Perfect Punctuation – Part 2
Part 1 covered exclamation
marks, semi-colons, em-dashes, ellipses and question marks. This week we’ll
look at commas, quote marks, hyphens and apostrophes.
The comma, like the
exclamation mark, is probably the most misused of all punctuation marks. While
full stops (periods) end a sentence, commas can highlight an extremely short
pause within the narrative, they can separate clauses or they can separate
items in a list of three or more. Commas also help join two independent clauses
with a conjunction, which are necessary if you start a sentence with a
dependent clause.
Beginners often misuse commas
by placing them in the wrong place within sentences, using them incorrectly or
by not using them at all. The following
examples show correct use:
'You
know, I figured that was going to happen.’ (Signifies short pause).
She
collected mint, sage, oregano and parsley. (Separates items in a list).
One common result of
incorrect comma use is the comma splice. This happens when the writer uses a
comma in place of a full stop or without a conjunction to make the sentence
make sense, for example:
He got out of the car,
walked to the house.
There are two clauses separated
by a comma, where there should be a full stop. Or the sentence can be written
with a comma to separate the clauses with use of the conjunction ‘and’, for
instance:
He got out of the car, and
walked to the house.
To avoid comma splices,
place either a full stop to create two independent clauses or use a comma with
a conjunction (sometimes also known as an Oxford comma).
Always use a comma after
starting a sentence with a dependent clause, as this provides clarity to the
reader, for example:
After
they arrived in town, they went for a coffee.
One thing that lack of
correct comma placement can do with certain words within the sentence is cause
ambiguity. So, to eliminate confusion, place the comma correctly, for instance:
Jan,
you will know. (Correct)
Jan
you will know. (Incorrect)
‘Good
morning, Jane.’ (Correct)
‘Good
morning Jane.’ (Incorrect)
Use
commas carefully to separate words to ensure sentences flow correctly,
especially with more complex sentence structures, for example:#
He
was always punctual, but disliked anyone else who displayed tardiness.
He
was, as always, punctual, and disliked anyone else who displayed tardiness,
particularly his grandchildren, Sophie and Greg.
The
sentence structure for each example becomes more complex, but correct comma
placement allows the narrative to flow without causing the reader to trip up
over the sentences.
Another problem is run on
sentences, where two sentences are placed together without any punctuation –
usually a full stop, semi-colon or a comma and conjunction, for example.
He
only comes round once a week he never tells me he’s coming.
With correct punctuation,
the sentence becomes less confusing. In this case, a full stop, a semi-colon or
a conjunction can change the way the sentence reads.
He
only comes round once a week. He never tells me he’s coming.
He
only comes round once a week; he never tells me he’s coming.
He
only comes round once a week, but he never tells me he’s coming.
Learn to use commas
correctly – where they should be, not where they shouldn’t be – so as not to
overburden the narrative, nor underwhelm it. Too many commas can create overly
long sentences that can make the narrative stutter. Too few commas can create
ambiguity or run on sentences, which makes it hard for the reader to understand
the narrative. Learn to spot run on sentences and comma splices.
Study how commas should be
used; especially when constructing longer or more complicated sentences, and
know when to use them to your advantage.
Quotation marks seem to cause
headaches for some writers. These are used to denote dialogue. In the US, double quote marks are used, “for
example”, while in the UK, single quote marks are acceptable, ‘like this’.
Anytime a character speaks,
use the quote marks, for example:
‘This is the part I hate,’
David said.
Lisa looked downcast. ‘I
know, but you have to tell her.’
“Hey! That’s not fair.”
‘Life isn’t fair,” John
said. “I don’t need to tell you that.’
Hyphens (rather than a
dash), are very easy to use. They connect two or more words together that have
a combined or shared meaning and we use them to avoid word confusion, for
instance, crash-landed, auto-injected, year-on-year, father-in-law,
semi-automatic, or non-hyphenated.
If asked, most writers will
probably say that apostrophes are a pain to get to grips with and they cause
the most problem. Apostrophes denote
plurals and abbreviated words, and while abbreviations - such as cannot /can’t,
we will/ we’ll - don’t pose problems; it can be confusing for writers to know where
to place the apostrophe with plural and possessive nouns, for example:
Singular nouns – add apostrophe
+ s:
Jane’s
hat.
The
children’s room.
The
boy’s team.
Plural nouns – add an
apostrophe after ‘s’:
Ten
days’ holiday.
The
dogs’ blankets.
The
parks’ visitors.
If there is a proper noun
that ends with s, the convention is to add the apostrophe after the ‘s’, for
example ‘Over at the Jones’ house.’
There are some complicated rules over apostrophes, and even experienced
writers have to look their use from time to time.
Correct punctuation not only
helps to tell the story, but it also structures it. Without it, or if done
incorrectly, the storytelling becomes messy, confusing and not worth reading.
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