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Punctuation TipsRead these 16 Punctuation Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Writing tips and hundreds of other topics. Become a Guru or Become an Advertiser.
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Multi-word describersWhen you use several words to modify a noun, those words must be hyphenated. For example, all of these words--"I," "don't," and "care"--are used as an adjective phrase to describe attitude in this sentence: "He has an I-don't-care attitude." PossessivesContrary to what many of us were taught in school, if a singular noun ends in an "s," it still gets an extra "s" added after the apostrophe if you pronounce the extra "s." Examples: If it is difficult to pronounce the extra "s," then you only add an apostrophe. Examples: Question Marks to Indicate a Question Within a SentenceWhen a short direct question falls within a sentence, the question is set off by commas and a question mark is used at the end of the sentence. Example: jobs by
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ParenthesesIf a parenthetical phrase falls within a sentence, the ending period, or other punctuation, should be placed outside the ending parenthesis; however, if the parenthetical phrase follows a complete sentence (after a period), the period for the parenthetical phrase goes inside the ending parenthesis. Ex: Your account value is determined by multiplying the number of shares by that day's closing price (net asset value). Punctuation With Quotation MarksPeriods and commas always go INSIDE the closing quotation mark. Commas With AbbreviationsThe abbreviations for "etc.," "i.e.," and "e.g." and the abbreviations for academic degrees are parenthetic and should be punctuated accordingly. Examples: Compound PossessivesTo determine how to punctuate a compound possessive, first determine ownership. If two people own something jointly: If two people both own separate things: Miscellaneous Possessivesdriver's license Hyphens and Compound NounsNote the following differences: I am writing as a follow-up to ... 1999 tax year The explanation? A compound noun becomes hyphenated when used as an adjective. All-Caps AbbreviationsThese normally do not require abbreviations: IBM Spacing After PeriodsWe were taught in typing class to space twice after a period at the end of the sentence. That's correct for a typewriter. However, most of us use computers with proportional characters. In that case, you only space once after the period. To see examples of monospacing (which gets two spaces after a period) and proportional characters (one space), compare two common fonts. Introductory ClausesA colon is used after an introductory clause that contains a complete thought and will be followed by a list. To reregister the account, we must receive the following documentation: a copy of your divorce decree, a completed application, and written instructions from you. HyphensWords gradually evolve from two words to hyphenated to one word. For example: bell boy, bell-boy, bellboy. Use a dictionary to determine the correct form. If it is not listed in the dictionary, assume two words. Abbreviations: Academic Degrees & Religious OrdersAbbreviations of academic degrees (and religious orders) require a period after each element in the abbreviation but no internal space. B.S. Plural Possessiveschildren's accounts (NEVER childrens' accounts) |
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