Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Punctuation Primer
    Punctuation Primer
    Punctuation Primer
    Ebook45 pages35 minutes

    Punctuation Primer

    By Bruce Anthony

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    An indispensable writing tool for authors.

    This Punctuation Primer contains generally accepted rules authors need to make reading clear, and enjoyable. This e-book is intended to be left open on the desktop as a ready reference while writing. It explains and provides examples for:

        Commas          Semicolons          Colons
        Dashes             Ellipses                Parentheses
        Questions        Quotations            Exclamations
        Periods            Dates                    Apostrophes
        Dialogue         Numbers               Relative Pronouns
        Thoughts         Sounds                   Indentation

    Incorrect or poorly punctuated text is a sign of carelessness and lack of attention which indicates the quality of writing and storytelling readers can expect to encounter inside any book.

    Nothing shows the level of a writer's skill quicker than punctuation.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKatie Books Canada
    Release dateMay 13, 2015
    ISBN9780993729836
    Punctuation Primer

    Read more from Bruce Anthony

    Related to Punctuation Primer

    Related ebooks

    Marketing For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      COMMA Chameleon

      Sep 1, 2022

      COMMA Chameleon
      5 min read

    • Article

      Grammar Bootcamp

      May 27, 2023

      Grammar Bootcamp
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Laws of Simple Sentences

      Nov 2, 2017

      The Laws of Simple Sentences
      4 min read

    • Article

      Editing For Grammar

      Mar 20, 2019

      Although most writers and editors have received extensive training in written English, we still make mistakes—all the time. The Careful Writer, Words into Type, The Elements of Style and other sources offer voluminous instruction and examples for wr

      9 min read

    • Article

      Ideas To Help Polish Your Writing

      Aug 3, 2023

      For many people, ‘Give me a vowel’ will bring up an instant reference to the TV programme Countdown. In the context of the game show, vowels and consonants were linked to letters of the alphabet, with A-E-I-O-U being vowels and the other 21 letters c

      3 min read

    • Article

      Women, Commas and Clauses

      May 12, 2019

      Women, Commas and Clauses
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Funny Thing Happens

      Oct 1, 2020

      A Funny Thing Happens
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cryptic Classroom #4: Charades

      Oct 28, 2021

      Cryptic Classroom #4: Charades
      3 min read

    • Article

      Writing In Rhythm

      Jun 19, 2019

      Often when people talk about “the music of language” they make it sound like a mere frill, something we add to “dress up” plain writing. I don’t agree with this view. At the heart of language, I hear music—word-music, akin in many ways to instrumenta

      8 min read

    • Article

      Cryptic Classroom #5: Homophones

      Dec 9, 2021

      Cryptic Classroom #5: Homophones
      3 min read

    • Article

      Eight Final Revisions To Try Before You Hit Submit

      Apr 13, 2022

      OVER the past decade I’ve had the pleasure of judging dozens of fiction contests for both individual stories and book-length manuscripts. Sometimes that means reading every entry submitted; other times it means only looking at the ten finalists selec

      4 min read

    • Article

      Giving an F

      May 4, 2023

      Giving an F
      5 min read

    • Article

      Finding The Nuances

      Mar 20, 2019

      Finding The Nuances
      4 min read

    • Article

      STYLE: Dig Out Your Prose

      Apr 4, 2024

      STYLE: Dig Out Your Prose
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cut the FICTION FLAB

      Mar 28, 2020

      MY EARLY-CAREER STORIES FELT LIKE SUCCESSES – the settings were rich, the characters well-described, the action robust. Feeling ready to submit them for publication, I showed one of my “final” drafts to a college professor who’d published a few myste

      4 min read

    • Article

      Haunting Words

      Oct 6, 2022

      Haunting Words
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Music Of Language

      Jun 19, 2019

      Words can make magic. Skillfully put together into sentences, words can transfer ideas and images from a writer’s mind into the minds of readers—that, by itself, is powerful verbal magic. When we exploit the musical characteristics of language, we ca

      6 min read

    • Article

      What Is a Poem?

      Nov 25, 2013

      When I used to ask students what a poem is, I would get answers like “a painting in words,” or “a medium for self-expression,” or “a song that rhymes and displays beauty.” None of these answers ever really satisfied me, or them, and so for a while I

      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Punctuation Primer

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Punctuation Primer - Bruce Anthony

      Title page image

      Punctuation Primer

      Contents

      Title Page

      Grammar

      Commas

      Semi-Colons

      Colons

      Dashes

      Ellipses

      Parentheses

      Quotation Marks

      Periods

      Question Marks

      Exclamation Points

      Apostrophes

      Dates and Numbers

      Relative Pronouns

      Dialogue

      Thoughts and Sounds

      Afterword

      Key Up To Select

      Grammar

      A grammar is a compendium of rules for a language. Punctuation is a subset of grammar. A Primer is a basic introduction to a subject.

      The following notes are nothing more than reminders of generally accepted English punctuation. Writers will seldom need more. A plenitude of special cases, unusual situations, and rules exist for English usage. Consult your favourite grammar reference and dictionary for more information. Some editors and style manuals may disagree on individual points.

      Effective use of punctuation requires knowledge and skill gained through study and practise; implemented with an appreciation of purpose and application, to make every reading experience understandable and enjoyable. A laudable goal—how ever unachievable.

      Punctuation is a tool of the writing trade. It exists to help readers understand what is written. Reader comprehension and ease of reading are more important than exact grammatical correctness, and fiction writers are allowed great latitude, but it is still incumbent upon authors to make meaning clear by the use of punctuation.

      The knowledge and ability to use the punctuation suggestions contained in this primer will stand any writer in good stead. Authors should understand that punctuation is as important as text, and shows twice as fast how little a writer knows.

      Many fiction readers do not know, or care about the subtleties of sentence construction because readers often scan text and absorb no more than the gist of what is presented. Nonetheless, authors should ensure their work is as correct and well written as skill permits—because publishers care.

      In the following explanations of punctuation the word, apposition, appears frequently. Most people don't know what the word means; a definition will help.

      Apposition: A relationship between two or more sentence elements in which the

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1