C. Editing for Common Punctuation Problems

C1 Check for correct use of commas

The comma is a punctuation mark indicating a pause. By setting some words apart from others, commas help clarify relationships. They prevent the words on a page and the ideas they represent from becoming a jumble.

appositive: A word or group of words that adds information about a subject or object by identifying it in a different way: Terry, the drummer, manages the band.

parenthetical expression: An aside to readers or a transitional expression such as for example or in contrast.

conjunctive adverb: A linking word that can connect independent clauses and show a relationship between two ideas: Jen studied hard; consequently, she passed the exam.

  1. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, so, yet, nor) joining two main clauses in a compound sentence.

    The discussion was brief, so the meeting was adjourned early.

  2. Use a comma after an introductory word or word group unless it is short and cannot be misread.

    After the war, the North’s economy developed rapidly.

  3. Use commas to separate the items in a series of three or more items.

    The chief advantages will be speed, durability, and longevity.

  4. Use commas to set off a modifying clause or phrase if it is nonrestrictive — if it can be taken out of the sentence without significantly changing the essential meaning of the sentence.

    Good childcare, which is hard to find, should be available at work.

    Good childcare that is reliable and inexpensive is every employee’s hope.

  5. Use commas to set off a nonrestrictive appositive, an expression that comes directly after a noun or pronoun and renames it.

    Sheri, my sister, has a new job as an events coordinator.

  6. Use commas to set off parenthetical expressions, conjunctive adverbs, and other interrupters.

    The proposal from the mayor’s commission, however, is not feasible.

EDITING CHECKLIST

Commas

For exercises on commas, see the Take Action charts on Re:Writing.

  • Have you added a comma between two main clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction?
  • Have you added commas needed after introductory words or word groups?
  • Have you separated items in a series with commas?
  • Have you avoided commas before the first item in a series or after the last?
  • Have you used commas before and after each nonrestrictive (nonessential) word, phrase, or clause?
  • Have you avoided using commas around a restrictive word, phrase, or clause that is essential to the meaning of the sentence?
  • Have you used commas to set off appositives, parenthetical expressions, conjunctive adverbs, and other interrupters?
C2 Check for correct use of apostrophes

An apostrophe is a punctuation mark that either shows possession (Sylvia’s) or indicates that one or more letters have intentionally been left out to form a contraction (didn’t). An apostrophe is never used to create the possessive form of a pronoun; use the possessive pronoun form instead.

FAULTY Mikes car was totaled in the accident.
CORRECT Mike’s car was totaled in the accident.
FAULTY Womens’ pay is often less than mens’.
CORRECT Women’s pay is often less than men’s.
FAULTY Che did’nt want to stay at home and study.
CORRECT Che didn’t want to stay at home and study.
FAULTY The dog wagged it’s tail happily. [it’s = it is? No.]
CORRECT The dog wagged its tail happily.
FAULTY Its raining.
CORRECT It’s raining. [it’s = it is]

Possessive Personal Pronouns at a Glance

PERSONAL PRONOUN POSSESSIVE CASE
I my, mine
you your, yours (not your’s)
he his
she her, hers (not her’s)
it its (not it’s)
we our, ours (not our’s)
they their, theirs (not their’s)
who whose (not who’s)

EDITING CHECKLIST

For exercises on apostrophes, see the Take Action charts on Re:Writing.

Apostrophes

  • Have you used an apostrophe when letters are left out in a contraction?
  • Have you used an apostrophe to create the possessive form of a noun?
  • Have you used the possessive case — not an apostrophe — to show that a pronoun is possessive?
  • Have you used it’s correctly (to mean it is)?
C3 Check for correct punctuation of quotations

When you quote the exact words of a person you have interviewed or a source you have read, enclose those words in quotation marks. Notice how student Betsy Buffo presents the words of her subject in this passage from her essay “Interview with an Artist”:

Derek is straightforward when asked about how his work is received in the local community: “My work is outside the mainstream. Because it’s controversial, it’s not easy for me to get exposure.”

She might have expressed and punctuated this passage in other ways:

Derek says that “it’s not easy” for him to find an audience.

Derek struggles for recognition because his art falls “outside the mainstream.”

If your source is quoting someone else (a quotation within a quotation), put your subject’s words in quotation marks and the words he or she is quoting in single quotation marks. Always put commas and periods inside the quotation marks; put semicolons and colons outside. Include all necessary marks in the correct place or sequence.

As Betsy Buffo explains, “Derek struggles for recognition because his art falls ‘outside the mainstream.’”

Substitute an ellipsis mark (…) — three spaced dots — for any words you have omitted from the middle of a direct quotation. If you are following MLA style, you may place the ellipses inside brackets ([…]) when necessary to avoid confusing your ellipsis marks with those of the original writer. If the ellipses come at the end of a sentence, add another period to conclude the sentence. You don’t need an ellipsis mark to show the beginning or ending of a quotation that is clearly incomplete.

In this selection from “Overworked!” student Melissa Lamberth identifies quotations and an omission. (She cites Joe Robinson’s essay from the reader in her Bedford Guide):

See D3 in the Quick Research Guide for more about quotations from sources.

In his essay “Four Weeks Vacation,” Robinson writes, “The health implications of sleep-deprived motorists weaving their way to the office … are self-evident” (481).

EDITING CHECKLIST

For exercises on using and punctuating quotation marks, see the Take Action charts on Re:Writing.

Punctuation with Quotations

  • Are the exact words quoted from your source enclosed in quotation marks?
  • Are commas and periods placed inside closing quotation marks?
  • Are colons and semicolons placed outside closing quotation marks?
  • Do ellipses show where you omit words from the middle of a quote?