fandom_grammar . Entries tagged with usage:punctuation

green-grrl.livejournal.com

One of our readers asks, “How many exclamation marks are too many? What is the standard usage on number of exclamation marks in a sentence or on a page?”

This sounds like a question born in the era of OMG!!!!!1!!1eleventy!, but questions around overuse of exclamation marks—or exclamation points in American English—have been around for much longer. ( Here is some advice, old and new, with examples from Stargate SG-1. )

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chiroho.livejournal.com

The question we'll be answering this week deals with whether or not there should be an apostrophe in "heads up".

( With examples from NCIS )

Mood: tired

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chomiji

The Grammarians have been asked "How do you use quotation marks and colons/semicolons together?"

This combination really does conjure up visions of a punctuation traffic jam. Let's take a closer look, and we'll work it out -- one way or another.

( With examples from a pair of fantastic journeys: Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollboth and C.S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader... )

Mood: nervous

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theemdash

It is with great pleasure that I answer the 200th question at

fandom_grammar! 200 questions is a lot of grammar and we’re looking forward to answering 200 more.

How do you indicate pauses or hesitation in narration and dialogue? (ex. hesitant speech, for emphasis, pauses for breath)
( with examples from Stargate: SG-1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Doctor Who. )

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green-grrl.livejournal.com

rotaryphones wants to know: Where does the apostrophe go in "children's book"?

This is covered obliquely in the Possessives and Sibilants post, but it's worth addressing directly for greater clarity. ( Our friends from Due South will help us determine the answer. )

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whymzycal.livejournal.com

Not sure when it's appropriate to use an apostrophe? The Oatmeal can help. Just click on the image below to find out more about apostrophes—now with velociraptors and bacon hats!

Find out more about how to use an apostrophe (without velociraptors or bacon hats) here. To learn about apostrophes through song, go here.

Thanks to

chiroho for the Apostrophe Song link!

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green-grrl.livejournal.com

From http://xkcd.com/727/

Unless you are writing Windows path names, C or Perl code, or Unix scripting, you're not using a "backslash." Nope, not even in web addresses—that's a slash. More on slashes here.

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theemdash

A graphical explanation on how to use a semicolon, provided by The Oatmeal.

Here's a teaser—click the image for the complete explanation!

How to Use a Semicolon: The Most Feared Punctuation on Earth

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theemdash

In the previous punctuation post,

skroberts discussed terminal punctuation—punctuation that ends sentences—and punctuation that is used to hang related thoughts together. In this post I'll be discussing punctuation that is used to give additional information, as in a parenthetical, punctuation that is used to pause or omit, and the almighty comma.

( Onward to Commas, Em Dashes, Ellipses, Parentheses, and Square Brackets )

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green-grrl.livejournal.com

Is it Ms. or Ms?

The answer is, well, either--and it will take a little more exploration to determine which to use. ( with examples from Alias and James Bond )

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lady-ganesh.livejournal.com

Is it just a fanfic thing to drop the periods in the abbreviations or has it become “acceptable” outside of fanfic as well? (ex. NCIS vs. N.C.I.S., SGC vs. S.G.C.)

While fanfic has been around for a long time, so have dropped periods in abbreviations. In fact, if you go to the Official NCIS website, you'll notice even the United States government drops the periods.

Unfortunately, whether or not the dropping is "acceptable" depends on who you're writing for and what style you're using.

( Dropping periods in abbreviations, and also some notes about style and consistency )

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kay-brooke.livejournal.com

rykaine asks: What is the difference between a semicolon and a colon?

With examples from Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Torchwood.

( Semicolons vs. Colons )

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theemdash

verilyverity asks: How do you punctuate stammering speech?

with examples from Wonderfalls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NCIS, and Stargate: SG-1

There are few characters continually afflicted with a stutter or stammering speech, but occasionally characters get tongue-tied and writers have to somehow punctuate that speech. So, how do you punctuate a word to show a stutter, or punctuate a sentence for stammering speech?

There are two pieces of punctuation that will be your companions for these particular speech impediments: the hyphen and the comma.

( Stu-stu-stutter and, and, and Stammer )

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theemdash

I'm doing a pinch hit this week. The writer for the planned feature has come down with a case of the Real Life, so I'm cobbling this together at the last minute. Thankfully, I'm well-versed in the topic at hand. Are you?

[Poll #1200676]

( A Special Comma with examples from Stargate: SG-1 )

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melayneseahawk.livejournal.com

sutlers wanted to know:

In dialogue, is it "Shit," he said, and ran. or "Shit," he said and ran.? (with examples from Heroes and Supernatural)

This question is actually about comma usage in general, not just dialogue specifically.

( Meanwhile, on the other side of the cut... )

Mood: cheerful
Music: sirens

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kay-brooke.livejournal.com

When is it appropriate to use single quotation marks?

With examples from Heroes, Stargate SG-1, and Doctor Who.

( Quotation marks )

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Fandom Grammar

Entries tagged with usage:punctuation

Answer: How many exclamation marks are too many?

Answer: Is there an apostrophe in "heads up"?

Using Quotation Marks and Colons/Semicolons Together

Answer: How do you indicate pauses or hesitation in narration and dialogue?

Answer: apostrophe in "children's book"

Friday Funnies: The Mighty Apostrophe

Friday Funnies: backslash

Friday Funnies: The Semicolon

Grammar 101: Punctuation for Pauses, Omissions, and Parentheticals

Answer: "Ms." vs. "Ms"

ANSWER: When should you use periods in abbreviations?

Answer: The difference between semicolons and colons

Answer: How do you punctuate stammering speech?

Friday Feature: A Special Comma

Answer: Comma Use in Dialogue Tags

Answer: When is it appropriate to use single quotation marks?

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