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25	Punctuation and Mechanics: Giving Your Readers Direction

Use commas to keep your sentences organized and readable	Use periods, question marks, and exclamation points correctly	Use quotation marks when you borrow words	Use apostrophes to signal contractions and possessives
Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to separate two main clauses Use commas to set off introductory elements Use commas to set off detours Use commas in series Use commas to set off most quotations Use commas in other places where readers expect them	End most sentences with periods Reserve question marks for actual questions Use exclamation points sparingly	Put quotation marks around direct quotations Put quotation marks around new terms and words used as words Put quotation marks around the titles of short works Place quotation marks correctly with other punctuation	Use an apostrophe in contractions Use apostrophes to show possession Distinguish among possessives, adjectives, and attributive nouns Give possessive pronouns special treatment
Use colons to point to what comes next	Use semicolons between equivalent elements	Use other punctuation marks in specific situations	Use sentence mechanics to convey information
		Use hyphens mainly to help readers understand relationships between adjacent words Use dashes for breaks in thought that are larger than commas suggest Use parentheses for explanatory and other minor asides Use brackets inside parentheses and quotations Use ellipses to show omissions Use a slash when quoting poetry or song lyrics and sparingly for alternatives	Use capitalization to mark beginnings Use italics for titles of substantial works, for foreign words, and sparingly for emphasis Use abbreviations and acronyms to help, not frustrate, readers

For such tiny symbols, punctuation marks convey a lot of information. They announce endings, turn statements into questions, point readers from one idea to the next, and group ideas together or keep them apart. Similarly, capital letters, italics, and acronyms — the components of sentence mechanics — draw attention to beginnings, add emphasis, and save time for you and your readers.

This chapter explores how writers use punctuation and mechanics when sharing their information, ideas, and arguments with their readers.