Brief Guide to Punctuation - Stockton College

Table of Contents
This guide has two parts. The first offers brief explanations of the
more significant forms of punctuation; the second gives examples
of light and heavy punctuation.
I. Punctuation expresses meaning 7
Punctuation over time 7
Reading punctuation 8
Guide to punctuation 9
Commas in a list 9
Commas with adjectives 9
Commas between independent clauses 11
Commas setting apart wording 12
Commas with introductory phrases
and clauses 13
Restrictive and nonrestrictive wording 13
Which hunt 15
Appositives 16
Commas with parenthetical wording 16
Commas with concluding phrases and clauses 17
Commas and contrasting wording 18
Commas and omitted material 19
Implied vs. actual subjects 19
Comma don’ts 19
Semicolons 21
Semicolons and conjunctive adverbs 21
Semicolons in complex series 22
Colons 23
Colons, semicolons, and periods 24
A common mistake with colons 25
Dashes and parentheses 25