UNIT 4: Punctuation and Capitalization

UNIT 4: Punctuation and Capitalization

What is Capitalization?

Capitalization occurs when the first letter in a word is an upper case letter.
For example, the first word in this sentence contains a capital F.

Why do we use Punctuation and Capitalization? Marks of punctuation and capitalization help readers understand and interpret sentences better. Some marks are required to prevent misreading and some are optional and depend on what the writer wishes to achieve. For example, ending a sentence with an exclamation mark rather than a period.

Capitalization Rules

•Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence
She is a very respectable girl.
How can you jump so high?
Captain of the ship is having lunch with us.

•For titles of books, magazines, journals, plays capitalize first and last words and all the words except for the articles, prepositions, conjunctions with less than 5 letters. (a, the, for...)
Gone with the Wind
The Boston Globe
I Am America
Pride and Prejudice

•Proper nouns, including the names of racial and ethnic groups; countries, nationalities, their languages, religious, etc. are capitalized.

Robin Williams
English
Orthodox
Romanticism
Mr. Perkins

Proper Adjectives

Italian-style pasta
a British accent

•Capitalize the names of specific places, regions, parks, mountains, streets...

Sun Valley Road
Elm Street
the West Coast
Wyoming
Mount Everest

•Names of the weeks, months, holidays

Friday, July, Veterans Day...

Note: Centuries and decades are not capitalized.

the twenty-first century, the eighties (the '80s)

•Governmental assemblies, departments and bureaus

the United States Congress
the Federal Bureau of Investigation
the Department of Homeland Security

Note: Articles, conjunctions and prepositions shorter than 5 letters are not capitalized.

•Titles of rank when they precede a specific name

Governor Schwarzenegger, Mr. Duncan, Mayor Edwin
governor of California, mayor of San Francisco

Note: Some higher rank titles may be capitalized even without a proper name.

The President arrived yesterday.

•Titles and abbreviations of titles that follow a name when addressing the person

Edgar Davids, Esq.
Maxim Smith, Editor

•Names referring to God by any religions and the names of sacred literature

Lord, King of Kings, Allah, the Bible, the Koran, Buddha

Note: The pronoun he, his, him is capitalized if it's referring to God.

The man prayed to God hopping He might save him.

•Historical events, periods, documents

the Vietnam War
the Stone Age
the Declaration of Independence

•The Pronouns "I"

I am a student.
Jerry and I are building a castle.
Why do I have to go?

•Proper nouns, brand names (shampoo, automobiles, ships, people, monuments, mountains...)

John, Colgate tooth paste, BMW, Ford, the Gateway Arch Memorial, University of Berkeley

•Capitalize all words in titles of distinction

Vice President
First Lieutenant

•Capitalize abbreviations of capitalized words

NATO, U.S.A, FBI, CIA, EU

•Directions north, south, east, west... are capitalized IF they are used as a noun referring to a particular area of a country

I am going to drive north. (direction as adverb and not capitalized)
We live in the Northeast. (this one is a particular area and used as a noun)

•Do not capitalize father, mother, uncle, aunt... unless they are used as proper names

Uncle Sam, Mother Mary
my uncle, her mother

Punctuation Rules

Apostrophe Rules

There are three main uses of apostrophe ('):

1. Contracted words:
Apostrophe marks dropped letters.
Mustn’t-must not / what's-what is

2.Possession:
Daniel's money / Nora's son
The car's color / Bicycle's tire

3. Plurals of "non-words":
I only get A's and B's.
Number 7's are the best.

Word + Apostrophe + S ('s)

1. Contraction of "is"

With pronouns, nouns, question words or words like "there" and "here".

There's my best friend. (There is)
Here's Jack. (Here is)
He's my father. (He is)
When's your birthday? (When is)
How's your sister? (How is)
Andre's studying. (Andre is)

2. Contraction of "has"

With pronouns, question words, nouns:

Selena's got homework to do. (Selena has got)
What's happened? (What has)
Frank's had an accident. (Frank has)
It's been a long time since I last saw you.(It has been)

3. Possession

The book's cover (The cover of the book) is torn.
Her daughter's name is Lisa.
My friend's car is red. (The car of my friend)

Dashes and Hyphens (--)

Hyphen

Hyphens are used to connect two independent words, so they function as one unit. Some compound words are hyphenated, some are one word, and some remain two words. The best idea is to consult a dictionary -- compound words don't always follow consistent rules:

• Water-repellent
• Waterproof
• Water table

Two words that are functioning together as an adjective require a hyphen between them:

• A well-known scholar...
• A literary-minded critic...
• A structure-based analysis

Also, hyphens are always used with prefixes "self-" "all-" "ex-" and the suffix "elect-":

• A self-help clinic...
• An all-inclusive trip...
• His ex-wife...
• The president-elect...
When adjectives are listed in a series, the hyphens stay with the variable part of the compound adjective:
• A first-class / second-class / third-class ticket



                                                       Dash

A dash looks like a double hyphen. When typing, putting two hyphens together, with no spaces before or after, creates a dash. Dashes are usually used to set off information that would be in parenthesis

• Wikipedia-- a popular website--can be a good source of basic information.

Dashes can also be used to set off appositives (nouns or noun phrases that modify a nearby noun)

• Basic needs--food, clothes, and shelter--can be very expensive.


Dashes can also indicate a sharp break in the flow of a sentence, such as a list or shirt in tone:

• Oil can be made from many plants--palm trees, soybeans, sunflowers, peanuts, olives and coconuts.
• Sam took a deep breath, dribbled the ball several times, threw the ball with all his strength--and missed the basket.

Period '.'

1. A complete sentence that makes a statement ends with a period. A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and predicate. In British English a period is called a 'full stop'. 
It's your birthday.
You blow out the candle.
He went to Detroit last week.
2. Most abbreviations end with a period.
Dr. Smith lives on Creek Rd. near St. Mary's Hospital. 

                                             Question Mark '?'

1. A question ends with a question mark.
When is she coming?
                                           Exclamation Point '!'
1. The exclamation point is used at the end of a sentence to indicate great surprise. It is also used for emphasis when making a point. (Strong feeling / excitement)
Be careful not to use exclamation mark too often.
What a wonderful day it is!
That ride was fantastic! 
I can't believe he is going to marry her!

Comma ','

Comma is a punctuation mark that groups and separates words within a sentence. It indicates a pause. Below are some of the most common comma use cases.

•1. Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, yet, and so when these words connect two independent clauses.

I was forced to carry the bricks, so I was very tired

• 2. Use commas to separate items in a series.
I own goats, chickens, geese, and cattle.
The dog jumped over the fence, growled at me, and raced up a tree.
Unless you come right home, unless you clean up your room, unless you finish your homework, you can't go anywhere.
• 3. Use a comma after introductory dependent clauses, introductory verbal phrases, and lengthy introductory prepositional phrases.
Even though I confessed, the judge will send me to prison.
Seeing what the storm did to my hometown, I cried.
With a sudden roar from all six engines, the jet took off.
• 4. Use commas to set off non-essential phrases and clauses and any other element which clearly interrupts the normal flow of the sentence.
Alan, who hates onion, won't eat pizza.
Nina, on the other hand, will eat anything.
You understand, Randy, that you will receive not another penny?
You'll send me a postcard, won't you?
I'm going to military, not a resort.
• 5. Use commas to set of direct quotations.
"I'm going now," he moaned, "and don't expect me back."
He screamed, "Grab the loot, and let's get out of here!"
• 6. Use a comma to separate items in dates and addresses.
April 7, 2010, is the date of his birth.
Her address is 113 Moon Street, Concord, California.
• 7. Use a comma to prevent the misreading of a sentence.
While fighting, my brother always attacks first.
• 8. Use a comma to separate two adjectives if the word 'and' would be used to join them.
It was an old, dilapidated house.
It was an old blue house. (not old and blue house so comma not needed)

                               Colon ':'

1. A colon shows the reader that a list or explanation follows.

I will need the following items: scissors, paper, glue, and paint.
He had many reasons for joining the club: to get in shape, to make new friends, to lose some weight, and to get out of the house.

2. To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used in this situation)
He announced to his friends: "I'm getting married!"
She cried out: "I never want to see you again!"

                             Semicolon ';'
The semicolon signals a pause longer than a comma but briefer than a period.
There are two uses for a semicolon:
1. To separate two independent clauses. One or both of the clauses are short and the ideas expressed are usually very similar.

He loves studying; he can't get enough of school.
What an incredible situation; it must make you nervous.

2. To separate groups of words that are themselves separated by commas.
I took a holiday and played golf, which I love; read a lot, which I needed to do; and slept late; which I hadn't done for quite a while.

They plan to study German, for their travels; chemistry, for their work; and literature, for their own enjoyment. 

Warning: Do not use a capital letter after a semicolon, unless it is followed by a proper noun.

                    Quotation Marks (double " or single ')

1. Quotation marks are used to identify the exact words of a speaker.
President Bush said, "We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail." 

2. For speech within speech, the other style is used as inner quotation marks:
'Dave said, "Good afternoon, Frank"', recalled Frank.

Warning: Place the punctuation marks outside quotation marks, unless they are logically parts of the quotation. 
His answer to this was "no"; but two years later, he changed his mind.
Did he say "yes" or "no"?

How to Punctuate Salutations in Emails and Letters

How to Punctuate Salutations in Emails and Letters

Have you ever wondered if you should write “Dear Joe,” or “Dear Joe:” at the start of an email or letter? The difference between the comma and the colon might seem insignificant, but it actually reflects the level of formality in your message. This lesson explains how to punctuate salutations in emails and letters so you can begin all your correspondence with the desired level of business professionalism or casual coolness. (Don’t worry—you can be professional and cool at the same time.)

Formal Salutations

Salutations (or greetings) in formal letters and emails are followed by a colon:

Dear Mr. Periwinkle:

Please accept my resignation from my position as lead bank teller. I am leaving to pursue my career as a trapeze artist.

To Whom It May Concern:

I have attached my application for stamp collector of the year.

Informal Salutations with Adjectives

There is a common misconception that commas should never be used after salutations. That’s just not true. Commas can be used after informal salutations that include an adjective such as “Dear.”²The trick is that you have to decide if your message is formal or informal. Letters and emails to family are pretty much always informal; however, the level of formality in business letters and emails will depend on your work environment and your personal relationship with the recipient:

Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for the birthday gift! I really love my new bagpipes and intend to play them at every family gathering from here on out!

Dear Sam,
I look forward to seeing you at tomorrow’s sales meeting. Let’s grab a cup of coffee afterward, okay?

Informal Salutations with Interjections

Realistically, most of us will use an interjection such as “Hi” or “Hello” instead of “Dear” when inviting a coworker for coffee. In this situation, a comma follows the interjection and a period or exclamation point follows the recipient’s name:

Good morning, Sam.

Hello, Sam.

Hi, Sam!