Punctuation

At a glance 10 rules

1. 1No comma splicesTwo full sentences cannot be joined by a comma alone. Use a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma with and, but, or, so: It rained; the match was called off.
2. 2However, thereforeBetween two full sentences, put a semicolon before however, therefore or otherwise and a comma after it: It rained; however, the match went on.
3. 3ColonA colon follows a complete sentence and introduces a list or an explanation, never straight after a verb or 'such as': We need three things: chalk, a duster and a register.
4. 4Semicolons in listsWhen list items already contain commas, separate the items with semicolons: Surat, Gujarat; Mysuru, Karnataka; and Patna, Bihar.
5. 5ApostrophesOne owner: the student's desk; plural owners: the students' desks; plurals without s: children's, women's. 'Its' means belonging to it; 'it's' means it is.
6. 6Commas round extra detailsA clause that adds extra detail takes a pair of commas (Shimla, which is cold in May, ...); a clause that tells you which one takes none (the bus that goes to Indore).
7. 7No comma before the verbNever split a subject from its verb with a single comma: The man at the gate checked our passes, not The man at the gate, checked our passes.
8. 8Names and question tagsCommas set off a person you speak to and a question tag: 'Riya, sit down.' 'It is late, isn't it?'
9. 9Question or reportA direct question ends in a question mark; a reported question is a statement, so it ends in a full stop and takes no comma: She asked where the hall was.
10. 10Direct speechA comma comes before the opening quote mark and the end mark sits inside the closing one; a split sentence resumes in small letters: 'If it rains,' he said, 'we stay in.'