Punctuation, Part 1

The three topics I read about in Rules For Writer in the punctuation section are unnecessary commas, the semicolon and quotation marks. I read these particular topics because in my past writing I have not properly used commas and semicolons instead I stick them in wherever I pause while I read over my essay. Reading these rules and guidelines about the use of all three topics is particularly helpful as I edit my essay.

Varlan, Horla. "Punctuation marks made out of puzzle pieces" 10/23/2008 via flickr.com Attribution 2.0 Generic

Unnecessary Commas- While reading this section about how to avoid using unnecessary commas was particular intrigued to find my most common use of commas listed as a mistake. The use of commas between cumulative adjectives and adverbs is not allowed because it creates confusion in the sentence. Next, I learned that the use of of commas to outline restrictive phrases like modifying the subject of the sentence before the verb modifies it again. These two rules are interesting because I continually break them when I write.

The Semicolon- Within the section regarding semicolons, the use of transitional phrases like "in fact" need a semicolon in front of it. This rule I have disregarded in my writing because I used transitional phrases instead of semicolons when combining independent clauses. Also, I learned to use a semicolon when creating a list if that list may need additional punctuation within it. This is useful to known because it can create clarity in my writing through a punctuation sense.
 
Quotation Marks- While reading through the section, I was interested learning about how punctuation like question marks and exclamation points were handled in the correct grammatical sense when they come at the end of the quotation. In the section it clearly states that quotations with question mark at the end, then a quotation mark and then an in-text citation will be followed by a period. I have always wondered what the correct punctuation was for this occurrence. This will help me as I properly quote throughout my Project two paper.

Reflection