Chapter 8
GETTING BEYOND THE PERIOD AND COMMA
Chapter overview
Most students are at least a little uncomfortable with punctuation (and some, with good reason,
are very uncomfortable!). This chapter helps with that discomfort, but the goal is more: to show
that good punctuation means using the entire arsenal and not simply being correct with the
period and comma.
Brief outline of the chapter
I. Question mark. This is such an easy—and effective mark—but many students never use it.
II. Dash. I tell my students that the dash is addictive! That’s because it allows students to write
more the way they talk—and, at the same time, makes the parts of a sentence more
obvious.
III. Colon. Most students use the colon only to introduce a list. This part of the chapter shows
other uses.
IV. Semicolon. I don’t consider the semicolon that important a mark of punctuation.
(Bureaucrats love it, of course!) But it may be the most misused mark, so students should
learn how to use it correctly.
V. Ellipsis. Once students get the hang of using this mark (other than in documentation), they
love it.
VI. Comma. The purpose of this part of the chapter is mainly to get students to use this mark
correctly
VII. Exercises.
General comments
Until students read this chapter, I tell them to experiment with punctuation. I’d rather see
incorrect colons and semicolons than a paper full of only periods and commas. I keep my part of
the bargain, too: I don’t count off, even mentally, for punctuation errors with certain marks when
they’re experimenting. But I assume they’re not experimenting with the basics, such as when to
use commas and where sentences begin and end. Those are part of basic literacy, and I include
them as part of my grading for all of their papers.
I tell students this chapter helps take them the next step with their writing. Most professionals
punctuate differently from the way most amateurs do. That is, professionals typically are
comfortable using all the marks of punctuation, not just the period and comma. So although one
purpose of this chapter is to help students brush up on the basics, another purpose is to get them
beyond the basics.
Most students particularly enjoy using dashes and ellipses. Colons (other than introducing lists)
and semicolons still throw them. So for the first paper students write after reading this chapter, I
require them to use (correctly) a colon in the middle of a sentence, a semicolon, a dash, a
question mark, and ellipsis.
Additional exercise
When I teach punctuation, I stop after each mark and ask students to write a sentence using it
correctly. For example, if we’re covering semicolons, I ask students to write a sentence using a
semicolon correctly. (By the way, the content of the sentences sometimes gives an interesting
insight into your students’ minds!) Then I ask students to read the sentences aloud (including the
punctuation).
Notes on the exercises
Exercise A (punctuating sentences correctly)
Exercise B (finding interesting sentences in published writing)
Be prepared for an occasional sentence that doesn’t follow the rules. I try to take a nuanced
Exercise C (finding interesting sentences from Warren Buffet’s annual reports)
Exercise D (analyzing the punctuation from published writing)
Not all published writing has great punctuation. Many journal articles, for example, rely on