Punctuation

There is no alternative to correct punctuation. Incorrect punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence and/or cause the reader to lose track of what is being said and give up reading. The basic guideline to use in punctuation is to use common sense. Punctuation is to make clear the thought being expressed. If punctuation does not help make clear what is being said, it should not be there.

Apostrophe (‘)

Follow these guidelines when using apostrophes.

Contractions: You’re right. She’s a great boss.

To show possession: (Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession) Ms. Smith’s office.

Where the noun that should follow is implied: That was his father’s, not his, jacket.

To show plural possession, make the noun a plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe: the two boys’ hats, the Joneses’ house.

Do not use an apostrophe for the plural of a name. We visited the Smiths in Louisville. The Billingsleys have two dogs and a cat.

With a singular compound noun, show possession with the ‘s at the end of the word: my mother-in-law’s car.

If the compound noun is plural, form the plural first and then use the apostrophe: my two brothers-in-law’s hats.

Use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item. Michael and Cindy’s home is constructed of brick. Stacey’s and Jon’s contracts will be renewed next year.

Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose. They already show possession so they do not require an apostrophe. The book is hers, not yours.

The only time an apostrophe is used for it’s is when it is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” It’s your right to refuse the invitation. It’s been great getting to know you.

Ampersand (&)

The ampersand (&) should not otherwise be used in place of and, except for some accepted abbreviations: B&B, R&B Use the ampersand when it is part of a company’s formal name or composition title:

Procter & Gamble.

Division of Facilities and Fleet Management.

-NOT-

Division of Facilities & Fleet Management.

Colon (:)

Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.

Several people attended the meeting: Callie, Cory, Ryan, Janie and Landon. He promised this: The company will make good on all loses.

Comma (,)

The following guidelines treat some of the most frequent questions about the use of commas. As with all punctuation, clarity is the biggest rule. If a comma does not help make clear what is being said, it should not be there.

Use commas after introductory clauses, phrases or words that come before the main clause. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when and while.

Because her alarm was broken, she was late for work. If you are not feeling well, you need to go home.

Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.

That Tuesday, which happens to be my birthday, is the only day when I am available to meet.

Series

Do not include the comma before the final conjunction in a series:

Meetings will be held in June, July and August.
The flag is red, white and blue.

Exception: When the last item of the series links two nouns with the word “and,” use a comma:

The participants included representatives from the departments of Social Services, Finance, and Environmental Quality and Public Works.

If there is a comma in one component of the series, use a semicolon:

Key activities included education and training events; collaborative solutions to community problems; and sound organizational management at the international, national and local levels.

Comma abuse

Commas in the wrong places can break a sentence into illogical segments or confuse readers with unnecessary and unexpected pauses.

Don’t use a comma to separate the subject from the verb.

Incorrect: The most important attribute of a good manager, is adaptability.

Don’t put a comma between the two nouns, noun phrases or noun clauses in a compound subject or compound object.

Incorrect: Jeff told me that the job was still available, and that the manager wanted to interview me.

Ellipsis (…)

In general treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and two spaces.

Use ellipses to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts and documents, or to indicate hesitation. Be careful to avoid deletion that would distort the meaning.

In his “I Have a Dream” speech, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. declared: “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy … Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

Em dash (—)

Use dashes to denote an abrupt change in thought in a sentence or an emphatic pause:

We will go to Florida in June ─ if I get a raise. Smith offered a plan ─ it was unprecedented ─ to raise revenues.

Series with a phrase:

He listed the qualities ─ creativity, intelligence, humor, independence ─ that he liked in an employee.

Attribution: Before or after an author’s or composer’s name at the end of the quotation:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ─ Sir Winston Churchill

En dash (–)

AP Style does not use en dashes. An en dash is half the width of an em dash. Some other styles call for en dashes to indicate ranges of dates or times, or with some compound modifiers.

pp. 25–52.
Oct. 1985–Jan. 1987.

Exclamation point (!)

Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity or other strong emotion. Avoid overuse. Place the mark inside quotation marks when it is part of the quoted material.

Incorrect: “Stop!”, the police officer yelled.

Correct: “Stop!” the police officer yelled.

Hyphen (-)

Use hyphen as joiners, such as for compound modifiers: full-time, little-known and well-being.

To avoid ambiguity: Use a hyphen whenever ambiguity would result if it were omitted:

The mayor will speak to small-business owners.

Two or more words that express a single concept: Use hyphens to link all the words in the compound:

A full-time job, a better-qualified woman, a well-known aide.

Exception: Do not use a hyphen with the adverb very and all adverbs that end in ly:

A very good time, an easily remembered rule.

Semicolon (;)

In general, use the semicolon to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma, can convey but less than the separation that a period implies.

To clarify a series: When individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas: He leaves a daughter, Sidney Brown of Lexington; three sons, Johnny Smith of Dallas, Tim Smith of Louisville, Kentucky, and Randy Smith of Nashville, Tennessee; and a sister, Dorothy McAdams, of Richmond, Kentucky.

To link independent clauses: When a coordinating conjunction such as and, but or for is not present.

Incorrect: The package was due last week, it arrived today.

Correct: The package was due last week; it arrived today.

Quotation Marks (“)

The basic guidelines for open-quote marks (“) and close-quote marks (”).

For direct quotations: To surround the exact words of a speaker or writer when reported in a story. The mayor said, “We are asking all divisions to but their budgets by 10%.”

Composition titles: Put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the Bible, the Quran and other holy books, and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material. In addition to catalogs, this category includes almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and similar publications. “Star Wars,” “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the “Today” show, Webster’s New World Dictionary.

Unfamiliar terms: A word or words being introduced to readers may be placed in quotation marks on first reference. Broadcast frequencies are measured in “kilohertz.”

Quotes within quotes: Alternate between double quotation marks (“or”) and single marks (‘or’): She said, “I quote from his letter, ‘I agree with Kipling that “the female of the species is more deadly than the male,” but the phenomenon is not an unchangeable law of nature,’ a remark he did not explain.”

Placement with other punctuation: Following these long-established printers’ rules:

• The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks. • The dash, the semicolon, the colon, the question mark and the exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.