Writing Style Guide, Tips, and Tricks

Part 1-- Basic Punctuation & the 7 Comma Rules

CherryBlossomSky: I know what you are thinking. Why on Earth do we need to cover the basic punctuation!? Everyone knows them and uses them! Even I was very surprised and honestly offended by the review of basic punctuation. Even though I felt like a first-grader again, it was beneficial for my understanding writing.

It is key in elevating your writing level.

Now lets getting started!

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Part 1: Basis Punctuation

Commas:

Separate words in a sentence. They tell readers to pause between words or groups of words, and they help clarify the meaning of sentences.

End Punctuation:

These let the reader know when a thought is finished.

>Periods state information        .

>Question marks ask information        ?

>Exclamation marks exclaim and exaggerate    !

Semicolons:

These separate independent phrases or clauses that are related and of equal weight. Semicolons continue one thought into another and are also used with conjunctive adverbs such as

»according

»also

»besides

»consequently

»conversely

»finally

»furthermore

»hence

»however

»indeed

»instead

»likewise

»meanwhile

»moreover

»nevertheless

»next

»nonetheless

»otherwise

»similarly

»still

»subsequently

»then

»therefore

»thus

Colons:

Follow independent clauses and are used to call attention to the information that comes afterward.

Examples:

Joe has only one thing on his mind: girls. (word)

Joe has only one thing on his mind: the girl next door. (phrase)

Joe has only one thing on his mind: he wants to go out with Linda.(clause)

Joe has only one thing on his mind: his finals, his job, and Linda. (list)

Hyphens:

Are used to form compound words or join word units. They are also used to join prefixes, suffixes, and letters to words.

On a keyboard, a hyphen is ONE click of the key that looks like the following...

Examples:           forty-two        well-liked ex-girlfriend