English as an Additional Language: Punctuation Notes

Abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases used to save time and space in writing.

They are used n both formal and informal contexts. There are five ways that words may be abbreviated.:

1. Acronyms: Acronyms are formed from the initial letters of a series of words and are pronounced as a single word.
2. Clipping: This involves shortening a word by removing one or more syllables, usually from the end.
3. Contractions: These are formed by omitting certain letters from a word or phrase, often replaced by an apostrophe or a period.
4. Initialisms: These abbreviations consist of the initial letters of a series of words, pronounced individually.
5. Online Slang: These involve using letters, numbers, and symbols to create abbreviations, commonly used in digital communication.

Use Abbreviations:

• In personal and Professional Titles and academic credentials
• to shorten addresses
• units of measurement
• technological and scientific terms
• legal and financial documents

Rules:

• In writing, avoid using too many abbreviations.
• The first time you use an abbreviation, you need to write it out. subsequently, you can use the abbreviated form without explanation. 
• Use correct punctuation in an abbreviation

Accents

An accent mark is a written character that appears above or occasionally beneath the letters in words. The English language often contains adapted words from other languages with their original spelling. Many foreign other languages use written stress accents and this can be difficult for you as an EAL student to understand and maintain. Written accents, help us verbally to know and maintain the stressed portion of the word. In writing, however, we retain the accent of the word to maintain the original form and meaning.

Rules:

Retain the accent in foreign words.

Do not use accents on capital letters. 

Ampersands ( & )

An ampersand is the symbol (&) used for the word and. Most academic writing styles discourage the use of & and encourages writers to use the word "and"  within the text. The ampersand (&) is still used in citations and references. Use the ampersand in:

company names

 Artistic Titles to save space when there is a long title

abbreviations to replace the word "and"

informal writing, such as text messages or social media 

Apostrophes (')

Apostrophes are used before an 's to show possession as with the possessive.

Rules:

Use the apostrophe with names or words ending in s (or an s sound) to show possession.

Names or words ending with a zzz sound takes only an apostrophe.

Use the apostrophe to indicated omitted letters in contractions. 

Boldface

Boldface letters are extra-blackened letters. These can help to create a more attractive text, but is not often necessary. 

Use boldface texts for:

 Chapter titles and section headings 

 captions to illustrations, tables and graphs.

 sometimes used to provide very strong emphasis, as an alternative to  italics. 

 to introduce important new terms. 

Use boldface text judiciously; avoid over use.

Capital Letters

Capital letters are also known as upper case letters and appear bigger than lower case letters and look different in format.

Capital letters are used for a variety of reasons in English. In writing, capitalize:

• the first word of a sentence or fragment
• the name of a day or a month
• the name of a language
• a word expressing a connection with a place
• the name of a nationality or an ethnic group
• a proper name
• the name of a historical period
• the name of a holiday
• a significant religious term
• the first word, and each significant word, of a title
• the first word of a direct quote which is a sentence
• a brand name
• a Roman numeral
• the pronoun I

Colon ( : )

Colons are used to introduce a list, quotation or statement.

Use a colon:

• to join two independent clauses when you wish to emphasize the second clause.
• after an independent clause when it is followed by a list, a quotation, an appositive, or other ideas directly related to the independent clause.
• at the end of a business letter greeting.
• to separate the hour and minute(s) in a time notation.
• to separate the chapter and verse in a Biblical reference.

** An appositive noun is a noun that immediately follows and renames another noun in order to clarify or classify it.

Comma ( - )

Commas are often used in writing to indicate a pause in thought.

Use Commas:

• after an introductory phrase, prepositional phrase, or dependent clause. 
• to separate elements in a series or list. Although there is no set rule that requires a comma before the last item in a series, it seems to be a general academic convention to include it. This last comma is called an Oxford or serial comma. Use the comma after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items before and or or.
• Use a comma to separate nonessential elements from a sentence. More specifically, when a sentence includes information that is not crucial to the message or intent of the sentence, enclose it in or separate it by commas. 
• to set off the name of a person being addressed.
• before coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) in compound sentences.
• To set off absolute phrases, which modify the entire sentence.
• To separate contrasting parts of a sentence.
• used to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.
• Between coordinate adjectives (adjectives that are equal and reversible). 
• After a transitional element (however, therefore, nonetheless, also, otherwise, finally, instead, thus, of course, above all, for example, in other words, as a result, on the other hand, in conclusion, in addition) 
• with quoted words in reported speech.
• in a date. 
• in a number to indicate thousands.
• before a personal title. 
• to separate a city name from the state. 

Dashes (—, –)

A dash is a long horizontal line. A dash is longer than a hyphen. 

Dashes are used to emphasize the content enclosed within dashes or the content that follows. Dashes place more emphasis on this content than parentheses. There are two types of dashes:

• An em dash (—) is longer than a hyphen or an en dash. Use an em dash with spaces before and after to set off a phrase within a sentence, but use sparingly as overuse creates messy copy.
• An en dash (–) is used in date, time, or number ranges.

Use a dash to set off an appositive phrase that already includes commas.

To type the em dash:

• PC: Alt + 0151
• Mac: Option + shift + -

To type the en dash:

• PC: Alt + 0150
• Mac: Option + –

***An appositive is a word that adds explanatory or clarifying information to the noun that precedes it.

Ellipses ( ... )

Ellipses is a punctuation mark of three dots ...

• Use an ellipsis to reflect an omission in the text.
• Include a space before and after the ellipsis.
• When used at the end of a sentence, no further punctuation is needed.

Hyphens ( - )

An hyphen is a mark that joins words or parts of words and is placed directly between letters and with no spaces.

• Hyphenate compound modifiers preceding a noun but not if the meaning is clear because of common usage of the term.
• Do not hyphenate adverbs ending in –ly.
• Use a hyphen when the word following the prefix begins with the same vowel as the word with which the prefix ends, and in other instances to avoid confusion.
• Use a hyphen to indicate negative temperatures.

Italics

Italics is a typeface that allows you to slant text on the page. Italics and underlining are often used interchangeably. 

Italics can be used to emphasize a word or phrase in a sentence. Italics are also used with 

• Artistic works and media publications (magazines, books, newspapers, academic journals, films, television shows, long poems or artistic works, plays of three or more acts, operas, musical albums, works of art, websites, and individual trains, planes, or ships)
• Foreign words.
• A word when referring to that word.
• The names of vehicles
• Scientific names (Latin names of species are italicized)
• The names of legal cases

Parentheses ( )

Parentheses are a pair of round brackets used to mark off words or phrases. 

Parentheses are used to emphasize content. They place more emphasis on the enclosed content than commas.

• Use parentheses to set off nonessential material, such as dates, clarifying information, or sources, from a sentence.
• Use parentheses, or brackets, sparingly, when other punctuation is not sufficient.
• Parentheses are used to enclose non-essential information, equivalents, or translations.

If parentheses appear at the end of a sentence, terminal punctuation goes outside the closing parentheses. Punctuation that applies only to the information in the parentheses goes inside the parentheses.

Periods/Full Stops ( . )/Question Marks (?)/Exclamation Marks (!)

A period or full stop is a single dot (.) that emphasizes a stop or end to a thought or idea.

• Periods are also sometimes used with abbreviations.
• Put a full stop at the end of a complete statement.

Question or interrogation marks are used to indicate questions.

Use a question mark:

• at the end of  direct question.
•  to indicate doubt or uncertainty about something. 
• at the end of rhetorical statements or questions although the speaker does not expect a response. 

Exclamation points or exclamation marks are used to express strong emotions.

• In academic or formal writing do not use the exclamation mark unless you are quoting a source or citing a title that has an exclamation point.

Semicolons ( ; )

Semicolon is contains both a period and a comma. Universally, it is understood that the semicolon can be used in a sentence when either a comma or a period could be used. 

• Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses when the second clause restates the first or when the two clauses are of equal emphasis.
• Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses when the second clause begins with a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover, furthermore, thus, meanwhile, nonetheless, otherwise) or a transition (in fact, for example, that is, for instance, in addition, in other words, on the other hand, even so).
• Use a semicolon to join elements of a series when individual items of the series already include commas.

Spacing

Spacing refers to the space between words, sentences and paragraphs in your paper. 

• Use one space, not two, between the end punctuation of one sentence and the beginning of the next.

Square Brackets [ ]

• Square brackets are used to set off an interruption within a direct quote.
• Square brackets are sometimes used in citing references.