Oct 6, 2013 | Effective Writing
When it appears that two punctuation marks are necessary at the end of a quote, many writers scratch their heads. Consider this example: Can you imagine how people felt when she yelled, “I refuse to listen to this!” Many people are inclined to put a...
Sep 17, 2013 | Punctuation and Grammar
Insert a colon after words that form a complete thought, not after phrases such as for example or as a result. It is common for someone to write, The topics on the meeting agenda include: the annual conference, staff additions, and budget planning. Similarly, you...
Oct 25, 2011 | Effective Writing
People sometimes are vehement about the “right” way to punctuate a given situation, but punctuation sometimes allows flexibility. We have six commonly used punctuation marks (the comma, colon, semicolon, period, dash, parentheses), and after several...