Technical Style: Punctuation

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Technical Style Punctuation

• Unlocking the mysteries!

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Technical Style Punctuation

• The punctuation you use most
• commas ,
• semi-colons
• colons

• The supporting players
• hyphens -
• dashes --
• quotation marks x
• parentheses ( )

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Commas separate certain words.

• items in a series
• I bought onions, peppers, celery, and beans.
• Do you have to put a comma before the final and
  in a series?
• main clauses joined with a coordinating
  conjunction
• The data were conclusive, and the results were
  correct.
• The coordinating conjunctions are these and,
  yet, so, for, but.
• coordinate adjectives
• The sparkling,valuable, antique crystal . . .

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Commas mark modifying phrases.

• modifying phrases and clauses (non-restrictive
  information)
• The table in the corner, which had just been
  overturned, was set upright again.
• introductory phrases
• Having searched the literature, we then set about
  synthesizing our material.

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Commas indicate whether information is
restrictive (essential to meaning) or not.

• Non-restrictive clauses are surrounded by commas
  (or dashes). Think of the commas as little
  hinges if the enclosed phrase is cut from the
  sentence, would the meaning really change?
• The three model runs, all performed on Saturday,
  produced varying results.
• Restrictive information should have no
  surrounding commas because this info. is vital to
  the meaning of the sentence.
• The three model runs performed on Saturday
  produced varying results.

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Why do we need commas to tell us whether a
word/phrase is restrictive?

• Under what circumstances should the name
  Margaret be enclosed in commas?
• Lynns sister, Margaret, was impressed.
• This is correct ONLY if Lynn has only one sister.
• The meaning does not change if the name Margaret
  is taken out of the sentence (the name is
  non-restrictive).
• The commas tell us Lynn has only one sister and
  her name is Margaret.

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Whats the difference between Which and That?

• He buried the evidence that was incriminating.
• He buried the evidence, which was incriminating.
• The presidential candidate gave an acceptance
  address that was a sure sign he would run an
  aggressive campaign.
• The presidential candidate gave an acceptance
  address, which was a sure sign he would run an
  aggressive campaign.
• Generally, use a comma before which.

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Do not do this!

• Dont use a comma alone to join two independent
  clauses
• The equipment was broken, the students were
  refusing to come to class.
• Dont let one comma chop a subject off from its
  verb or verbs
• The final criterion, acceptability addresses the
  approval of the public.

and
,
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Punctuate these!

• John who should have known better erased all the
  disks on the computer
• Any employee who works overtime this week may
  have Friday off.

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Semi-Colons Their most important role

• Link two independent clauses
• The evidence was convincing nevertheless, the
  jury found him innocent.
• In this use, semi-colon may always be replaced by
  a period. Use this test!

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Semi-colons . . .

• Join independent clauses that either do not have
  a conjoining word or do have a conjunctive adverb
  (transitional word).
• Without a conjoining word
• The evidence was convincing the jury found him
  innocent.
• Use this form only when the conceptual link is
  strong enough between the two independent clauses
  that you need no linking word.
• With a conjunctive adverb
• The evidence was convincing nevertheless, the
  jury found him innocent.

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Thats two independent clauses . . .

• Semi-colon comes before the conjunctive adverb.
  Comma comes after the adverb.
• Examples of these adverbs finally, however,
  moreover, similarly, therefore, thus,
  nevertheless
• incorrect The manager was late to the meeting,
  however the assistant was on time.
• correct The manager was late to the meeting
  however, the assistant was on time.

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Conjunctive adverbs are not the same as
subordinating adverbs!

• Subordinating words link parts of a sentence
  together by subordinating one of the clauses (or
  turning it into a dependent clause)
• Examples after, although, because, since, when,
  while
• incorrect The manager was late to the meeting.
  Because the plane was late.
• correct The manager was late to the meeting
  because the plane was late.

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This is a comma splice.

• The doctor prescribed a different medication,
  however its not helping.
• How do we correct it?

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Semi-colons also . . .

• Separate elements that contain interior commas or
  some visual complexity (e.g., formulae)
• I bought celery, carrots, and beans fish,
  chicken, and beef and rice and potatoes.

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Colons one main role

• Colons introduce lists
• Item a
• Item b
• Colons can also link two main clauses if the
  second restates, defines, or illustrates the
  first
• No one was surprised by her promotion she was by
  far the best candidate.

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Lists

• Introduce most lists with a colon. Do not use a
  colon between a verb or preposition and its
  object
• Wrong The criteria were cost, quality, and
  service.
• Right We used the following criteria cost,
  quality, and service.
• Use a complete sentence to introduce a list.

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Punctuate these.

• Before the close of business please order the
  following two boxes of staples a desk blotter and
  a ream of copier paper.
• We can consider competing for that project but we
  already have too much work.
• No one was surprised by her promotion she was by
  far the best candidate.
• Cash flow is our most pressing problem
  consequently Mr. Edwards will make it the focus
  of his speech.

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Too many bullets spoil the document!

• Blah blah blah blah
• blah blah blah
• blah blah
• blah blah
• blah blah
• blah blah
• blah blah

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Vertical Lists

• Use bullets carefully dont overuse.
• Use when all elements in list are equally
  important and have no special rank, sequence, or
  significance.
• Consider using when listed items are long (more
  than one line) but are not prioritized.
• Make a vertical list of one or two-word items
  only on rare occasions.
• The work reported here is divided into two sets
  of experiments, each focused on a different
  topic
• permeable membranes
• non-permeable membranes

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Vertical Lists (non-bulleted)

• Use numbers or lowercase letters, followed by a
  period.
• If each item is complete sentence, you may use
  period after each otherwise, use no ending
  punctuation
• The hydroponic system included the following
  components
• 1. a sealed reservoir
• 2. an aquarium vibrator air pump
• 3. an automatic household timer

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Lists Within a Sentence

• Do not introduce list with a colon when the list
  is short (three or fewer items, or one-word
  items)
• correct The elements in the test included
  zinc, lead, and tin.
• You may use numbering to separate items within
  the list
• The sequence of testing proceeded according to
  published standards 1) take soil borings, 2) dry
  in oven, 3) analyze chemical composition.
• Lists within sentences are not as emphatic as
  vertical lists. But be careful of overusing
  vertical lists.

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Hyphens . . .

• Join compound words used as modifier before a
  noun
• blue-green sea
• Join a prefix to a word
• self-conscious
• Join confusing units
• six-foot lockers
• six foot-lockers

• Usually join written out fractions and numbers
  between twenty-one and ninety-nine

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Dashes . . .

• Set off interruptions, long appositives, strong
  reversals
• The work of three researchers Zhang, Barnett,
  and Liu was particularly influential.
• Use two hyphens to make an em dash (to
  distinguish it from a hyphen).

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Quotation Marks

• Set off direct quotations and titles of sections
  or parts of a longer work
• He said, I can no longer remain here.
• His last article, The Influence of Uncertainty
  in Risk Calculations, was published in Risk
  Analysis.
• Generally, commas and periods go inside ending
  quotation marks semicolons and colons go outside.

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Punctuate this . . .

• He stated in his speech we will attempt to revise
  our quality processes.

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Parentheses(the shy notation)

• Try not to use them (they only invite skipping
  over).
• (Certainly, dont put any useful information
  inside them.) And never put a whole sentence
  inside them!