COOL ENGLISH

COOL RULE 1

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION SONG

Effective punctuation is an essential part of good writing. It is not an optional extra. It is to writing what volume, tone, gestures and so on are to speaking. It helps you to make your point. It adds to your meaning. Sometimes, as in the following examples, it completely changes the meaning of your words: David says Eleni is strange. (Davids opinion is that Eleni is strange.) David, says Eleni, is strange. (Elenis opinion is that David is strange.) They are my brothers. (Those people are my brothers.) They are my brothers. (Those things belong to my brothers.) They are my brothers. (Those things belong to my brother.) He ran to the shop. (He ran to the shop.) He ran to the shop? (Did he run to the shop?) Good writers use punctuation as carefully as they use words.

COOL RULE 2

A clear trend is emerging in the way punctuation is used in English. If you look at a magazine or newspaper from the 1950s you will see longer, more heavily punctuated sentences than you tend to see today. There is greater emphasis today, in all forms of writing, on simplicity of expression. We tend to write shorter sentences, use simpler words, and use punctuation only where it adds to our meaning. We tend to delete any element in a sentence that is not absolutely necessary. For example, a sentence like: Abraham was born on Monday, 23rd of August, 1958. is more likely today to be written as: Abraham was born on Monday 23 August 1958. The commas and other elements removed from the original version add nothing to the sentences meaning. By removing them we make the sentence shorter, less cluttered, and easier to read. Before using any punctuation mark, satisfy yourself that it will add to your meaning. If you decide to use it, make sure you use it correctly.

COOL RULE 3

As shown in Cool Rule 2, the way punctuation is used changes over time. The authorities disagree on some matters, and it can be hard to find definitive instructions. The most important rule of punctuation is to be consistent. If you use a particular punctuation mark in one way in one sentence, use it in the same way in every other sentence. The following table provides detailed information on the most common punctuation marks used in English.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 1 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
APOSTROPHE
PURPOSE
To show that someone or something in a group of words owns something else in the same groups of words.

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

(DOUBLE)
EXAMPLE
Natalies shoe Andrews mandolin is out of tune. James work is excellent.

SYMBOL NOTE

When the owning word ends in the letter s, an apostrophe - nothing else - should be added to the end of the word. If the owning word ends in a letter other than s, an apostrophe and an s (s) should be added to the end of the word. Apostrophes are never added to the pronouns his, hers, its, ours, yours or theirs, because these words already imply ownership. If there are two or more owners, the apostrophe is added to the last owner only (John and Janes shop). It is increasingly common for apostrophes to be omitted in the names of streets, places, brands, businesses and other organisations (State Teachers College). Avoid using an apostrophe in abbreviations (QCs, GPs) and with numbers (1980s, four 10s) unless omission would lead to confusion (the class of 84). See The Apostrophe Song for more information.

To indicate that a word you are using is a contraction of other words.

Ive for I have Shes for she is

The apostrophe in contractions usually indicates the dropping of letters (Ive, shell). Note, however, that there are also irregular contractions, such as shant from shall not and wont from will not.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 2 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
COLON
PURPOSE
To introduce a list.

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

(DOUBLE)
EXAMPLE
We need five different vegetables for the recipe: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beans, corn. Today we will focus on three things: punctuation spelling sentence structure.

SYMBOL NOTE

To introduce an example or examples. To introduce an explanation.

I like big cities: New York, Tokyo, Bangkok. The reasons are clear: I was tired and I was homesick.

To introduce a long portion of direct speech.

The Prime Minister declared: We must act now, for to delay is to expose ourselves to a high degree of risk, and great uncertainty.

Shorter quotations are normally introduced by a comma rather than a colon.

To introduce a subtitle. To indicate a ratio. In the United States, a colon is normally placed after the greeting at the start of a letter.

Australia: A Brief History. We are using a scale of 1:10. Dear Mr Smith:

COMMA
PURPOSE
To indicate additional information an introduction, an aside, a qualification, or additional description - in a sentence that is complete without it. The additional information might be at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

(DOUBLE)
EXAMPLE
Martin, as always, was late. It is possible, despite the loss, that our team will finish on top. Exhausted, Natalie collapsed on the bed. Brimming with confidence, we took our place at the starting line.

SYMBOL NOTE

Commas must be placed before and after the additional information if it appears in the middle of a sentence, and after the additional information if it appears at the beginning of a sentence. Commas are not used when additional information appears at the end of a sentence (Natalie collapsed on the bed exhausted).

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 3 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
COMMA
PURPOSE
(See previous page)

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

(DOUBLE)
EXAMPLE SYMBOL NOTE
Dashes or parentheses are sometimes used instead of commas when the additional information appears in the middle of a sentence, especially if the additional information has commas of its own. It is not always necessary to use commas (or dashes or parentheses) in the situations described above. Use your judgment. Do they make your meaning clearer?

CONT.

To separate and emphasise items in a list, or a series of descriptive terms.

It was a cold, windy day. She sang in a clear, soft, beautiful voice. Trophies were given to the teams from Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Canada and France. The canteen will provide tea and coffee, crackers and dips, and fruit platters.

If the descriptive terms form a single descriptive unit (She was a good little girl), commas are not needed. Some authorities suggest that a comma should be used before the and that introduces the last term in a list (Pakistan, Canada, and France). Others insist that a comma is needed only if its omission might confuse (Gilbert and Sullivan, Lennon and McCartney, and Schumann). Use your own judgment. If the comma makes your message clearer, use it.

To separate independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet). To prevent a connection being made between words that are not meant to be connected.

We rose in good spirits, for we had slept well. The piano is okay for a hobby Ludvig, but it wont get you a job. Please dont hide, Sarah. Tell me about your problem, child.

A comma is not needed if the independent clauses are short and closely related (It was cold and it was wet). Take out the commas and see the difference they make to the meaning of these sentences.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 4 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
COMMA

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
The team captain said, This is our last chance, and we must take it. We can discuss this all night, he said, but we have to make a decision.

CONT.

PURPOSE
To introduce a short quotation.

NOTE
A longer quotation should be introduced by a colon.

DASH
PURPOSE
To emphasise a word or phrase at the end of a sentence.

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
Only one person could fix the problem I had created - me. The old house, the smell of jasmine, voices in the distance - I was home.

NOTE

To indicate additional information an aside, a qualification, or additional description - in a sentence that is complete without it.

He arrived - as I knew he would without the necessary papers.

Commas and parentheses are used for the same purpose. A pair of dashes tends to emphasise the additional information more effectively, but too many dashes in a piece of writing can be off-putting for the reader.

To link related words or numbers in a sentence.

The war of 1914-8. The London-Glasgow line. The relevant papers are in folios 45-63.

ELLIPSIS
PURPOSE
To indicate that, for brevity, words have been left out of a quotation.

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
The future of the company ... is assured.

...

NOTE
Be sure that you dont distort the original meaning of the statement. Use the ellipsis only to remove irrelevant passages.

To indicate an unfinished sentence or hesitant speech.

I was hoping ... er ... I was wondering if ...

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 5 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
EXCLAMATION MARK
PURPOSE
To convey strong feeling.

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
Im shocked! How could you!

NOTE
Avoid using more than one exclamation mark (!!).

FULL STOP ( stop, period, point )

PURPOSE
To indicate that a word has been abbreviated.

SYMBOL NOTE

EXAMPLE
T. Smith (for Tom Smith) approx. (for approximately)

It is increasingly common to omit full stops in some abbreviations. Use your judgment, but be consistent.

To indicate the end of a sentence.

Glyn has a good ear for music. He is very talented.

See also: Question Mark, Exclamation Mark.

To indicate a decimal point.

0.75 2.4 kilometres

To indicate time.

3.25 pm 12.00 noon

To indicate a date.

26.9.1957

HYPHEN
PURPOSE
To join two or more single words to form a description that might otherwise be unclear or misleading. Twelve travel-weary individuals arrived safely.

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
She was wide-eyed and restless. He was a happy-go-lucky guy.

NOTE
Use hyphens only when you might otherwise mislead your reader. A series of hyphenated expressions can be a distraction, and with a little effort you can usually find a better way to say what you want to say.

To join a prefix with the word that follows.

Co-operative Ex-convict Pre-arranged

There is little consistency in the way this rule is used. It is common to read coordinate, cooperate etc. Use your own judgment, and be consistent.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 6 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
PARENTHESES ( rounded brackets )
PURPOSE
To indicate additional information an aside, a qualification, or additional description - in a sentence that is complete without it.

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

SYMBOL NOTE
Dashes and commas can be used for the same purpose.

( )

EXAMPLE
The owners of the house (who are overseas) have indicated that they are happy for the sale to proceed. I have a laptop computer (with in-built modem), a printer and a scanner.

PARENTHESES ( square brackets )

PURPOSE
Square brackets are used to add an explanatory note of your own to a direct quotation.

SYMBOL NOTE

[ ]

EXAMPLE
They [the owners] will be home within a month, he said.

QUESTION MARK
PURPOSE
To indicate the end of a sentence or statement that is a direct question. To indicate doubt about the validity of a piece of information. Charles Smith (1842? - 1901)

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
Was it you? Where to now?

NOTE

QUOTATION MARKS ( single )

PURPOSE
Single quotation marks are used to indicate direct speech.

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
Pass me the book, he said. If I could, she said, I surely would.

NOTE
The placement of punctuation marks in sentences that include quotations should be determined by whether the punctuation applies to the words quoted, or to the sentence as a whole. Note the placement of the second comma in the example below: If I could, I surely would, she said.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 7 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
QUOTATION MARKS ( single )
PURPOSE
(See previous page)

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

CONT.

SYMBOL NOTE

EXAMPLE

Authorities disagree about the placement of the full stop at the end of a quotation that finishes a sentence. Some insist that it should always be placed outside the quotation mark, as in the example below: If I could, she said, I surely would. Others argue that it relates to the quotation, and that it should be inside the quotation mark, as shown below: If I could, she said, I surely would. A sensible compromise is to place the full stop inside the quotation mark if the entire sentence is a quotation, as in: The future of the company is assured. but outside if the sentence includes any other elements: The future of the company, he said, is assured. Whichever rule you follow, be consistent.

Single quotation marks are used to indicate words spoken or written by others.

The newspaper headline screamed, Weve won!. Observers said the incident had been grossly exaggerated by the media.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 8 of 9

COOL ENGLISH
QUOTATION MARKS ( double )
PURPOSE
Double quotation marks are used to indicate words quoted within a statement that is itself within single quotation marks.

THE COOL RULES

THE PUNCTUATION TABLE

SYMBOL NOTE

EXAMPLE
Did I hear you say, No? she asked.

SEMICOLON
PURPOSE
To separate items in a list, or to make broad divisions between items, when the items themselves are punctuated with commas.

SYMBOL EXAMPLE
The Prime Minister introduced the Minister for Education, Ms Atrill; the Minister for Information Technology, Mr Jackson; and the Minister for Mines and Energy, Mr Barnett. They have offices in Singapore, New York and Canada; retail outlets in every continent; and a chain of cinemas in Australia, North America and South-East Asia.

NOTE

To join independent clauses in a sentence without using the conjunction and.

The days passed; my worries disappeared. The sun shone; the children played.

Cool Rules Pty Ltd 2000

www.coolrules.com

Page 9 of 9