Term
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Definition
■ Periods signal that a sentence has come to a
complete stop. →Sentences that do not require a
question mark or exclamation point should end
with a period.
■ A period is used to indicate a decimal. →a GPA
of 3.9
■ A period separates dollars and cents. → The
price of the loaf of bread is $2.89.
■ A period follows an initial in a name. → Is
Robert W. Smith here today?
■ A period indicates that a word is being used in
abbreviated form. → Diva Apparel & Accessory
Co., Inc.
■ Use a period to end a command. → Take this
book to Mrs. Grundy’s office.
■ Use a period to separate letters in abbreviations.
→C.E. [common era] |
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Term
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Definition
■ Always place a question mark at the end of a direct
question. → What kind of maintenance
schedule should I follow?
■ When a question includes a direct quote, the
question mark of the overall sentence is placed
outside (after) the end quotation mark. → Did
Mr. Keats say, “The reading assignment is due on
the last Friday of November”?
■ If a direct quotation is itself a question, the
question mark is placed inside (before) the end
quotation mark. → Mark asked, “Does anyone
want more soda?” |
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Term
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Definition
■ Place an exclamation point after a word, phrase,
or sentence that requires extra emphasis or one
that conveys an especially strong emotion. →
That car is speeding out of control!
■ Place an exclamation point after an interjection.
→Wow!
■ Exclamation marks are placed inside quotation
marks only when they are part of the direct
quote. →Melissa screamed “Help!” when her bicycle’s
rain-soaked brakes unexpectedly failed. |
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Term
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Definition
■ When using a direct quote from an outside
source, place double quotation marks around
the speaker’s words, and use a comma or colon
directly before the quote. → The local news anchor
reported: “Retailers are responding to lackluster
consumer spending by slashing prices on
apparel, electronics, and household goods.”
■ The titles of chapters, articles, poems, songs,
and short stories require quotation marks. →
“The Road Not Taken”
■ The rules of American standard English dictate
that periods and commas are always placed inside
(before) end quotation marks, whereas
sentence structure determines placement of
other punctuation, such as question marks and
colons. → “I like to listen to hip-hop classics by
Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Eminem,” said Lisa.
■ When punctuating dialogue—conversations
between two or more speakers—enclose each
speaker’s words in quotation marks.
■ Use single quotation marks when enclosing
quoted material inside a direct quotation. →
When John and I discussed the writings of Henry
David Thoreau, he remarked, “I especially appreciate
Thoreau’s sentiment: ‘The bluebird carries
the sky on his back.’ ” |
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Term
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Definition
■ Use a semicolon to separate individual items or
word groups in a series containing commas. →
Field trips are planned for Monday, May 5; Tuesday,
May 6; and Wednesday, May 7.
■ Use a semicolon before adverbial connectives
such as however, nevertheless, and therefore joining
together two independent clauses. →Cheryl
tried out for cheerleading with her arm in a cast;
nevertheless, her routine dazzled the judges. |
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Term
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Definition
■ Use a colon directly in front of a listing of a series
of items. → While I was at the supermarket,
I picked up the following: cheese, rolls, pie, and
bottled water.
■ A colon separates hours and minutes. → Let’s
meet for lunch at 1:30 P.M.
■ A colon can be substituted for a comma before
a direct quote. → Ms. Jones said: “Students who
are missing more than five homework assignments
will have points taken off their final
grades.”
■ To separate biblical chapter and verse, a colon is
used after the chapter, with the verse appearing
directly after the colon.→Isaiah 61:3
■ A colon is placed at the end of the salutation
line in a formal letter. →Dear Mr. Smythe:
■ A colon separates the city and publisher in a
bibliographical citation or note. → New York:
Alfred A. Knopf
■ Use a colon between titles and subtitles. |
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Term
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Definition
■ Use an apostrophe when letters have been
deleted. →It’s [It is] time for a change.
■ An apostrophe is used with an s at the end of a
word in order to indicate ownership. → On the
day she was absent, Ms. Carlson’s homeroom class
was very unruly.
■ Only an apostrophe is added to a plural word
ending with an s to indicate ownership. → The
books’ pages were scattered across the floor. |
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Term
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Definition
- Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, nor, so, for, yet) joining two or more independent clauses.
- Place a comma between all of the items in a list.
- Place a comma directly after tags or phrases preceding direct quotations.
- Place a comma between dates, addresses, and
titles.
- Set off nonrestrictive appositives and
nonessential phrases and clauses by placing a
comma on both sides. (Do not use commas
with restrictive appositives such as the poet
Robert Frost.)
- Place a comma directly after conjunctive
adverbs and transitional phrases, such as however,
also, then, therefore, for instance, in conclusion, in
fact, and for example.
- Use a comma after an introductory adverbial
clause or a prepositional phrase.
- Place a comma within (before) the end
quotation mark of a direct quote preceding a tag
(unless the quote ends with a question mark or an
exclamation point).
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Term
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Definition
■ Use a hyphen whenever two or more words are
joined together to serve as an adjective directly
before a noun (unless the first word ends in -ly).
→ The well-regarded teacher was honored for his
exceptionally hard work and dedication.
■ Use a hyphen when writing out fractions and
compound numbers. → I spent one-third of my
allowance on books and DVDs.
■ Use a hyphen with compound nouns. → My
sister-in-law works at the local mall. |
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Term
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Definition
■ Place parentheses around letters or numbers
that mark divisions in a series. → The main
rules of the class are the following: (1) don’t
speak when someone else is speaking, (2) act respectfully
toward your teacher and your classmates,
and (3) work hard and complete all of
your assignments.
■ Use parentheses to enclose supplementary material.
→Dorothy (Mrs. Thomas) Walker, an animal
welfare activist, recently adopted an elderly
mixed-breed dog from the local animal shelter. |
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Term
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Definition
■ Ellipsis points signify that material has been
omitted from the middle of a quotation, but
they are normally not placed at the beginning or
end of a quotation. → In his play Uncle Vanya,
Anton Chekhov wrote: “Man has been endowed
with reason, with the power to create . . . but up to
now he hasn’t been a creator, only a destroyer.” |
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