punctuation

Punctuation : 

Punctuation The key to making written English easy to read, and to making the meaning absolutely clear.

Slide 2: 

What is this thing called love? What is this thing called, love? What? Is this thing called love? What is this thing called? ‘Love’? ‘What is this thing called?’ ‘Love.’

Full Stops, sentences, paragraphs : 

Full Stops, sentences, paragraphs Sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Sentences are joined together to form paragraphs.

Commas : 

Commas Commas : Verb + object Commas : Verb + subject Optional commas Lists and sequences

Don’t put a comma between the verb and its object, even when the object is a noun clause. : 

Don’t put a comma between the verb and its object, even when the object is a noun clause. Verb + object I have forgotten my childhood. Verb + noun clause I have forgotten what ... I wonder if ... I cannot accept that ... I wish someone would ... Verb + two objects I told the captain what I thought. I told the captain that ...

Don’t put a comma between the subject and the verb, whether the subject is a single word or a long noun phrase. : 

Don’t put a comma between the subject and the verb, whether the subject is a single word or a long noun phrase. Dancing excites me. The only thing I have forgotten is how it ends. The way some of her best students spoiled their writing and confused their readers by failing to punctuate properly was a terrible worry to Miss Brodie.

Optional commas : 

Optional commas You should use a comma only if it will make the sentence easier to read, or make the meaning more clear by preventing an ambiguity. Here’s a box to carry the cat, and the dog can sit on my lap.

With conjunctions : 

With conjunctions Commas are often unnecessary with coordinating conjunctions. When sentences are joined together with and, or or but, commas are not needed provided that both verbs have the same subject She saw the bank robbery and phoned for the police. When the verbs have a different subject, a comma is more usual She saw the bank robbery, but the robbers didn’t see her.

Lists and sequences : 

Lists and sequences Commas are used to separate items in a list. The usual practice is not to put a comma between the last two items of a list. But sometimes a comma is needed to avoid ambiguity. At the school there are facilities for football, tennis, volleyball and croquet. Charles never drinks beer : he prefers gin and tonic, whisky and soda, brandy and ginger, and wine.