MEPX
Chapter 1 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 1 of 10

What punctuation is for

Grouping, not decoration.

Structure

Marks show the reader where units begin and end and how they relate. Written language lacks the pauses and pitch of speech, and punctuation replaces them.

  • A misplaced comma can reverse a meaning: let us eat, grandma.
  • Read aloud to hear where grouping is unclear.

House style

Several choices are conventions rather than rules, such as the serial comma and quotation mark placement. Pick a style guide and follow it consistently.