1. THE JOY OF PUNCTUATION SEMICOLONS AND COLONS DASHES AND PARENTHESES
HYPHENS AND APOSTROPHES
QUOTATION MARKS
ELLIPSES AND ITALICS

2. SEMICOLONS
USE A SEMICOLON TO SEPARATE ITEMS IN A SERIES IF ANY OF THE ITEMS CONTAINS A COMMA
USE A SEMICOLON BETWEEN INDEPENDENT CLAUSES JOINED BY A CONJUNCTION IF EITHER CLAUSE CONTAINS COMMAS
USE A SEMICOLON TO JOIN THE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES OF A COMPOUND SENTENCE IF NO COORDINATING CONJUNCTION IS USED
USE A SEMICOLON BEFORE A CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB OR A PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSION THAT JOINS THE CLAUSES OF A COMPOUND SENTENCE (THEREFORE, IN FACT)

3. COLONS
INTRODUCE A LIST OF ITEMS ( PLEASE BRING: A LIFE JACKET, A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES, AND A TUBE OF SUNSCREEN.)
DO NOT USE A COLON – AFTER A VERB, IN THE MIDDLE OF A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE, OR AFTER “BECAUSE” OR “AS”

4. COLON
USE A COLON BETWEEN TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES WHEN THE SECOND EXPLAINS OR SUMMARIZES THE FIRST. (THE CAPTAIN WAS RIGHT: WE SHOULD HAVE WAITED OUT THE STORM.)
USE A COLON TO INTRODUCE A LONG OR FORMAL QUOTATION. (WINSTON CHURCHILL INSPIRED THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND WITH THESE WORDS: “WE SHALL NOT FAIL OR FALTER; WE SHALL NOT WEAKEN OR TIRE.”)

5. COLON USE AFTER THE FORMAL SALUTATION OF A BUSINESS LETTER
AFTER LABELS THAT SIGNAL IMPORTANT IDEAS (BEWARE: SHARKS)
BETWEEN THE HOUR AND MINUTE FIGURES OF CLOCK TIME
BETWEEN CHAPTER AND VERSE IN THE BIBLE, QUR’AN AND TALMUD

6. DASHES
USE DASHES TO SHOW AN ABRUPT BREAK IN THOUGHT (YOUR PRIZE WILL BE A CRUISE TO BERMUDA—ASSUMING YOU WIN THE CONTEST.)
USE TO SET OFF LONG EXPLANATORY STATEMENTS THAT INTERRUPT THE MAIN THOUGHT OF A SENTENCE. (OCEAN CURRENTS—THE TENDENCY OF THE OCEANS’ WATERS TO MOVE IN A CERTAIN DIRECTION—PUZZLED EARLY NAVIGATORS.)
TO SET OFF AN INTRODUCTORY LIST (WHALES, DOLPHINS, SEA LIONS—ALL THESE OCEAN WONDERS AWAIT YOU AT SEASIDE AQUARIUM.)

7. PARENTHESES
USE PARENTHESES TO SET OFF NONESSENTIAL EXPLANATORY MATERIAL THAT IS LOOSELY RELATED TO THE SENTENCE. (ALTHOUGH THE SEA AROUND US IS SOMEWHAT DATED (IT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1951), THE BOOK IS STILL A FASCINATING SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE SEA.)

8. PARENTHESES PARENTHETICAL INFORMATION:
A COMPLETE SENTENCE WITHIN ANOTHER SENTENCE (THE GIANT WAVES (THEY WERE TERRIFYING!) TOSSED THE SHIP.
A COMPLETE SENTENCE THAT STANDS ALONE (AMY HAD NEVER BEEN SO SEASICK IN HER LIFE. (SHE STILL GETS QUEASY AT THE THOUGHT OF EATING CHOCOLATE MOUSSE.)
A FRAGMENT WITHIN ANOTHER SENTENCE (THE CAPTAIN (AVERY NICE MAN) SENT A POT OF PEPPERMINT TEA TO OUR ROOM.)

9. HYPENS AND APOSTROPHES
A HYPHEN CONNECTS THE FOLLOWING KINDS OF WORDS THAT FUNCTION AS A SINGLE UNIT:
COMPOUND NUMBERS
SPELLED OUT FRACTIONS
COMPOUND NOUNS
PREFIXES BEFORE NOUNS (EX-)
SUFFIXES –ELECT AND -STYLE

10. APOSTROPHES
TO FORM THE POSSESSIVE CASE OF A SINGULAR OR PLURAL NOUN

11. QUOTATION MARKS
SET OFF DIRECT QUOTATIONS AND SOME TITLES