Language professionals have clearly defined most aspects of English usage, including punctuation. Tips for correcting punctuation involve understanding commonly used marks and purchasing a style guide. Commonly confused words like “it’s” and “its” require mental substitution to remember the difference. Proper use of the semicolon involves separating complete sentences or separating sentences in a list. Punctuation for quotes and dialogues can be confusing, but using commas and single quotes can clarify meaning.
The English language is complex, being the result of a thousand years of use and development by millions of speakers. Despite this, most aspects of its use have been clearly defined by language professionals. Tips for correcting punctuation generally involve understanding the concepts behind commonly used punctuation marks such as apostrophes, semicolons, and quotation marks. Whether employed by professional writers or ordinary people in daily use, these tips make language clearer. This aids communication, adds strength to the writer’s claims, and promotes the correct use of the language itself.
An important tip for correcting punctuation, spelling and other technical aspects of writing is to purchase a style guide. Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style is an acknowledged classic, with lots of advice on punctuation and other matters in a compact format. Some people may be reluctant to turn to a style reference for help, fearing he or she will display ignorance. Indeed, the experienced writer will not hesitate to compare his work with an external reference to verify its accuracy.
One of the most important tips for correcting punctuation involves the commonly confused words “is” and “is.” “It’s” is a contraction of the phrase “it is”, while “its” is a possessive like “his” or “her”. To remember this difference, mentally replace “it’s” with “it is” in the sentence. If the sentence still makes sense, such as “it’s two o’clock,” then the word “is” requires an apostrophe. Conversely, a phrase like “the cart has lost its wheel” makes no sense with this substitution.
Other tips for correcting punctuation include proper use of the semicolon. Despite its prominent place on the computer keyboard, the function of the semicolon is not clearly understood by many non-professional writers. In most usages, the semicolon should separate two complete sentences; sentences should be able to stand on their own as complete sentences, as if the semicolon were a period, as shown in this sentence. If the sentences do not constitute complete sentences, a comma may be more appropriate to separate them. The semicolon can also be used to separate sentences in a list if those sentences include commas, reducing the possibility of confusion and making the list clearer.
Phrases and phrases that include quotes and other punctuation often cause confusion. There are several tips for correcting punctuation for quotes and dialogues. Put commas in quotation marks, especially if a sentence in quotation marks will be followed by another sentence, for example, “”Right,” said Fred.” In other cases, punctuation goes inside quotation marks if it applies to the quote, as in “Stop!” but off if it applies to the overall sentence, as in “Did he say ‘stop’?” As shown in these examples, use single quotes for quoted phrases that appear inside other quotes.
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