Punctuation is easy. Learn the basics
There are so many different forms of punctuation, and they all do different — but sometimes similar — things. If you struggle to know when to use a ‘,’ over a ‘;’ then keep on reading!
Comma ,
Let’s start off simple. The comma is used to separate sections of the same sentence and create a slight pause in speech. There are numerous reasons to use a comma, but these are the main ones you will encounter:
- Using a comma before any coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, for, so, yet) that connects two independent statements. Let’s take the example: “Today Mum went shopping, and she forgot the milk.” In this sentence you have two independent statements joined together by the coordinating conjunctions “Today Mum went shopping” (and) “She forgot the milk”. If we took away the “and” both clauses still make sense by themselves which is why we add the comma.
2. We use commas to separate items in a list like in the following: “For Bobby’s party we needed some clowns, balloons, and cake.” The commas work to separate each noun so they are their own independent item.
The final comma in this list is called the Oxford comma, and it is often the cause of controversy on the internet. The Oxford comma is used between the last two items on the list to completely differentiate between clauses. Here is the above example without an Oxford comma: “For Bobby’s party we needed some clowns, balloons and cake.” Check with your tutor or reference guide whether you need to use the Oxford comma.
3. After introductory adverbs: “Sadly, we needed the milk for Bobby’s party.” Perhaps the most commonly used comma a student will use when writing their essays, and it is often found at the start of a new paragraph. The adverb in the sentence describes why or how the following clause is reacting.
[ Brackets ] and ( Parenthesis )
People often overuse parenthesis but don’t use brackets enough — no, brackets aren’t the curved ones — so here is why they’re different, and how you should use them.
Brackets are used to make a side note or stage instruction to the reader. You often see them in screenplays, essays, newspapers, and magazines. Often a writer will use them to add more detail that wasn’t originally included; “Bobby hated them [the clowns].”
As a student you will often use brackets when quoting something that has a spelling mistake made by the person you are referencing. For example: “Jane Austen’s book ‘Love and Freindship’ [sic]…” sic stands for ‘sic erat scriptum’ which is Latin for ‘thus it had been written’, and including it inside a set of brackets shows that you are making a note to the reader that Jane Austen mistitled the book herself.
Parenthesis are slightly different to brackets, but they are similar. You use a parenthesis when you want to add non-vital information to your sentence. Anything you put inside of parenthesis should still make sense if you removed them; “Mum felt guilty that the clowns (Happy and Clappy) made Bobby cry.”
Colons :
Colons and semicolons are very different, and once you learn how they work you’ll see that they are not interchangeable. You use a colon when you want to make a list, or to say “this following clause is what I’m referring to.” As a student you are likely to use colons before quoting some speech.
Here are some examples (which is also an exmaple):
“Things we need for Bobby’s party: Milk, Balloons, Cake, and
Clowns.”
“Freddy told me: ‘Bobby doesn’t like clowns.’”
Semicolons ;
We’ve finally reached the biggest conundrum of the punctuation world. Hop on to your favourite search engine and you’ll see that the semicolon is the most searched for punctuation mark. A lot of teachers tell their students “If you don’t know how to use it, don’t use it at all”, which is a shame because when used correctly the semicolon can really make a sentence (well, two actually.)
If we break the semicolon down, it’s a comma and a period. This gives you an idea of how it preforms; the semicolon is both a pause and a complete sentence. A semicolon is used to connect two stand alone clauses, to separate items in a complex list, or to separate main clauses connected by a conjunctive adverb. The pitfall many writers experience is when to use a comma or a semicolon.
Here are the three examples of when to use a semicolon:
“Bobby doesn’t like clowns; Justine thinks they’re funny.”
“Bobby had friends come from Balham, London; Kettering, Northampton; and Baglan, Port Talbot.”
“Bobby ate too much ice-cream; consequently he was sick.”
