A Guide to English punctuation

CONTENTS

Передмова

4

Unit 1. The Comma

5

Unit 2. The Colon

16

Unit 3. The Semicolon

19

Unit 4. The Parentheses

23

Unit 5. The Brackets

24

Unit 6.

The Dash

26

Unit 7.

The Hyphen

29

Unit 8.

The Inverted commas

31

Unit 9.

The Exclamation point

33

Unit 10. The Full stop

36

Unit 11.

The Question mark

38

Unit 12.

The Slash

40

Unit 13.

The Apostrophe

42

Unit 14.

The Ellipsis

44

Revision exercises

46

Grammar commentary

51

References

54

1. We use a comma to separate

She was tall, blonde (,) and

adjectives which give both similar and

beautiful. (similar kinds of information)

different kinds of information in

Our new financial director is

predicative

position.

(see

grammar

young, experienced, but strict. (different

commentary)

kinds of information)

Many omit the comma between

the last two adjectives which are usually

separated by a conjunction like and or

or.

2. We use a comma to separate

This is an expensive, ill-planned,

coordinate

adjectives.

(see

grammar

wasteful project.

commentary)

We do not use commas between

Cf.: Have you met our handsome

adjectives which give different kinds of

new financial director?

information.

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3. We use a comma to separate

We arrived at the concert

items in a list (words, phrases, clauses).

exhausted, hungry, ill-tempered.

Every morning began in the same

way: out of bed, a hurried breakfast,

children off to school, a quick clean-up,

off to work.

Many

dental

assistants sterilize

instruments, clean patients’ teeth, assist

in operations, and keep all records of

treatment.

There is not a rigid rule about a

Cf.: I’ve been to France, Italy,

comma

before

the

conjunction

Germany(,) and Great Britain.

introducing the last item, but the British

Cf.: I spent yesterday playing

tend not to use it before the conjunction

chess, listening to music, and talking

introducing the last item unless the

about the future.

items are long.

The final comma before the

Unclear: All the children in the

conjunction in a series may provide

family agreed they would need bicycles,

insurance against misreading.

motorized bikes and scooters. (Are the

scooters motorized as well as the

bikes?)

Clear: All the children in the

family agreed they would need bicycles,

motorized bikes, and scooters. (The

scooters are not motorized.)

Commas are not used to break up

My favourite breakfast is juice,

paired phrases.

toast, and bacon and eggs. (We think of

bacon and eggs as an inseparable pair.)

Get some drinks, bread, and fish

and chips on your way home. (We think

of fish and chips as an inseparable pair.)

Cf.: The chef said he needed

sausage, ham, bacon, and eggs. (The

chef needs four items: sausage, ham,

bacon, and eggs.)

4. We use a comma to set off

Her

story,

however,

will

interrupters. (see grammar commentary)

overwhelm adults and mesmerize kids.

The bill introduced by the

minority party, I can assure you, will

never be passed in its present form.

5. We use a comma to set off

After leaving school, Muckay

verbal

phrases.

(see

grammar

worked in a restaurant for a year.

commentary)

To speak English fluently, she

practices every day.

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Having made her bed, Carry went

downstairs.

6. We use a comma to set off non-

Dorothy, who does my hair, has

restrictive

appositives. (see grammar

moved to another hairdresser’s.

commentary)

(If we leave out who does my

hair, the main idea will be clear to us.)

Cf.: The woman who does my

hair

has

moved

to

another

hairdresser’s. (If we leave out who does

my hair, the main idea may not be clear

to us.)

Mr. Bin, our school bus driver,

can be relied on in bad weather as well

as good.

Cf.: My brother Bill joined the

navy last year.

7. We use a comma to separate

Tom’s grandfather is over 80, but

independent

clauses

(see

grammar

he still plays golf.

commentary)

joined

by

coordinating

Warral was not at the meeting

conjunctions and, but, or, nor, for

yesterday, nor was he at work

(meaning “because”), yet (meaning

yesterday.

“but”), so.

I cannot tell whether she is old or

young, for I have never seen her.

If clauses are short or nicely

Come in and sit down.

balanced, the comma can be omitted.

I’d like to go but I’m too busy.

Hurry up or we’ll be late.

He can neither read nor write.

She is kind so she helps people.

8. We use a comma to separate

I came, I saw, I conquered.

short parallel (similar) clauses not

joined by conjunctions.

9. We use a comma to set off

If someone gave me the money,

adverbial

clauses

(see

grammar

I’d buy a car tomorrow.

commentary) from the rest of the

When she discovered the answer,

sentence when they begin sentences or

she reported it to us.

interrupt the main clause.

The report, after being read

aloud, was put up for consideration.

We use a comma to set off a long

From middle age on, my uncle

introductory phrase from the rest of the

saw his health decline gradually.

sentence.

A comma can be omitted when

In good times Hazel and Harry

there is no misreading and when these

gave no thought to budgeting.

adverbial

clauses

and

introductory

If

you

arrive

early

open the

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phrases are short.

windows and sweep out the meeting

room.

The comma is used when there is

Above, the eagle flew gracefully

a risk of misleading readers.

through the air.

10.

We use a comma to set off a

The police searched for the

subordinate

clause (see

grammar

escaped convict throughout the dense

commentary)

that

follows

an

woods, where witnesses had last seen

independent clause only if the thoughts

the missing man.

of the two clauses are not closely

related.

A change of subject from the

Cf.: Gordon decided to buy the

independent clause to the subordinate

expensive ballet tickets though he could

clause is usually a clear indication that

scarcely afford to pay his rent last week.

the thoughts of the two clauses are not

closely related.

11. We use a comma to set off

Fortunately, everything worked

introductory adverbial elements (on the

out all right in the end.

other hand, fortunately), conjunctive

Car prices can vary a lot. For

adverbs

(consequently,

furthermore,

example, in Belgium the VW Golf costs

however), and expressions that illustrate

1,000 dollars less than in Britain.

examples (for instance, for example,

Your computer, on the other

namely).

hand, is a digital device.

12. We use a comma to set off

Victorious, the army withdrew a

introductory

modifiers.

(see

grammar

thousand meters and encamped for the

commentary)

night.

Modifiers are often placed at the

Legally, neither candidate had

beginning of a sentence to give them

any right to hold public office.

special emphasis.

13.

We use a comma to set off

It’s an old car, but it’s very

phrases that express contrast.

reliable.

14. We use a comma to separate

‘I must be going,’ she said.

direct and split quotations.

We asked, ‘Will you ever stop

talking?’

‘Tell the truth when you go before

the grand jury’ the attorney advised,

‘and you will have nothing to fear’.

When a direct quotation is

‘How can you neglect your

punctuated with a question mark or

child?’ the social worker asked. (but:

exclamation point, no comma is used.

He asked, ‘When did you see her last?’)

15. We use a comma to separate

Your mother’s a teacher, isn’t

tag questions.

she?

16. We use a comma to indicate

All of us decided to leave on

the omission of a word used in a parallel

Monday morning; the rest, on Monday

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construction earlier in the sentence.

night. (The words decided to leave have

been replaced by a comma.)

17. We use a comma to separate

To Mary, Jane was someone

adjacent words or two identical words to

special.

avoid ambiguity.

We told you, you might regret

doing that.

18. We use a comma to group the

6,435

digits in thousands in figures of four

7,456,189

digits or more (set off the thousands and

The crowd was 10,000 strong.

millions in large numbers).

19. We use a comma to set off

Br.: 24 February 2011

dates.

Am.: June 4, 2010

British people put the day first,

while Americans generally start with the

month.

When the date comes inside a

He was born in Oxford on 14

sentence, we write a comma before the

November, 2009.

year.

A complete date (consisting of a

He began working for our

month, day, and year) requires a comma

company on Monday, 12 September,

after the day and after the month.

2003.

When just the month and the year

February 2011

are given, the comma is usually omitted.

20. We use a comma to set off

They were fortunate in finding

addresses, geographical names.

cheap equipment at Lyman’s Equipment

A comma in not used to separate

Shop, 17

Mamaroneck Avenue,

a state (city) from a zip code.

Mamaroneck, New York 10543.

21. We use a comma to set off

Robert Aldington, B.A., has been

titles and degrees.

designated managing director.

22. We use a comma to set off the

Dear Sophie,

salutation in correspondence and the

Very truly yours,

complimentary close of a letter.

23. We use a comma to set off

Sam, you are my best friend!

words in direct address.

24. We use a comma to set off

Oh, it’s a wonderful present!

interjections.

25. We use a comma to set off

‘Dad, can I borrow the car?’

words such as yes, no, well when one of

‘Yes, but be careful.’

these words is at the beginning of a

‘Do you want to come?’ ‘Well,

sentence.

I’m not sure.’

26. We use a comma to set off

Two pancakes for me, please.

“please” at the end of the request.

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