User:Pikazilla

Punctuation

!!!Parentheses ()

Parentheses add extra information to a sentence. Parentheses do not affect the structure of the sentence outside of them, except that they are separated by spaces and the punctuation comes after the closing parentheses.

Examples:

• Phill studied (all day) for the test.
• I went to school with Becky (my best friend).
• After lunch (a tuna sandwich), I went to the gym.

!!!Brackets

!!!Brackets/Square Brackets []

Square Brackets add text to a quotation. This is because some sentences are nonsensical or have different meanings when written out of context.

Example:

• "We went [to the park] and had a good time."
  • The person said, "We went and had a good time." However, if the context is needed, then the brackets add the information that was not mentioned in the quotation.

Colon :

There are no universally accepted rules regarding if capitalization is needed after a colon, so long as your writing commits to the rule you follow consistently.

We do not use a colon to separate a preposition from its object.

• We went out for a meal with Bill, Jason, and Mary.
  • It would be incorrect to put a colon after "with" as it is a preposition.
• We went out for a meal with our friends: Bill, Jason, and Mary.
  • This is fine since while the colon is after a preposition, it is not immediately after it.

We do not use a colon after a verb.

• He likes eating bacon, pork, and beans.
• He likes eating many kinds of foods: bacon, pork, and beans.

We also do not use a colon after "such as" or "are".

List of Items

Introduces a list or series of items. Frequently used to replace certain words like "including" or "for example".

• Your homework is as follows: (1) read a book; (2) write an essay; (3) draw a picture.
• I like many kinds of music: rock, jazz, and country.
  • Could also be written differently if you don't want to use the colon.
    • I like many kinds of music, for example, rock, jazz, and country.

Clarifying a Clause

Can also be used to combine two independent clauses with the second clause summarizing or clarifying the first.

• I have a question: what are you doing here?

Can be used as a warning.

• Warning: highly toxic.
• Caution: hot surface.

Can be used to have the second clause be stronger or more impactful than if a semicolon is used instead.

• It rained all day: we are soaked.

Dialogue Scripts

Does not need "".

• Bob: Hi Mary.
• Mary: Hello Bob. How are you?

Ratios

• 4:3 monitor aspect ratio.
• 1:1:3 fat, sugar, and flour proportions.
• 20:1 gambling odds.
  • Same as the fraction 1/20 or 5%.

Other Colons

Time.

• 9:30

Replying to emails.

• RE: / FW:

Semicolon ;

Links two sentences together if the sentences are related to each other (also called "related clauses"), but does so in a way where it's not a full stop like a period but is a stronger break than a comma.

Can be used for run-on sentences (sentences that should be separated instead of being linked by a comma).

Since it's technically not the start of a new sentence, the first word after a semicolon is not capitalized.

Semicolons rarely are used with conjunctions since a comma is used instead. The only exception to this is if the conjunction word is entirely replaced by the semicolon. (see Conjunctions_(Fanboys) for more info)

Examples:

• Semicolons: At first, they may seem frightening; then, they become enlightening; finally, you'll find yourself falling for these delightful punctuation marks.
  • These semicolons can technically be replaced by commas or periods, but it disrupts the pacing as a result.

Sentences need to be related.

Examples:

• Hulk is green. I want a pizza.
• Hulk is green; a gamma bomb mutated him.

Can also be used for lists, especially instructions or if there are commas within the list items.

Examples:

• Over the last ten years, I've lived in Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Washington, D.C.
• Your homework is as follows: (1) read a book; (2) write an essay; (3) draw a picture.

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Quotation mark

https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/quotation-marks.html

!!!Double Quotation "

Used to quote.

If after a normal sentence that mentions who the character is and how they are speaking: requires a comma-space before the first quotation; then a capital letter (as if its a new sentence); then a sentence ending with punctuation; then an ending quotation. (British English has ending punctuation after the quotation)

• Examples:
  • (Killer Klowns)
    • Ringmaster shouts, "Let the show begin!" Send in the klowns, then let them do you in.

If the quote has a normal sentence after it, you put punctuation or comma between the last word and the last quotation mark.

• Examples:
  • "Let's go for a walk."
  • "Let's go for a walk," I said.
  • "Let's go for a walk." I said.
    • This is effectively the same sentence as the former, but with different pacing.

!!!Single Quotation '

Normally done when someone quotes someone else. This is to contrast double quotation marks.

Note: the first letter of the quoted-quote does need to be capitalized.

Examples: "Notice how the poem said 'With no sign,'" the teacher said.

Pauses & Breaks

Comma ,

Used to join elements of a sentence without a full stop.

A good tip for determining if a comma is unnecessary: try to read the sentence out loud with a longer beat (moment of quiet), and see if that makes the sentence sound awkward.

Many sentences don't need commas, and some sentences can be nonsensical if the comma is added.

• Let's eat, John.
  • Asking John to join you in having a meal.
• Let's eat John.
  • Suggesting that you are a cannibal who wants to eat John.

Pauses

• When reading, we insert a short pause for the comma.

Clauses

Separates clauses from the main sentence.

• One afternoon, they left for a picnic.
  • The sentence "they left for a picnic" doesn't need the first part of the sentence (the dependent clause) since that is an independent clause, but keeping that in can provide more detail.
• My friend, John, plays in a band.
  • This is an independent clause separated into two pieces with a dependent clause in the middle of it.
• How are you feeling today, Suzi?
• Paul, get out of bed!
• On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein was born.
  • The 2nd comma is exclusively used to separate the clauses. It has nothing to do with the first comma that indicates the date. The sentence "Albert Einstein was born" technically is grammatically correct on its own and so is an independent clause.

Tag Questions

Adding a question at the end of a sentence that isn't a question.

• It is important to you, isn't it?

Lists

• Nouns
  • X, Y, and Z.
• Adjectives
  • I want a large, sweet, chocolatey milkshake.
• Adverbs
  • Move quietly, slowly, and efficiently.

Quoted & Unquoted Text

Commas within unquoted text separates it from quoted text. THIS COMMA IS NEVER PART OF THE QUOTED TEXT NOR WITHIN THE QUOTATIONS.

• My doctor told me, "We got good news for you."
  • The quoted text capitalizes the first letter.
• "We got good news for you", my doctor told me.
• "We have", my doctor told me, "good news for you."

Large Numbers

9,000,000 = 9 million = 9*10^6

Dates

• The party was on Monday, Jan 15, 20xx.
  • Commas are to separate word dates from other word dates or number dates from other number dates. You don't need commas to separate words from numbers.
    • The party was on the 15th of Jan 20xx.

Locations & Addresses

• Used to differentiate a smaller part of a larger region.
  • She was born in Liverpool, England, in April.

Opening & Closing for Letter

Dear Bill,

...

Sincerely,

Comma Splice

Using "So", "As", "Even Though", or "Because" to combine sentences.

I am hungry, so I am getting icecream.

Oxford Comma

A comma between the 2nd last item in a list, and the conjunction (and, but, or...)

Example:

• x, y, and z

Oxford Commas are to separate the last two items in a list. Examples:

• Some of the restaurant's combo entrees include eggs and bacon, eggs and toast, and waffles and hashbrowns.
  • Saying "eggs and toast and waffles and hashbrowns" instead would be grammatically incorrect and confusing since it doesn't clearly differentiate the two.

There is some debate over how mandatory the Oxford Comma is.

Exclamation Mark ! and Question Mark ?

Does not replace a period when the period is not being used to end a sentence.

• You are great Bobby Smith Jr.!
• Are you Bobby Smith Jr.?

Multiple !!! or ??? is done primarily in informal writing. Avoid this in professional writing.

!? or ?!

Note: This is considered to be informal, and so is not recommended for serious writing.

• Use “!?” if the exclamation is more prominent. This is more common.
• Use “?!” if the questioning aspect is more prominent.
• Interrobang was an attempt to combine the two into one, but it wasn't widely adapted.

Period .

Abbreviations

• Mon. Feb. 14th for Monday February 14th (British English)
• St. for Street

Time

9 a.m. (not a universal rule; AM is also an option.)

Titles

• Dr.
• Mr.

Initials

• J. Jonah Jameson
• P. T. Barnum

Other Uses of Periods

• Decimal Numbers
• Web Addresses
• IP Addresses

Emphasis

Italics

• Can be used to specify if a word or set of words is being said by a character sarcastically.

Examples:

• GLaDOS: Sorry about the mess. I've really let the place go since you've killed me. By the way, thanks for that!

Grammar Related Words

Conjunctions (Fanboys)

There are 7 conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Acronyms

Words that each individual letter means its own word.

• NASA
• NATO
• ASAP (also spelled: asap)
• UFO (also spelled: U.F.O.)

If an acronym has been adopted as its own word, then it doesn't need to be in all caps.

• laser

Novel Tips

!!!Footnotes

Puts a small number in the sentence and at the bottom of the page to link the footnotes. The footnotes at the bottom of the page are then filled in without interfering with the primary content and text of the page.

General Rules:

• Is always attached to the right-end of a word.
  • If it's at the end of a sentence, it is placed after the punctuation.
• Each footnote sentence starts with a capital letter like a normal sentence; ends with a period, even if it includes a link.

Used to cite sources.

Used to provide additional information to the reader.

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Sentence Fragment

A sentence that exists separately from another sentence that it would normally be able to fit in. This is done to emphasize and slow down the pacing, sometimes for dramatic effect.

Examples:

• I saw him. The ghost.

This could be seen as grammatically incorrect or confusing, so it is rarely used.

Misplaced or Dangling Modifier

The order of the adjectives and nouns in a sentence can affect the meaning.

Examples:

• The sticky candyman's caramel.
  • This states that the candyman is sticky, not his caramel.
• The candyman's sticky caramel.
  • This states that the caramel is sticky. This is the more reasonable sentence.

Subordinates

Connects dependent and independent clauses. This is to show what is being prioritized in a sentence. A dependent clause cannot form a sentence on its own, but can be added onto an independent clause to lengthen a sentence. There are 5 subordinates: although, because, before, however, unless, even though.

Example:

• Even though Anna likes to sing, she is shy.
  • The first half is dependent and the second half is independent. The girl being shy doesn't mention the girl's name (Anna) and doesn't mention that she likes to sing, but can still technically exist as its own sentence.
• He was accepted to Uconn, and is on the waitlist for Wesleyan.
  • The second half is dependent and the first half is independent.

Compound Sentence

When two sentences are connected to each other with a comma and conjunction.

Examples:

• I like her, and she likes me.

This doesn't apply if the sentence is not composed of two sentences combined with each other.

Examples:

• I like her and the cat.
• I like her but she can be annoying sometimes.

Scrivener Notes

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