When to use quotation marks and what style to use When to use quotation marks Style guides differ on when to use quotation marks or italics, but generally we use quotation marks for short titles and italics for longer titles. Use quotation marks for direct speech, quotes, emphasis and the titles of articles, songs and […]
How do you punctuate however, therefore, moreover and furthermore? Reader’s question: I would like to know the appropriate punctuation when using the words however, therefore, moreover and furthermore. Answer: How you punctuate these words depends on their position and function within the sentence. My guidelines for words such as however, therefore, moreover and furthermore are as follows. At the […]
Do you need an apostrophe when you make an acronym plural? Reader’s question: How does one make an acronym or initialism plural? Is ABCs or ABC’s correct? Answer: Apostrophes have nothing to do with plurals, so you just add an ‘s’ (i.e. ABCs). Read more about apostrophes – when to use them and why. Online grammar and punctuation course Learn more about […]
Confusion about colons abounds. Here we break down the difference between colons and semicolons so you can use them effectively in your writing. In a nutshell, colons introduce, link or separate words and ideas. Semicolons create a stronger break than a comma, but a weaker break than a full stop. They join two independent clauses […]
There are four types of brackets: parentheses, square brackets, angle brackets and curly brackets. Parentheses ( ) Parentheses, sometimes called round brackets or just brackets, are the most common brackets in business writing. Use round brackets (parentheses) to add extra information to a sentence. You can use dashes or commas instead of brackets in some instances. Would […]
When to use apostrophes With so many different punctuation rules that need to be followed when writing the English language, it can sometimes get confusing. Language researcher David Graddol predicts that in 2010 there will be 2 billion people on the planet speaking English, of whom only 350 million will be native speakers. So how […]
Ampersands in business writing Reader’s question: When do you use an ampersand (&) instead of ‘and’? Answer: You can use ampersands in titles, signage and website buttons where space is limited or the ampersand is part of an organisation’s branding. Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) Use and, not ampersands in business writing, even for […]
An ellipsis is always three dots Reader’s question: If you have a full stop then an ellipsis, do you have three dots or four? Answer: We use ellipses to indicate that we have left out material we’re quoting from. In informal writing, we also use them to indicate we could have said more, but are choosing not […]
Styles for em and en rules and the textual dash — em rule – textual dash – en rule Dashes are stronger than a comma and less formal than brackets. You use a longer dash to separate information and a shorter dash to link words. Em and en rules are sometimes called em and en […]
Commas can be costly Take a look at these three court cases to appreciate the power of the humble comma. US$10 million overtime dispute hinges on the Oxford (serial) comma The first comma case is about the Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma). First a definition. A comma is sometimes added between the last two […]