Punctuation Help

Overview

Punctuation is extremely important for the clarity and meaning of a sentence. It is so important that there are some serious debates in the English-speaking world about the meaning of a sentence because of a comma. Punctuation indicates to the reader the ending of a sentence, the connection between ideas, the words in a list, the beginning of extra information, and so much more. Here are some resources to help you learn about the rules of punctuation. 

Commas

Ask anyone who writes in English, and most people will tell you that the rules for commas are hard to remember. However, commas are there to clarify your ideas and to help with the flow of the sentence. It's also important to keep in mind that there's no such thing as "using too many commas" or "using too few commas"--there are simply places in your sentences where commas are needed and places where they are not. It's also dangerous to think of commas simply as places where you pause in the sentence (since readers and writers will pause in different places). Here are some resources that can help you learn how to use commas and maybe find a way to remember the rules while you're writing. 

Basic Comma Rules

Commas help make sure your sentences are clear. Here are some resources that might help you understand the basics of how to use commas.

Writing Center Resources

External Resources

The Oxford Comma

The Oxford comma or serial comma is the comma that comes before and, or, and nor at the end of a list of three or more items (e.g., apples, grapes, and bananas).

External Resources

FANBOYS

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So: coordinating conjunctions that connect sentences together. One of the most commonly missed commas is the one that goes between two complete sentences. You can use a comma plus one of the coordinating conjunctions to link two sentences: We like cake, and we also like ice cream.

Writing Center Resources

External Resources

Other Punctuation Marks

Commas can be a common source of confusion, but other types of punctuation can be confusing too. Here are some resources that might help make the other types of punctuation a bit more clear.

Semicolons

Semicolons ( ; ) are used to connect two complete sentences that are closely related to each other.

Writing Center Resource

External Resources

Colons

Colons ( : ) are used to introduce something, like a list or a quote. Remember that whatever comes before the colon must be a complete sentence!

Writing Center Resource

External Resources

Quotation Marks

Quotation marks ( " " ) are used to set off dialogue and quotes in your writing.

Writing Center Resources

External Resources

Apostrophes

Apostrophes ( ' ) are used for possessives (e.g., Joaquin's car) and contractions (e.g., can't, won't, I'm). They shouldn't be confused with single quotation marks ('such as this').

Writing Center Resources

External Resource

At the End of the Sentence

Writing Center Resources

External Resource

The Punctuation Guide is a website that provides a comprehensive overview of punctuation rules (with examples).

The SJSU Writing Center has created many handouts dedicated to all parts of the writing process. These handouts are freely available online for you to access at any time. One section focuses on punctuation exclusively.Â