# Writing > General Writing >  Auntie's Down and Dirty Punctuation Guide

## AuntShecky

Aunties Down-and-Dirty, Quick and Handy Guide to Punctuation


[_Note: The following is not in any way, shape, or form intended as an insult to anyone's intelligence or schooling. Instead it is offered as an unofficial guide to those who may wish to refresh their memory.]_

For characters so tiny, punctuation marks seem to cause writers a large amount of grief. Theres nothing inherently intimidating about punctuation, which was designed simply as a system of symbols to aid meaning. They help a writer say what he or she means to say.

Punctuation marks aren't seasoning to sprinkle in ones work like salt and pepper in a stew. But you could think of punctuation as a kind of garlic. Too much of it ruins the dish, but just enough is just right.

*Don't Use Punctuation Without a Reason* 

*The Period*

If punctuation marks were traffic signals, the period would be a red light. The period means come to a *full stop*. 

Use a period at the end of a declarative sentence. Put a period after part of an abbreviation or after each letter in a set of initials.

*Do not use a series of periods between parts of a sentence.* The only appropriate use of three periods in a row is to indicate an omission, such as part of a quotation. (See The Dash below.)


*The Comma*

To continue with the traffic light analogy, the comma is the yellow light of punctuation marks. A comma means come to a momentary stop or to *pause*. * The function of a comma is to separate.*  

*Never separate the subject from its verb with a comma.*

Use a comma:

between the name of a town from its state or country _Columbus, Ohio_ 

- for writing the date when the month comes first 
_October 10, 2010_
(but not when the day comes first 10 October 2010)

-for separating items in a series when there are three or more. (You don't need a comma for only two items.) 
_Lance has appeared in the cast of comedies, dramas, and movies._

 to separate the last name from the first name and middle initial when you're writing the last name first. _Boyle, Lance A._

- in writing letters. Use a comma to separate the salutation from the body of a friendly (non-business ) letter. 
_Dear Auntie,_ 

In both friendly and business letters use a comma to separate the complimentary closing from the signature. 
Friendly letter: 
_Your loving nephew,
Lance_ 
Business letter:
_Sincerely yours,
Lance A. Boyle_

-to separate names in a direct address.
_Polly, put the kettle on._

-to separate a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence. 
_Lance said, I'd better get this resume in the mail._

-after a mild interjection. 
_Gee, I'd better delete that Facebook photo._

-after words such as yes, no, well, indeed that begin the answer to a question
_Yes, I saw Lance sneaking out early the other day._

-after certain single words, such as however, moreover, thus, also, too ,which are not essential to the meaning of the sentence but to clarify the thought or to improve the rhetorical flow.

-to separate appositives or extra descriptive information that is not essential to the sentence. 
_Lance, a former screenwriter and actor, has said that he has always wanted to direct_.

-to separate non-restrictive clauses from the sentence. Like an appositive, a non-restrictive clause provides extra descriptive information which includes a verb. 
_Lance, who spent three seasons with the East Hogwash Repertory Company, just auditioned with HBO._

*When combining two or more independent clauses into a compound sentence, use a comma + a conjunction to separate the clauses.*  

Do not use a comma alone.*

Do not use a conjunction (and, but, so, etc.) alone.

_Lance creates, and his auntie criticizes.
He wrote a short story, but he forgot to include the punctuation.
_*The rare exceptions occur in an attempt to set up a rhetorical effect called parallelism, as in this example:
_I came, I saw, I conquered._
Instead of using a conjunction and a comma or a semi-colon, Strunk and White suggest that a comma is preferable when the clauses are short and alike in form. (P. 7.)Among one of their examples: 
_ Man proposes, God disposes._

*The Semi-Colon*

Use a semi-colon to separate two independent clauses. You do not need to use a conjunction. 
_Lance creates; his auntie criticizes.
He wrote a short story; he forgot to include the punctuation._ 
The semi-colon is useful in a series in which the items themselves already have commas.
_Jeopardy contestants came from Saranac Lake, New York; Tacoma, Washington; Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Portland, Maine.

Auditions will be on December 9, 2010; January 29, 2011, and February 12, 2011._ 

*The Colon*

Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter.
_Dear Sir:_

Use colons to indicate time of day 
_7:41 p.m._ 

A colon can introduce a list, an illustration, a verbal description or clarification, or an example.
_For example:
For instance:
Here are the Maine towns the college recruiter visited: Portland, Augusta, Bangor, and Calais._

*The Exclamation Point*

This is the real garlic of punctuation. *Because exclamation points express strong emphasis, use them sparingly*. Otherwise you defeat their purpose. Make your word choice powerful enough that the exclamation point is unnecessary.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, Using an exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke. Don't end your sentence with a long string of !!!!!!. 

Write Ow! with just one exclamation point no matter how much it hurts.

*The Apostrophe*

In my part of the world people love apostrophes so much that they use them where they're not needed. As with all punctuation, only use an apostrophe for a reason.

*Use an apostrophe + s to show possession in nouns*.
_Sues surgery
The neighbors pet
Jims coat_ 
The preceding rule is true even when the noun itself ends in s:
_Jamess coat
Maviss last recording
Williss strikeout statistics_

Strunk and White found the rule so important that it opens the book (p. 1). They provide exceptions for ancient proper names ending in -es and -is and the possessive Jesus, although the authors prefer replacing the apostrophe with the preposition of for the possessive : 
_the law of Moses the temple of Isis_


*Do not use an apostrophe for simple plurals.
An apostrophe is appropriate in a plural noun only when it is possessive:*
_The girls medical bills
(but) the womens medical bills.
The neighbors pet
_
Except for the pronoun one as in phrases such as beneath ones dignity, do not use apostrophes in pronouns to show ownership. Pronouns have their own possessive cases:
_her surgery
his pet
their bills
That coat is his.
Those bills are theirs._

The only appropriate use of an apostrophe in a pronoun is in *contractions*. In contractions an apostrophe indicates that one or more letters have been left out, such as the i in is:
_Its raining.
They'd sooner meet a tiger on the road._

In certain colloquial expressions an apostrophe shows that an initial or final letter has been omitted:
_She'll be comin round the mountain._

*Common Apostrophe Pitfalls*

*Its/Its*
Its cold outside.
The dog hurt its paw.
Don't they realize that its time to go?
This table is missing its leg.

*They're/their/there*
_ They're playing our song.
The musicians are packing up their instruments. 
Don't put that there_.

*Your/you're*
_ Don't forget your tickets.
You're driving me crazy.
Does your mother-in-law know that you're visiting?
_ 

*The Dash*

(This is courtesy of Strunk and White, _The Elements of Style_, p. 9):
Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption, and to announce a long appositive or summary.
A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.

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## zoolane

I am try to use punctuation in my written on here, also I am in college doing English GCSE. I have order from Amazon :Strunk and White which was recommended by Fifth. I am crossing my fingers that something, that I am learning stay put in my brain. I passed my exam end year.

Same relpy on Auntie's blog.

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## Hawkman

I'd say that was pretty comprehensive, Auntie  :Biggrin:

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## jajdude

The misused apostrophe has taken over.

Example: http://www.apostropheabuse.com/

This one is pretty funny too: http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/

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## MarkBastable

Just for completeness' sake, it's worth saying that some of these are rules and some are conventions. The rules are pretty universal, but conventions differ from country to country. 

For instance, in the UK you wouldn't use a comma after the penultimate item in a list, because - in the Brit view - the comma's separation function is fulfilled by the 'and'.

_Lance has appeared in the cast of comedies, dramas and movies_.

Also, there are transatlantic differences in the use of the full stop - and the one that looks weirdest to my eye is the use of the full stop after titles. So we'd write _Mr Smith_, as opposed to _Mr. Smith_. I'm not saying that the US way is wrong - just that our convention is different. The Brit position, I think, is that the appearance of a full stop within a sentence is confusing, because it's not fully stopping anything.

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## DickZ

> . . . Also, there are transatlantic differences in the use of the full stop - and the one that looks weirdest to my eye is the use of the full stop after titles. So we'd write _Mr Smith_, as opposed to _Mr. Smith_. I'm not saying that the US way is wrong - just that our convention is different. The Brit position, I think, is that the appearance of a full stop within a sentence is confusing, because it's not fully stopping anything.


That's interesting, Mark. I always wondered why it was Mr Smith rather than Mr. Smith, and your explanation makes it all so reasonable. 

Could you by any chance shed some light on this dilemma for me? In _The Moonstone_, by Wilkie Collins, a man who is a medical doctor is called Mr Candy? We here in the US would have called him Dr Candy.

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## MarkBastable

> That's interesting, Mark. I always wondered why it was Mr Smith rather than Mr. Smith, and your explanation makes it all so reasonable. 
> 
> Could you by any chance shed some light on this dilemma for me? In _The Moonstone_, by Wilkie Collins, a man who is a medical doctor is called Mr Candy? We here in the US would have called him Dr Candy.



I'm not entirely sure what the convention is, but some jobs in medicine, although they require you to take exams that give you the right to letters after your name, do not require you to take the title. So, for instance, all male surgeons are Mr, though I think they go through a pupal Dr stage. 

Oh, hang on. I found this at the Royal College of Surgeons' site...


_Why are surgeons in the UK called Mr or Miss or Mrs, rather than Dr?

In most other parts of the world all medical practitioners, physicians and surgeons alike, are referred to as ‘Dr’ whereas in the UK surgeons are usually referred to as Mr, Miss or Mrs. This is because, from the Middle Ages physicians had to embark on formal university training to gain possession of a degree in medicine before they could enter practice. The possession of this degree, a doctorate, entitled them to the title of ‘Doctor of Medicine’ or Doctor.

The training of surgeons until the mid-19th century was different. They did not have to go to university to gain a degree; instead they usually served on apprenticeship to a surgeon. Afterwards they took an examination. In London, after 1745, this was conducted by the Surgeons’ Company and after 1800 by The Royal College of Surgeons. If successful they were awarded a diploma, not a degree, therefore they were unable to call themselves ‘Doctor’, and stayed instead with the title ‘Mr’.

Outside London and the largest cities the surgeon served an apprenticeship like many other tradesmen, but did not necessarily take any examination. Today all medical practitioners, whether physicians or surgeons have to undertake training at medical school to obtain a qualifying degree. Thereafter a further period of postgraduate study and training through junior posts is required before full consultant surgeon status is achieved. Thus the tradition of a surgeon being referred to as ‘Mr/Miss/Mrs’ has continued, meaning that in effect a person starts as ‘Mr/Miss/Mrs’, becomes a ‘Dr’ and then goes back to being a ‘Mr’; ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’ again!_


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Incidentally, and as Auntie S would undoubtedly point out, there ought to be a comma after _whether physicians or surgeons_. It'd be the second of a pair of parenthetical commas that enclose the phrase, in order to make it clear that the subject of the subsequent verb is the preceding _practitioners_.

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## DickZ

Thanks, Mark, for such a comprehensive answer.

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## virgo27

Wow! Is my writing that basic? Haha!

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