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Basic Punctuation Tips.
Punctuation always has been and always will be, an important application in writing. Surely all writers aspire to communicate their thoughts via the written word accurately. To do so successfully makes it necessary to use correct punctuation. The Period. The period or full stop ends the sentance in most cases. I am very happy today. Emphatic statements, interjections and commands need an exclamation point.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Get away!" Commas. Just where do they go? Separating main clauses linked by conjunctions. He loved his brother, but he needed to be on his own. Set off introductory elements. Of course, the clock stopped working right at midnight. Set off nonrestrictive elements. They visited Sydney, which is in N.S.W., every year whilst on holidays. Separate items in a series. He found the clock, ball, and spoon needed to win the scavenger hunt. Separate two or more adjectives. When writing dialog using words that describe how something is said (asked, screamed, whispered, etc) use a comma at the end - or beginning - of the spoken part, before the quotations. " It's time to go to the dance," Jessica squealed. Jessica squeeled, " It's time to go to the dance." But not when describing an action. Jessica smiled. "It's time to go to the dance." Semicolon A semicolon separates equal and balanced sentence elements. These are stand alone sentences connected by a similar thought. Amanda loved going to the mall; the shops always had things she wanted to buy. Colon This is used to signal that the words following will explain or amplify the previous section or to indicate a series of words. Colons aren't needed often in fiction writing. The teacher said, "There are several reasons Americans are fatter today: lack of exercise and convenience of fast food." Apostrophe This little mark is used to show possession, omission of letters, and plural words. Apostrophy used for Possession: Jessica's pony has four white socks. Apostrophy used for Omission: Jessica couldn't understand why the judge didn't give her a champion ribbon. Apostrophy used for Plural words are especially tricky. Singular: Mrs James likes the show. Plural: The James' like the show. Quotation Marks Single (') and double (") are used to enclose direct quotations: both speech and writing. Double quotes "He always was a strange boy," Jessica said, sadness in her voice. Single quotes aren't used as much in fiction. "She told me 'he always went to the store' at this time," Eric said confused. Dash The dash signals a shift, insertion, or break in thought. No matter what she said -- and he thought about this often -- she'd be right. Parentheses Like the quotation marks, parentheses always come in pairs and enclose a brief example or fact. Our house was haunted by a terrible demon (known as the furnace). Ellipsis These three little dots usually signal the omission of something. In fiction it's used to build suspense. "It was here a minute ago," she said confused. "Maybe Jessica..." Following is an example of a sentance without punctuation. Im not not mad Im as angry as hell hell has no fury like a woman scorned said Jessica blushing crimson with rage Here is the same sentance using punctuation. " I'm not, not mad. I'm as angry as hell. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned," said Jessica blushing, crimson with rage. In todays fast paced world of chat rooms and mobile text messaging, punctuation has lost it's importance. Lot's of young people, are getting into the habit of ignoring punctuation in their writing. It is imperative to use correct punctuation, if you want editors to take your written work seriously. To check your own punctuation, just try reading your work out loud. You will soon hear whether your sentances make sense, in the way you intended. This is only a basic guide, there are many, more comprehensive guides available on the internet. Just do a Google search for "Punctuation Guides" to find them. |