Appendix 1. Basic English Punctuation Rules

Punctuation rules specify where to use a comma, a period, a colon, a semicolon, capitalization, quotation marks, and other punctuation marks. English rules of punctuation are a little different from Russian rules.

The Comma (,)

Commas are used to:

1) separate homogeneous parts of the sentence. A comma is included before the conjunction 'and' which comes before the final element of a list.

I like reading, listening to music, taking long walks, and playing computer games.

They would like books, magazines, DVDs, video cassettes, and other learning materials for their library.

2) after introductory words, phrases, or clauses that come before the main clause:

Rushing to catch the flight, he forgot to take his phone.

As the year came to an end, he realised the days were getting shorter.

3) to separate sentence adverbs (words like however, unfortunately, surprisingly that modify a whole sentence). It often requires one or two commas, depending on their position in the sentence.

However, Anthony did arrive.

Anthony, however, did arrive.

We were, unfortunately, too late.

He had, not surprisingly, lost his temper.

4) An adverbial clause often needs a comma when it comes at the beginning of a sentence (but not at the end of a sentence).

If I win the lottery, I will buy a castle.

I will buy a castle if I win the lottery.

5) to separate parenthetical elements from the main body of the sentence. A "parenthetical element" is any part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the real meaning of the sentence.

John and Inga, the couple from next door, are coming for dinner tonight.

The other man, Gregory Smirnov, was only sixty-five.

These books, which are only a small part of my collection, were bought last year in Moscow.

For a moment he shivered, uncertain of everything.

6) before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to join two independent clauses. If the independent clauses are short and well-balanced, a comma is optional.

He didn't want to go, but he went anyway.

I want to work as an interpreter, so I am studying Russian at university.

She is kind so she helps people.

7) before or after the direct speech. Do not use a comma for reported speech.

He said, "I love you."

"I love you," he said.

He told her that he loved her.

8) for numbers over 999. (In English, commas separate thousands and periods separate decimals. Note that some languages use the opposite system.)

1,000 (one thousand)

1,569

$73,050.75

2,000,000

3,400,500

10.5 (ten and a half) - note the use of the period, not comma

9) for addresses, some dates, and titles following a name.

911 Avenue Mansion, Petchburi Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

Los Angeles, California

November 4, 1948 (but 4 November 1948)

Fred Ling, Professor of English

The Semicolon (;)

1) We sometimes use a semi-colon instead of a full stop or period. This is to separate sentences that are grammatically independent but that have closely connected meaning.

Josef likes coffee; Mary likes tea.

Tara is a good speaker; she speaks very clearly.

You did your best; now let's hope you pass the exam.

Ram wants to go out; Anthony wants to stay home.

It is not correct to use a comma instead of the semi-colon in the above examples.

2) We use a semicolon as a kind of "super comma". When we have a list of items, we usually separate the items with commas. If the list is complicated, we may prefer to use semi-colons in some cases.

ABC Investments has offices in five locations: Kensington, London; Brighton & Hove; and Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester.

Rental cars must be returned on time; with a full tank of petrol; in undamaged condition; and at the same location as they were collected from.

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