Common Errors in Punctuation
COMMA (,)
| WRONG | John the son of Rhea came here. |
| RIGHT | John, the son of Rhea, came here. |
| WRONG | John the son of Rhea came here. |
| RIGHT | John, the son of Rhea, came here. |
| WRONG | Here is your coffee, sister, please take it. |
| RIGHT | Here is your coffee sister please take it. |
SEMICOLON (;)
Rule: Use a semicolon instead of a conjunction (and, but, or...)
| WRONG | Call me tomorrow and I will give you my answer then. |
| RIGHT | Call me tomorrow; I will give you my answer then. |
Rule: Use it before introductory words such as namely, however, therefore, that is, i.e., for example, e.g., or for instance.
| WRONG | As we discussed, you will bring two items, i.e., a sleeping bag and a tent are not optional. |
| RIGHT | As we discussed, you will bring two items; i.e., a sleeping bag and a tent are not optional. |
Rule: Use it between two sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction when one or more commas appear in the first sentence.
| WRONG | If she can, she will attempt that feat and if her husband is able, he will be there to see her. |
| RIGHT | If she can, she will attempt that feat; and if her husband is able, he will be there to see her. |
COLON (:)
Rule: Use a colon to connect two parts of a sentence, especially if the second part is an amplification of the first. A colon marks a discontinuity in a sentence with more force than a comma or semicolon.
| WRONG | He had always wanted to travel to Italy when he was six his best friend moved to Venice. |
| RIGHT | He had always wanted to travel to Italy: When he was six his best friend moved to Venice. |
Rule: Use a colon after a statement that introduces a list.
Ex. We will discuss the following colors later: blue, green, and pink.
But don't use it if the first part of the sentence is not complete:
| WRONG | While she's in Manila, she visited: her mom, her cousin and her classmate. |
| RIGHT | While she's in Manila, she visited her mom, her cousin and her classmate. |
(While she's in Manila, she visited --- incomplete sentence.)
Rule: Use a colon to introduce a quotation or a formal statement.
Ex. I have one rule: Always bring chocolate treats when you visit my house.
Rule: Use a colon after the salutation when writing a formal letter.
Ex. "Dear Dr. Santos:"
Similarly, use the colon after a speaker's introductory remarks, as in "Madame President,
Ladies and Gentlemen:"
TIPS:
When a colon follows quoted matter, the colon goes outside the quotation marks.
Ex. There were three people to whom he sang "Happy Birthday": his mother, his sister and his best friend.
If a colon is followed by a complete sentence, capitalize the first word after the colon.
Ex. While in Venice, he did something he had never done before: He took a gondola ride.
FULL STOP (.)
It indicates the close of a complete sentence.
Ex. The weather was good yesterday.
NOTE OF EXCLAMATION (!)
This is used to express on emotion, joy, anger, sorrow, feeling, etc.
Ex. Such a great story!
APOSTROPHE (')
It's used to denote that some letter or letters are missing.
Ex. I'll say so.
INTERROGATION (?)
Used after sentences that ask questions.
Ex. Did you eat my chocolate?
DASH (-)
This marks a break or abrupt turn in a sentence.
Rule: Use a dash to take the place of the more formal colon, particularly when you want to emphasize a point.
Ex. Students were asked to bring their own supplies—paper, pencils, and calculator.
Rule: Use a pair of dashes in place of parentheses when you want to place more emphasis on the content.
Ex. The participants—two from group A and two from group B—tested negatively.
Rule: Use a dash at the beginning and end of a series separated by commas.
Ex. The students—Jim, Marla, and Sara—were told they could leave.
Rule: Use a dash to mean namely, in other words, or that is before an explanation.
Ex. The man—the one with his hand in the air—looks desperate.
Rule: Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break in thought.
Ex. The professor was unwilling to change the due date—even for a candy bar!
Rule: If the sentence resumes after the break, use a second dash.
Ex. The professor was unwilling—even for a candy bar!—to change the due date.
Rule: Use a dash to interrupt the main idea in a sentence to insert another, related, idea.
Ex. The student—the one dressed in black, sitting in the corner—let out a cry.
BRACKETS ( )
Brackets are used like a couple of dashes for an interesting parenthetical phrase or sentence.
Ex. He was the first to introduce a detailed description of scenery, furniture, stage properties and (most important of all) of the characters in the Play.
He raises his eyebrows: a facial gesture expressing surprise or (sometimes) disapproval.
HYPHEN (-)
This is used to join the parts of a compound word.
| WRONG | He's wearing an army like shirt. |
| RIGHT | He's wearing an army-like shirt. |
| WRONG | Twenty four of them went to the house. |
| RIGHT | Twenty-four of them went to the house. |
MORE TIPS ON PUNCTUATION:
1. There is no rule for he use of period with abbreviations. In many common abbreviations the period is now omitted.
| WRONG | That man was an active member of W.H.O. before. |
| RIGHT | That man was an active member of WHO before. |
2. If a question is to be rhetorical (for which no answer is expected) the exclamation mark may replace the question mark.
Ex. Why didn't I ever bother to ask!
3. Hyphen is generally used with prefix 'self', 'Post', 'ex', 'anti', and 'all'.
| WRONG | self centered |
| RIGHT | self-centered |
| WRONG | all clear |
| RIGHT | all-clear |
| WRONG | anti virus |
| RIGHT | anti-virus |
But certain hyphenated words drop the hyphen when they become predicate modifiers; well-known, good-natured, ill-bred
Ex. The actor was not always well known.
