English Punctuation, Part I:

full stops, commas, semi-colons, and colons

Preliminary Exercise
Punctuate the following sentence:

woman without her man is nothing


1. Full Stop (Am. Period)
(i) Use a full stop at the end of a sentence:
The man arrived. He sat down.
(ii) Use full stops with abbreviations (in an abbreviation the last letter of the word and of the
abbreviation are not the same):
Co. (Company)
etc. (et cetera)
U.K. (United Kingdom)
(iii) Do not use full stops with contractions. (In a contraction the last letter of the word and of
the contraction are the same):
Ltd (Limited)
Dr (Doctor)
Mr (Mister)

2. Comma
A comma in writing is like a pause inside a sentence when speaking. We use
commas inside sentences. Commas separate parts of a sentence into logical elements.
Commas have no meaning, but they help us to see the structure and therefore the meaning of
the sentence.
Put a space after a comma. Do not put a space before a comma.
xxx, xxx correct
xxx ,xxx
incorrect
xxx , xxx
(i) Use a comma between items in a series or list. In a sentence, the last two items usually do
not need a comma between them as they are separated by "and". However, if one or both of
the last two items are long, a comma may be useful:
.
,
coffee, tea, sugar, milk, eggs, butter, salt
My favourite sports are football, rugby, swimming, boxing and golf.
Jack was wearing blue jeans, black shoes, his brand new white shirt, and a brown
and green cap. (Notice there is no comma between a brown and and green cap
as this and is not separating two different items.)
(ii) Use a comma between three or more adjectives or adverbs:
I like the old, brown, wooden table.
He bought an old, red, open-top Volkswagen.
He ran quickly, quietly and effortlessly.
(iii) For two adjectives, use a comma where you could use "and":
He is a strong, healthy man.
We stayed at an expensive summer resort. (You would not say expensive and summer
resort, so no comma.)
(iv) Use a comma for numbers over 999: (In English, commas separate thousands and full
stops separate decimals.)
1,000 (one thousand)
1,569
73,050.75
2,000,000
3,400,500
10.5 (ten point five or ten and a half)
(v) Use a comma for addresses, non-digital dates, and titles following a name. But: If any
part of a date is omitted, leave out the comma:
911 Avenue Mansion, Petchburi Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
Los Angeles, California
4th November, 1948
Fred Ling, Professor of English
They met in December 2003 in Mill Valley.
(vi) Use a comma before or after direct speech. Do not use a comma for reported speech:
He said, "I love you."
"I love you," he said.
He told her that he loved her.
(vii) Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to join
two independent clauses. If the independent clauses are short and well-balanced, a comma is
optional. If the subject does not appear in front of the second verb, do not use a comma:
He didn't want to go, but he went anyway.
I want to work as an interpreter, so I am studying Russian at university.
She is kind so she helps people.
He ran quickly but still did not arrive on time.
BUT: He ran quickly, but he still did not arrive on time.
(viii) Use commas for non-defining relative clauses: (These can also be reduced, as in the
second example; it means who is my wifes brother.)
John Smith, who is chairman of the company, is quite old.
Andrew, my wife's brother, cannot come.
Andrew (my wife's brother) cannot come.
The objective, to find peace in both countries, is hard to reach.
(ix) Use a comma after an introductory element of three or more words. A comma is
optional for short, simple introductory elements:
Rushing to catch the flight, he forgot to take his phone.
As the year came to an end, he realised the days were getting shorter.
By evening we were getting worried.
After a hefty meal cooked by his host's wife, he went to sleep.
After a snack he went to sleep.
(x) Sentence adverbs (words like however, unfortunately, surprisingly that modify a whole
sentence) often require one or two commas, depending on their position in the sentence:
However, Anthony did arrive.
Anthony, however, did arrive.
We were, unfortunately, too late.
He had, not surprisingly, lost his temper.
(xi) A dependent clause often needs a comma when it comes at the beginning of a sentence
(but not at the end of a sentence):
I f I win the lottery, I will buy a castle.
I will buy a castle if I win the lottery.
(xii) Use commas before or surrounding the name or title of a person directly addressed:
Will you, Jack, do that assignment for me?
Yes, Doctor, I will.
(xiii) Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt sentence flow:
I am, as you have probably noticed, very nervous about the exam.
(xiv) Use a comma to separate a statement from a question, i.e., a tag question:
I can go, can't I?
(xv) Use a comma when beginning sentences with introductory words such as well, now, or
yes:
Yes, I do need that report.
Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day
(xvi) Use either a comma or a semicolon before introductory words such as namely, that is,
i.e., for example, e.g., or for instance when they are followed by a series of items. Use a
comma after the introductory word: (Note that: i.e. means that is; e.g. means for example.)
You may be required to bring many items, e.g., sleeping bags, pans, and warm
clothing.
OR
You may be required to bring many items; e.g., sleeping bags, pans, and warm
clothing.
xvii. Do not use a comma to separate two complete sentences; this is called a comma splice:
(In this case, use a full stop or semi-colon.)

Ben wants to go out. Jack wants to stay home.
Ben wants to go out, Jack wants to stay home.




3. Semi-colon
(i) We sometimes use a semi-colon instead of a full stop. This is to separate sentences that are
grammatically independent but that have closely connected meaning. In these examples, it is
not correct to use a comma instead of the semi-colon:

Josef likes coffee; Mary likes tea.
Tara is a good speaker; she speaks very clearly.
You did your best; now let's hope you pass the exam.
Ben wants to go out; Jack wants to stay home.

(ii) Use a semi-colon as a kind of "super comma". When we have a list of items, we usually
separate the items with commas. If the list is complicated, we may prefer to use semi-colons
in some cases:

ABC Publishers has offices in five locations: Kensington, London; Brighton & Hove;
and Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester.

Note that: Kensington is a part of London, so these words are separated by a comma.
To avoid confusion as to what are parts of places, and what are actually separate
locations, a semi-colon is used.

Rental cars must be returned on time; with a full tank of petrol; in undamaged
condition; and at the same location as they were collected from.





;
4. Colons
The job of the colon is simple: to introduce.
(i) Use a colon to introduce a list, unless this list are all objects of a verb:
There are four countries in the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Island.
We can see many things in the sky at night: the moon, stars, planets, comets, planes
and even satellites.
I want to visit China, Japan and South Korea.
(ii) Actually, you can use a colon to introduce a single item, especially when you want to
emphasize that item:
We were all waiting for the hero of the evening: Ben.
There is one thing that he will not accept: stupidity.
The job of the colon is simple: to introduce.
(iii) Use a colon to introduce direct speech or a quotation: (Note that: a comma can also be
used with direct speech; see the above rule.)
He stood up and said loudly: "Ladies and Gentlemen, please be seated."
John whispered in my ear: "Have you seen Ben?"
As Confucius once wrote: "When words lose their meaning, people lose their
freedom."
(iv) Use a colon to introduce an explanation:
We had to cancel the party: too many people were sick.
There is no need to rush: the meeting will be starting one hour late.
(v) Use a colon to introduce examples, as shown above. For example, item (i) above reads
"Use a colon to introduce a list" and ends with a colon followed by two example sentences.


Exercises

Identify the correctly punctuated sentences:

1. (a) Spain is a beautiful country: the beaches are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
(b) Spain is a beautiful country, the beaches are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
(c) Spain is a beautiful country; the beaches are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
.

2. (a) The children's books were all left in the following places: Mrs Smith's room,
Mr Powell's office and the caretaker's cupboard.
(b) The children's books were all left in the following places; Mrs Smith's room,
Mr Powell's office and the caretaker's cupboard.
:
(c) The children's books were all left in the following places, Mrs Smith's room,
Mr Powell's office and the caretaker's cupboard.

3. (a) She always enjoyed sweets, chocolate, marshmallows and toffee apples.
(b) She always enjoyed, sweets, chocolate, marshmallows and toffee apples.
(c) She always enjoyed sweets chocolate marshmallows and toffee apples.


4. (a) Sarah's uncle's car was found without its wheels in that old derelict warehouse.
(b) Sarah's uncle's car was found without its wheels in that old, derelict warehouse.
(c) Sarah's uncle's car was found; without its wheels in that old, derelict warehouse.


5. (a) I can't see Tim's car, there must have been an accident.
(b) I can't see Tim's car there must have been an accident.
(c) I can't see Tim's car; there must have been an accident.


6. (a) Paul's neighbours were terrible; so his friends went round to have a word.
(b) Paul's neighbours were terrible: so his friends went round to have a word.
(c) Paul's neighbours were terrible, so his friends went round to have a word.
(d) Paul's neighbours were terrible so his friends went round to have a word.


7. (a) Tim's gran a formidable woman always bought him chocolate, cakes, sweets
and a nice fresh apple.
(b) Tim's gran, a formidable woman, always bought him chocolate cakes sweets
and a nice fresh apple.
(c) Tim's gran, a formidable woman, always bought him chocolate, cakes, sweets
and a nice fresh apple.


8. (a) After stealing Tims car, the thief lost his way, and ended up the chief
constable's garage.
(b) After stealing Tim's car the thief lost his way and ended up the chief
constable's garage.
(c) After stealing Tim's car, the thief lost his way and ended up the chief
constable's garage.

9. (a) We decided to visit: Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy's mountains.
(b) We decided to visit Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy's mountains.
(c) We decided to visit Spain Greece Portugal and Italy's mountains.


10. (a) That tall man, Paul's grandad, is this month's winner.
(b) That tall man, Paul's grandad is this month's winner.
(c) That tall man Pauls grandad, is this month's winner.