[Chromos]

I realized that we don't have a guide for punctuation.. so I have decided to make one! (Sticky, maybe?) I have excluded the periods/question/exclamation marks, because I think everyone knows how to use them properly. This guide covers some of the trickier punctuation marks; the semi colons, the dashes, etc..

This guide is separated into sections. Anytime a new section starts, it will be indicated by underlining. Bolded phrases and words, are examples for what I am talking about. Nearly everything has an example, so it should be easy to follow.

Commas

Use a comma at the following:

1.)Between a list of three or more words.

Up, down, left and right.

2.)Before a conjunction.
a) When "but" or "for" are used.

I wanted to kayak, but the river was too rough.

b) When "and" or "or" are used, the comma is optional.

The flag is red, white, and blue.
The sizes are small, medium or large.

Both are correct.

3.)To give additional information.
a) To indicate contrast.

The ball was blue, not red, and fairly small.

4.) Where the phrase could be in parenthesis.

The recipe, which we haven't tried before, is very easy to follow.

5.)Where the phrase adds relevant information.

Mr Johson, 54, went fly fishing for the first time three years ago.

6.)Where the addition is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence.

Mr Johson, who enjoys fly fishing, ran his first marathon five years ago.

7.) Introductory or opening phrases.

In general, sixty-eight is quite old to run a marathon.
On the whole, bears only attack when riled up.

8.)Following "for example", "that is", etc.

You should use commas, for example, around 'for example'.

9.)Where a pause is required, to make the reading more natural.

This pause is normal, don't panic.

b.)To avoid confusion.

To Jeff, Jack left his stamp collection.

10.)In address or quotation.

a.)When addressing someone by name.

So, Mr. Murray, I'm sending you to Mongolia.

b.)When quoting direct speech.

And then the boss said, "I'm sending you to Mongolia."

Colon/semi colon

Use a colon:

1.)Before a list, summary or quote
a.)Before a list:

I could only find three of the ingredients: sugar, flour and coconut.

b) Before a summary:

To summarise: we found the camp, set up our tent and then the bears attacked!

c) Before a quote.

As Jane Austen wrote: "it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

2.)To complete a statement of fact.
a.)Where the colon is used in place of "the following" or "thus."

There are only three kinds of people: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Use a semi-colon:

1.)To link two separate sentences that are closely related.

My parents came home today; they had been away for a week.

2.)In a list that already contains commas.

Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry; Babylon 5, by JMS; Buffy, by Joss Whedon; and Farscape, from the Henson Company.

Quotation marks

Use quotation marks:

1.)For direct speech.

Janet asked, "Why can't we go today?"

2.)For quotes inside quotes, use single quotation marks.

Tom said, "So then Jack told her 'I don't want to play with you' and Janet cried."

3.)For words that are defined, that follow certain phrases or that have special meaning.
a) Stating a definition.

'Buch' is German for book.

b.) Following phrases such as entitled, marked and the term.

The book was signed 'Stephen King'.

c.) Special meanings, noting inaccuracies or misnomers, etc.

The 'free gift' actually cost me forty dollars!

Apostrophe

Use an apostrophe:

1) With nouns (plural and singular) not ending in an s add 's.

The children's books, the people's parliament, a Mother's pride.

2) With plural nouns ending in an s, add only the apostrophe.

The guards' duties, the Nuns' habits, the Joneses' house.

3) With singular nouns ending in an s, you can add either 's or an apostrophe alone.

The witness's lie or the witness' lie (be consistent)

4.) When indicate posession.

John's bicycle is red.
That cake is Lisa's.

5.) When forming a contraction with "is" or "has."

The bicycle's red.
The cake's been eaten.

When not to use an apostrophe:

1.) When pluralizing a word

I like train's. WRONG
The taco's at the restaurant are tasty. WRONG

Exception: ancient or religious names.

Jesus' strength, Achilles' heel.

4a.)For common possession, only add 's to the last name.

Janet and John's house

b.) Where possession is not common, add to each.

Janet's and John's homes

5.)Pronouns. With the exception of "one's", pronouns, (its, his, hers) do not require an apostrophe.

6.)To indicate contractions.
a.)Where letters or numbers have been omitted:

The summer of '69, the house wasn't at its best, that isn't the right way, it's not bad.

Hyphen

Use a hyphen:

1) To avoid using multiple letters in succession.

re-evaluate [reevaluate]

2) If the root word is capitalised.

pre-Christmas, anti-European

3.) With specific prefixes and suffixes.

self-sacrificing, all-seeing, ex-wife, vice-chairman, president-elect

4)To avoid awkward pronunciation.

un-ionised [unionised], re-read

5) Where a list of words each have the same prefix or suffix.

pre- and post-recession, over- and under-weight

6.)To form compound words.
a) For clarity.

sit-in, stand-out, Mother-In-Law

7.)In compound adjectives that modify what they precede.

blue-chip company, devil-may-care attitude, up-to-the-minute news

8.)With fractions, numbers and initial letters.
a.) With fractions and numbers between 21 and 99.

one-half, sixty-four, twenty-eight and three-quarters

9.) Words that start with a capital letter

X-ray, T-shirt, U-Turn

Brackets/Parenthesis

Use a Parenthesis:

1) To clarify or inform.

Jamie's bike was red (bright red) with a black stripe.

2) For asides and comments.

That bear was blue(I kid you not)!

Use square brackets:

1.)For editorial information, etc.
a.) To amend or supplement the given details.

His first book [The Colour Of Magic] was written in 1989.

2) To replace phrases for clarity or brevity.

[The motion] decreed that all Manbearpigs must be destroyed.

Other marks

Use a dash:

1.)For emphasis.

The book was great- a really good read!

2.)For explanation or addition.
a.)In place of brackets or commas.

The Lost City of Faar- the second book of the series- was released in 2003.

Use an ellipsis:

1.)To indicate missing words in a quotation.

"The sight was awesome... truly amazing!"

2.)To help indicate stress or fear.

I couldn't see anything around me... everything was pitch black.


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So there it is, my punctuation guide!

If you can think of anything I missed, feel free to post it.