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Parentheses and Other Punctuation

Drop Other PunctuationBefore the closing parenthesis, drop almost all punctuation, such as commas, semicolons, and colons.PeriodsRetain a period inside the closing parenthesis if you've written a complete parenthetical sentence. Put the period outsid...

Chapter 7 - Brackets

IntroductionBrackets are used to enclose editorial interpolations, corrections, explanations, or comments in quoted material.SicResist the temptation to use "[sic]," which in Latin means "that's your mistake, fella, not mine," to point out a mistake ...

Parentheticals Within Parentheses

If you write a parenthetical statement and need to include another parenthetical statement within it, then enclose the second one in brackets: While visiting Virginia, Dr. Smith and his assistant (Fred Jones, who would later study the state bird [the...

Chapter 8 - Question Mark

IntroductionIn creative writing, the question mark shows up all the time. In expository writing, question marks do appear—often as mistakes.The question mark serves a variety of roles.Ask a Question The question mark ends the sentence that is a que...

Question Marks with Quotation Marks

Where Do Questions Marks Go?Put the question mark inside ending quotation marks if the question belongs to the quoted source. Put it outside if the question belongs to the writer.Inside When the Question Belongs to the Source The committee asked, rat...

Chapter 9 - Exclamation Point

IntroductionUse the exclamation point to shout. And don't shout much at all in expository writing. Let your prose show your emphasis: The Supreme Court flatly ruled against us! When 911 took the call, the operator said, "I'm on a break now"! Exclamat...

Chapter 10 - Hyphen

IntroductionThe hyphen is one of the most underused, one of the most incorrectly used, and one of the most important punctuation marks in writing.It plays a role in showing ranges of numbers. It often incorrectly appears in words beginning with prefi...

Ranges of Numbers

You may use the hyphen (or the en dash) to show a range of numbers: These statistics appear on pages 54-56.  Previous: Chapter 10 - HyphenNext: Prefix Words...

Prefix Words

IntroductionMany words start with prefixes; e.g., nonresident, antitrust, coparty, and a spate of others. As a writer, you must learn the rules of hyphenation. So let's start with this observation:Nearly all words formed with prefixes are not hyphena...

Prefix Words - Exceptions to the Rule

Important ExceptionsThere are some exceptions to the basic rule that prefix words do not include the hyphen: Root word is capitalized. Root word is a date. Hyphenate to avoid ambiguity. Root consists of two words. Root and prefix share identical lett...

Hyphens and Compound Words

IntroductionIn chapter 3 of the eBook Understanding the Parts of Speech, you’ll learn about compound adjectives, those multiword, often made-up adjectives that enliven our writing. Compound adjectives are also called “phrasal adjectives.”We als...

Hyphens and Compound Nouns

Most Not HyphenatedMost compound nouns are not hyphenated: master builder fellow employee attorney general Complete WordsOthers have migrated and become complete words, spelled as one word, with no hyphen: headache checkbook boardinghouse clearinghou...

Hyphens and Compound Adjectives

Introduction to the Complicated Topic of Hyphenating Phrasal AdjectivesSome general observations should help you understand the principles behind the rule on hyphenating compound adjectives and therefore increase the likelihood of correct hyphenation...

Compound Adjectives - Decision to Hyphenate

Facilitate ReadingWe hyphenate words to facilitate reading and prevent ambiguity. For example, one rule says to hyphenate adjectives formed by a noun plus an -ing verb when it comes before the noun. Thus: thought-provoking article interest-bearing lo...

Made-Up Adjectives

Pay special attention to those compound adjectives you make up. Most people incorrectly leave out the hyphens: product-liability lawsuit employment-discrimination claim sexual-harassment suit child-support payments  Previous: Compound Adjectives...

Compound Adjectives and -ly Adverbs

Never HyphenatedAlso pay special attention to compounds formed with an adverb ending in ‑ly followed by a past participle, present participle, or other adjective. These compounds are never hyphenated: widely used procedure (-ly adverb + past partic...

Compound Adjectives - A Long List

Here, for your reference, is a long list of the most frequently encountered types of compound adjectives and the rules on hyphenation. When in doubt, always check the dictionary. Compound Adjective Formed With Rule on Hyphenation Example all Alw...

Combining Various Parts of Speech

You will also form compound adjectives by combining various parts of speech. Here's the way hyphenation works: Combining   Parts of Speech Rule on   Hyphenation Example adjective + noun with -ed suffix Hyphenate before noun, open after noun. s...

Chapter 11 - Apostrophe

The apostrophe is used to show (1) possessives of nouns and some pronouns, (2) contractions, and (3) some plurals.Possessives of Singular Nouns Use an "apostrophe ‑s" to form the possessive of a singular noun, even if that singular noun ends in a...

Apostrophes Form Contractions

Use the apostrophe to form contractions. Though contractions rarely show up in formal writing, a well-placed one now and then can have a positive effect. I use them all the time (you've probably noticed): can't won't don't  Previous: Chapter 11 ...

Apostrophes Form a Narrow Class of Plurals

Use "apostrophe ‑s" to form plurals only when absolutely necessary. Use just an ‑s (or ‑es) to form the plurals of dates, acronyms, and families: She longed for the 1960s. The investors contributed to their IRAs. The Elmores came for dinner. Bu...

Chapter 12 - Quotation Marks

IntroductionBefore we get to the use of quotation marks to show direct quotation, let's look briefly at some special uses of the mark.Irony or Sarcasm In speech, you'll often see people use their hands to show that they're putting the word in quotati...

Rules on Direct Quotation

Many writers violate rules governing the use of quotation marks. They mix up the rules on which of the other punctuation marks go inside or outside the ending quotation marks. You'll find independent treatment of this issue in each chapter on each ma...

Period Goes Inside Quotation Marks

The period goes inside the closing quotations marks. Ed said, "Here is a sentence with the period properly placed inside the ending quotation marks." (Period goes inside.)  Previous: Rules on Direct QuotationNext: Comma Goes Inside...

Comma Goes Inside

The comma goes inside the closing quotations marks. According to the editor, writers make mistakes in "quoting from research sources," "using too many quotations," and "putting punctuation marks in the wrong places." (Commas go inside; period goes in...