UA EDITORIAL STYLE MANUAL

Appendix E: Punctuation

ampersand (&)

Spell out and in most instances. Reserve the ampersand for use as a design element; in charts and other places where space is at a premium; and in a few UA-specific abbreviations such as A&S or C&BA.

Ampersands should not be used on University of Alabama business cards and stationery. See the Visual Identity Guide.

apostrophe

To form the possessive of singular nouns, add 's. To form the possessive of plural nouns, add only the apostrophe.

Bob's bicycle is green. (singular possessive)
The girls' haircuts were alike. (plural possessive)
Mark Jones's minivan broke down. (singular possessive)
The Joneses' garage door wouldn't open. (plural possessive)

A few irregular plural nouns take 's to form the possessive.

We cleaned the children's rooms.
The media's coverage of the event was sensational.

Use roman type for the possessive ending when a proper name is italicized.

The Crimson White's editor stood by the story.

The genitive case (indicating a possessor or source) also requires the 's or s' or an of construction.

You need 36 hours' credit to graduate.
For the independent study, he earned 1 hour's credit.
She earned 15 hours of credit for her work at RISE.
Dr. Roberts has 20 years' experience in the field of robotics.
The company gave her three weeks' pay in advance.
I'm grateful for Rebecca's having come to the meeting.

Attributive nouns (those acting as adjectives modifying a following noun) don't require the 's or s'.

Parents Association
Department of Veterans Affairs
city government

It's is the contraction for "it is" and not the possessive form.

It's a beautiful day. (contraction)
The cat licked its paw. (possessive)

boldface

Punctuation marks that follow a boldface word should be dealt with case by case, with decision dependent on how a boldface word is used.

colon

Place the colon outside quotation marks or parentheses. If a quoted passage happens to end with a colon, drop the colon.

1. Use a colon to introduce explanatory or other related matter.

Jerry noticed the painting immediately: its red and black streaks of color captivated him.

2. Use a colon to introduce quotations or formal statements.

After a moment's pause, she spoke: "No exceptions will be granted."
I would like to make clear the following: The deadline is 4:00 p.m. Friday.

Always capitalize after a colon when the colon introduces a formal statement or any kind of quotation, but lowercase in other instances.

3. Use a colon to introduce a list or series.

Correct: He knew that his options after graduation were impressive: he could go to law school, accept the teaching assistantship at Harvard, or work for his father.

Don't use a colon if the list is an object or complement of any part of the sentence. This rule applies even to vertical or bulleted lists. In the example sentence below, the list of courses (MATH 125, EN 102, IE 203, COM 203, and ARH 151) completes the sentence (as a direct object) and thus the colon should not be used after (the verb) were.

Incorrect: The five courses he took were: MATH 125, EN 102, IE 203, COM 203, and ARH 151.
Correct: The five courses he took were MATH 125, EN 102, IE 203, COM 203, and ARH 151.

See also lists.

Use a colon after constructions such as "as follows" and "the following" only if the list or illustrating matter immediately follows . . .

Incorrect: The steps are as follows. Note that care was taken to eliminate redundancy:
Correct: The steps are as follows (note that care was taken to eliminate redundancy):
Correct: The steps are as follows. Note that care was taken to eliminate redundancy.

. . . or if the introductory sentence would be grammatically incomplete without "the following."

Correct: I would like to make clear the following: The deadline is 4:00 p.m. Friday.

The colon can be used to indicate a shift in tone or a grammatical break. Although correct grammatically, such constructions are often misunderstood, so it might be better to use an em dash ( — ); separate the sentence into two sentences with a period; use a comma and a conjunction; or use a semicolon.

Correct: The facts lead us to one conclusion: regular exercise is a vital component in a healthy lifestyle.
Correct: The facts lead us to one conclusion-regular exercise is a vital component in a healthy lifestyle.
Correct: The facts lead us to one conclusion; regular exercise is a vital component in a healthy lifestyle.

comma

Commas belong inside quotation marks, outside parentheses or brackets.

Commas have a wide range of uses—but also a wide range of overuses. "When in doubt, leave it out" is a good guideline, but there are some specific rules, outlined below, to keep in mind.

1. Use commas to separate three or more items in a series, and use a comma before the conjunction (if any) that joins the last two items:

We sent the memo to all deans, directors, and department heads.

Note: Media relations personnel and others in contact with the media may follow the Associated Press style guideline, which calls for no comma before the conjunction in a series.

2. No commas should be used if the items in a series are simple and are all linked by conjunctions. If the items in the series contain internal punctuation (including commas) or are very long or complex, use semicolons to separate them.

The board consists of the following members: Jerry White, president of EOA Industries; Paul Canyon, secretary general of Wytex; and Pam Terrell, vice president of internal affairs, Multiworld.

3. Always use a comma before a conjunction that joins the clauses of a compound sentence, unless the clauses are very short and closely related:

We ordered Post-It Notes and Rolodex refill cards from the SUPe Store, and the store delivered them yesterday.
Sue runs and Ed plays golf.

Beware the sentence with a compound predicate (one subject, more than one verb). Don't use a comma between clauses in a sentence with a compound predicate.

Sentences with compound predicates:
She has been driving that car for 10 years and put it in for repairs only twice.
He uses that office every day but seldom runs the air conditioner.

Compound sentences:
She has been driving that car for 10 years, and it's only given her trouble twice.
He uses that office every day, but he seldom runs the air conditioner.

4. Use a comma or pair of commas to set off a nonrestrictive clause. A clause is nonrestrictive if it can be omitted without changing the meaning of the main clause.

Nonrestrictive: Of Mice and Men, which is often banned by local school boards, is generally considered an American classic.

5. Use a comma to set off a dependent clause that precedes the main clause:

Right: If he is accepted for admission, he will begin classes in January.

But don't use commas with restrictive clauses that follow the main clause:

Restrictive: He will begin classes in January if he is accepted for admission.

6. Use that (who in the case of persons) to introduce a restrictive clause, which (who in the case of persons) to introduce a nonrestrictive clause:

Restrictive: Steinbeck wrote the book that made us want to move out west.
Nonrestrictive: The Scarlet Letter, which I read in high school, has been made into a movie.

See also that and which.

7. Use commas to set off parenthetical elements that are closely related to the rest of the sentence. Use em dashes or parentheses to set off elements that aren't so closely related to the rest of the sentence. Because punctuation plays a role in suggesting the closeness of the relationship between clauses, however, the choice of commas over em dashes or parentheses is a matter of editorial preference. See also dash/hyphen.

The professor, it was rumored, had decided not to teach his popular seminar in the fall.
That announcement was, to say the least, disappointing to many students.
TV 123—a historical analysis of the sitcom—offers a close look at the phenomenon of television.
To test the student's proficiency, the final examinations normally given in elementary Japanese courses (JA 101 and JA 102) will be administered.
Courses (and hours) in which the student has earned a grade of "Incomplete" ("I") cannot be applied toward degree requirements.

8. For appearances' sake, it's usually best to leave off commas at the ends of centered lines of text in invitations, headings, titles, and similar places.

9. Appositives are usually set off by commas, unless their function is restrictive:

The head of the department, Professor Smith, holds several terminal degrees. (nonrestrictive, because there is only one department head)
His wife, Jill, just got promoted. (nonrestrictive, because he has only one wife)
My coworker Jeff is responsible for those files. (restrictive, because there is more than one coworker)

10. If two or more adjectives modify a noun, separate them with commas:

Tuscaloosa usually has short, mild winters.

But don't use a comma if the first adjective modifies the combination of the second adjective and the noun:

She told me she had no time for my petty grammatical considerations.

11. Place commas before and after the state name in city/state combinations within a sentence.

The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, only 50 miles from Birmingham.

12. Don't use a comma before Jr., Sr., II, III, etc. They are part of the person's name and should thus not be separated from it.

Bobby White Jr. will speak at the meeting.

dash/hyphen

There are three kinds of dashes used in University publications, each with its own uses. Most word-processing and page-layout programs can produce all three—hyphen, en dash, and em dash.

Hyphen ( - ). Used to separate the elements of a hyphenated compound (for example, on-screen or English-speaking students) or to break words at the end of lines of copy.

Following are some general guidelines for the use of hyphens in compounds. When in doubt, consult a current dictionary.

1. Don't use a hyphen after words ending in -ly.

The highly qualified professor teaches well.

2. Compounds with century are hyphenated when they work as modifiers: ninth-century art, 11th-century religion.

3. A compound with the prefix well should be hyphenated before the noun and open (no hyphen) after.

The well-known faculty makes the University proud.
The faculty is well known.

4. Use hyphens with temporary compounds, such as those invented by the writer: quasi-realistic, post-homecoming. A compound is permanent when it can be found in a current dictionary or style manual.

5. Use hyphens to prevent misreadings—to link two or more words so they won't be misread as linked to or modifying other words.

Unclear: high school teacher, finite element equation
Better: high-school teacher, finite-element equation

6. Use a hyphen for extra clarity when the last letter of the prefix and the first letter of the word are the same (as in non-native), or when confusion might arise if the term is written as one word:

post-master's/postmaster's
re-sent/resent
re-signed/resigned

7. Use a hyphen when the second element begins with a capital letter or a numeral:

anti-Reagan
non-University
post-'80s
pre-1492

8. Compounds with -like and -wide are usually closed, except for words of three or more syllables, proper nouns, or other forms in which a closed compound would likely be confusing (such as words ending with -l):

Poe-like
swanlike
campuswide
collegewide (but College-wide in publications referring to one specific UA college)
schoolwide (but School-wide in publications referring to one specific UA school)
University-wide (when referring to The University of Alabama)
university-wide (when used in the general sense or when referring to another university)

9. Consult a current dictionary or style manual to determine whether to close or hyphenate common compounds, such as lifelong (closed) or life-sized (hyphenated).

When using hyphens to break words at the end of lines of copy, limit hyphenation as much as possible. If you can, turn hyphenation off. If you can't, follow these general rules:

a. Don't break a hyphenated compound in the middle of either of its component words. If the compound must be broken, break it after the hyphen.
b. Avoid line breaks that leave only one or two letters at the beginning or end of a line.
c. Avoid having more than two lines in a row end in hyphens.
d. Avoid breaking personal names, proper nouns, phone or fax numbers, e-mail or WWW addresses, and elements of street and mailing addresses. If you must break a Web or e-mail address, break it before a punctuation mark, so your readers won't miss it.

En dash ( – ). Used to indicate duration. The en dash is also used to separate the elements of a hyphenated compound in which (a) at least one of the elements is composed of two or more words or (b) both elements are hyphenated compounds. When you can't create an en dash, a hyphen will do.

To indicate duration or continuing or inclusive numbers such as dates, times, or reference numbers, use the en dash as shown below. Don't put a space on either side of the en dash.

1831–1995
August–September 1940
fiscal year 1994–95

When indicating duration or inclusive numbers, use numerals for all numbers if using the en dash or if one of the numbers in the construction must be written in numerals:

The program accepts children age 1–5.
He sold 9–13 sets of encyclopedias each week.

When using a from . . . to construction, use to instead of the en dash, and include the first two digits of the second year:

The program accepts children from age one to five.
Ronald Reagan was in office from 1980 to 1988.

Em dash ( — ). Used to introduce an explanatory or emphatic element; to indicate a sudden break in thought or speech; to create a break in continuity greater than that suggested by the comma; and to set off multiple nouns, when the nouns are the referents of a pronoun that is the subject of a summarizing clause. Use no space on either side of the em dash. In applications and formats that don't allow em dashes, use two hyphens ( -- ). Don't overuse em dashes—never use more than a single em dash or pair of em dashes in a sentence. Consider commas and parentheses as alternatives.

EN 101 English Composition I—an introduction to college-level writing—is required of all UA freshmen.
She proofed the brochure copy—copy that could help recruit a generation of UA transfer students—for the sixth time.
He was able to surmount every obstacle but the last—a greased wall 50 feet in height.
Iceland, Malaysia, Peru—these are just some of the countries from which UA students come.

When em dashes fall between two clauses that would normally be separated by a comma, drop the comma.

Because some departments could not provide results by the deadline—for a number of good reasons—publication of the survey was delayed.

ellipses

An ellipsis is the omission of words from quoted text. Separate the ellipsis points from each other and from surrounding copy with spaces. One ellipsis (three separated periods) indicates the omission of words within a sentence.

No manual we've found answers every question . . . faced by UA editors.

Four dots indicate the omission of the end of a sentence, the first part of the next sentence, or a whole sentence or more (including a whole paragraph).

When using four dots to indicate the omission of the end of a sentence, treat the first dot as the period (i.e., don't put a space between it and the word), even though the period might not fall at that point if the sentence were complete. The quoted passages that precede and follow the four dots need to be grammatically complete. They must be sentences, either alone or as part of the non-quoted copy preceding them. If what you've quoted isn't grammatically complete, use only three dots.

We've compiled lists. . . . We've set down our solutions to style issues. . . . We've based our decisions on . . . the experiences of other editors and proofreaders on campus.

It is usually best to capitalize the first word of a sentence following four dots, regardless of how it's treated in the original text. Ellipsis points should not start on one line and end on the next line.

For other uses of ellipses, or for rules governing their use in scholarly works, consult a style manual appropriate to the discipline.

italics

All punctuation marks should appear in the same font as the main or surrounding text, except for punctuation that belongs to a title or an exclamation in a different font.

periods

Periods should only be used with complete thoughts or sentences, and they belong inside quotation marks.

quotation marks

Periods and commas belong inside quotation marks, even when the quotation ends a sentence or consists of a single word. Semicolons and colons always fall outside quotation marks; if the quoted passage ends with a colon or semicolon, drop it. Question marks and exclamation points should be placed inside the quotation marks only if part of the quoted matter.

Use single quotation marks for a quotation within a quotation.

Gary said, "She wanted to 'be happy' with her choices."

semicolon

The semicolon is an often misunderstood punctuation mark, so it's usually best to limit its use. For separating items in a series, the semicolon is sometimes the best option, particularly when space prohibits use of a vertical or bulleted list. But to indicate a break in sentence flow, consider using either the dash or a comma and conjunction.

Use the semicolon to separate items in a series when they are long and complex or when at least one of them involves internal punctuation.

slash

Do not use the slash to indicate combined ideas:

Incorrect: He was the 1997 Student/Scholar of the Year.
Correct: He was the 1997 Student-Scholar of the Year.

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