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Punctuation - 14130_90
Capitalization

Journalist 3 & 2 - Introduction to Journalism and other reporting practices
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Semicolon Apostrophe As used in the examples that follow, the semicolon (;)  separates  phrases  containing  commas  to  avoid confusion,  separates  statements  of  contrast  and statements closely related. Examples: The party consisted of E. E. Wright; R. J. Kelly, his secretary; Mrs. Jordan; Martha Bowen, her nurse; and three accountants. (Without the semicolons, that could read as nine persons.) The draperies, which were ornate, displeased me; the walls, light blue, were pleasing. Yes; that is right. Colon As  used  in  the  following  examples,  the  colon  (:) precedes   the   final   clause   and   summarizes   previous material;   introduces   listings,   statements   and   texts; marks discontinuity; and takes the place of an implied “for instance.” Examples:   States   and   funds   allotted   were   as follows:   Alabama   ,000,   Arizona   ,000.   The question came up: What does he want to do? The colon also is used in the following reamers and examples: In clock time Examples: 9:20 p.m., 10:30 a.m. In Biblical and legal citations Examples:  Matt.   2:14,   Missouri   Statutes 3:234-432 Question Mark The  question  mark  (?)  follows  a  direct  question. Occasionally, it is used to indicate uncertainty, as with some  dates  or  identifications.  In  the  latter  use,  it  is enclosed in parentheses. Note the following examples: Examples: What happened to Dean? Columbus, an Italian  (?)  sailing  for  the  Spanish  crown,  discovered America... Exclamation Point The  exclamation  point  (!)  is  used  to  indicate surprise, appeal, incredulity or other strong emotion as in the following examples: Examples:  You  are  wonderful!  What!  He  yelled, The apostrophe (’) indicates the possessive case of nouns, omission of figures and contractions. Usually, the possessive of a singular noun not ending in “s” is formed by adding the apostrophe and the “s” as in the example  that  follows: Example:  The boy’s ball, but the boys’ bats. The apostrophe is used in the following instances and  examples: After plural possessives Examples:  the girls’ coats; the marines’ rifles. In  contractions Examples:  I’ve,  isn’t,  don’t. In  omission  of  figures Examples:  ’90s, Class of ’22. The “s” is omitted and only the apostrophe used in “for conscience’ sake” or in a sibilant double or triple “s” as Moses’ tablet. As in the following examples, the apostrophe is not used to form plurals unless it is in the context of the exception  shown: Examples: MiGs, P-3s, B-52s, ABCs. Exception: When a single letter is made plural, as in “mind one’s p’s and q’s,” the apostrophe is required. Quotation  Marks Quotation  marks  (“  ”)  enclose  direct  quotations, phrases in ironical uses, slang expressions, misnomers and full titles of books, plays, poems, songs, lectures, speeches, hymns, movies, television, and so forth. As in the next example, use quotation marks around nicknames when a person’s full name is used. Example: Paul “Bear” Bryant. Note the following examples in which the comma and  period  are  placed  inside  the  quotation  marks.  Other punctuation  is  placed  inside  quotation  marks  only  when it is part of the matter quoted. Examples:  Why call it a “gentlemen’s agreement”? He asked, “Is the interview completed?” “Help!” 6-11







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