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Business
Communication
Chapter 5
Mechanics of Writing
Copyright 2010 South-Western Cengage Learning
Punctuation
 Helps readers interpret
your ideas and questions
 Shows where one thought
ends and the next begins
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Punctuation clarifies and adds
emphasis to your writing.
5.1 External Marks and the Comma
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The Period
 Period: a punctuation mark used to signal the end of a
sentence or an abbreviation
 At the end of sentences
 With abbreviations
 In lists
5.1 External Marks and the Comma
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The Question Mark
 Question mark: a punctuation mark used after a
direct question and after each part in a series of
questions
 After direct questions
 In a series
5.1 External Marks and the Comma
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The Exclamation Point
 Exclamation point: a punctuation mark that shows
strong emotion
 May follow a word, a group of words, or a sentence
 Should be used sparingly in business documents
5.1 External Marks and the Comma
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The Comma
 Comma: an internal punctuation mark used to
separate items in a sentence
 With introductory elements
 In compound sentences
 With interrupting elements
 Nonrestrictive and restrictive elements
 Appositives
5.1 External Marks and the Comma
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The Comma
 With direct address
 In a series
 Between adjectives
 With omission of words
 In numbers and dates
 With abbreviations
5.1 External Marks and the Comma
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The Semicolon
 Semicolon: a punctuation mark used to denote a
pause
 Between clauses
 In a series or list
5.2 Other Internal Marks
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The Colon
 Colon: a punctuation mark that directs the reader’s
attention to the material that follows it
 Before a series or list
 Before a long quotation
 Between independent clauses
 After a salutation
 In expressions of time
5.2 Other Internal Marks
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The Dash
 Dash: a punctuation mark used to show a sudden
change of thought
 With a sudden change of thought
 For emphasis
5.2 Other Internal Marks
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The Hyphen
 Hyphen: a punctuation mark used after some prefixes
and in forming some compound words
 After prefixes
 In compound words
5.2 Other Internal Marks
11
Quotation Marks
 Quotation marks: punctuation marks that set off
words from the other text
 With quotations
 With definitions and nonstandard English
 With titles
 With other punctuation marks
5.2 Other Internal Marks
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Parentheses
 Parentheses: punctuation marks that set off
nonessential words, phrases, or clauses
 With nonessential elements
 With numbers and abbreviations
 With references and directions
 With a list
5.2 Other Internal Marks
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The Apostrophe
 Apostrophe: a punctuation mark used to indicate the
omission of characters or possession
 In contractions
 In possessive words
 In plurals
5.2 Other Internal Marks
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Abbreviations
 Abbreviation: a shortened form of a word or a group
of words
 Titles and degrees
 Addresses
 Companies, organizations, and departments
 Expressions of time
 Miscellaneous abbreviations
5.3 Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Number Expression
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Capitalization
 Capitalization: using uppercase letters in writing
 The first letter in a sentence or direct quote
 Names of specific people, places, and things
 Titles used as proper nouns
 Professional titles
 Compass points
 Nouns that precede numbers
 Names of nationalities
5.3 Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Number Expression
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Number Expression
 Number expression: the way numbers are written (as
words or numerals)
 Numbers ten and lower
 Indefinite or approximate numbers
 Two related numbers appearing next to each other
 A number at the beginning of a sentence
 Numerals and ordinals
5.3 Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Number Expression
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Number Expression
 House and building numbers
 Dollar amounts
 Percentages
 Decimals in numerals
 Mixed numbers
 Expressions of time
5.3 Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Number Expression
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Vocabulary
abbreviation
apostrophe
appositive
capitalization
colon
comma
dash
declarative sentence
direct address
exclamation point
hyphen
nonrestrictive element
number expression
parentheses
period
question mark
quotation marks
restrictive element
semicolon
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