Over the past decade (and the entry of the “social media” generation into the workforce), I’ve noticed a sharp decline in the understanding of the role of certain types of punctuation.
Foremost among these is commas, colons and semi-colons.
Commas:
- Separate items within a list of three or more:
“We packed clips, tubes, nuts, bolts and bars.” (Note omission of comma before “and”).
- Separate two distinct components of a sentence:
“We can complete the work by the required date, provided there is no further delay in client approvals.”
- Mark off any phrase or clause that interrupts the flow of a sentence:
“The scheme did not, and still does not, apply to salary earners.”
- Mark off titles or identifiers:
“Southern Region Civil Manager, Jason Stevens, commented that (etc).”
Semi Colons:
- Enable the extension of a sentence:
“The phrase will have little impact on the reader; by then he will be conditioned by it.”
- Separate two related ideas or concepts within a sentence:
“He declined the offer; he refuses charity.”
Colons
- Introduce a series of items:
“The camper’s needs are: tent, groundsheet, cooking utensils, stove, sleeping bag and waterproof clothing.”
- Introduce an explanatory statement:
“This is the company’s plan: To open a new factory in Belgium and save the extra cost of transporting the goods.”
- Are an alternative to a comma in the introduction of a quote:
“Witness: ‘I was not there.’ “
