The ‘teach me’ series is all about learning how to do things I can’t from clever clog wearers who can. I’m learning so much as we go and I hope you are too! Today we are lucky to score Emily from Emhawkerblog to teach us how to use punctuation correctly. Now, I confess to being a fellow word nerd who just so happens to have asked Em here today to help writers everywhere get loved-up with things like apostrophes and commas. It’s hard enough to cement meaning through the interwebs without these darling friends! Lucky for us, if anyone can teach us about punctuation, it’s Emily…
Hi! I’m Emily, and I’m a word nerd. I’m a writer, editor and proofreader. I’m also a linguist. Words words words!
The wonderful Bron, owner of this here wonderful blog, has asked me to teach you about grammar. That’s a huge topic! So I’ve narrowed it down to punctuation. And I’ve narrowed it down even more from there.
I’m going to start this post with my writer, editor and proofreader hat on. (It comes with a built-in magnifying glass, the better to spot grammatical foibles.) And I’m going to start with the easy stuff. Are you ready? Me neither. Let’s do this anyway.
.
See that there? It’s a full stop. You put it at the end of sentences. (See? Easy! It’s like a warm-up stretch.)
,
That one right there is a comma. This one can be a little trickier for some people. Commas shouldn’t be used in place of full stops, you shouldn’t join two independent clauses with a comma. (Grammar nerds will have winced at my previous sentence, because I just did what I told you not to do.) There’s more to the comma, but that’s the most common mistake, and we’ve got a lot to get through.
‘
That there’s an apostrophe. And that there’s an apostrophe in ‘there’s’, too. The apostrophe in there’s points to a missing letter (the ‘i’ from ‘is’). Apostrophes can also be used to indicate possession. And that’s all apostrophes are used for. Missing letters (contractions) and possession. They’re not needed in plural’s. (Cue more wincing.)
Quick note on possession: pronouns are the exception to the apostrophes for possession rule. So in the land of possession, it’s not ‘it’s’, it’s ‘its’. It’s not ‘you’re’, it’s ‘your’. It’s not ‘they’re’, but ‘their’. But if it belongs to Penny, it’s Penny’s. If it belongs to Mrs Jones, it’s Mrs Jones’ or Mrs Jones’s (either are currently acceptable, although preference is shifting towards the second). If it belongs to all the kids, it’s the kids’ (although each will argue that it’s just the one kid’s).
/
That is a slash. You use it when listing alternatives. It’s essentially a substitute for ‘or’, and shouldn’t generally be used for ‘and’. If your party invitation says “Bring food/drinks to the party,” don’t get upset if everyone turns up with a six pack and there isn’t enough food. Generally speaking, you don’t need spaces before and after the slash, but some style guides may ask for them.
:
That one there? A colon. Things you might use a colon for: separating two independent clauses, where the second directly relates to the first; and, to kick off lists like this one.
;
The semi-colon. If my Facebook queries into your grammatical trip-ups are to be believed, this little symbol is your arch-nemesis. Here’s the good news: you probably don’t need to use it. For every accepted use of the semi-colon, there is generally a way around it. Want to write a list like I did in the colon section? Use bullet points. These days, most style guides have ditched the messy-looking semi-colons and rely on the bullets themselves to separate elements of a list. And using a semi-colon to separate two indirectly related independent clauses? You can also use a full stop. It may play down the relationship between the clauses, but it still works.
Remember to keep it simple.
Don’t get fancy-schmancy with punctuation if you’re not sure what you’re fancy-schmancying with.
General tip for your writing
And now that I’ve given you a (very) brief overview of common punctuation concerns, I’m going to take my writer, editor and proofreader hat off and put my linguist hat on. Ahhh, that’s so much more comfortable!
A quick note for the grammatical pedants out there: if you see a grammatical error somewhere that’s not that important (perhaps in a friend’s Facebook status update or an email), think before you point it out.
Unless you’ve been asked, or it actually confuses the message, why bother? The main point of language is mutual comprehension. If you have understood someone, mission accomplished.
And things change. If you’d told me as recently as six years ago that it would be okay to write ‘because’ without a preposition following it, I’d have literally died. (Yes, literally.) Because why? Because BAD. But it doesn’t look so bad these days. Because language evolution.
And that’s all we have time for today! Luckily, Bron is a very supportive host who suggested I use this post to kick off a series on my own blog. You can come and visit me today for quick tips on writing with more of our punctuation friends.
All right. Now I’m going to climb off the soapbox, take my linguist hat off, and put my parent hat on.
Good luck on your punctuating endeavours!
What punctuation symbol trips you up the most?
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
I don’t correct friends on Facebook (unless it is someone who knows I’m poking fun, like my husband) but I really have to refrain myself when it is a basic error (like apostrophising plurals) on a journalistic site and/or a monetised site.
LOL – how do you feel about long sentences?
Maxabella says
I am the master of long sentences (hello parentheses) and also restraining myself when it comes to correcting grammatical errors. I like to think the person was in a hurry… x
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
Lol. I think there are quite a few people who are frequently in a hurry.
Emily says
I hear you on the poking fun – I have one friend who picks on my grammaticality (which is totally a word), so I always make a point of pointing his errors out, no matter how minor! I also share errors from printed books and storefronts on Instagram with the hashtag #whatswrongwiththispicture, but I make a point of only including things that have been (or should have been) edited.
That was a pretty long sentence, wasn’t it? You have your answer. I dislike streams of long sentences with no shorter ones to give my reading brain a break. But I’m not anti-long sentence full stop.
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
I think your long sentence beat my long sentence! And you’re right – varying sentence lengths is a must. It really is. Lol.
Sonia from Sonia Styling says
This post is like music to my eyeballs! I’m a bit of an English nerd too (definitely not an expert) and I find myself cringing at other people’s writing from time to time. Blogging has helped me loosen up somewhat, but I still pride myself on well constructed, well written posts. Love it, Em! Off to read more. x
Maxabella says
To me it’s all part of the framework of writing. Good framework = strong writing. x
Emily says
I’m totally stealing the phrase ‘music to my eyeballs’. Love it! Glad that you want to read more. I’ll keep writing them, then!
KezUnprepared says
This is great! I am generally pretty good, but sometimes I catch myself using too many commas in odd places!
I sometimes deliberately use run on sentences to create a silly voice on my blog, but generally I think I’m not too irritating!
I get mad when someone has a really great thing to say in a meme or on a Facebook post, but I refuse to share it around because the punctuation or spelling is incorrect! I don’t expect anyone to be perfect (I am scared of being a big hypocrite) but I do wish spelling and punctuation was more of a priority these days! Don’t get me started on all those unnecessary apostrophes!
Maxabella says
This is how I feel too, Kez. And it’s only after mastering the basics that we are able to freely manipulate language… right?! x
Emily says
Misspelt memes drive me NUTS! And Bron, I totally agree with that. You absolutely have to know the rules before you break them. So you can break them ‘correctly’. Oxymoron alert!
Renee says
Brilliant intro, Em! I’ve always had an interesting relationship with commas. I tend to overuse them, but I think I’m getting better. The misuse of apostrophes in plurals really makes me wince …
Emily says
I just walked past a store that was selling photo’s and frames. GAH. But as annoying as the apostrophe was, I had to wonder what the poor frames had done to miss out on getting one! Ha!
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me says
Thank goodness you’re all over this Em! Love your work x
Emily says
Thanks Em! Can I hit you up for a guest contribution?! (CHEEKY CHICKEN ALERT!)
Vanessa says
Great post! I love your love of words and appreciate you sharing your wisdom.
Poor grammar is cringe worthy but we all make mistakes and typos, so I like your advice at the end too. Pedants can be helpful but they can also be a pain!
Maxabella says
I loathe a pedant. Someone correcting their mate’s grammar in a Facebook feed makes me cringe. x
Emily says
That’s it! Helpful if there’s a typo in a blog post and you can edit it out. Unhelpful if you’re just being a smarty-pants.
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
My name’s Sam and I’m the founding member of EMA (Exclamation Marks Anonymous.) I love exclamation marks so much, I use them all the time, even when it’s not appropriate! (Like now, for example.) You’d think I’d know better, being an English teacher and all, but I don’t. So without further ado, I’m bobbing over to your blog right now, Em. Will you be my Grammar Guru?!
Maxabella says
I am a fellow member of EMA, however our chapter refers to it as EMA!!!!, honouring our overuse of the exclamation mark. When Max started school he used to call them “excited marks” and I reckon he was spot on. x
Emily says
I’m not anti-exclamation mark! Only when there are so many of them that they start to lose meaning. Surely not EVERY sentence needs one. And I will HAPPILY be your Grammar Guru! With the disclaimer that I make mistakes, too. x
(Excited marks. That Max is a clever cookie.)
Helen K says
So much to learn (and I am the daughter of an English teacher, who has written a book on grammar, so I really should know this stuff. Ah well, 1970s – 80s education …).
Question for you, Emily: if I am writing a list, with a series of dots or dashes, and I am not using semi colons to designate the end of each point (which I know then is effectively a very long sentence, and an ‘and’ is used before the last point), do I start each new point with a capital letter (which I would do) or not? This is one of a number of issues that causes great debate here at my work!
Looking forward to the next instalment too! Thanks, Helen
Lynda says
I’d like to know this too. From what I have read, it doesn’t really matter as long as you are consistent. However, I’ve had a few glasses of wine today, so I could be totally wrong.
Maxabella says
Good question! I think it might be a style-guide thing, rather than a grammar thing, because it’s not actually part of proper grammar to not use the semi colon in the first place. For what it’s worth, I always capitalise, but don’t use a full stop on a bullet point and if I use a semi-colon I don’t capitalise. x
Helen K says
I think this will be a great series of lessons in differentiating between ‘grammar’ and ‘style guides’ (which in itself will be very helpful)
Emily says
Great question! Grammatically, you should always have the semi-colon. SNOOZE.
It depends on what the list is, and how you lead into the list. If there’s a title, and the bullets are sentences (e.g. instructions for doing something), full sentences. If it’s a sentence leading into a bulleted list with a colon, and the bulleted list is nouns and noun phrases, I’d say lower case beginning and open-ended.
But there are lots of variables. Oooh, this might be my first official question that leads into a full post! Thanks, ladies!
Michaela Fox says
LOVE this post so much. Em has done a brilliant job of teaching grammar and punctuation in an entertaining way! Oh, what’s your view on exclamation marks? Are they a no-no? I kind of like them! Good? Bad? Acceptable?
Maxabella says
As an ultra-enthusiastic person, I love them, Michaela!!!! But I bet Em doesn’t!!!! x
Emily says
Thanks Michaela! Glad you found it entertaining. I’m anti-using more than one exclamation mark. I figure that if you need to use more than one to highlight something as even more exciting than everything else, then perhaps you’ve overused the single exclamation mark elsewhere. But it’s a preference, and not even close to being a ‘rule’ (for want of a better word). Also depends on who’s communicating to whom, and how.
Reannon @shewhorambles says
I wish this stuff would sink into my head but it doesn’t. I think I’m actually losing knowledge as I try to absorb more!
Maxabella says
I am definitely dripping knowledge along the road of life, Reannon… x
Emily says
Oh no! I hope I didn’t push any super duper important knowledge out. x
Lara at This Charming Mum says
Brilliant post Em! I’m all good with my there and their, but the semi colon still trips me up sometimes. It’s good to see a grammar geek acknowledging the evolution of language too. That’s an important point to make. Thanks for hosting Bron
Maxabella says
So true, Lara. It’s quite painful when a grammar pedant refuses to ‘move with the times’. Language is evolving faster than ever and grammar will head right along with it. x
Emily says
Thank you. The semi-colon and the colon trip a lot of people up.
Vicki @ Knocked Up and Abroad says
Oh I am so bad at this. I am a little overwhelmed but grateful for the tips. I will be bookmarking this for future reference so that I can hopefully get better, when I grow up.
Emily says
Ooh, a bookmarking! That means I’ve done something right, right? Thanks, Vicki. Happy to help.
Dani @ sand has no home says
Thanks for this 🙂 Good to hear that the semi colon is not a necessary evil.
Emily says
It’s an elegant one, and I love that little guy, but definitely not necessary in most forms of communication these days.
Amy@HandbagMafia says
I felt so at home reading this and if you spot a typo on my blog, for the love of God, tell me!
Emily says
Will do! Ditto.
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says
I am printing this and keeping for me and for my kids. Love it!
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
Emily says
Thanks, Leanne. x
Mumma McD says
Very useful tips, thanks Em!! I struggle with the transition from writing for print (for my day job) and writing for an online audience – I tend to use quite a lot of formal punctuation for print, but get a lot slacker on my blog! Although I do have an unhealthy relationship with commas. And starting new sentences with and…
Emily says
Writing in different voices can be difficult – or writing for different organisations that have different approaches to everything! One of my clients is quite old school when it comes to punctuation, and the rest are embracing change. Lots of different hats to wear on top of my general proofreading, editing and writing hat!
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile says
Em is one clever lady!! I always get very lost on the whole semi colon thing. I totally agree with Em – if it’s not important, don’t point it out. When I was teaching, we would leave the kids to write freely and never correct their grammar until right near the end of the writing process – it really puts a massive stop to creativity when you’re correcting every single comma and forgetting to focus on the most important thing – the writing!
Peachy Keen Mumma - Jess says
Good point Lucy. I never thought about how it affects the creative process. It sure does.
Emily says
Thanks Lucy. I agree – I’m an edit-as-I-go type, and I wish I could let go of the editing and correcting sometimes to just let the creativity flow. It’s something I’m really working on. (Is it ironic that I have to work so hard to let creativity flow?!)
Peachy Keen Mumma - Jess says
MY husband and I used to argue over commas all the time. Either I’ve won or he has given up on me. I am still paranoid with grammar and punctuation. It makes me nervous all the time. Good point about not pointing it out to someone on FB. Toddler is screaming at me to get off the computer, so I will go now. Yikes.
Emily says
Don’t be paranoid or nervous! No-one’s perfect. Every time I re-read an old post of mine, I find at least one error. Every single time.
Mandy Barbie Bieber Beyond says
Someone corrected me on my blog the other day… leaving a comment that I had used the wrong “their” or was it “there”…can’t remember.. they did leave another comment that was of value too..so I guess that’s ok. It wasn’t that I was unsure of which one to use… we are only human after all…
Emily says
It sounds like they were trying to be helpful rather than a smarty-pants. But yes, it’s annoying when you know the rules and apply them all the time but a momentary lapse of concentration (thanks Sliding Doors!) lets an error slip through the cracks.
Kirsty @ My Home Truths says
You should have been an English teacher Em – I don’t think grammar and punctuation are taught as much as they should be in our schools!
Emily says
I agree. But I also agree that creativity has to be nurtured first. It’s a tricky one to balance.
(And thanks, but I don’t think I’m patient enough to be a teacher. I’d be fine with the self-motivated kids. But everyone has to do English, and I know I’d struggle with those who didn’t want to be there.)
Emily says
Thanks so much for having me, Bron! And for kicking off this whole series. I had no idea there was such a demand for grammatical advice. I owe you. x
Bele @ BlahBlah says
Awesome post. I am soooooooo happy I probably never have to use a semi colon again. My life is complete now x
Emily says
Haha, happy to help!
Valent Lau says
This morning I read a forum post by a user that had no punctuation. Roughly 6-8 sentences worth of words, all in lower case on one line.
Maxabella says
Painful! I think I would have stopped reading at the first ‘sentence that wasn’t a sentence’! You are far more patient than I… and would probably make an excellent editor. x
Emily says
Things like that make my eyes hurt. Also, depending on what was being said, it could impact on how you read it and be misinterpreted.
Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages says
This is great. I’m terrible with my grammar, spelling and punctuation on social media and comments because I am always just doing it quickly. I hate it when people point out mistakes in these but in a piece of writing, have at it!
Emily says
The mistake I make most often is typing ‘call’ instead of ‘cool’. Just on SM, when I’m in a hurry. Not sure if it’s a typo that autocorrects, a homophone slip-up in my head or some other link my head makes between the two words, but it drives me batty when I do it! And people are so quick to point it out!