National Punctuation Day

Monday was national punctuation day. As a tribute to the day, I am going to discuss common punctuation mistakes made in today’s society.

1) The Apostrophe (‘) - According to the AP Stylebook when using an apostrophe to make nouns possessive these are the rules to follow:

RULE	ACTION	EXAMPLE
When plural nouns do not end in s	Add ‘s	Women’s rights
When plural nouns end in s	Add only an apostrophe	The girls’ toys
Singular nouns not ending in s	Add ‘s	The girl’s toys
Singular common nouns ending is s	Add ‘s unless the next word begins with s	The hostess’s invitation The hostess’ seat
Singular proper names ending in s	Use only an apostrophe	Dickens’ novels
Joint possession	Use a possessive form after only the last word if ownership is joint	Fred and Sylvia’s Apartment
Individual possession	Use a possessive form after both words in the objects are individually owned	Fred’s and Sylvia’s books

* When using a pronoun, remember they have different forms for the possessive word. None of the words include an apostrophe such as, mine, ours, your, yours, his, hers, its, theirs, whose. Remember if you use an apostrophe with a pronoun, it sometimes changes the word into a contraction and thus changes the meaning of the word.             

2) Word Choice – It is important to know which word to use when you are writing a story. There is a difference between the meaning of there, their, and they’re. There is an adverb indicating direction: We went there for dinner. Their is a possessive pronoun: They went to their house. They’re is a contraction for they are. Another word misused in your and you’re. Your is used when belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing: what is your name? You’re is the contraction for you are.

3) Ending a sentence with a preposition – As a general rule, prepositions should not be used to end a sentence. The time that is acceptable to use a preposition is when the sentence would not make sense without the preposition: What did you step on? The sentence would not make sense if the word on was omitted.

4) Comma use in a list - In a series, use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. Put a comma before the conjunction in a series if the last part is an element that involves a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

5) Use of quotations – When using direct quotations to surround the exact words of a speaker or writer when reported in a story use the following examples: "I have no intention of staying," he replied. "I do not object," he said, "to the tenor of the report." Franklin said, "A penny saved is a penny earned." Remember that the punctuation belongs on the inside of the quotation marks when at the end of a sentence.

These are just a few common grammatical errors that come up in everyday life. Remember using correct grammar is important, and here’s to national punctuation day!