How would you punctuate this?  Woman without her man is nothing

 Woman, without her man, is nothing.  Woman! Without her, man is nothing. Punctuation makes a difference!

Commas Where the comma lies makes a difference!

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “L” is for lists  Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses in a series.  Examples: Ellen bought new jeans, a plaid skirt, and a pair of gloves. They drove to the post office, parked the car, and unloaded the boxes.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “L” is for lists  Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases or clauses in a series.  Examples: Ellen bought new jeans, a plaid skirt, and a pair of gloves. They drove to the post office, parked the car, and unloaded the boxes.  Update: the last comma before the and in a series of three of more may be left out. Ellen bought new jeans, a plaid skirt and a pair of gloves.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “L” is for lists  Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases or clauses in a series.  Examples: Ellen bought new jeans, a plaid skirt, and a pair of gloves. They drove to the post office, parked the car, and unloaded the boxes.  GRAMMAR TEXT p. 481, ex. 8 (#2,3,4,6,7,9)

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “L” is for lists  Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases or clauses in a series.  Use commas to separate equal adjectives, but not those that must stay in a specific order. Example: It was a narrow, rough road that lead to the many new houses.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “L” is for lists  Use commas to separate equal adjectives, but not those that must stay in a specific order. Example:  It was a narrow, rough road that lead to the many new houses. TEST: If you can reverse the order of the adjectives without changing the meaning, then a comma should be placed between them.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “L” is for lists  Use commas to separate equal adjectives, but not those that must stay in a specific order. Example: It was a narrow, rough road that lead to the many new houses. TEST: If you can reverse the order of the adjectives without changing the meaning, then a comma should be placed between them. GRAMMAR BOOK p 482, Ex. 9 (#1-4)

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “I” is for introduction Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or clause. It is “introductory” if it precedes the subject of the sentence

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “I” is for introduction Examples:  No, you should not marry a Montague.  Juliet, will you marry me?  Of course, I will marry you.  Obviously, we might get in trouble.  At Friar Laurence’s cell, we will meet.  Because he thought it might end the feud, Friar Lawrence agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “I” is for introduction Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or clause. Current updates:  You must use a comma if it is an introductory clause. In other words, you must use a comma if the introductory part has a verb. Introductory clauses starting with a subordinating conjunction always need a comma.  Otherwise, you don’t have to have a comma if the introductory part is five (5) words or less and omitting the comma does not cause confusion.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “I” is for introduction Grammar Text p. 484, ex 10 (all)

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “E” is for extras Extra words are words that are not needed to retain the meaning of the sentence. Surround these words with commas. These appear in pairs – unless it is at the end of the sentence and then the period replaces the second comma.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “E” is for extras Examples: Parenthetical (interrupters):  I am talking to you, Juliet, about our plan.  We decided, of course, to keep this a secret. Appositives (rename)  Benvolio, Romeo’s friend, did not know of the plan. Non-essentials (3-D information)  It was in Verona, not Mantua, where the wedding takes place.  Juliet, who was 13 years old, married Romeo.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “S” is for side by side sentences Two sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) must have a comma before the conjunction.

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “S” is for side by side sentences [ Independent clause], [coordinating conjunction] [independent clause]. [Sentence], [FANBOYS] [sentence]. Examples:  Romeo was a gentleman, and Juliet was a lady.  He was impulsive, but she was level-headed.  They were young, yet they married. They were young yet married. (See the difference?)

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “!” But wait, there are more comma rules!

Where the comma L IES makes a difference “!” But wait, there are more comma rules! Use commas  Use in large numbers I saw 3,999 birds.  to separate parts of a geographical name, Ex. I lived at 4801 Benton Street, Iowa City, Iowa.  to separate parts of a date where needed, Ex. On Friday, October 21, we will celebrate your birthday.  to surround titles of people and some business abbreviations, Ex. Harold H. Wood, Jr., is my brother’s name. Ex. Baloney, Inc., was going out of business.  after the salutation in a personal letter, Ex. Dear John,  after the closing in any letter, Ex. Sincerely, Mrs. Bacon  to set off a direct quotations, Ex. “I want to ask you,” inquired the teenager, “if I could stay up and watch the world series game tonight.”  Use in a elliptical sentence Joe plays the guitar; his brother Fred, the flute.

Two Uses of a Semicolon ; 1.Put a semi-colon between independent clauses to form a compound sentence  It may be independent clauses joined by the semi-colon instead of a comma and coordinating conjunction (FAN BOYS). Example: Romeo reached the Friar’s cell first, and he went inside and anxiously waited for Juliet. OR Romeo reached the Friar’s cell first; he went inside and anxiously waited for Juliet.  It may be independent clauses joined by a semi-colon followed by a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase and comma. Example: Romeo was thrilled about his marriage; however, he is now exiled from Verona. Romeo killed Tybalt; as a result, he is banished from Verona.

2. For sentences with too many commas, use a semi-colon to avoid confusion.  Use a semi-colon to separate words or phrases in a series if they contain commas. Examples: Dinner at the Capulet’s party included rainbow, brook, and lake trout; large mouth, small mouth, and white bass; and a few northern pike. Romeo, a Montague, told Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, that he did not hate him; but Tybalt, the fiery Capulet, called Romeo a “villain.” Two Uses of a Semicolon ;