When people think about writing, they often think of words and how messages are conveyed. No message is complete without a carefully thought out sequence of words, but writing encapsulates more than just words – it also needs punctuation. “But Wordsmith, how could punctuation possibly be difficult to use? It’s just used to string together or end sentences,” scoffs the casual writer. This is true… but you’d also be surprised (and rightfully annoyed) to see how some people use apostrophes without a lick of care and treat semicolons like dirt.
Apostrophes, colons and semicolons, join Wordsmith as we explore how to master the more elusive points of punctuation!
Art by FlowerZen on Society6.com
Possessives, contractions and what belongs to the apostrophe
Apostrophes commonly serve two purposes:
1. A contraction, which is a shortening of a word or a group of words (e.g. this’ll instead of “this will” or you’d instead of “you would”
2. Indicating that a person or object belongs to a subject (e.g. Dan’s car, the tree’s leaves etc.)
Contractions are essentially informal shortcuts that writers use. Instead of writing out the words “could not”, you omit the space and the letter “o” to write “couldn’t”. The same can be said with “rock ’n’ roll” instead of “rock and roll”. The apostrophe in each example indicates that a letter is omitted.
Do pay attention to the orientation of the apostrophe when using word processing software. Attempting to place an apostrophe in front of a letter usually results in the app converting the apostrophe into an open quotation mark! The tip must always point downwards like a 9 to count as an apostrophe.
Moving on, possessives are pretty simple at a glance, but they often cause the most trouble for inexperienced writers. If an object or person belongs to another object or person, you can usually just slap an “ ’s ” behind the subject to show the ownership.
This rule changes when the subject has an “s” as the last letter– like James, Carlos or the 1970s. In these cases, just add an apostrophe and omit the usual following “s” – becoming James’, Carlos’ and the 1970s’.
However, what if James or Carlos were plural (e.g. referencing the James family)? In cases where we have a plural with an “s” as the last letter, then the correct usage would be an “ es’ ” – the Jameses’ code of conduct.
As a side note, Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines, the authors of the book My Grammar and I (Or Should That be “Me”?), recommend that you exercise personal discretion when using these rules with long names. “The moment the word becomes a mouthful, you stop adding an s,” they explain. So for a plural subject like Barbaras or McKinzies, don’t write it as “Barbarases’ ” or “McKinzieses’ ” – simply leave it as “Barbaras’ ” and “McKinzies’ ”.
“In the course of the last few decades, lots of people have become confused about this [the rules behind apostrophes],” express Taggart and Wines. In fear of leaving out an apostrophe and appearing ignorant, they ignorantly use apostrophes for no reason. Consider these real-life examples as described by Taggart and Wines:
· “Bit’s and Bob’s” (sign outside a south London Shop)
· “Free Margarita’s before 7 pm” (sign outside a pub)
Unless the shop owners are named Bit and Bob and the pub is demanding that the prison release Margarita’s associate, these examples are known as the greengrocer’s apostrophe. They are pretty embarrassing mistakes to make, so do be careful where you place your apostrophes!
Colons and counts
Colons appear as a pair of full stops stacked atop another, which give a hint as to what their purpose is: to link up two ideas by showing that the latter clauses are an explanation to the former, or to create a list.
When joining clauses together, colons can be treated like a comma. However, don’t start replacing every comma between clauses with a colon! They work best when emphasising a particular point and will lose their emphasis if oversaturated. Save them for key points only: or else nothing really stands out anymore.
The other use for colons is to signify the start of a list. For example, a typical packing list includes: your passport, spare clothes, amenities, underwear, electronics and chargers, snacks and so on. Making lists is easy – until you have very lengthy lists… in which case you might need this next punctuation mark.
The misunderstood semicolon
Semicolons are the black sheep of the punctuation family. Designated as an inferior comma by most, it’s rare to find semicolons in modern media and publications. Not only is the semicolon underrepresented, it’s misused if treated as a substitute for a comma!
While commas can be used to separate both independent and dependent clauses or two independent clauses, semicolons can only separate the latter. Independent clauses are short clauses that can function as a full sentence, whereas dependent clauses cannot exist on their own and require an independent clause for context. Here’s an example:
· Independent clause – Jon skipped leg day (works as a standalone sentence)
· Dependent clause – while at the gym (doesn’t make sense alone)
Semicolons are perfect when you want to tack on a short independent clause that would otherwise sound awkward as a full sentence.
· Independent clause 1 – The weather channel said a typhoon was brewing today.
· Independent clause 2 – It’d ruin the boat trip.
· Together – The weather channel said a typhoon was brewing today; it’d ruin the boat trip.
How simple was that? Independent clause 2 on its own would make the sentence’s rhythm choppy and uneven, but by pairing it with independent clause 1 using just a semicolon, we are able to circumvent the problem. You could achieve similar results using a comma, but commas need a little help from their friend – the coordinating conjunction (like but, or, and, for and so on) – in order to work!
Lastly, semicolons also function as item separators in lengthy lists, especially when the individual points contain commas already. Here’s how an extended list may look:
The typhoon left the chapel in ruins. Where once stood pristine panels of stained glass, their shattered remnants now line the frame like jagged shark teeth; once orderly rows of pews lay strewn to the side like driftwood upon a beach; sturdy oak doors that welcomed all like a warm embrace – one dangling off the hinge like a ballerina on display, the other torn off and thrown to the side like a discarded napkin…
Using semicolons in long lists creates a hierarchy between commas and semicolons, thus making it easier to separate the individual points.
Although you could accomplish a lot with commas and full stops alone, a skilled copywriter should have a tight grasp over all forms of punctuation. Even if you never intend to write a contraction, make a list nor use a semicolon; there’s no excuse for being ignorant of the proper use of punctuation!