USE IDIOMS CORRECTLY.PUNCTUATIONPUNCTUATION MARKSARE THE SYMBOLS U...

17. Use idioms correctly.PunctuationPunctuation marksare the symbols used to separate sentences, express emotions, and show relationshipsbetween objects and ideas. Correct punctuation clarifies meaning and adds drama and style to sentences. Poorpunctuation, on the other hand, can confuse your readers and distort your intended meaning. For example,take a look at the following two versions of the same sentence:Don’t bother Xavier.Don’t bother, Xavier.The same words are used, but the two sentences have very different meanings because of punctuation.In the first sentence, the comma indicates that the speaker is telling usnot to bother Xavier. In the second sen-tence, the speaker is telling Xaviernot to bother. Here is another example of how punctuation can drasticallyaffect meaning:You should eat Zak so you can think clearly during your interview.Because this sentence is missing some essential punctuation, the sentence says something very differ-ent from what the author intended. The speaker isn’t telling us to eat Zak; rather, she is telling Zak to eat. Thesentence should be revised as follows:You should eat, Zak, so you can think clearly during your interview.As you saw earlier, punctuation also has another important function: It enables writers to express a vari-ety of tones and emotions.

P

^UNCTUATION

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^UIDELINES

There are many rules for punctuation, and the better you know them, the more correctly and effectively youcan punctuate your sentences. This table lists the main punctuation marks and guidelines for when touse them:

IF YOUR

PURPOSE

USE THIS

IS TO

PUNCTUATION

EXAMPLE

End a sentence.

period

[.]

Most sentences end in a period.

question mark [?]

I feel tired today.

exclamation point [!]

However, if you are posing a question, use a

question mark.

Should the voting age be raised to 21?

Exclamation points should be used sparingly

for emphasis.

"What a beautiful dress!"

Connect complete

semicolon

[;]

A semicolon can connect two sentences; it is

sentences (two

comma

[,] and a

an excellent way to show that two ideas are

independent

conjunction

[and, or, nor,

related.

clauses).

for, so, but, yet]

Leslie is coming, but Huang is staying home.

dash

[ — ] (less common,

Hurry up—we’re late!

but more dramatic)

Connect items in a list.

comma

[,] but if one or

His odd shopping list included batteries, a box

more items in that list

of envelopes, and a can of beans.

already has a comma,

The castaways included a professor, who was

use a semicolon

[;]

the group’s leader; an actress; and a

millionaire and his wife.

Introduce a list of

colon

[:]

There are three things I want to do before I

three or more items.

die: go on a cruise, go skydiving, and surf.

Introduce an explanation

colon

[:]

You know what they say about real estate:

(what follows explains or

Location is everything.

answers what precedes).

Introduce a quotation

colon

[:] or comma

[,]

She yelled, “Let’s get out of here!” He said

(words directly spoken).

only one word: “Believe.”

Indicate a quotation.

quotation marks

[“ ”]

“To be or not to be?” is one of the most

famous lines from Hamlet.

Indicate a question.

question mark

[?]

What time is it? “How much longer?” he

asked.

Connect two words that

hyphen

[-]

mother-in-law, turn-of-the-century poet,

work together as one

French-fried potatoes

object or modifier.

Separate a word or

dash

[ — ]

I never lie—never. We’re late—very late!

phrase for emphasis.

Separate a word or

commas

[,]

Elaine, my roommate, is from Chicago. Her

phrase that is relevant

nickname as a child, her mother told me, was

but not essential

“Boo-boo.”

information.

Separate a word or

parenthesis

[()]

There is an exception to every rule (including

phrase that is relevant

this one).

but secondary information.

Show possession or

apostrophe

[‘]

Why is Lisa’s wallet in Ben’s backpack?

contraction.

C

^OMMA

R

^ULES

Although you won’t drop from a score of 6 to 5 because of a couple of misplaced commas, the correct use ofcommas is important. The presence and placement of commas can dramatically affect a sentence’s meaningand can make the difference between clarity and confusion in your sentences. The previous chart lists fourdifferent uses of commas, but there are several others. Here is a complete list of comma rules. The better youknow them, the more clear, correct, and controlled your sentences will be.Use a comma in the following ways: