• Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Proofreading
    • Resume Writing
  • Articles
  • FAQ
  • Accolades
  • Contact Us
How To Use
Punctuation


-  Rumki Sen

The most common mistake people tend to make while writing is in the use of Punctuation. Wrong  punctuation can damage the flow of ideas and change meaning, but properly used punctuation not only helps readers understand your meaning but also makes them engrossed in your writing. The following discussion is about some of the frequently misused punctuation marks and what actually their correct application should be. 

Use of Apostrophe - Use an apostrophe to show possession, but never put apostrophe in case of possessive pronouns. Always remember that when the word "it's" is used, it is actually for the contraction for the two words: "it has" or "it is". On the other hand, "its" is a possessive pronoun, and the word being already possessive should not contain an apostrophe in it. 

Example

It's the same thing happening over and over again.
(Contraction of It and is: It is the same thing happening over and over again). 

Wrong: That car is your's. 

Right: That car is yours. 

Note:  Rewriting is sometimes the solution for an awkward possessive. 

Awkward: A friend of mine's cap. 
Better: A friend's cap (or the cap of a friend of mine). 

To show possession in the case of singular nouns, add 's, and for plural words that end in s, add only an apostrophe. Don't forget to put 's with plural words not ending in s.

Example 

Singular: nurse's uniform 

Plural:   nurses' uniforms (plural word ending in s) 

Plural:   children's uniforms (plural word not ending in s) 

Use of Comma - Use commas to separate three or more items in a list. Though journalists most of the times omit the final comma before the word "and", but retaining the final comma avoids confusion. 

Example

Poor: In this website, you can read articles about how to do business online, the woman who daily eats 45 eggs and Tom Cruise. 

Better: In this website, you can read articles about how to do business online, the woman who daily eats 45 eggs, and Tom Cruise. 

Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions. 

Example

Wrong: I am not good in writing but I love writing. 

Wrong: I am not good in writing, but, I love writing. 

Right: I am not good in writing, but I love writing. 

Note: If the clauses are long and already contain commas, separate them with a semicolon rather than a comma. 

Wrong: If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon 

Right: If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon 

Run-on sentences - Where Run-on sentences are concerned (in case you don't know what it is, a run-on occurs when two independent clauses are not separated by punctuation or conjunction), add a period, or a semi colon, or a comma in places of separation. 

Example 

Wrong: A good student can score full marks in Mathematics it's his analytical ability that will help him achieve that. 

Right: A good student can score full marks in Mathematics. It's his analytical ability that will help him achieve that.

Use of Quotation Marks - Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotation. 

Example 

"That guy knows me," Mr. Wong said, "very well." 

Note: Never use it for indirect quotation (a restatement of someone's words). 

According to Mr. Wong, that guy knows him very well. 

Use single quotation marks to indicate a quote within a quote. 

Example 

Wrong: Richard wrote, "When Berkeley said, "esse est percipii", he meant that the existence of a thing consists in its being perceived." 

Right: Richard wrote, "When Berkeley said, 'esse est percipii,' he meant that the existence of a thing consists in its being perceived." 

Note: Always put the comma and final period inside the quotation marks, and put other punctuation marks outside unless they are part of the thing being quoted. 
There are many other frequently used punctuation errors, but the above-discussed ones are those I have mostly encountered in several writings. Before putting punctuation marks in your sentences, always ask yourself what meaning you want to convey to the readers. Accordingly, put the marks. In case the sentence becomes difficult to punctuate, consider rewriting it, because when a sentence is well written, it almost punctuates itself.


Please Note: The content of this article can be forwarded, published, printed and distributed without the consent of the owner of Perfect Editing Solutions. However, the URL (https://www.perfectediting.com) must be mentioned wherever this article is reproduced.

                                       More Articles

What Others Are Saying

" Thanks for the document, this was real fast...it looks far more focused...thanks for the expressive document created by you."




V.Anand - India

"I was approached by a former colleage to review his CV and cover letter and referred him to Rumki Sen. The results he got were exceeding expectations from a qualitative, timliness and cost/value perspective. Great job."


M.Studer - Switzerland

"Rumki is extremely a Professional Resume Writter. Her pace is unmatchable and her work is indeed flawless. I would recommend her to all my colleagues and friends if they are looking to professionally get their resumes prepared. Her skills are unique. she proved to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. She is efficient and quick to respond."

Srimoyee G. - India

" Rumki prepares and delivers high impact resume writing and document editing services. She conveys written ideas in a logical manner and expresses essential details. I found Rumki very friendly and responsive when interfacing with me and best of all she kept agreed timelines. Her services would definately add value to her customers."

Sanjay Sharma - India

" Discovering your site was like finding some hidden treasure........... it has helped me a great deal. Thanks a million. "




Abne - USA

" Thank you very much for editing my document! This helps improve my writing so much. In the future I will be able to recognize these same mistakes. "




Jordan - USA

" I'm very happy with the result - it was good to see how the resume should be structured and highlighted, so valuable input - thank you. "




R. Gysling - Switzerland

" Thank you for the impressive work! There are many aspects that I really like about your edit. Thus, I want my other documents to get proofread and edited. "




B. Chong - Canada

If you are looking for the BEST professional resume writing services

Take it now

PES

Perfect Editing Solutions

© Copyright. All rights reserved. Perfect Editing Solutions - Proofreading, Copyediting, Resume Writing Services
Site Maintained by Rumki Sen. View our Privacy Policy.

  • Home
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy policy
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Proofreading
    • Resume Writing
  • Articles
  • FAQ
  • Accolades
  • Contact Us