, Shrek 3
• Statue of Liberty, Vietnam War
Memorial
• Thursday, November, Easter
• She said, “Today is beautiful.”
COMMAS RULE:
COMMAS RULE:
• Between city and state
• Between the date and year
• The greeting and closing of a
letter
• Two adjectives that tell
about the same noun
• Between words in a series
• Before a direct quotation
• After a short introductory
phrase
EXAMPLE:
• Cape Town, Limpopo Province,
• December 25, 2018
• Dear Learto, Sincerely,
• Sabrina is a clever, smart girl.
• Dylan likes pizza, hamburgers,
and ice cream.
• “I know,” answered Mary.
• After all that candy, nobody
was hungry for cake.
COMMAS RULE cont…
• The fanboys consist of seven ACRONYMS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
(1)It is used to connect independent clauses that could each be a sentence on its
own, then we put a comma in front of the fanboys,
(2)When the fanboys do not connect two ideas that could each be a sentence,
then we do not put a comma in front of the fanboys
• For: Fran prefers to drive in the country, for there is often less traffic.
• And: Abby eats hamburgers, and she also enjoys milkshakes.
• Nor: Nelly doesn’t like red shoes, nor does she like violet blouses.
• But: Betty ran to the grocery, but it had closed at six o’clock.
• Or: Otto will eat lunch on campus, or he will skip eating to study.
• Yet: Yeshua knows class starts at nine, yet he frequently arrives late.
• So: Sally hates to be late for class, so she always leaves home at eight.
USING THE PERIOD
• After a declarative sentence (a
sentence providing information or
stating a fact)
• After an imperative sentence (a
sentence making a request or
stating a command)
• After an indirect question (a
sentence that reports a question
rather than asking it directly
• After an abbreviation of titles
• Latin words or phrases
• Time designations
• After numbers and letters in an
outline:
• I am leaving on the next train.
• Close the door.
• He asked if you would attend the
meeting.
• Mr., Ms., Dr., Jr., Sr
• i.e. (that is), e.g. (for example), etc.
(and so forth, and so on)
• a.m. (or AM), p.m. (or PM)
• I. _____________ A. __________
1. __________ 2. __
Ellipsis Mark
• The ellipsis mark consists of three spaced periods used to show intentional omission
of words in a quoted passage:
Example:
• Abraham Lincoln said the following: “We are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation . . . can long endure."

• The ellipsis mark can also be used to indicate pause, hesitation, or interrupted
speech:
Example:
• He seemed nervous . . . stared straight ahead . . . kept twitching and jerking . . . then
he ran for shelter.
• Four spaced periods used to indicate an omission at the end of a sentence in a direct
quotation
Example:
• Another problem. . . is acid rain. . . . .
QUESTION MARK
Use a question mark:
• After a direct question:
Example:
• Are you going? It's a long trip, isn't it?
• Within parentheses to indicate doubt or uncertainty about a fact
Example:
• Chaucer was born in 1340 (?) and died in 1400.
The Semicolon
• A semicolon can be used in three different types of sentence structures.
To join two independent clauses.
Example:
• Several environmental organizations recognized the treaty; few endorsed it.
To join two independent clauses when a conjunctive adverb is used.
Example:
• Several environmental organizations recognized the treaty; however, few
endorsed it.
To separate items in a list if the items in the list already necessitate a comma.
Example:
• She has a son, Mike Nach, of Arizona; a daughter, Emily Rosa, of Colorado; and
a sister, Sara Evans, of Minnesota.
Colons
• List
• Answers the question
• Quotation
• Between independent clauses
• Introduction of a definition
• After business salutation
• I have three sisters: Catherine,
Sarah, and Mary.
• There was only one possible
explanation: The train had never
arrived.
• Homer Simpson is famous for his
grunted expression: “Doh!”
• “Life is like a box of chocolates:
you never know what you're going
to get.”
• Hypernym of a word: a word
having a wider meaning than the
given one
• Dear Sir or Madam:
Colons cont…
• In a dialogue • Patient: Doctor, I feel like
a pair of curtains.
• Separation of title from • Star Wars Episode IV: A
subtitle New Hope
• Separation of the chapter
and the verse numbers of • John 3:14–16 (or John
religious scriptures III:14–16)
• Separation within time of
the day • The concert finished at
23:45.
Apostrophes and Missing Letters
Apostrophes are also used to stand in for missing letters in a
contraction:
• The conclusion doesn’t [does not] follow from the evidence.
• Remove the test tubes from the sterilizer when the cycle’s
[cycle is]finished.
• This committee will file a final report when we’re [we are]
done with the applications.
• In addition, apostrophes are used to stand for missing letters
in “shortened” or slang words: ’Tis [it is] the season to be
jolly.
Numbers

• Spell out numbers zero to ten or when they start a sentence.

• Use numerals for numbers 11 and above.
• Numbers over three digits get commas.
• For numbers greater than six digits, use words like million or billion.
Numbers cont…
WRITE NUMBERS LIKE THIS DON'T WRITE NUMBERS LIKE THIS

 There were three students.  There were 3 students.

 Each person donated 20 hours of leave.  Each person donated twenty hours of
leave.
 1,000  1000
 150,000  150000
 There are 18 million people.  There are 18,000,000 people.
 They raised one million dollars.  They raised $1,000,000.
Ampersands

• Don't use an ampersand (&) unless it is part of a department name,

company name, or brand name.
• Ben and Dan
• Ben & Jerry’s
Hyphens
• The hyphen is used to connect words or parts of words,
• It connects the syllables of words broken at the ends of line
• It connects prefixes and suffixes to words, and it connects
compound words.
• Use a hyphen (-) without spaces on either side to link
words into single phrase, or to indicate range.
Example:
• first-time user
• Monday-Friday
EXCLAMATION MARK
• At the end of a sentence or elliptical expression (condensed sentence,
key words left out)
• To express strong emotion (surprise, disbelief, irony, dissent, urgency,
amusement, enthusiasm).
Example:
• Congratulations on your new son!
• I suppose you consider that another “first”!
• Fantastic show!
QUESTION MARK
• To indicate the end of a direct question.
Example:
• Did he go with you?
• Will you be able to attend?
• After an independent question within a larger sentence.
Example:
• The question “Who will absorb the costs?” went unanswered.
• When will the reorganization take place? will surely be asked.
Quotation Marks:
• To identify the exact words of the speaker:
Example:
• Start the quotation with a capital letter. He screamed, “Get lost!”
• Use quotation marks ( “ ” ) to start and end the quoted part of the
sentence.
Example:
• As the wise one always says, “Love heals all problems.”
Add capital letters where necessary
I discussed the matter with my professor.
2. We were studying Robert Frost’s poem “The death of the hired man”.
3. All grade 12 students take history and english.
4. Usually college classes begin the day after labour day.
5. You know, dad, I haven’t had the car all week.
6. He shouted, “what’s happening?”
7. The doctor sent her to the hospital last wednesday
Put appropriate punctuation marks in the
following sentences.
1. A grandparents job is easier than a parents
2. It looks as if the sun goes around the earth but of course the earth
really goes round the sun
3. He neither smiled spoke nor looked at me
4. Long ago in a distant country there lived a beautiful princess
5. It was my aunt who took Peter to London yesterday not my father.
6. Ruth was invited to the party but she was ill so Jane went instead of
her
Adapted from:
• Bailey, S. 2015. Academic Writing: A Handbook for International
Students. Routledge.