107 Punctuation
This section of the handbook includes information on basic punctuation.
Punctuation Marks
Overview:
An explanation of basic punctuation: Punctuation Notes
An illustration on the different ways to end a sentence: Sentence Finishers
A review of commas, semicolons, parentheses, apostrophes, and capitalization: Punctuation Rules.1- OER
Apostrophes:
An overview of apostrophe usage: Apostrophe Handout
- Apostrophes are used in contractions where the letters have been left out.
Do not/ don’t
Is not/ isn’t
You have/ you’ve
She would/ she’d
- An Apostrophe shows possession.
| Singular Possessive Nouns | Plural Possessive Nouns |
| One woman’s hat | Children’s money |
| Ms. Chang’s house | Diplomats’ cars |
| Driver’s side | Joyce and Greg’s computer |
| Lois’s sister | |
| Marx’s teachings |
- Notes on Apostrophes:
With singular compound nouns, the ‘s goes at the end of a word
My sister-in-law’s quilts
Omit the apostrophe when writing plural numbers and abbreviations
Figure 8s
The 1900s
Four IOUs
Do not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns.
Possessive Pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose
These already show possession.
The only time an apostrophe is used with “its” is when it is the contraction for it is.
It’s a nice day.
Commas:
An overview of the basic comma rules: Fanboys and Whinesabout
Commas Change Meaning
How are these sentences different?
The old lady collected all sorts of things: silver, paper, hats, and clocks.
The old lady collected all sorts of things: silver paper, hats, and clocks.
The old lady collected all sorts of things: silver paper hats and clocks.
Comma Rules
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction that separates two independent clauses.
Time flies when we are having fun, and we are always having fun.
Use a comma after introductory words, phrases, or clauses.
Yes, I do need that report.
To apply for this job, you must have previous experience.
Use commas to set off elements that interrupt or add information in a sentence.
I am, as you have probably noticed, very nervous about this.
Mary, who has a three children, cannot go this Saturday.
Other Important Uses of Commas
| Before or surrounding the name or title of a person directly addressed. | Dates |
| Alisha, will you help with the party? | They met on February 14, 2021. |
| Yes, Doctor, I will. | |
| If you omit any part of the date, do not use a comma. | |
| They met on February 2021. | |
| They met on February 14. |
| List of words | Break up numbers into thousands | Inside quotation marks |
| We will need hammers, nails, and a saw. | 1,999 | “We are leaving tomorrow,” said Mike. |
| The street was filled with angry protestors, shouting | 3, 435, 234 | “The boys are fine,” sighed the babysitter. |
| 23, 432, 975, 324 |
The Oregon State Guide to Grammar has excellent videos on:
Colon:
Before a long list or explanation: The state fair offers a significant amount of disgusting food: fried pizza, fried Twinkies, fried butter, fried Oreos, fried Cheerios, fried beer, fried Dr. Pepper, fried queso, fried pig ears, and fried bubble gum.
A formal way to introduce a quote: Professor J. D. Jasper, leading expert on pet therapy, argues: “Volunteering at a local animal shelter should be a requirement for graduation.”
Dashes:
Like parenthesis, to give side information or a definition or clarification
EX: I used a dictionary-a large book that lists words and their definitions in alphabetical order- to find the word’s definition.
Ellipsis:
To omit words in a quote, or for effect…drama
EX: “Michael . . . rarely knows his schedule.”
The streets were deserted and the doors bolted. . . . Nathan was the only living soul left in the town. The zombie apocalypse had inevitably reached small town Midlothian, Texas.
Exclamation Points:
Use with interjections to show emotion, i. e., angry, excited, scared, surprised: Wow! I love that!
Question Marks:
Examples
Quotation Marks:
Examples
Think of quotation marks as talking or thoughts marks, or direct quotes from another source
Ex: I have always thought why should you have to tie your shoes when there are ways around it.
I have always thought, “Why should you have to tie your shoes when there are ways around it?”
I have always thought, “Why tie my shoes when Velcro makes it so much easier?”
Further explanation of how to use quotation marks: Integrating Quotes Handout.OER 03.04.2024 PL
Parentheses:
- Use parentheses to enclose words or numbers that clarify or are used as an aside.
I expect six hundred dollars ($600).
He finally answered (after taking five minutes to think about it) that he did not understand the question.
(Parentheses show less importance than commas.)
- Periods go inside the parentheses only if an entire sentence is enclosed.
Please read the analysis (I enclosed it as attachment A.).
Please read the analysis (attachment A).
Period:
At the end of a sentence: All dogs go to heaven.
After Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Dr.: Dr. Wordsmith is an excellent writer.
After an abbreviation: 15 Feb. 2022
Semicolon:
To separate independent clauses: Dogs rule; cats drool.
To divide a list with modifiers: Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, such as Basset Hounds, with long ears; Chows, with black tongues; Corgis, with short legs; and Labradors, with thick fur.
Sentence Fragments
An explanation of fragments and recommendations on how to fix them: Fragments_OER_ 03.04.2024 PL
Run-On Sentences
Run-on sentences occur when two or more independent clauses are improperly joined. Often, in a run-on sentence, the independent clauses are simply joined without any punctuation or a coordinating conjunction. Another type of run-on that you’ve probably heard of is the comma splice, in which two independent clauses are joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, etc.).
Let’s look at a few examples of run-on sentences:
- Often, choosing a topic for a paper is the hardest part it’s a lot easier after that.
- Sometimes, books do not have the most complete information, it is a good idea then to look for articles in specialized periodicals.
- She loves skiing but he doesn’t.
All three of these have two independent clauses. Each clause should be separated from another with a period, a semicolon, or a comma and a coordinating conjunction (remember, FANBOYS):
- Often, choosing a topic for a paper is the hardest part. It’s a lot easier after that.
- Sometimes, books do not have the most complete information; it is a good idea then to look for articles in specialized periodicals.
- She loves skiing, but he doesn’t.
Common Causes of Run-on Sentences:
We often write run-on sentences because we sense that the sentences involved are closely related, and dividing them with a period just doesn’t seem right. We may also write them because the parts seem too short to need any division, as in “She loves skiing but he doesn’t.” However, “She loves skiing” and “he doesn’t” are both independent clauses, so they need to be divided by a comma and a coordinating conjunction—not just a coordinating conjunction by itself.
Another common cause of run-on sentences is mistaking adverbial conjunctions for coordinating conjunctions. For example, if we were to write, “She loved skiing, however he didn’t,” we would have produced a comma splice. The correct sentence would be “She loved skiing; however, he didn’t.”
Fixing Run-on Sentences:
Before you can fix a run-on sentence, you’ll need to identify the problem. When you write and revise, carefully look at each part of every sentence. Are the parts independent clauses, or are they dependent clauses or phrases? Remember, only independent clauses can stand on their own. This also means they have to stand on their own; they can’t run together without correct punctuation.
There are five ways you can fix a run-on sentence or comma splice:
- Change the comma in the comma splice to a semicolon (or add a semicolon between the independent clauses).
- Change the comma in the comma splice to a colon, but only if the two clauses are very closely related and the second one seems to be explaining or clarifying the first.
- Add a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) after the comma in the comma splice.
- Change the comma to a period and separate the two independent clauses into two separate sentences.
- Rewrite the sentence entirely so the run-on sentence is no longer a problem.
Attribution
“Run-On Sentences.” English Composition I. Provided by: Lumen Learning. Located at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1/chapter/run-on-sentences/ License: CC BY-4.0
Mixed Sentence Constructions
Mixed Construction: Incompatible elements with one type of structure and shifts to another type of structure.
Incorrect:
Waiters is hard work for their tips.
I love to walk on the beach, reading, and crocheting.
Finals’ week are exhausting me.
Last week, Sister Mary Clarence — always the prankster — leaving a whoopie cushion at the priest’s chair at the dinner tables.
Correct:
Waiting tables is hard work. OR: Waiters work hard for their tips.
I love to read, crochet, and go for walks on the beach. OR: Walking on the beach, reading, and crocheting are things I love to do.
Finals’ week is usually exhausting for me. OR: Finals’ week is exhausting.
Last week, Sister Mary Clarence — always the prankster — left a whoopie cushion in the priest’s chair at the dinner table.
Sentence Structures
Basic Sentence Structure:
A complete sentence has a complete idea or thought.
has a subject & verb
Also called independent clauses.
is not a complete thought or idea.
cannot stand alone.Also called fragments, dependent clauses
Combining Clauses Rules:
Punctuation-commas, semicolons, end of sentence marks
FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions): For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Subordinating conjunctions: Therefore, Since, Although, As, After, As if, As long as, So that, Because, While, As soon as, If (just to name of few)
Combining Clauses Examples:
Independent + Comma + coordinating + Independent
The cat sprayed the inflatable snowman, so blow-up Frosty tumbled on the feline.
Natalee is very eager to try new sports this schoolyear, and she has plans to maintain straight A’s as well.
Independent + semicolon + transition word + comma +Independent
Alfred and Monique are always bickering about mundane matters; for example, they spent 35 minutes arguing about where to eat last night.
The house we just looked at is the biggest of them all; however, there was no garage or pool.
Independent + semicolon + Independent
The assignments in my anatomy class are interesting but complicated; the project I turned in yesterday took me nearly three weeks to finish.
Everyone knows how difficult it is to be a full-time student with a full-time job; the amount of time can easily demand 30 hours per week for each.
Dependent (leads with a subordinating) + comma + Independent
Although he was a good swimmer, he sank to the bottom of the pool like a brick.
As the dog ran away from his owner, he trampled through the neighbor’s flower bed causing huge mess.
Independent + Dependent (leads with a subordinating)
The students were eager to return to school because there were only two weeks left in the semester.
The class was not ready to review previous lessons when the school day began.
Creating Sentence Variation:
Combining sentences can be tricky. Use the above review as a guide.
Simple sentences-1 independent clause (a subject, a verb, a complete thought)
Ex: I caught a big fish.
James really likes strawberry ice cream.
Angie and Fred have been dating for 3 months.
Compound Sentences-2 or more independent clauses joined together using a COORDINATING CONJUNCTION (FANBOYS-see the above review) and the correct punctuation.
Form compound sentences by combining 2 or more simple sentences.
Ex: I caught a big fish, but I threw it back into the lake.
James really likes strawberry ice cream, yet he ordered a gigantic banana split at Braum’s tonight.
Angie and Fred have been dating for 3 months; therefore, he decided it was time to finally introduce her to his friends.
Complex Sentences-these have at least 1 dependent and 1 independent clause. Remember that dependent clauses start with SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS or RELATIVE PRONOUNS!
Ex: George has a huge belly.
George eats way too much junk food.
*Because George eats way too much junk food, he has a huge belly.
Alex had an awful car accident.
Alex bought a brand-new silver Honda Accord.
* After she had an awful car accident, Alex bought a brand-new silver Honda Accord.
Compound Complex Sentences-these have at least 2 independent clauses and at least 1 dependent clause.
Ex: Sasha’s make-up tutorials recently went viral on Instagram.
She is now one of the most popular Insta Influencers.
Her top tutorial videos have over a million views.
* Sasha’s make-up tutorials recently went viral on Instagram; since her top tutorial videos have over a million views, she is now one of the most popular Insta Influencers.
To make your sentences even more varied, do the following:
- Use introductory words and phrases
- Move sentence parts
- Vary sentence types
Parallelism means that your sentences are balanced. Words, phrases, and clauses must be written in the same way. If you list more than 2 things in a series (which requires commas!!) and you begin with a verb, each thing you list must begin with a verb. If you only list nouns, then each thing you list must only be a noun.Ex: I am going to go to the store, bank, and by the cleaners.
This is an example of a sentence that is NOT BALANCED!These sentences are balanced. They are parallel because they list 3 different nouns or phrases in the same ways.
Ex: I am going to go to the store, the bank, and the cleaners.
OR:
Phrases: I am going by the store, by the bank, and by the cleaners.
OR:
Phrases: I am going to the store to grab some milk, the bank to deposit a check, and the cleaners to pick up my clothes.
OR:
Nouns: I am going by the store, the bank, and the cleaners.
OR:
Nouns: I am going by the store, bank, and cleaners.