The Punctuation Collection: Periods, Commas, Colons, and---of course---Semicolons.

Though most of us enter an undergraduate program with more than ten years of writing experience, it’s not uncommon for our essays to be returned to us chock-full of corrections. Comma-splice comments here, incorrect semi-colon use there, each and every choice we make as punctuators must be noted and judged, and often quite harshly. While the impact of these errors on the content you’ve worked so hard on is infantismal, their effect on your grade can pack a real wallop.

At The Draft, we believe the substance in a paper (or presentation, or speech) is far more important than the author’s ability to differentiate between en-dashes and em-dashes or colons and semi-colons. What matters is the content, and our motto reflects that. “No red pens here” is more than a fun tagline, it speaks to the values of the Writing Center. Unfortunately, it cannot speak for every reader of every text you will write. While we may be incapable of teaching those readers to treasure content above form, we can do our best to teach you the proper uses of the many punctuating tools available to you, and this collection seeks to do just that.

Thanks to the Writing Center champions who came before us, this collection does not begin at zero. Instead, guides are already available to provide tips and tricks for properly implementing punctuational basics. Articles on the period, comma, semi-colon, and colon are readily available to you below, and we hope to add to this catalog as The Draft grows.

-Garrett T. Ray | Executive Editor

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The Period

Periods are one of the most common types of punctuation marks. Most papers contain hundreds of them. We all know that periods are supposed to come after a sentence and signal it is finished. The difficulty is not so much in the definition as it is in the actual usage. What exactly makes a sentence? When should you use a semi-colon? Does your sentence need a question mark?

In the following post, I will talk about when to use periods in your paper by describing a few of the most common times they are needed.

After a Complete Sentence (and before the next one)

A complete sentence contains a subject and a verb, and potentially a few other phrases describing that subject and verb as well. Periods should be placed after a complete sentence, meaning that you can’t put a period after just a subject or just a verb, or any phrase containing them. For example, the following is not a sentence: enjoying the dinner. There is no subject describing who is enjoying the meal, so there isn’t a sentence. Also, consider this phrase: The delicious soup on the table, steaming and hot. In this case, there is no verb.

Additionally, you should end your sentence with a period before you have too many subject-verb combos between it and the capital letter at the beginning. Combining more than a few sentences into one is confusing and wordy. While many of your sentences will be complex (contain more than one subject and verb), there is a limit to how many can correctly be in one sentence.

After a Statement

Periods should be positioned after sentences that state information. In most academic writing, this type of sentence will be the majority of what you will write. However, some sentences require a question mark instead, or even (in rare cases) an exclamation point. For formal reports and technical writing, basically, the only way to end a sentence is with a period.

For creative writing and less formal essays, there will be some exceptions. Take this sentence: “You might ask: why should you study English?”. In this case, you are asking your readers something, which requires a question mark. Or look at the following sentence: “The results are amazing!”. When you are really trying to emphasize the exciting nature of any information, an exclamation point may be used, with the caveat that overuse makes your paper look sloppy. One or two per paper is a good rule of thumb, unless your professor tells you otherwise.

After a Few Clauses in a Sentence

Finally, periods should be used after a few clauses have been added to your sentence. You should never overload your sentence with modifiers, even if there is only one subject and verb. For example, look at the following sentence: “She chose to run to the right, behind the tree that shaded the area and above the concrete pad behind the house at the corner of the street.” There is too much content in this sentence to allow it to actually make sense. It would be clearer if the information were divided into several different chunks that ended with a period, instead of just one.

Base: Hayli K.

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The Comma

The comma is one of the most common punctuation marks, but it is also one of the easiest to misuse or leave out, likely because commas have so many functions. Unlike the period, which only ever finishes sentences, commas can do many things. They are required by grammatical rules in many situations. Here are four common uses for a comma.

Combining Two Independent Clauses with a Conjunction

One of the primary things a comma does, along with a conjunction, is connect two complete thoughts into one sentence. The most commonly used conjunctions can be easily remembered with the acronym FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. The comma is placed directly before the conjunction. For example, take the following sentence:

It is snowing outside, so the roads are bad.

Notice that the two thoughts in the sentence, “it is snowing outside” and “the roads are bad,” are both independent clauses, meaning that they could stand on their own. In combining them, you would use the comma/conjunction pair.

After Introductory Phrases

Commas are also commonly placed after an introductory word or phrase. Words that may be set off with a comma include however, therefore, consequently, next, etc. Introductory phrases can often be recognized starting with words like when, since, although, in, according to, for, at, etc. These phrases commonly answer questions like who, where, and when to clarify the content of the rest of the sentence. For example, just look at the introductory phrase at the beginning of this sentence!

Direct Quotations

Direct quotes also require commas before them in most cases. This can occur in a creative paper in dialogue or in a more factual paper when stating the exact words of a source. There is often a phrase before the quote called a speech tag that describes the speaker or source with a name or other relevant information. The comma goes right after the speech tag. Take the following sentences:

She said, “There’s been a lot of snow this winter.”

Psychology Today states, “Getting outside is good for your mental health.”

Notice the speech tags “she said” and “Psychology Today states,” followed by the comma. Commas would also be used if the speech tag occurred in the middle of the quotation or after the quotation, like this:

“Ms. Roland,” the student called, “I don’t understand this.”

“When the time rings, pull the cookies out of the oven,” he instructed.

Offsetting Additional Information

Finally, commas can also be used to set off non-essential parts of a sentence, like appositives or other phrases. This information could be left out of the sentence without the meaning being changed, but it adds clarifying details when included. The phrases can describe the preceding part of the sentence, or they can rename the subject, as in the case of an appositive. A description could look like this:

The snow, which is about three feet deep, has lasted for several weeks.

Notice the non-essential phrase “which is about three feet deep.” This information is not necessary to understand that the snow has lasted for a while, but it does add to the sentence. An appositive would look like the following:

Snow, a northern winter staple, has become less common in some parts of the country.

Notice how the noun phrase “a northern winter staple” renames the word “snow.” While the phrase is not required in the sentence, it does help further define the subject.

Commas are a prevalent punctuation mark and can be difficult to use. However, with a few rules in mind, your writing can be both grammatically correct and much more interesting. Hopefully, this breakdown of some of the most common comma uses will help you with your own writing!

Base: Hayli K.

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The Colon

Colons and semicolons are two pieces of punctuation that are often confused and misused in writing. The inclusion of these types of punctuation can help add variety and flavor to your writing; however, misusing them can weaken your clarity and credibility. In order to include either a colon or a semicolon, it is important to know the difference between the two and the uses for each. In this post, we’ll be discussing colons. For semicolons, check out this post!

The colon, which consists of two dots stacked on top of each other, has three basic uses:

Introduce Examples or Lists

A colon is often used to introduce lists or examples of nouns/noun phrases or quotations. These three categories often overlap and have similar usages. It is important to note that in order to use a colon to introduce an example or a list, the part preceding the colon must be a complete and logical sentence on its own, as in the following example:

List:

I went to the bookstore to buy several things for my art class: a sketchpad, paintbrushes, and acrylic paint.

Noun/Noun Phrase:

For the holidays, I got what I most wanted: time with my family.

Quotation:

Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

If the part of the sentence preceding the colon cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence, then you should typically omit the colon. In the following examples, the parts of the sentences that come before the example or list are not complete sentences and would not need a colon:

Descartes said, after all, “I think, therefore I am.”

At the store, they bought ingredients for bread, cookies, and pies.

In addition, there are some words and phrases that can also help introduce a list or example. Typically, when any of the following or similar words or phrases are included, a colon would not be used:

Taylor plans to travel to several different countries, such as Australia, Brazil, and China

Like- Classic authors like Charlotte Brontë, Sylvia Plath, and Zora Neale Hurston inspire me to write.

Including- There are many different types of pies, including pumpkin, cherry, and pecan.

Especially, Justice wanted to visit all the museums, especially the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of African American History and Culture.

Most notably, Norfolk is near a number of popular beaches, most notably Virginia Beach, Pine Beach, and Willoughby Beach.

To Join Independent Clauses

Another way you can use a colon is to join two independent clauses together, rather than having them as two separate sentences. This usually happens when the second clause accentuates the first one in some way. The second clause will typically offer further explanation or a summary of the first. Here’s an example:

The blue whale is not a fish: it is the largest known mammal to ever exist.

This form of the colon should be used sparingly, as repeated use of this form may make your writing seem choppy. You may consider using this form of the colon along with other structures to help diversify your sentence variety.

Specific Writing Conventions

There are a few other situations in standard American English where the colon is typically used.

Time: When telling time, colons are typically used to separate each unit of time. For example, if you wanted to explain that the fastest woman at the 2019 Chicago marathon was Brigid Kosgei with a time of two hours, fourteen minutes, and four seconds, you could write the time as 2:14:04.

Bible Verses: When citing a verse from the Bible, a colon is typically used between the chapter and verse number, which both come after the book title. For example, Luke 6:31 says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Introducing Subtitles: When a title has a subtitle, a colon generally goes between the two. For example, just check out the title of this post!

Formal Letters: After the salutation in a formal letter, you will want to use a colon, which would look like this:

To Whom It May Concern:

In less formal letters, the colon can be replaced with a comma.

All in all, accurately using colons can make your writing easier to read and more pleasant to look at. We at the Writing Center hope that these tips can help you. Good luck, and happy writing!

Base: Seth Cureton and Lindsey Greene

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The Semicolon

The semicolon is a fairly well-known piece of punctuation; however, many people struggle with using it grammatically. Although it tends to seem complicated, the semicolon is actually fairly easy to use. The semicolon, which looks like a comma with a dot above it, has two fairly common uses.

Joining Two Sentences

A semicolon can be used to join two independent clauses together. Independent clauses can stand as their own sentences. A semicolon can go between the two independent clauses to form one sentence, in the same place as the first period if you were to keep them as separate sentences. For example, these two sentences are both independent clauses:

I need to study. I have a big test tomorrow.

The two sentences can be combined into the following:

I need to study; I have a big test tomorrow.

Semicolons go in the middle of a sentence and do not end the sentence; therefore, whatever comes after the semicolon should not be capitalized unless it is a proper noun. Also, semicolons can only connect two independent clauses together. For example, you could have the following sentences:

I went to the beach. It was hot. I got sunburnt.

You could use a semicolon in either of the two ways:

I went to the beach; it was hot. I got sunburnt.

Or

I went to the beach. It was hot; I got sunburnt.

You cannot use semicolons both after “beach” and after “hot” at the same time, as that would be connecting three clauses.

There are a few reasons why you may want to use a semicolon instead of having two separate sentences. First, using the occasional semicolon can offer sentence variety, making your writing more interesting and engaging. Second, the use of a semicolon implies a close relationship between the two sentences. Saying “I went to the store; I bought a lot of food” can use a semicolon because going to the store and buying food are closely related.

You may want to keep an eye out for a few keywords that, especially when they appear in the middle of a sentence, often indicate the need for a semicolon. Words like “however” and “therefore” often accompany a semicolon. “However” implies a contradictory relationship, while “therefore” implies a causal relationship, which you can see in the following examples:

The book was really good; however, the ending felt a bit rushed.

They left before us; therefore, they arrived first.

It is important to note that, while words like “however” and “therefore” often accompany a semicolon, they do not always require one. Only use a semicolon if these keywords are between two independent clauses, meaning that you can separate the parts before and after into two separate sentences.

Lists

The other major use for semicolons is in lists. You may be a bit confused, thinking that commas are used for lists, and you’re not wrong. Commas typically are used for lists; however, semicolons are used for lists when using commas would be confusing. In other words, if one more of the items on your list already has a comma in it, you would want to use a semicolon to separate each item so that you can use the comma within the single item.

A common example of this would be place names. Let’s say you are going on a road trip, and the list below represents all the places where you plan to stop:

• Chicago, Illinois

• Santa Claus, Indiana

• Sandusky, Ohio

• Traverse City, Michigan

  
  

As you can see, there are already commas between the cities and the states. If you were to list these locations only using commas, then it would be unclear as to whether you were making four or eight stops. To avoid any confusion, you would keep the commas between the city and the state and use semicolons between each place, like so:

You plan to stop in Chicago, Illinois; Santa Claus, Indiana; Sandusky, Ohio; and Traverse City, Michigan.

While place names are a common example, you can use semicolons for lists anytime the use of commas would lead to confusion.

Hopefully, this breakdown of semicolons can help you strengthen and improve your writing. If you have any questions about semicolons or how to use them, the Writing Center consultants are always willing to help!

Base: Lindsey Greene

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We at The Draft are thrilled to share this special punctuation collection with you! These pieces come straight from the Draft Archives, and while we’ve made light edits to bring them together more smoothly, we’ve kept the unique styles that make each writer’s voice shine. :)

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