Punctuation

Punctuation

Punctuation

1Periods (full stops) (.)

  • Use a full stop/period at the end of clear statements or commands, and in abbreviations.
  • End of sentences: I need a coffee.
  • Indirect questions: She wondered what time it was.
  • Abbreviations: Jan., Dr., e.g., etc. Use the period in American English; British English may drop it in some cases. It is important to use this consistently though lessons and products.
  • Ellipses: Three periods (…) show omission.
  • If you are using ellipsis to show the continuation of a sentence, then place three dots directly after to show the continuation of the sentence. No space is needed.
  • We might face resistance concerning…
  • If there is an ellipsis followed by further text, then place a space after the three dots and not before.
  • Establishing… is a key priority for us in.…
  • Quotation marks & parentheses: The period goes inside closing quotation marks: “Be there soon.”
  • Spacing: Only one space after a period is standard.

2Comma usage (,)

Commas make sentences clearer and easier to read. Here are the main rules you’ll need:

1Lists

Use commas to separate three or more items.

Julie loves ice cream, books and kittens.

Julie loves ice cream, books, and kittens.

Oxford comma: the use of a comma before the conjunction in a list of three or more items.

2Independent clauses

Use a comma before and, but, so, etc. when joining two independent clauses with seperate subjects.

Cleo is a good dancer, but John is even better.

If the second part has its own subject, use a comma. If it shares the same subject, no comma.

My teacher is tough but fair.

3Dependent clauses

When a dependent clause comes first, use a comma after it.

When the meeting ended, everyone left quickly.

Although it was raining, we still played football.

When the dependent clause comes after the main clause, don’t use a comma unless you want to add emphasis or a pause.

Everyone left quickly when the meeting ended.
We still played football although it was raining.
We played football, although Peter said it would rain.

4Introductory phrases

Put a comma after an introductory word or phrase.


Examples:

After the show, Cleo signed autographs.
Suddenly, a cat ran across the street.
Before the lesson, the students turned off their phones.
After a long walk, we stopped for lunch.
At the end of the day, everyone was tired but happy.
With a smile, the trainer greeted the new class.

5Extra information

Use commas to set off information the sentence doesn’t need to make sense. For example, relative clauses that provide additional information

Posey’s Café, which Chester recommended, is fantastic.
My partner, Angela, is a wonderful cook.

Defining clauses do not require a comma. For example: I bought the book which she recommended

6Direct address

Use commas when naming the person you’re talking to.

Mom, I can’t find my shoes.

Cleo, there’s someone at the door.

7Dates and locations

Use commas to separate parts of dates and places.

July 4, 1776, was an important day.

I grew up in Paris, France.

8Adjectives

If two adjectives describe a noun equally, use a comma.

It was a long, tiring journey.
The short, blue, cotton dress looks better on you

9Quotes

Use commas with quotes and attributive tags.

“I’m ready now,” she said.

He asked, “Are you sure?”

10Question tags

Use a comma before short question tags.

These trees are beautiful, aren’t they?

3Question marks and exclamation points (?) (!)

  • Direct questions end with question marks: What time is it?
  • Indirect questions use a period: She asked what time it was.
  • With quotation marks: If the question is part of the quote, keep the question mark inside: She asked, “Are you coming?”
  • If it’s part of the whole sentence, place it outside: Have you heard “Let it Be”?
  • Parentheses and question marks: If the parentheses content is a question, put the question mark inside. If the whole sentence is the question, put it outside.

4Colons (:)

  • Use colons to introduce or explain something.
  • Before lists: He packed essentials: tent, sleeping bag, and flashlight.
  • Before explanations or quotations: Remember: clarity matters.
  • Other uses: Time (3:45 pm) and ratios (1:2).

5Semicolons (;)

  • Use semicolons to link ideas or clarify complex lists.
  • Between closely related independent clauses: I wanted to go; the weather wasn’t cooperating.
  • In complex lists with internal commas: Attendees: John, CEO; Mary, CFO; and Dave, CTO.

6Hyphens, dashes, and ellipses (-) (–) (—) (…)

  • The em-dash is very common in ChatGPT output, and often raises the suspicion that the content was AI generated. Think about replacing them unless they are used correctly. Use them sparingly, as text should not be littered with em-dashes.
  • Hyphens (-) are for forming compound words: well-known, long-term.
  • Dashes, en-dash (–) or em-dash (—), are used to add strong breaks or parenthesis in sentences. They replace commas, brackets, or colons to set off extra information, or indicate a break in a sentence.
  • Ellipses (…) show that text is omitted or trailing off.

7Quotation marks (””)

  • Use quotation marks to show someone’s exact words or to highlight text.
  • Direct quotes: She said, “Meet me there.”
  • Break in a quote with a tag: “My goodness,” she said, “that was loud.”
  • Use double quotation marks for speech/text quotes, single quotes only for quotes within quotes. Punctuation like periods and commas fall inside the quotation marks.
  • Titles and emphasis: Use quotation marks for short works such as articles or chapters, or to indicate doubtful or special usage of a word.

8The forward slash (/)

  • If you use the forward slash to replace the word “or”, then do not use spaces.
  • Example: You are the customer/client.
  • If you are using the forward slash in a build-a-sentence type activity where you are using “/” to separate jumbled sentence components, then use spaces.
  • Example: So, / correctly, / understand / I / main / the / you / if / issue / is /…

9Brackets ( ) [ ]

  • Use brackets for information that learners need to interpret, guess, or complete.
  • Alternative choices: I am (greatful/grateful) for your help. The learner chooses the correct option.
  • Placeholders for variables: [Brackets mean “replace this with your own content.”]
  • Examples: Come over any time after [time]. This is [name].
  • Words or phrases to be guessed from synonyms or equivalent phrases: They (do not agree with each other) = They are not on the same page.
  • Optional language: (I think that) it’s a good idea.
  • Grammar exercises: I (know) __________________ John since I was a small child.

10Italics and bold usage

  • Bold for target language and key words.
  • Italics for example sentences, meta instructions, and emphasis.