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Comma & Colon




Punctuation: Now that we have tackled poor spelling and misused words, it is time to look at the other malady that haunts business writers: punctuation. If you think you do not have a good grasp of punctuation rules, buy a book or get a punctuation Web site listed in your favorites. Fact Monster is one with a Web link at the end of the lesson, but there are many other free sites out there.

Here are some basic rules of punctuation:

Comma: Often misused or overused, here are a few pointers on when to use it:

To set off clauses: "The director is in a meeting, he is expected to arrive soon, and we will continue at that time."

Another example: She prefers to wear purple, especially when cold, but will consider yellow.

Replace periods within quotation marks: "I might not go," said Julia.

This is most often done when quoting. One mistake that people often make is to put the comma outside of the quotation mark. It should be placed within the quotation mark.

Correct examples:


Incorrect examples:


Commas also are used to separate items listed in a document:

Before conjunctions: "This blender will save you time, and it also will make your food taste better."

Commas are used to separate three more items in a row. Examples include:


However, not everyone includes a comma before the "and" on the final item. This depends on the type of writing you are doing. For example, most journalistic style writing does not include the comma before the "and" on the final item.

Commas separate two complete sentences joined by a conjunction.

For example: She went to the store, and she now has food to prepare dinner.

In that example, the word "and" acts as a coordinating conjunction to link the sentences together. The two complete sentences it would be joining together are the following: She went to the store. She now has food to prepare dinner.

To join the two complete sentences together, you must use a coordinating conjunction. Otherwise, it would not read correctly and would be punctuated wrong. Written without a coordinating conjunction it would look like this:

Incorrect example: She went to the store, she now has food to prepare dinner.

That example would be considered a comma splice because it actually is two complete sentences. The sentences need to be joined together correctly, either by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. Keep in mind that "and" is not the only coordinating conjunction; others include such words as "but," "yet," and "nor," among others.

When using commas, it often is considered better to aim for fewer of them. Too much punctuation in a document, especially in the form of commas, can be distracting. Fewer commas usually are considered better. Many years ago, the common thought was to always place a comma where you would pause. This has since been frowned upon because it tends to create an overuse of commas.

Colon: Essentially, the colon says, "Pay attention to the information that follows." It usually comes before a clause, and the sentence preceding should be complete in its sense, though the sentence following need not.

Example: "There are two things that are most important in business writing: clarity and correctness."

You also can use a colon to introduce a list of things.

Examples:


The colon also is used after the salutation in a business letter or memo. Here are some examples:

Dear Sir:

To Whom It May Concern:

The colon also is used when writing out time, such as 6:30 p.m.


Semicolon: Combine two separate but complete sentences and make them one. It also is used to emphasize a point. Just as was discussed previously, if you are going to combine two complete sentences together, they must be combined with a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon.

Example: Punctuation is an important part of business writing; it can make or break an impression.

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