Commas are used with addresses. Notice there is no comma between the state and the zip code

She lives at 225 Valley Road, Durham, North Carolina 27710.

14 Seneca Road, Chertsey, Surrey, KT21 6EA

But: 14 Seneca Road

Chertsey

Surrey

KT21 6EA

11. Commas are used after greetings and before closings in friendly letters (may be omitted):

Greetings:

Dear Miranda,

Dear Mom,

Closings:

Love,

Sincerely,

In a formal letter a colon should be used:

Dear Governor Sutton:

12. Commas are optionally used in numbers over 999 before every three figures counting from the right:

There were 24,567 deliriously happy fans at the football game.

13. Commas are used with dates:

I was born on Thursday, December 27, 1979, in Boston.

(Notice all three commas. It's a very common mistake to leave out one or two.)

When you use just the month and year, only one comma is needed:

I was born in December 1979, in Boston.

14. It is used before the name of a person being spoken to, and before other forms of address:

Kate, it's time to brush your teeth.

I've told you twice, boys and girls, to do your homework.

A little bitty comma can make a great big difference. Check this out:

Direct address:

I don't want any more, honey.

No address:

I don't want any more honey.

15. Commas are used with titles when they come after (but not be­fore) the person's name. Notice the commas before and after the title:

David Swan, Ph.D., is my math teacher.

16. It separates direct speech from the rest of the sentence (direct quotation):

'I wouldn't stay now,' she said, 'even if you begged me.'

It doesn’t separate indirect speech:

Elizabeth said that she wants to swim with dolphins someday.

17. Commas separate consecutive adjectives (two or more in a row) describing the same noun:

It was a dark, cold, dreary night.

(Dark, cold, and dreary all describe the noun night.)

It was a cold September night.

(Cold and September both describe the noun night, but no comma is used.)

When do you use a comma and when don't you? Use a comma wherever the word ‘and’ would sound right:

I bought some expensive, stylish white tennis shoes.

Does this sound okay: expensive and stylish shoes? Yes, so the comma is needed between them.

Does this sound okay: stylish and white shoes? That one's questionable. It's okay to leave out the comma.

Does this sound okay: white and tennis shoes? No, so don't use a comma there.

Here's another trick: use a comma when you could switch the order of the adjectives and the sentence would still sound right.

I wore blue tennis shoes.

Does this sound okay: I wore tennis blue shoes? No, so no comma is needed.

It was a dark, cold, dreary night.

Does this sound okay: It was a cold, dark night? Yes, so the comma is needed. Does this sound okay: It was a dreary, cold night? Yes, so that comma is also needed.

Don't put a comma before the noun.

18. Commas are used before and/or after some Latin abbreviations:

I love sports, e.g., baseball, basketball, and football.

(E.g. means "for example.")

A vet works with many types of animals - dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc.

(Etc. means "and so forth.")

19. Commas are used before and/or after an interjection:

Wow, what a beautiful dress!

I told Ryan that, yes, I'd go with him to the movies.

20. Commas are used before and after parenthetical expressions. (By-the-way phrases are words inserted into a sentence giving information or thoughts that are not absolutely essential):

I reminded Mom, in case she'd forgotten,

that I really want a computer for my birthday.

They usually cost, if you get a good deal, about $230.

COLON

1. A colon is used to introduce a part of a sentence that explains or expands on what comes before:

I have something to tell you: John is coming back tomorrow.

This is an excellent play: believable characters, gripping action and a totally unexpected ending.

2. It introduces a list:

To make the model, you will need the following things:

a sheet of thin cardboard, string, glue, scissors.

In a formal list, the items are set out on separate lines, each introduced by a number or letter, with small letters for initial words and no-end punctuation.

3. It introduces a contrast ( a semicolon, a comma and a conjunction are possible):

You may be sorry: I am delighted.

(You may be sorry, but I am delighted.)

4. It introduces direct speech (but a comma is more common):

John suddenly shouted: 'Look out! He's coming back!'

John suddenly shouted, 'Look out! He's coming back!'

SEMICOLON

1. A semicolon is used to substitute a conjunction, esp. if it is often repeated:

He came and he saw and he conquered. =

He came; he saw; he conquered.

2. It is often used before conjunctions "also", "but", "moreover", "never­theless", "however", "hence", "therefore", "then”:

He is very intelligent; moreover, he is utterly reliable.

3. It is used when there is a balance or contrast between what is said in a pair of clauses (a comma and a conjunction are possible):

As a neighbour, he deserved our courtesy and consideration;

as a politician, he provoked our silent scorn.

You may be sorry; I am delighted.

BRACKETS

(round brackets or parentheses)

1. These separate a comment off from the rest of the sentence:

The novels of Neil Gunn (1891— 1973)

have enjoyed a recent revival of critical interest.

A pair of commas (more informal) or a pair of long dashes are possible.

Punctuation that belongs to the bracketed comment goes inside the brackets; punctuation belonging to the sentence as a whole goes outside the brackets:

This has caused a lot of pain (mental and physical).

(This has caused a lot of pain, mental and physical.)

Avoid inserting a bracketed full sentence into another sentence:

Wrong:

The new regulations (six copies are enclosed for Board members) have been issued, for all departments.

Right:

The new regulations have been issued to all departments. (Six copies are enclosed for Board members.)

The new regulations (six copies of which are enclosed for Board members) have been issued for all departments.

Where a bracketed full sentence does occur within another sentence, note that there is no capital letter and no full stop, but that there may be a question mark or exclamation mark:

Jean Jones (have you seen her in action?) is the new club champion.

2. They are an economical way of indicating alternatives or options:

Any candidate(s) must be formally proposed and seconded

by two club members.

3. They enclose numbers or letters that mark off items in a list:

This project needs to be (1) carefully researched and (2) adequately funded.

(square brackets)

4. These enclose letters, words or phrases inserted as comments, corrections or explanations into a piece of quoted text, for example by an editor:

He [St Stephen] was the earliest Christian martyr.

DASH

(long dash)

1. A dash introduces an explanation or expansion (a colon is more formal):

The film is excellent — it has slick photography, а расу plot and

lavish costumes.

2. It introduces an emphatic comment or aside (commas or round brackets are possible but less informal):

He can do it — and he will!

Jane, Alice, Mary, Elsie – in fact all the girls – can go on the trip to London.

(short dash)

3. It links the limits of a range:

pages 467-481

an A-Z guide to the birds of Britain.

Don't use a dash to link items in a phrase beginning withbetween orfrom:

between 1987 and 1995

from 1918 to 1939

4. It links two or more words that together modify a following word:

the Paris-Lyon autoroute

the space-time continuum

HYPHEN

(linking words)

1. It links elements of a multi-word phrase that describes a following noun:

a never-to-be-forgotten experience

(but It was an experience never to be forgotten)

her absurd caught -in-at-the-knees skirt
an up-to-date timetable

(but This timetable is thoroughly up-to-date)

2. It links elements of a multi-word phrase that functions as a noun:

a bunch of forget-me-nots

a man-about-town

3. It links elements of numbers from 21 to 99, and elements of fractions:

twenty-three

three-quarters

4. It links elements of a two-word adjective that describes a following noun:

a half-open door

a next-door neighbor

a well-known writer

5. It links elements of nouns formed from phrasal verbs:

line-up

drive-in

(splitting words)

6. A hyphen marks a break in a word at the end of a line of print, where part of the word has been taken over to the next line. Take care to split the word into logical or unambiguous units:

mis-shapen notmiss-/happen

re-install not rein-/stall

7. It marks a break in a word whose second element is implied but not shown, as in:

afour- or fivefold increase

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