MEPX
Chapter 10 of 10All chapters
  1. 1What punctuation is for
  2. 2Commas
  3. 3Colons and semicolons
  4. 4Apostrophes
  5. 5Dashes, hyphens and brackets
  6. 6Quotation marks
  7. 7Sentence endings
  8. 8Lists and bullets
  9. 9Numbers, dates and abbreviations
  10. 10Checking punctuation

Chapter 10 of 10

Checking punctuation

Finding what you missed.

Techniques

Read aloud for commas, read backwards sentence by sentence for full stops, and search for your own known problem marks. Apostrophes reward a dedicated pass.

  • Search for every apostrophe and check each one is possession or contraction.
  • Long sentences with several commas usually want restructuring rather than more marks.

When rules conflict

Style guides disagree on the serial comma, quotation placement and hyphenation. Choose one, note it, and apply it everywhere; consistency reads as competence.