Advice and Articles tagged with punctuation
Are You Confused by Hyphenation?
Are hyphens causing havoc in your humanities papers? Have dashes destroyed your dissertation? Don't let punctuation puzzle you any longer; We are here to help. Continued...
Beginners Guide to Punctuation
Punctuation marks may not seem important, but they are. Without correct usage of punctuation, the meaning of a sentence can be lost. This podcast will highlight the basic rules of English language punctuation. Continued...
Full Stops: A How-To Guide
If you’re North American, you may be wondering what exactly full stops are—here’s a hint, there is one at the end of this sentence. This is the main function of full stops, or periods: marking the end of a sentence. Continued...
Homophone Worksheet: Think You Understand Homophones?
In our article on homophones, we discussed what they are and helped explain the differences between them. Now, it's time for you to try our homophone worksheet to test your homophone knowledge! Continued...
How to Use Apostrophes Correctly
The apostrophe may be the most abused punctuation mark in the English language so let's examine some of the rules that dictate when apostrophes are used and where they should be placed in a word. Continued...
How to Use Brackets (Parentheses) Properly
Writers, have you ever found yourselves with a great deal of important information that you want to include in a sentence, but have difficulty finding a spot for all of it? Fitting everything into a sentence can be tricky—this is where brackets are useful. Brackets (parentheses) are punctuation marks used to include information within sentences that is not essential to the main point. Continued...
How to Use Quotation Marks
If you thought the first article about quotation marks was a non-stop ride of grammatical thrills and chills, hold on to your hats because part two features even more explosions of grammatical greatness! And now, without further ado, we are proud to present Quotations Marks: How to Use Quotation Marks. Continued...
Punctuation Marks
In “Understanding Punctuation,” we covered some of the most common punctuation marks used in English writing. Now, let’s look at a few more punctuation marks in further detail. Continued...
Quotation Marks: How to Format Quotation Marks
Who knew formatting quotation marks was so complicated? In order to help you navigate their subtle nuances and unpredictability, Scribendi.com has compiled a list of rules to help you properly format quotation marks. Continued...
Quotation Marks: When to Use Double or Single Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are often confusing to ESL writers unfamiliar with English grammar and punctuation rules. When to use double or single quotation marks is even trickier. However, there's no need to be embarrassed—these upside down commas sometimes confuse even the most seasoned English writers! Continued...
Stumped by Exclamation Marks?
The exclamation mark is arguably one of the most controversial pieces of English punctuation. Some writers love them; others hate them. The editors at Scribendi.com offer advice on when to use exclamation marks and when to avoid using them. Continued...
The Comma—Part One: What is a Comma
The comma is the most important punctuation mark for ensuring clarity in a sentence, but it is often incorrectly used. Follow our helpful comma rules to ensure you are using commas correctly. Continued...
The Comma—Part Two: Using Commas
In our earlier article we learned that commas remove ambiguity and ensure that the reader understands the meaning the author wants to convey. Let's continue looking at some additional grammatical constructions that call for comma usage. Continued...
The Functions of Conjunctions
Conjunctions are an integral part of the English language. If used properly, they can improve almost any type of writing. Conjunctions help create better sentences. However, using them incorrectly, or not using them at all, can create choppy and incoherent writing. This article will explain what conjunctions are and how to properly use them in your writing. Continued...
The Question Mark: How and When to Use It
The question mark has a very simple function in writing–it indicates a question. If a sentence ends with a question mark, then it is asking a question, just as the name suggests. Continued...
The Semicolon and Colon
While the comma indicates the smallest interruption in thought and the period provides a complete break, the semicolon and colon fall somewhere in between. Continued...
Understanding Punctuation
Words are words and those annoying little punctuation marks can't be that important...can they? Scribendi.com's editors offer solutions to common punctuation errors. Continued...
Using Dashes: En Dash, Em Dash, 2 Em Dash, or 3 Em Dash?
If you’re confused about the various types of dashes and when to use them, you’re not alone. Figuring out whether to use an en dash, em dash, 2 em dashes, or even, gasp!, 3 em dashes can be confusing. Let’s take a look at the different types of dashes and when to use these little punctuation marks. Continued...
