Semicolon

• The semicolon is used to separate major sentence elements of equal grammatical rank.
• The semicolon is used between closely related independent clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction.
  • Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.
• The semicolon is used between independent clauses linked with a transitional expression.
  • Many teams were equally matched; in fact, any of them could have won the tournament.
  • I should have chosen Michigan State to win the tournament; however, I foolishly pinned my hopes on Ohio State.
• The semicolon is used between items in a series containing internal punctuation.
  • Duke University in Chapel Hill, NC; the University of Maryland in College Park, MD; and Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI all have strong basketball programs.

Colon

• The colon is used to primarily call attention to the words that follow it.
• The colon is used after an independent clause to direct attention to a list, an appositive, or a quotation.
  • I enjoy many hobbies: watching basketball, knitting, and quilting, to name a few.
  • Consider the words of John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Apostrophe

• The apostrophe is used to indicate that a noun is possessive, that is, to indicate ownership.
• If the noun does not end in s, add ‘s
  • The driver’s side
  • The children’s money
• If the noun is plural and ends in s, add only the apostrophe
  • Both diplomats’ briefcases
• Use an apostrophe to mark contractions
  • It’s = it is
  • Can’t = can not

Quotation marks

• Quotation marks are used to enclose direct quotations.
  • “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.
• Single quotation marks are used to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
  • According to Paul Eliott, Eskimo hunters “chant an ancient magic song to the seal they are after: ‘Beast of the sea! Come and place yourself before me in the early morning!”
• Quotation marks are used around the titles of newspaper and magazine articles, poems, short stories, songs, episodes of television and radio programs, and chapters or subdivisions of books.

Question mark

• A question mark completes a direct question.
  • What is the horsepower of your new truck?
• A polite question written in the form or a question is usually followed by a question mark, although usage varies.
  • Would you please send me your catalog of lilies?
  • Would you please send me your catalog of lilies.

Exclamation point

• An exclamation point is used after a word group or sentence that expresses exceptional feeling or deserves special emphasis.
  • Do not overuse the exclamation point!!!

Dash

• The dash is used to set off parenthetical material that deserves emphasis.
  • Everything that went wrong – from cutting my hand to losing the cat – was blamed on our move.
• The dash is used to set off appositives that contain commas.
  • In my hometown the basic needs of people – food, clothing, and shelter – are less costly than in Los Angeles.
• The dash is used to prepare for a list, a restatement, an amplification, or a dramatic shift in tone or thought.
• Use the dash sparingly. It is better to emphasize the ideas by using strong verbs rather than the dash.

Parentheses

• Parentheses enclose supplemental material, minor digressions, and afterthoughts.
  • After taking her temperature, pulse, and blood pressure (routine vital signs), the nurse made Becky as comfortable as possible.
  • The weights James was able to move (not lift, mind you) were measured in ounces.
    
• Use parentheses sparingly. The information contained within the parentheses is easily ignored; it is a whisper to the reader. If the information is important enough to be in the piece, it probably needs to be integrated into the text.
  • After taking the routine vital signs of temperature, pulse, and blood pressure, the nurse made Becky as comfortable as possible.
  • The weights James was able to not lift but move were measured in ounces.