punctuation
COMMAS (, )
Never use a comma between a subject and its verb. (see some examples here).
2. Subordinate clauses- REMEMBER:
Do not put a comma before the subordinating conjunction when it is in the middle of a sentence.
Use a comma after an adverb clause that begins a sentence.
The company eventually succeeded because it had a strong product and a smart CEO. [no comma before "because"]
Though many think dinosaurs are dead, some scientists believe that birds are feathered dinosaurs and thereby not really extinct at all. [comma after "dead"-end of subordinate clause at the beginning of sentence]
3. Please, don't overuse commas:
Sometimes, you need to start a new sentence.
Some other times, you may continue the same sentence, but you need to kno how to use colons, semi-colons and commas.
Vocative comma:
https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/easy-learning/what-is-the-vocative-in-english
https://www.grammarbook.com/blog/commas/vocative-case/
used exactly in the same way as in Spanish: https://www.fundeu.es/recomendacion/vocativos-entre-comas/
SEMI-COLONS (;)
Their music, aesthetics, lyrics and demeanour made them successful.
COMPARE:
Their music, aesthetics, lyrics and demeanour made them successful.
There are several reasons to account for their success: first of all, their sound was very innovative; their clothes were out of the ordinary as well. Together with that, their lyrics dealt with topics that struck a chord with audiences.
COLONS (:)
Not many students use colons in their writings, but they are a lovely punctuation mark. They are used:
before a quote or a list of elements
These are a few of my favourite things: raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, white-copper kettles and brown-woollen mittens
between independent clauses when the second explains the first/the last element in the previous clause.
There was one thing she loved more than any other: her dog.
Karen had the plan all worked out: She would take Dawn out to dinner for her birthday. While Karen and Dawn had dinner, Teresa would meet the guests at Karen’s house. Then Karen would bring Dawn to the house after dinner. Surprise!
Karen started to worry: Would Teresa remember to pick up the cake? Would the guests arrive on time? And what would Karen do if Dawn wanted to go home after dinner?
If what you are going to say in the second sentence is the explanation/clarification of what you have said in the first sentence, then you need to use a colon (:) rather than a stop (.) .
There are three main reasons for this change: a bigger investment in education; the generalisation of English as a second language in schools, and the contact with native speakers in the classroom.
ELLIPSIS (plural: ellipses) …
Avoid ellipsis at the end of a list, especially in formal text types. When you are giving examples,
rather than:
❌ You can do many types of sports, such as football, tennis, jogging, swimming…
please use:
✅ You can do many types of sports, such as football, tennis, jogging or swimming.
✅ ✅ 🌟 You can do many types of sports, such as football, tennis, jogging or swimming, to mention (but) a few.
In a formal essay, you should not use ellipses. Ellipses are a form that is mostly used in fiction, as it implies a dramatic pause, would could both upset the serious tone of the essay and imply feelings towards the reader, which a formal essay is not intended to do.
You can only use ellipses in formal writing when omitting words inside a quote. Otherwise, please don't.
STOPS AFTER EXCLAMATION MARKS AND QUESTION MARKS
In English, you never use stops after exclamation or question marks:
❌ Does this sound familiar?. You may have heard it before.
✅ Does this sound familiar? You may have heard it before.
❌ I can't believe it!. He's done it again!.
✅ I can't believe it! He's done it again!