Office of Communications

Punctuation

Colon/ Semicolon

Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a series or a list, amplification, or an illustrative quotation, especially when preceded by as follows or the following. A colon indicates that what follows is related to the preceding clause.

• The materials required for the art class are as follows: sketch pad, pencils and imagination.
• When he finally left the room, I was reminded of a line from Oscar Wilde: “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”

Use a semicolon to divide the two parts of a compound sentence (two independent clauses) when the clauses are not connected by a conjunction. The semicolon is used to indicate a greater separation of thought than a comma but less than the separation that a period implies.

• The report was due tomorrow; it arrived today.

When items in a series are long and complex or involve internal punctuation, they should be separated by semicolons for the sake of clarity.

• The committee consisted of a number of members from the immediate areas: Dallas, 5; Plano, 4; Richardson, 3; Denton, 3.

A semicolon is also used to connect two independent clauses that use a connecting word like “therefore” or “however.”

• The report was due tomorrow; however, we received it today.

Comma

Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series.

• She bought the scarf that was black, gold and gray.

Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction.

• He had juice, potatoes, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

Use a comma before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases

• Examples of computer research and development at UTD include wireless networks, optical switches, embedded software, ultra-reliable software, information processing standards and security, and digital processing of images.

Enclose parenthetical expressions between commas. For example: “i.e.,” “etc.,” and “e.g.” are parenthetic and should be punctuated accordingly.

• His wife, Dr. Joan Campbell, is a prominent researcher at the institute.
• Flags, banners, posters, etc., were left at the front desk.

Dash

Use dashes to denote an abrupt change in thought in a sentence or an emphatic pause. An em dash (longer than a hyphen) can be inserted by using the Shortcut Key: Ctrl, Alt, Num Lock -

• He noted the characteristics – energy, concentration, curiosity – that he prized in his students.

Exclamation Mark (!)

Avoid overuse of the exclamation point. Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity or other strong emotion.

• “Charge!” he bellowed.

Hyphen

Generally, two-word phrases are two separate words when used as a noun, verb or adverb but take a hyphen when used as an adjective. When a compound modifier–– two or more words that express a single concept––precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound. Exceptions to this rule are the adverb “very” and all adverbs that end in “ly.”

• Right: A first-term committee member
• Right: A very wide board
• Right: A part-time student
• Wrong: A beautifully-crafted boat

Lists

Within a sentence, items should be separated by commas. Use semicolons if the items in the list include commas.

• The players came from Brooklyn, New York; Dallas, Texas; Westport, Connecticut; and Boston, Massachusetts.

Use numbers in a vertical list only when the sequence matters.

Those attending the play should:

1. Arrive on campus by 3:15 p.m.
2. Register at the hospitality desk.
3. Assemble at the University Theatre by 4:15 p.m.

If any or all of the items in a list are complete sentences, all items in the list should be punctuated with periods. If no items are sentences, be consistent. Either follow each item with a comma and end the list with a period if the list completes a sentence, or omit punctuation at the end of each item including the last one.

His credentials were impressive:

• 1400 SAT
• National Honor Society
• Top five percent of his class
• Editor of the school newspaper

Period

The guidelines for using a period are as follows:

• At the end of a declarative sentence: I am a student at UTD.
• At the end of a mildly imperative sentence: Close the drawer.
• At the end of some rhetorical questions: Why wouldn’t he want it.

Question Mark

The guidelines for using a question mark are as follows:

• At the end of a direct question: Did she receive her degree?
• At the end of an interpolated question: You told me – do I understand this correctly? – you have no interest in attending the concert.

Quotation Marks

Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. Colons and semicolons go outside of quotation marks. For question marks and exclamation points, if the punctuation is part of the quotation, put it inside the quotation marks; if it’s not part of the quotation, put it outside the quotation marks.

Use quotation marks:

• To indicate the exact words that someone spoke or published
• The first time you refer to a nickname
• The first time you use a term or phrase ironically or sarcastically.
  
  Right: To quote Goethe, “A clever man commits no minor blunders.”
  Right: The “free” food was included with the $1,000 ticket.