Punctuation for College Writing:

1
Punctuation for College Writing

• Characters and Characteristics

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Goals

• Learn the names and functions of English
  punctuation marks
• Practice using the marks in college-level writing
  contexts
• Ask and answer your questions
• Enjoy ourselves while doing the above

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Punctuation . . .

• Is based on grammar, not speech.
• Is not interchangeableeach mark has a role to
  play.
• Is used according to an authors purposes.

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Cast of Characters

• The Basics
• period
• apostrophe
• question mark
• exclamation point
• Controversial capitals
• The Intermediates
• colon
• semicolon
• hyphen
• parentheses

• The Advanced
• quotation marks
• square brackets
• dash
• ellipsis
• comma
• Controversial italics

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Period The Sentence Sheriff

• The sentence sheriff says, Stop. This idea about
  your subject is finished. Youd better have a new
  subject and action before you proceed further.

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Periods end sentences, including indirect
questions I wondered whether I would be late or
not. It was a question if she would be on time.
Periods are used in abbreviations For
example, Mr. Mrs. Ms. Dr. B.A. i.e. e.g. etc.
a.m. p.m. Note When an abbreviation ends a
sentence, use only one period. We returned from
our fact-finding mission at 235 a.m.
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Apostrophe The Placeholder

• The apostrophe takes the place of a letter or
  letters in contractions or marks the place for
  the idea of has in possessive cases.

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Apostrophes are used for possessive
nouns Loiss sister spent last year in India
(314). Her article presents an overview of
Marxs teachings (314). The beachs sand was
burning hot. Use just an apostrophe when a noun
is plural and ends in -s Both my bicycle
tires rims were bent. In instances of joint
possession, use -s or -s on the last noun only
I havent tried Ben and Jerrys latest new
flavor. For individual possession, put -s on
both Hernandos and Marias expectations of
marriage couldnt have been more different (315).
9
Question Mark The Scientist

• A scientist inquires, wanting to know more.

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A question mark is for direct questions The
interviewer demanded, Where were you, and what
did you know?
Polite questions (as in a business letter) and
indirect questions take a period Would you
please send me five copies of Edward Lears
Complete Nonsense with an invoice. I was asked
who would be attending with me at the conference.
Questions in a series may be written with
question marks, even when not complete
sentences Where would I go at this time of
night? To my friends house? To a hotel? To my
mother-in-law?
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Exclamation Point The Wrestler

• The exclamation point is for shouting and cries
  of shock or delight.
• For a calm, restrained academic discussion, dont
  invite the wrestler.

Grrr!
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Controversial 1 Capitals

• Most consider capitals an element of mechanics
  rather than punctuation.
• Capitals are used for official identification,
  and at the start of a sentence, like the start of
  a journey.

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Capitals

• Titles as (or part of) names Madam Prime
  Minister, Dr. Jekyll, Ms. Janssen, Aunt Judy, Mom
  and Dad
• Beginning of sentences We hold these truths to
  be self-evident . . .
• Titles of works The Curious Case of Benjamin
  Button, Of Mice and Men, The Warrior Woman, To
  All the Single Ladies
• All proper nouns, including course titles,
  particular place names, historical periods
  Geography 206, the Southwest, the Middle Ages
• Never to merely emphasize

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The Colon A Fanfare

• After a complete independent clause, a colon
  signals a formal entrance of a list, an
  appositive, or a quotation.

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• IC a list, an appositive, or a quotation.
• I have three essentials for a day in the sun a
  hat, sunscreen, and water.
• My roommate is guilty of two of the seven deadly
  sins gluttony and sloth (312).
• Consider the words of John F. Kennedy Ask not
  what your country can do for you ask what you
  can do for your country (312).

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ICIC (if the second IC explains)

• Faith is like love It cannot be forced (312).
• Note a capital after a colon is APA format for
  CMS or MLA, use lower case letters.
• Other uses of the colon a salutation in a formal
  letter, a ratio, title and subtitle, and between
  city and publisher in documentation
• Dear Sir or Madam
• The ratio of women to men was 21.
• The Glory of Hera Greek Mythology and the
  Greek Family
• Boston Bedford, 2005

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The Semicolon The Hybrid

• The semicolon has qualities of a period, a comma,
  and a colon.

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• IC IC.
• Injustice is relatively easy to bear what
  stings is justice. H.L. Mencken (307)
• IC transitional expression, IC.
• Transitional expressions (TE) include
• conjunctive adverbs besides, consequently,
  subsequently, next, now, etc.,
• transitional phrases as a result, for
  example, in fact, on the other hand, and so on.
• IC subject, TE, predicate.
• Most singers gain fame through hard work and
  dedication Evita, however, found other means
  (308).

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A semicolon may also be used between items in a
series containing internal punctuation Classic
science fiction sagas are Star Trek, with Mr.
Spock and his large pointed ears Battlestar
Galactica, with its Cylon Raiders and Star
Wars, with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth
Vader (308).
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The Hyphen The Linker

• Connects two or more words functioning together
  as one kind of word.

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Hyphens link two or more words functioning
together as an adjective before a noun Mrs.
Douglas gave Toshiko a seashell and some
newspaper-wrapped fish to take home to her
mother (339). Richa Gupta is not yet a
well-known candidate (339). Hyphenated words may
be written in a series Do you prefer first-,
second-, or third-class tickets? (340).
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Other Uses of the Hyphen Fractions and compound
numbers (2199) one-fifth, two-thirds,
twenty-three, fifty-six, ninety-nine Prefixes
all-, ex-, and self-, and the suffix -elect I
met my ex-patriot friends in the all-encompassing
category of the self-help books section. Always
check a dictionary for suspected compound words.
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Parentheses The Whisperers

• Used when a phrase is outside of the important
  elements of a sentence.

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Use parentheses to enclose supplemental material,
minor digressions, afterthoughts, and letters or
numbers labeling items in a series. After taking
her vital signs (temperature, pulse, and blood
pressure), the nurse made Becky as comfortable
as possible (328). There are several things
which could end a sentence (1) a period, (2) a
question mark, or (3) an ellipsis. In MLA
formatted research documents, the parenthetical
citation is usually placed at the end of a
sentence containing information paraphrased or
directly quoted from a source. When reading a
text, Diana Hacker advises us to Note details
that surprise, puzzle, or intrigue you
(58). However, the citation may also occur at a
natural clause break in the sentence Hacker
goes on to say, The views of an expert can
contribute to the force of your argument (71),
but you should always lead the reader through
your own logic and only use experts to
illustrate your point.
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Quotation Marks The Gossips

• Gossips pass on the words or information of
  others.

So I said, Blahdee blahdee blah. And she said,
No! And I said, Yes!
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Enclose direct quotations with quotation marks
whether spoken or written Jaimie walked into the
kitchen. Hey, can I ask you a question? Shoot,
I said, drying my hands. Whats the difference
between pretense and pretentious? The first
is a noun, the second a verb. Shakespeare
changed nouns into verbs (film and champion),
verbs into nouns (dawn and scuffle), verbs into
adjectives (hush), or adjectives into nouns
(accused) (McQuain and Malless ix).
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• Put quotations around the titles of short works
• Newspaper and magazine articles
• Poems
• Short stories
• Songs
• Episodes of television and radio programs
• Chapters or subdivisions of books
• One of my favorite episodes of Lost this season
  is Dead is Dead, which answered many viewers
  questions.

Quotes may be used around words discussed as
things The words accept and except are
frequently confused (320).
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Other Punctuation with Quotation Marks
Periods and commas inside end quotes, whether
single or double quotes This is a stick-up,
said the well-dressed young couple. We want all
your money (320). Colons and semicolons go
outside quotation marks Harold wrote, I regret
that I am unable to attend the fundraiser for
AIDS research his letter, however, contained a
substantial contribution (321).
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Other Punctuation, continued
Put question marks and exclamation points inside
quotation marks unless they apply to the sentence
as a whole. (All of the following are from page
321.) Contrary to tradition, bedtime at my house
is marked by Mommy, can I tell you a story
now? Have you heard the old proverb Do not
climb the hill until you reach it? In MLA, a
quoted question with a parenthetical citation
still ends with a period Rosie Thomas asks, Is
nothing in life ever straight and clear, the way
children see it? (77).
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Quotations in Sentences
Formal introduction IC Quotation. Morrow
views personal ads in the classifieds as an art
form The personal ad is like a haiku of
self-celebration, a brief aolo played on ones
own horn (322). He said or she said expressions
take a comma Stephen Leacock once said, I am a
great believer in luck, and I find the harder I
work, the more I have of it (321). Blended
quotations use either a comma or nothing,
depending on the sentence structure The future
champion could, as he put it, float like a
butterfly and sting like a bee (322). Charles
Hudson noted that the prisoners escaped by
squeezing through a tiny window eighteen feet
above the floor of their cell. (322)
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Quotations in Sentences, continued
Quotations at the beginnings of sentences take a
comma, unless they require a ? or ! I love
lemon drops, said Grandma, looking at me
wistfully. Why were you late? I asked,
dreading the answer. Interrupted quotations use
commas for explanatory words A great many
people think they are thinking, wrote William
James, when they are merely rearranging their
prejudices (322). . . . unless it is more than
one sentence in succession I was a flop as a
daily reporter, admitted E.B. White. Every
piece had to be a masterpieceand before you
knew it, Tuesday was Wednesday (323).
Note smart quotes versus straight quotes
" ' Hi, said the 5' 9¾" white rabbit. Have
you seen a little girl?
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Quote Donts
Dont use quotes with well-known slang, to
distance yourself from cliché expressions, or to
seem self-consciously ironic The young hipster
tried to be cute by using air quotes. NO! The
young hipster tried to be cute by using air
quotes. Your own essay titles should not have
quotes around them.
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Square Brackets Bodyguards

• Bodyguards can get people safe passage by forcing
  their way in and holding back the crowd.

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Square Brackets
Brackets are placed around words or phrases
inserted into direct quotations in order to
clarify or make a sentence blend effectively into
your writing. Audubon reports that if there are
not enough young to balance deaths, the end of
the species California condor is inevitable
(329). Brackets are also most commonly used
around sic to indicate an error in a source is
being reproduced exactly. When your sic not
sure how a word is spelled, look it up in a
dictionary! proclaimed an exasperatedand
irony-impairedblogger. Use sic rarelyno one
likes a language snob.
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The DashThe Drama Queen

• The dash is all about dramatic breaks and shifts
  in thought. It takes skill and practice to use
  it effectively.

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The Dash
Use a dash to set off parenthetical material that
deserves emphasis Everything that went
wrongfrom the peeping Tom at her window last
night to my head-on collision todaywe blamed on
our move (327). Set off appositives that contain
commas to be clearer for readers. In my hometown
the basic needs of peoplefood, clothing, and
shelterare less costly than in a big city like
Los Angeles (328). Other uses a list, a
rewording, or a dramatic shift in tone or
thought Along the wall are the bulk
liquidssesame seed oil, honey, safflower oil,
and maple syrup . . . (328). Consider the
amount of sugar in the average persons diet104
pounds per year, 90 percent more than that
consumed by our ancestors (328). Kiere took a
few steps back, came running full speed, kicked a
mighty kickand missed the ball (328). Could
have used colons for more formality
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Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or
interruption and to announce a long appositive or
summary (Strunk and White, 9). A dash is a mark
of separation stronger than a comma, less formal
than a colon, and more relaxed than
parentheses. His first thought on getting out of
bedif he had any thought at allwas to get back
in again (9). The rear axle began to make a
noisea grinding, chattering, teeth-gritting
rasp (9). Use a dash only when a more common
mark of punctuation seems inadequate.
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The Ellipsis The Fade-out

• Nothing says youve left something unsaid like an
  ellipsisunless youve just lost your train of
  thought. . . .

. . .
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The Ellipsis (plural ellipses)
The ellipsis is a set of three spaced periods
used to show an omission from a direct quotation.
The sentence remaining must still be grammatical
and have enough information to make
sense. Reuben reports that when the amount of
cholesterol circulating in the blood rises over
. . . 300 milligrams per 100, the chances of a
heart attack increase dramatically (320). MLA
now says brackets unnecessary, but they help to
distinguish insertions from ellipses in source
material.
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The Ellipsis, continued
If a whole sentence is left out (or more), put a
period BEFORE the ellipsis. No need to start a
quote with an ellipsis, but if the end of a final
quoted sentence is left out, finish with an
ellipsis. Charles Lewis, director of the Center
for Public Integrity, points out that by 1987,
employers were administering nearly 2,000,000
polygraph tests a year to job applicants and
employees. . . . Millions of workers were
required to produce urine samples under
observation for drug testing . . . (405).
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The Comma The Traffic Cop

• The comma regulates the flow of clauses in a
  sentence.

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A comma tells readers that one independent clause
has come to an end and that another is about to
begin. IC, for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so IC Nearly
everyone has heard of love at first sight, but I
fell in love at first dance (288). Note no
commas in compound predicates! A good money
manager controls expenses and invests surplus
dollars to meet future needs (288).
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Comma after introductory word group (usually act
as adverbswhere, when, how, whyto IC) Near a
small stream at the bottom of the canyon, the
park rangers discovered an abandoned mine
(289). Other intros describe the subject with
participial phrases Believing she had plenty of
time, the student put off writing her paper until
the night before it was due. Or the intro is a
transitional expression or an absolute
phrase Subsequently, the students paper was
poorly organized and undeveloped, her thesis
having been invented on less than three hours
sleep.
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Commas separate separate items in a
series Bubbles of air, leaves, ferns, bits of
wood, and insects are often found trapped in
amber (290). But . . . I was served ham, eggs,
and macaroni and cheese. Comma between
coordinate adjectives not joined by and No
comma between cumulative adjectives Three large
gray shapes moved slowly toward us
(292). (Three(large(gray shapes)))
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Use commas to set off nonrestrictive elements Non
restrictive or nonessential elements give the
reader information, but they are not required for
the reader to understand the noun or
pronoun For camp the children need sturdy
shoes, which are expensive (293). The writers
purpose often determines if info is restrictive
or nonrestrictive The dessert made with
raspberries was delicious (294). The dessert,
made with raspberries, was delicious (294). The
first example identifies which dessert out of two
or more was delicious. The second sentence just
adds incidental information about the only
dessert discussed.
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Other nonrestrictive clauses Adjective clauses
noun/pronoun, relative pronoun verbs . . . Eds
house, which is located on thirteen acres, was
furnished with bats in the rafters and mice in
the kitchen (294). Prepositional phrases or
verbal phrases functioning as adjectives The
helicopter, with its million-candlepower
spotlight illuminating the area, circled above
(295). Appositives (as long as they are
nonrestrictive) Darwins most important book, On
the Origin of Species, was the result of many
years of research (295). Restrictive The song
Vertigo was blasted out of huge amplifiers
(295).
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Use commas to set off transitional and
parenthetical expressions, absolute phrases, and
contrasted elements IC TE, IC. IC SUBJECT,
TE, PREDICATE. Natural foods are not always salt
free celery, for example, contains more sodium
than most people would imagine (297). Parenthetica
l comments interrupt a sentence with additional
info and seem like afterthoughts The bass
weighed twelve pounds, give or take a few ounces
(297). Lets see . . . if I remember correctly,
your name is Hal. Absolute phrases modify
sentences with a noun and participial phrase at
the beginning or end of sentences. Elvis Presley
made music industry history in the 1950s, his
records having sold more than ten million copies
(297).
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Contrasted elements beginning with negatives,
like not, never, unlike, etc., get commas
Unlike Robert, Celia loved dance contests
(298). Other uses of the comma Set off nouns of
direct address, the words yes and no,
interrogative tags, and mild interjections
Forgive us, Dr. Atkins, for having rolls with
dinner. Yes, the loan will probably be
approved. The film was faithful to the book,
wasnt it? Well, cases like these are difficult
to decide. (Hacker 298) Dates, addresses,
titles, and numbers On May 18, 1980, Mt. St.
Helens erupted, turning daylight into dusk. Note
not for inverted dates or only month year
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Elements of a place name, except zip code John
Lennon was born in Liverpool, England, in
1940. Please send the package to Greg Tarvin at
708 Spring Street, Washington, Illinois
61571. Title following name Gregory House,
M.D. Quantity numbers more than four digits long
(at 4 its optional) 3500 13,500
535,555,535 Keep compound elements
together! Marie Curie discovered radium and
later applied her work on radioactivity to
medicine (302). (compound predicate) Jake still
does not realize that his illness is serious and
that he will have to alter his diet to improve
(302). (two subordinate clauses that . . . and
that . . .)
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No commas after such as or like Many dark
bitter fruits, such as blueberries, cranberries,
and black cherries, have healthful
antioxidants. No comma before than,
parentheses, or an indirect quotation, and no
comma after although Although the air was
balmy, the water was too cold for swimming
(305). At Nextel Sylvia began at the bottom
(with only three and a half walls and a swivel
chair), but within five years she had been
promoted to supervisor (305). Samuel Goldwyn
once said that a verbal contract isnt worth the
paper its written on (305).
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Controversial 2 Italics

• Also considered by many to be an element of
  mechanics, rather than punctuation
• Works as a signaling device for
• Titles of long works
• Emphasis
• Names of transport vehicles
• Foreign words
• Words as things
• Internal monologue

If unable to underline or italicize on a
computer, use underscores before and after
titles Im reading a critical analysis of _Some
Like It Hot_.
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Have you been paying attention?
1. This mark is used when a character yells or
cries out.
2. These are placed around text inserted into a
quotation.
3. What is the main difference between a colon
and a semicolon?
Add, delete, or no error
4. Marina ran into the room, and grabbed her
friend.
5. Jimmy Durante used to sing, Fairy tales can
come true / It can happen to you / If youre
young at heart and I believe him.
6. Not everyone has watched Everybody Loves
Raymond or Everybody Hates Chris.
7. On January 15, 2004 our office moved to 29
Commonwealth Avenue, Mechanicsville VA 23111.
(301)
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8. For centuries people believed that Greek
culture had developed in isolation from the
world. Today however scholars are acknowledging
the contributions made by Egypt and the Middle
East (301).
9. Ms. Carlson you are a valued customer whose
satisfaction is very important to us (301).
10. Accepting the check for her lottery winnings,
Juanita said that she would give half the money
to charity (323).
11. After the movie, Vicki said, The reviewer
called this flick trash of the first order. I
guess you cant believe everything you read
(323).
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Works Cited

• Hacker, Diana. A Writers Reference. 6th ed. New
  York Bedford/St. Martins, 2008.
• McQuain, Jeffery and Stanley Malless. Coined by
  Shakespeare Words and Meanings First Penned by
  the Bard. Springfield, MA Merriam-Webster, 1998.
• Strunk, William and E.B. White. The Elements of
  Style. 4th ed. San Francisco Longman, 2000.