Punctuation, Part 1

For this post, I read the punctuation sections in Rules for Writers. I then used what I learned to reflect on my own writing style.

P.S. I really hope there isn't a punctuation mistake in this post.


Unnecessary Commas (308)

While I generally know when to use commas, there are some times where I consciously have to think about whether or not a comma is necessary in a sentence. This mostly happens when I'm writing compound sentences. If the part after the comma could not be a sentence on its own, there should not be a comma. The first example on page 308 illustrates this, because, "and later applied her work on radioactive medicine" is not an independent clause.

It's also interesting how a comma is necessary after "however" but not after "although" even though they mean essentially the same thing.

Whytock, Ken. "T-shirt Slogan: 'Punctuation saved grandma's life'." Uploaded 3/2/14 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Colon (319)

To tell the truth, I usually avoid using colons in my writing. It's a combination of the fact that they are not necessary very often, and I am afraid of using them incorrectly. I think I must have missed the day of English class when we first learned how to use colons, because they have always given me trouble.

Anyway, I found it interesting how important colons are to certain conventions. I have never used a colon while quoting outside of using block quotes, but maybe I will try to start using them more frequently.


End Punctuation (333)

While I use way too many exclamation points when I'm texting, I don't know if I've ever used one in an essay. The only time I use question marks in my writing is if I'm asking my audience a rhetorical question to make them think.

I am a little confused by the tip under section 38b about ending a polite request with a period instead of a question mark. It's still a question, isn't it?



Reflection:

I read Kelly and Isabel's drafts, and overall, they had very few punctuation issues. I think that, as honors students, we are fairly good at using proper punctuation in our writing. I had a hard time finding any punctuation errors in either of their drafts.

In her essay, Isabel wrote, "However, 'the recent ruling of the Health Care Financing Administration favors reimbursement for treating slow-to-heal wounds and incontinence.'"

• She properly includes a comma after "however" which is also necessary to introduce the quote.

Kelly wrote, " Including the qualifications of the researcher increases the value of his opinion, and therefore increases the credibility of the paper.

• This sentence is well written, so I feel bad critiquing it at all. The only issue is that, "and therefore increases the credibility of the paper" isn't an independent clause, so there shouldn't be a comma after the first clause.