THE GOVERNMENT

NO:
YES:
Our five travel choices are: Boracay, Bohol, Palawan, Camarines
Sur, and Sagada.
We have five travel choices: Boracay, Bohol, Palawan, Camarines
Sur, and Sagada.
A colon can be used to introduce dialogue, as in “He said: That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
A colon can be used to give emphasis. Capitalize a word next to a colon if it is part of a full sentence.
He had only one interest: photography.
She had only one thing in mind: What course is she going to take up in college?
Use a colon to separate titles and subtitles. The first word in the subtitle is capitalized.
The Philippines: A Past Revisited
“From Babaylan to Beata: A Study on the Religiosity of Filipino Women”
Comma ( , ). In a series of more than two items, separate each item with a comma: “The Philippines, Japan, and
the United States participated in the summit.” This is called the serial or Oxford comma.
For common expressions and names joined by “and,” do not separate with commas.
The company needs to invest more in training, resource management, and research and
development.
The rescue team combed through the rubble, the corridors, and every nook and cranny
of the razed factory.
Use a comma for names followed by postnominal letters indicating educational degree, position, or legal status.
Patricia Santos, PhD
San Miguel Brewery, Inc.
Hitachi, Ltd.
There is no need for this with names followed by generational designations such as “III,” “Jr.,” and “Sr.”
Sammy Davis Jr.
Benigno S. Aquino III
In the case of companies and institutional names that deliberately use or omit commas, it is acceptable to follow
their preferred usage.
A short phrase that starts a sentence and is not followed by a natural pause does not need to be followed by a comma:
STYLE GUIDE FOR THE GOVERNMENT
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