Guidelines

Other Punctuation



This lesson has explanations of the following punctuation:

  • Question marks
  • Semicolons
  • Colons
  • Apostrophes
  • Quotation marks
  • Dashes
  • Hyphens
  • Parentheses

It also explains the use of italics.

11.A. End direct questions with a question mark.

Place a question mark at the end of a direct question. If the question is a full sentence within a sentence, begin it with a capital letter. Place it in quotation marks if someone spoke or thought the question.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. Since the insurance companies are well known, are some banks issuing letters of credit.
  2. We wondered, do banks find letters of credit attractive?

Correct:

  1. Since the insurance companies are well known, are some banks issuing letters of credit?
  2. We wondered, "Do banks find letters of credit attractive?"

[Notice that the question is a complete sentence, so it begins with a capital and is enclosed in quotation marks. Since the question mark is at the end of the sentence, you do not need to end with a period.]



Exercise 1

Correct this text:

 

11.B. Use a semicolon to join two related sentences.

Place a semicolon between two sentences to show they have a close relationship with each other. Make the first letter of the second sentence lower case. Skip one space after the semicolon. Sentences on either side of a semicolon must be able to stand by themselves.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. It was evident that no extra money was forthcoming from the state, the union would not renegotiate its contract.
  2. The hospital has been catching up on past due debt service payments by the end of the year, it will be current on all payments.
  3. One maneuver to obtain federal backing was the issuance of municipal bonds they were secured by home mortgage loans.

Correct:

  1. It was evident that no extra money was forthcoming from the state; the union would not renegotiate its contract.
  2. The hospital has been catching up on past due debt service payments; by the end of the year, it will be current on all payments.
  3. One maneuver to obtain federal backing was the issuance of municipal bonds; they were secured by home mortgage loans.



Exercise 2

Correct this text:

11.C. Use semicolons to help eliminate confusion when several things are listed and one or more in the list contains a comma or a colon.

EXAMPLE

Incorrect:

The following expenses will be billed in addition to compensation: travel expenses, use of personal automobile, telephone, computer, and printing charges, and other expenses resulting directly from attendance at the conference.

The three reports were Jacksonville Pike: Routing and Plans, City of Dartville Proposal, and Basson Rezoning: Rationale and Petition.

Correct:

The following expenses will be billed in addition to compensation: travel expenses; use of personal automobile; telephone, computer, and printing charges; and other expenses resulting directly from attendance at the conference.

The three reports were Jacksonville Pike: Routing and Plans; City of Dartville Proposal; and Basson Rezoning: Rationale and Petition.



Exercise 3

Correct this text:

11.D. When two sentences are joined using therefore, however, otherwise, consequently, or thus, place a semicolon or period before the joining word.

It is incorrect to join two sentences with therefore, however, otherwise, consequently, or thus without a semicolon or period between the two sentences.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. The call price acts as a cushion against upward price movement, however, there is no downside cushion softening the decline in value of these bonds.
  2. The ratios between municipals and Treasuries are generally high, consequently, analysts often consider municipals a good buy.
  3. The president did not define the term "full-service firm" thus, the audience became confused.

Correct:

  1. The call price acts as a cushion against upward price movement; however, there is no downside cushion softening the decline in value of these bonds.
  2. The ratios between municipals and Treasuries are generally high; consequently, analysts often consider municipals a good buy.
  3. The president did not define the term "full-service firm"; thus, the audience became confused.

Note that, unlike commas and periods, semicolons do not go inside the quotation marks.



Exercise 4

Correct this text:

11.E. Use a colon to introduce a question, a long quotation, or a phrase that explains the preceding clause.

  1. The colon usually means "as follows."
  2. Use a colon only when what precedes the colon is a complete sentence.
  3. When the word preceding the colon is a preposition or verb, check to be sure the words before the colon make a complete sentence. Usually, prepositions and verbs don't appear at the ends of sentences.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. The vice-president made these recommendations
  2. "If you have a concern, our resource center . . ." [lengthy quote]

  3. The three ways we can obtain the capital are:
    1. Make a business loan.
    2. Sell some of our assets.
    3. Provide a portion of the capital from our personal resources.

  4. The office assistant raised an interesting question "Who misplaced the key to the storage locker?"
  5. It was her responsibility to: (1) exercise good judgment, (2) ensure that the area was safe, and (3) keep small children from the premises.

Correct:

1.The vice-president made these recommendations:

"If you have a concern, our resource center . . ." [lengthy quote]

2.The three ways we can obtain the capital are

    1. Make a business loan.
    2. Sell some of our assets.
    3. Provide a portion of the capital from our personal resources.

While many writers insert colons before all lists, regardless of the preceding text, standard English usage does not permit it. To use a colon in # 2 above, the item would have to read "We can obtain the capital in three ways:" or "The three ways we can obtain the capital follow:"

  1. The office assistant raised an interesting question: "Who misplaced the key to the storage locker?"
  2. It was her responsibility to (1) exercise good judgment, (2) ensure that the area was safe, and (3) keep small children from the premises.



Exercise 5

Correct this text:

11.F. Use an apostrophe followed by "s" to show possession in singular nouns.

Add an apostrophe and "s" to show possession in singular nouns. Some exceptions are species, appearance, and conscience, or any word ending in "s" whose pronunciation becomes awkward when an "s" is added to show possession.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. It is the organizations responsibility to pay this bill.
  2. The organizations profits and losses shall be shared among the stockholders.
  3. For appearance's sake, please make every effort to take care of this matter.

Correct:

  1. It is the organization's responsibility to pay this bill.
  2. The organization's profits and losses shall be shared among the stockholders.
  3. For appearance' sake, please make every effort to take care of this matter.



Exercise 6

Correct this text:

 

11.G. Use an apostrophe and "s" to show possession with indefinite pronouns.

Indefinite pronouns refer to unknown persons, places, quantities, or things. Examples are somebody, anybody, anyone, everyone, and each.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. It is anyones guess when this matter will be settled.
  2. The three contributed to each others campaigns.
  3. Somebodys letters had been delivered to the address.

Correct:

  1. It is anyone's guess when this matter will be settled.
  2. The three contributed to each other's campaigns.
  3. Somebody's letters had been delivered to the address.



Exercise 7

Correct this text:

11.H. An apostrophe is not necessary with possessive forms of personal pronouns.

Personal pronouns are pronouns that refer to people or things. The possessive forms may have "s" at the end, but they should not have an apostrophe. Examples of possessive personal pronouns are his, hers, its, ours, yours, and theirs. If "it's" has an apostrophe, it is the contraction for "it is."

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. The wording of it's introductory remarks created confusion.
  2. The executive did not gain the status of a professional through his' suit.
  3. Its going to be the first of its' kind.

Correct:

  1. The wording of its introductory remarks created confusion.
  2. The executive did not gain the status of a professional through his suit.
  3. It's going to be the first of its kind.

Note that "it's" is the contraction for "it is." It requires an apostrophe to show that it is a contraction.



Exercise 8

Correct this text:

11.I. To show possession with plural nouns, make the noun plural first, then place an apostrophe after the "s" or "es." If the word does not end in "s" or "es" when it becomes plural (as in "men" or "women") use an apostrophe and then an "s."

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. All company's rights have been violated by this legislation.
  2. The three womens purses were not recovered.
  3. Six years bills have not been paid.

Correct:

  1. All companies' rights have been violated by this legislation.
  2. The three women's purses were not recovered.
  3. Six years' bills have not been paid.



Exercise 9

Correct this text:

11.J. When a noun has two or more parts, make the last part possessive.

Some nouns have two or more parts ("son-in-law," "attorney general," "somebody else"). In that event, make the last part possessive.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. son's-in-law's
  2. attorney's generals
  3. somebody's else

Correct:

  1. son-in-law's
  2. attorney general's
  3. somebody else's



Exercise 10

Correct this text:

11.K. Making the last name in the series possessive shows joint ownership. Making each name possessive shows individual ownership.

When two people's names are used together to show ownership, making both possessive with apostrophes means each person owns the item(s), separate from the other. If only the last person's name has an apostrophe, it shows that they own the item(s) jointly. For example, "Don and Frank's case" shows that Don and Frank are working on the case together. "Don's and Frank's cases" shows that Don has a case and Frank has another case.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. Mary's and Curt's house was destroyed by the tornado.
  2. Steve and Jill filed a claim. It was Steve's and Jill's claim of fault that brought the company to settle.
  3. Both Medsupplies and Medsoft's air pumps were found to be faulty.

Correct:

  1. Mary and Curt's house was destroyed by the tornado.
  2. Steve and Jill filed a claim. It was Steve and Jill's claim of fault that brought the company to settle.
  3. Both Medsupplies' and Medsoft's air pumps were found to be faulty.



Exercise 11

Correct this text. It concerns two authors named Kevin and Kent.

11.L. Use double quotation marks at all times unless quoting something within words already quoted with double quotation marks.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. Denise Jones stated the following: "his wife then said "lean on the rail to help you get your balance."
  2. What she referred to as the 'heart and soul' of the problem was Jim's outrage at being subjected to a drug test that had false-positive results.
  3. The opinion that "The current political status of the "nation" or place at issue makes no difference for Title VII purposes" is outdated.

Correct:

  1. Denise Jones stated the following: "His wife then said 'Lean on the rail to help you get your balance.'" Note the capital on the first word of the complete sentence after a colon.
  2. What she referred to as the "heart and soul" of the complaint is Jim's outrage at being subjected to a drug test that had false-positive results.
  3. The opinion that "The current political status of the 'nation' or place at issue makes no difference for Title VII purposes" is outdated.

Note that in the last example, no comma is necessary before the quotation since it flows from the previous words as though it were part of the sentence. Some would not capitalize "The."



Exercise 12

Correct this text:

11.M. Use quotation marks for titles and portions of writing, but use italics for names of the entire publications.

Enclose titles of chapters, articles from magazines or newspapers, or other writings that are portions of larger publications in quotation marks. Place the names of the publications that are not part of larger publications, such as books, magazines, or newspapers, in italics.

An exception is the citation of official reports. The report title should appear in italics. When italics cannot be produced, substitute underlining.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. One of the most popular columns in "The Boston Times" is Legal Perspectives.
  2. The California Reporter included the California case, DeCamp v. First Kensington Corp.

Correct:

  1. One of the most popular columns in The Boston Times is "Legal Perspectives."
  2. The California Reporter included the California case, DeCamp v. First Kensington Corp. Note that when the last word of a sentence is an abbreviation, the writer does not put an extra period to end the sentence.



Exercise 13

Change the text before looking at the correct version. Type "italics" before the first word you would italicize and "end italics" after the last italicized word.

11.N. Use quotation marks sparingly to enclose words or expressions used in a special manner or when you refer to words as words.

The writer may use quotation marks to indicate that words or expressions are used in a special way. Writers also may use them to indicate that the words are being described as words. Avoid overusing quotation marks. Do not use quotation marks simply to show that a word or phrase is unusual.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. The title, judge, originally meant one who states the law.
  2. Finch was not an owner within the meaning of the contract.
  3. "Fear of computers" is causing many problems in management of small businesses.

Correct:

  1. The title, "judge," originally meant "one who states the law."
  2. Finch was not an "owner" within the meaning of the contract.
  3. Fear of computers is causing many problems in management of small businesses.



Exercise 14

Change the text before looking at the correct version.

11.O. Indent quotations with fifty or more words one-half inch from the right and left margins and do not use quotation marks except within the indented quotation.

EXAMPLE

Correct:

Pat Carrigan has a different approach to management. She says,

Typically in this country, management tends to give direction downward, and all the good ideas are thought to belong to management, not the worker. If you stop and think a moment, that's a pretty simplistic view. In a business like ours, the precision machining performed by hourly workers is highly technical. The worker who does this kind of activity is the expert. Should I, or someone else in my position, tell these people how to best do their jobs or what needs to be done?

 

11.P. Always place commas and periods within quotation marks.

Even when a single letter in quotation marks is followed by a comma or period, you must place the comma or period inside the quotation marks.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. We found that the applicant's name was spelled without an "s", meaning she was the wrong person.
  2. She stated, "The first deposit was made before the money was missing".
  3. The article he referred to was "Building Design: More Than Meets the Eye".

Correct:

  1. We found that the applicant's name was spelled without an "s," meaning she was the wrong person.
  2. She stated, "The first deposit was made before the money was missing."
  3. The article he referred to was " Building Design: More Than Meets the Eye."

When another form of punctuation is already within the quotation marks, the comma isn't necessary.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. "Where will you place the cabinet," she asked?
  2. "Why weren't we notified?," the manager asked.

Correct:

  1. "Where will you place the cabinet?" she asked.
  2. "Why weren't we notified?" the manager inquired.



Exercise 15

Change the text before looking at the correct version.

11.Q. Use italics for titles of publications that stand by themselves, for foreign words, for titles of case reports, and occasionally for emphasis.

  1. Use italics for titles of publications that are not part of other publications (books, magazines, television programs).
  2. Use italics for foreign words that have not yet become part of the English language (voila, touché, fait accompli).
  3. Use italics for titles of case reports.
  4. Use italics sparingly for emphasis. Normally, use underlining for emphasis.

Since underlining is intended to signal to the typesetter that the underlined words should be italicized in final publication, use italics rather than underlining when your word processor can create italics. However, continue to use underlining for emphasis or headings.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. I suggest you study Peterson's LSAT Success to refresh your confidence.
  2. In Diberling v. City of Augatee, the ruling was that the plaintiff demonstrated a contractual relationship between the parties because Section 1981 protects at-will employees from discriminatory termination.
  3. Before Linda's story was published in "Highlights for Children," she learned to proofread her query before she sent it.

Correct:

  1. I suggest you study Peterson's LSAT Success to refresh your confidence.
  2. In Diberling v. City of Augatee, the ruling was that the plaintiff demonstrated a contractual relationship between the parties because Section 1981 protects at-will employees from discriminatory termination.
  3. Before Linda's story was published in Highlights for Children, she learned to proofread her query before she sent it.
Harrods, London's popular department store, tries to live up to it's motto--Omnia, omnibus, ubique: everyone, everything, everywhere.



Exercise 16

Change the text before looking at the correct version.

11.R. Use a dash to show a change in thought.

  1. A dash—a line that is longer than a hyphen—is used to show that the thought is being interrupted by words after the dash.
  2. A dash is not the same as a hyphen. It is about the length of two hyphens. If your word processor does not have a dash, you may use two hyphens in a row for the dash.
  3. If you are using Microsoft Word, insert a dash by following this procedure:
    1. Click on "Insert" on the Microsoft Word row of pulldown menus.
    2. Click on "Symbol."
    3. Select a font that has a dash (such as "Normal text"). A list of all of the letters and symbols available in that font will appear.
    4. You will see one long horizontal line called an "em dash" and perhaps a shorter line that is still longer than a hyphen, called an "en dash." Standard practice is to use an em dash, but some firms prefer the en dash.

  4. Standard usage requires that you not put spaces before or after the dash. While you will often see business and legal writers placing spaces before and after dashes, that is not correct usage.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. The best advice perhaps the only advice I have is to admit what you have done.
  2. She was rebuffed by a medical insurer that seemed not to understand - or want to understand - the nature of her misfortune.
  3. In fact, nothing in the record suggests that Dr. Herod disagreed with or even that he thought about the question.

Correct:

  1. The best advice—perhaps the only advice—I have is to admit what you have done.
  2. She was rebuffed by a medical insurer that seemed not to understand—or want to understand—the nature of her misfortune.
  3. In fact, nothing in the record suggests that Dr. Herod disagreed with—or even that he thought about—the question.
The craft of surgery some would call it an art demands a steady hand to work the scalpel through a web of arteries and veins. One doctor a long--time surgeon finds surgery so exacting that she has to take a walk around the hospital after an operation.



Exercise 17

Change the text before looking at the correct version. Use two hyphens -- to stand for a dash.

 

11.S. Use a hyphen in a compound adjective or compound word.

Compound adjectives

Use a hyphen between two or more words that must be used together, in order, to modify another word. A "well-trained" seal has been trained well. That is different from a "well, trained seal," meaning a seal that is healthy and trained.

INCORRECT

We need a more in depth assessment of your system's capability to handle this before Christmas load of sales transactions.

CORRECT

We need a more in-depth assessment of your system's capability to handle this before-Christmas load of sales transactions.

Use hyphens even if the modifier has three or four words: "We had a one-on-one talk."

If the two or more words do not immediately precede the word they modify, do not put a hyphen between them.

CORRECT:"This is a full-bodied wine." "This wine is full bodied."

INCORRECT: "This wine is full-bodied."

Do not put a hyphen after a word ending in "ly," as in "happily married couple."

Compound words

Some words always have hyphens in them, such as "ex-mayor" and "self-confident." They are called "compound words." If a word is a compound word, you will be able to find it in the dictionary with the hyphen.

Assume that two words are not compound words unless you can find them in the dictionary with a hyphen.



Exercise 18

Change the text before looking at the correct version.

11.T. Use parentheses to separate additional information from the rest of the sentence.

Use parentheses rather than dashes when the information is clearly separate from the rest of the text. Also use parentheses to separate out smaller words and parts of sentences, such as numbers (1) and abbreviations (ABA).

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. The employees spent all of their time in discussion, what Paul called arguing, while planning for the conference.
  2. Even the supervisors couldn't come to any agreement because of all the questions, Is there an architect? Who is the architect?
  3. The stockholders shall have voting rights in the control of the business in the same proportion as set forth in Section 2.12 Division of Profits and Losses above.

Correct:

  1. The employees spent all of their time in discussion (what Paul called arguing) while planning for the conference.

  2. Even the supervisors couldn't come to any agreement because of all the questions (Is there an architect? Who is the architect?).

  3. The stockholders shall have voting rights in the control of the business in the same proportion as set forth in Section 2.12 ("Division of Profits and Losses") above.



Exercise 19

Change the text before looking at the correct version.

11.U. Use parentheses to enclose numbers in a list within a sentence.

EXAMPLES

Incorrect:

  1. I would never criticize my boss because 1, I'd get fired, and 2, it's his company, not mine.
  2. When no tangible employment action is taken, a defending employer may raise an affirmative defense comprising two necessary elements: a. that the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any sexually harassing behavior, and b. that the plaintiff employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer, or to avoid harm otherwise.

Correct:

  1. I would never criticize my boss because (1) I'd get fired, and (2) it's his company, not mine.
  2. When no tangible employment action is taken, a defending employer may raise an affirmative defense comprising two necessary elements: (a) that the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any sexually harassing behavior, and (b) that the plaintiff employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer, or to avoid harm otherwise.



Exercise 20

Change the text before looking at the correct version.

11.V. Lesson Test.

Correct the errors in the sentences that follow. When you have finished, click on the link to compare your answers to the corrected version. Look for errors in all the skills you have learned so far in the course.