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PunctuationUsageDocProd 2

The document provides guidance on punctuation, usage, and document production, emphasizing the importance of punctuation for clarity and meaning. It outlines specific rules for using commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and quotation marks, as well as formatting guidelines for essays. Additionally, it advises on proper citation practices and document formatting, including font choice, margins, and indentation.

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2 views

PunctuationUsageDocProd 2

The document provides guidance on punctuation, usage, and document production, emphasizing the importance of punctuation for clarity and meaning. It outlines specific rules for using commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and quotation marks, as well as formatting guidelines for essays. Additionally, it advises on proper citation practices and document formatting, including font choice, margins, and indentation.

Uploaded by

9k6v7b7bhr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Guidance on Punctuation, Usage, and

Document Production

Dr. Woodall
English Department
UPR, Mayagüez
Does Punctuation matter?

 Punctuation is essential for meaning. Consider the difference between


these accurately punctuated sentences: (from Washington Post, 4/25/21,
Emily Langer, obituary on John Richards, British grammarian and editor.)
 “A woman, without her man, is nothing,”
 “A woman: without her, man is nothing.”
 “Residents’ refuse to be placed in bins.”
 “Residents refuse to be placed in bins.”
Punctuation

Use commas to separate two or more clauses:


1. Two independent clauses, with coordinating conjunction:
John called Mary, and Diego became worried.
John called Mary, but Diego was not worried.

2. Two clauses, one independent, one dependent, with subordinating conjunction:


When John saw Mary, Diego became worried.
Note: if independent clause comes first, no comma is used:
Diego became worried when John saw Mary.
(Explanation: second clause is dependent due to use of “when”; the clause is not a complete
thought by itself: ‘when John saw Mary’ is incomplete.)
Punctuation

3. Use commas to separate a series of three or more equal


grammatical units: (words or phrases)
She enjoys apples, bananas, and strawberries. (3 nouns)
She is qualified, willing, and ready to start. (3 adjectives)
Not for a penny, for a smile, or for a compliment will she
agree.
(3 prepositional phrases)
Note format: x, y, and z. The format “w, x and y and z” is
inherently ambiguous.
Punctuation

Use commas to separate two or more grammatical units (continued):


4. Setting off introductory and closing elements, or parenthetical remarks:
Lastly, I will say I have enjoyed your essay.
Despite his unwillingness, I have asked him to join our efforts.
I have asked him to join our efforts, despite his unwillingness.
Note: with parenthetical remarks, commas come before and at end of
remark. Note also location of comma following last letter:
I have asked him, despite his unwillingness, to join our efforts.
Semicolons (;) can be thought of as “weak” periods. They separate two or more
independent clauses without the coordinating conjunction:
The food is on the table; the guests are seated too.
Punctuation

Colons (:) are used to present, introduce, or display information:


The bookstore specializes in three subjects: philosophy, religion, and art.
Note: omit colon if the information is part of prior structure:
The bookstore specializes in philosophy, religion, and art.
NOT The bookstore specializes in: philosophy, religion, and art. [X]
Colons can also be used to separate independent clauses, when the second clause
explains or illustrates the first clause:
I have no time to make dessert: the guests have already arrived.
If two or more sentences explain the first clause, then capitalize the first word of each
sentence:
I have no time to make dessert: First, the turkey is still in the oven. Moreover,
the guests have already arrived.
Punctuation

 Use of apostrophe
 In verb contractions and negatives
 I’m, you’re, we’re, they’re (for ‘they are’, NOT for their or there), she’s, he’s (not the same
as ‘his’), it’s (not the same as its)
 isn’t, wasn’t, aren’t, weren’t, haven’t, hadn’t, don’t, doesn’t, didn’t
 (note: these are all informal)
 To show possession
 John’s, Sally’s, the Robinson’s, the teams’, the team’s, Mr. Stevens’s, the company’s, the
companies’
 Apostrophe not used for possessive with personal pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, his, her
(and hers), our, ours, their, theirs
 *to show plural—nonstandard
 1980’s (1980s is better)
Punctuation

Use of end marks: periods, question marks, and exclamation points.


Two spaces are traditionally used after the end punctuation mark.
When quotations end a sentence, the period goes inside the quotation mark
Faulkner said that “the past is not dead; it’s not even past.”
If the sentence ends with a question mark, the question mark goes inside
the quotation mark if the quotation itself is a question; otherwise, the question
mark goes outside the quotation mark if it does not belong to the quotation:
Did Faulkner say “the past in not dead; it’s not even past”?
Note: when quoting material, commas and periods nearly always go inside
the quotation marks, even if they are not part of the quotation.
Use exclamation points (!) sparingly for emphasis. Overuse of exclamation points
can be irritating.
Usage

Identifying titles of published materials.


Use quotation marks to identify the title of short works such as single
poems, essays, and short stories:
Whitman’s poem “The Noiseless Patient Spider” is my favorite.
I found E. B. White’s essay “Once More to the Lake” to be charming.
I was confused after reading Murakami’s story “The Elephant
Vanishes.”
Another essay, Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant,” is required for class.
Use italics to identify the title of longer works, such as full books, novels,
plays, films, and epic poems:
Stephen Hawking wrote A Brief History of Time.
We will read Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost this semester.
Usage

Use quotation marks in pairs to set off material that is exactly


reproduced. If you add language that is not in the original, use brackets [ ] to
indicate this is not part of the quotation:
Orwell wanted to “stand up and show [his] support for the measure.”
When omitting words from the quotation, use three dots to show the ellipsis:
Orwell said, “In Moulmein…I was hated by large numbers of people”;
a confession like this must have been hard to write.
As a general rule, periods and commas go inside the final quotation mark;
semicolons and colons go outside the final quotation mark.
However, when a citation is necessary, the citation comes before the final
punctuation:
Orwell wanted to “stand up and show [his] support for the measure”
(22).
Usage

When quoting material longer than three lines, use a block of text to
offset the quoted material inside the margins of your text. In this case, the
block takes the place of quotation marks. For example:
The note says
if a page reference occurs at end of a sentence, the final
punctuation comes after the page reference; otherwise, the
final punctuation occurs according to the rules of quotation
marks: period inside; all others outside unless part of the
quotation (Woodall 2).
Note: when producing your document, do not use the return key at
the end of each line; instead, allow the text processor to wrap your
text to the next line.
Document Production

• Use 12 point Times New Roman or Calibri font throughout your essay. Do
not use bold text, and use italics only when required by usage.
• Title pages are not necessary on short essays, but the first page of your
essay should include your name, course name and section number,
date, and title of assignment or essay. See Purdue Owl for MLA format
on writing assignments:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatti
ng_and_style_guide/mla_sample_paper.html
• Include page numbers in the footer of your document.
• Margins should be one inch from page border, and use left margin
justification, as used in this document. Do not use center justification or
left and right margin justification.
Document Production

 Paragraphs should be indented five spaces, and allow text editor to wrap
sentences at the end of each line; do not use the return key at the end
of each line. When a paragraph ends, use the return key to start a new
paragraph, but do not use an extra line between paragraphs.
 When your essay includes materials about your topic cited from other
authors, you must cite those sources in your essay AND include a Works
Cited page at the end of your essay. Follow MLA guidelines for this
procedure.

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