Chapter 17 - Other Punctuation Flashcards
Periods
Use to correctly punctuate
- statements
- commands
- indirectly questions
- polite requests
- abbreviations
- numbers
Polite Request:
- is a command asks to perform a specific action & usually answered by an action rather than yes or no.
Punctuate Abbreviations
- use periods after most abbreviations beginning with lower case letters.
- use periods for most abbreviations containing both uppercase and lowercase letters.
- use periods with abbreviations that represent initials of a person’s first and middle names
- DO NOT use periods or internal spaces for most other capitalized abbreviations, such as these.
- metric symbols do not require a period or an S in their plural form
*NOTE: if the last word in a sentence is an abbreviation that take a period, do not add an extra period to end the sentence.
Examples
- a.m. - ante meridiem, doz. - dozen,
misc. - miscellaneous, - etc.- for example,
i.e. - that is
- Dr. - Doctor, Esq. - Esquire, Mr. - mister,
No. - number, Sat. - Saturday, Feb.-
February - Ronald J. Gilmore, J. A. Jones (initials)
- BA - bachelor of arts, CEO - chief
executive officer, ID - identification - cm - centimeter/s, km - killometer/s
Questions Marks
- punctuate direst questions and questions added to statements.
> Direct Questions:
- require and answer.
> Added to statements:
- place a ? after a ? that is added to the end of a statement (a tag questions). Use a comma to separate the statements
from the questions.
> To Indicate Doubt
- questions marks within parentheses may be used to indicate a degree of doubt about some aspect of the statement.
Examples
- Have you sent the price list?
- What can we do to improve
communication among departments? - This HR announcement should be sent by
email, don’t you think? - After Google went public (2004?), its stock
prices increased dramatically.
Exclamations Mark
- after a word, phrase, or clause
expressing strong emotion, use an
exclamation mark.
- it is an emphatic mark of punctuation reserved for strong feelings.
*NOTE: Do not use an exclamation point after mild interjections such as “oh” and “well”.
Example
- Impossible! We understood the deadline
to be tomorrow.
- What a day! It seems as though closing
time will never come.
- Well, it seems we have little choice in the
matter.
Dashes
- often used to show emphasis.
- emphatic punctuation mark.
** it is called an M dash - as it is the width of the capital M.
> To set off Parenthetical Elements & Appositives:
- In a sentence these are usually set off by a comma.
- However, the parenthetical element itself contains internal commas or deserves emphasis, use dashes to set it off.
> To Indicate and Interruption or Afterthought:
- Change of thought or afterthought may be separated from the rest of a sentence by dashes.
- However, sentences with abrupt changes of thought or with appended afterthoughts can usually be improved through rewriting.
> To set off a summarizing statement
- use a dash (not a colon) to separate an introductory list from a summarizing statement.
> To Attribute a Quotation:
- Pace a dash between a quotation and its source.
Example
- Sources of raw materials - farming, mining, fishing, and forestry - are all dependent on energy.
- All employees - and that includes Ann Patterson - must work overtime this weekend. (Although the parenthetical element doesn’t contain commas, it is set off to add emphasis)
- The shipment will be on its way - you have my word - by Wednesday. (Interruption of thought)
- You can submit your report Friday - no, we must have it by Thursday at the latest. (Abrupt change of thought)
- Variety of tasks, contact with people, opportunity for advancement - these are traits I seek in a job.
- Cross-country skiing, hiking, and reading - those are Rudy’s favorite pastimes.
-“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
- “English is the language of men ever famous and foremost in the achievement of liberty.” - John Milton
Parentheses
- can be used to enclose a complete sentence or the enclose a word or an expression within a sentence.
> To set off Non-essential sentence elements:
- May be punctuated as follows:
a) with commas, to make the lightest possible break in the normal flow of a sentence.
b) with dashes “–” to emphasize the enclosed material.
c) with parentheses “()” to de-emphasize the enclosed material.
- Explanations, references, and direction are usually enclosed in parentheses when used as non-essential sentence elements.
> To show numerals and enclosed enumerated items:
- In legal docs and contracts, numerals commonly appear in both word and figure form. Parentheses enclose the figures.
**NOTE: business writers seldom use this wordy technique.
> Using numbers or letters to enumerate lists within sentences, enclose the numbers or letters in parentheses.
- Use letters for item that have no particular order.
- Use numbers for items that suggest a sequence.
> Punctuating around Parentheses:
- material enclosed by parentheses is embedded within another sentence, a question mark or an exclamation mark may be used where normally expected.
- DO NOT, use a period after a statement embedded within another sentence.
- if material enclosed by parentheses is not embedded in another sentence, use whatever punctuation is required.
- Sentences involving expressions within parentheses, a comma, semicolon, or colon that would normally occupy the position occupied by the second parenthesis is them placed after the parenthesis.
Example
-a) Figure 17, which appears on page 9, shows the internal structure of the engine. (Normal punctuation)
b) Figure 17 - which appears on page 9 - shows the internal structure of the engine. (Dashes emphasize enclosed material.
c) Figure 17 (which appears on page 9) shows the internal structure of the engine. (Parentheses de-emphasize enclosed material)
Show numerals and enclosed enumerated
- Your contact states the the final instalment payment is due in ninety (90) days.
- To pay your bill online, (1) log on to our secure website, (2) clock the Pay Bill link, (3) select the bill you want to pay, (4) input the amount you want to pay, (5) select the date on which you want to make payment, (6) clock the Pay button, and (7) clock the Confirm button.
Punctuating Around Parenthesis
- I visited the new business travel website (have you seen it?) last night.
- the fire alarm sounded (but no one moved!) in the middle of our annual general meeting.
- Report writers must document all references. (see Appendix C for a guide to current documentation formats.)
- When I return from my trip (in late June), I will begin work on the feasibility study. (comma following closing parenthesis.)
- Your application for a credit card was received before the deadline (November 1); however, you did not supply two financial reference. (Semicolon follows closing parenthesis)
Quotation Marks
- help readers understand what words were written or spoken by somebody else.
- also be used to enclose short expressions, definitions, and titles.
> To enclose Direct Quotations:
- Quotation marks are used to enclose direct quotations.
**unless the exact words of the a writer or speaker are being repeated, however, do no use quotations.
> To enclose quotations within quotations:
- use single quotation marks to enclose quoted passages cited within quoted passages.
> To enclose short expressions
- Slang, jargon, words used in a special sense such as for humor or irony, and words following stamped, labeled, or marked are usually enclosed within quotation marks.
> To enclose definitions:
- used to enclose formal definitions of words or expressions. The word or expression being defined should be underlined or set in italics.
> To enclose titles
- to enclose titles of subdivisions of literary & artistic works, such as magazine & newspaper articles, book chapters, poems, lectures, TV show episodes, and songs.
- HOWEVER, titles of entire books, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, plays, movies, music albums, and television series are set in italics (or underlined)
> Punctuating around quotation marks;
- periods and comma are always place inside closing single or double quotation marks.
- semicolons and colons are always placed outside quotation marks.
> Quotation and exclamation marks may go either inside or outside closing quotations.
- if it belongs to the text in quotations marks, place it inside.
- if the punctuation belongs to the surrounding text, place it outside.
- if both the quoted and surrounding text as questions, use only one question mark, and place it inside the quotations mark.
Examples
Enclosed Direct Quitations
- “I think there is a world market for about five computers,” said IBM founder Thomas J. Watson. (direct quotations enclosed).
- Dwight Moody said that characters is what you are in the dark (Indirect quotation requires no quotations mark)
Enclosed quotations within quotations
- Sharon Miles remarked, “In business writing I totally agree with Aristotle, who said, ‘A good style must, first of all, be clear.’”
Enclose short expressions
- Did you know our CEO was so “woke”? (slang)
- In web terminology roots are referred to as “bots.” (jargon)
- Once “charged,” my phone’s battery lasts less than five minutes. (irony)
- The package was stamped “ Handle with care.” (words following the word stamped)
Enclose Definitions
- the Latin word ergo means “therefore” or “hence”.
- Business people use the term working capital to indicate an “excess of current assets over current debts.”
Enclose Title
- Business communication students should regularly reread the section of Canadian Business English (italicized) entitled “Sentence Faults.”
- Rob left the Canadian Business (italicized) article “Here’s What Happens When You Get a Treadmill Desk” in his boss’s office as a subtle hint.
- In the episode of The Office (italicized) call “Diversity Day,” the boss, played by Steve Carell, managed to offend everyone.
Punctuating Around Quotation Mark
- Betty said, “I’m sure the package was marked ‘Fragile.’”
- The article is called “Bad Business of Banks,” but I don’t have a copy.
Semicolon and colon
- The contract stipulated that “both parties must accept arbitration as binding”; therefore, the decision reached by the arbitrators is final.
Quotation marks and Exclamation marks
- Stefan can identify with the Forbes article “If You Don’t Trust Me, Why Did You Hire Me?” (question mark belongs to the quoted text)
- “The next time your cellphone rings,” fumed the CEO, “we will ask you to leave!” (quotation is an exclamation)
- Do you know who said, “Money is more trouble than it’s worth”? (Surrounding text asks a question; quotation does not)
- I can’t believe that the invoice had a stamp saying “Overdue”! (Surrounding text is an exclamation; quotation is not)
Used for Italics
- use italics (or underline if italics are not available) for titles of books, magazines, newspaper, pamphlets, albums, movies, plays and other complete published or artistic works that contain subdivisions.
- in addition, italicize words under discussion in a sentence and used as a noun.
Example
- Bank on Yourself (italicized), a book by Pamela G. Yellen, was favourably reviewed in The Wall Street Journal <Italicized>. (Complete published work)</Italicized>
- Two of the most frequently misspelled words are calendar (italicized) and separate (italicized). (words used as words under discussion)
Used for Brackets
- within quotations, brackets are used by writers to enclose their own inserted remarks.
- Such remarks may be corrective, illustrative, or explanatory.
- they are also used within quotations to enclose the work “sic”, which means “thus”, or “so”, this Latin word emphasizes the fact that an error actually appears thus in the quoted material.
Examples
- ” A British imperial gallon,” reported Miss Sedgewick, “is equal to 1.2 US gallons [4.54 liters].” (explanatory remark)
- “The company’s reorganization program,” wrote President Theodore Bailey, “will have its greatest affect [sic] on our immediate sales.”
