A friendly writing tip
November 27, 2011
Commas and Other (Basic) Punctuation Rules
Punctuation marks, like words, help to communicate thoughts. Commas are used to insert pauses in speech, include an aside, or separate items in a list of three or more. Commas can also clarify the meaning of a statement.
See the difference in meaning just by the placement of a comma:
Woman, without her man, is nothing.
Woman, without her, man is nothing.
Use colons (:) to introduce a list or a series, such as: a list of states, a list of colors, a list of flowers, etc. Use a semi-colon (;) to join two independent but related clauses; you can also use an adverb to combine these clauses.
Periods, question marks and exclamation points are the only acceptable ways to end a sentence. Sometimes an ellipsis (…) is used at the end of a sentence to indicate an unfinished thought.
Learn the basics of punctuation. More importantly, be consistent in using punctuation in your writing.
