The 10 Commandments of Punctuations Use

Any institution worth their salt that is offering an IELTS review program would not forget to teach their students how to master the elegant and proper use of punctuation marks. Remember the adage: the devil is in the details. When it comes to writing, there is nothing more demanding of your attention to detail than punctuations.

Your best friend when used correctly and your worst enemy when disregarded, punctuations have led to the downfall of many an IELTS UKVI test-taker. Don’t let it be yours! What follows are the 10 Commandments of Punctuation Use. Take them to heart, and you’ll be a step closer to your UK dream.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF PUNCTUATION USE

1.      Thou shall not use an apostrophe to pluralize nouns.

Don’t be one of those who write in the “1960’s” or “The homes’ of the rich and the famous…” Apostrophes are not needed when you need to pluralize a noun.

2.      Thou shall not abuse the comma.

We get it: commas are great! However, use them only when necessary. One tip is to use it to connect two independent clauses.

3.      Thou shall not underuse the comma.

Refer to number 2.

4.      Thou shall observe the difference between using a hyphen and a dash.

Hyphens are used to connect words to avoid ambiguity or to create compound modifiers. Dashes, on the other hand, can be used to express a pause in the text or a sudden change in thought.

5.      Thou shall not overuse the exclamation mark (if thou want to be taken seriously).

Yes, we know it is fun to do this!!! However, if you’re writing for an academic exam, that won’t be a good idea.

6.      Honor the Oxford comma.

Using a comma to set off the final item in a list is quite useful and helps avoid miscommunication.

7.      Thou shall put quotation marks in their rightful place.

Knowing when and how to use quotation marks can help avoid awkward constructions like when he said that “it is wrong to use quotes here.”

8.      Thou shall set off nonessential elements with commas.

Elements that neither contributes nor modifies any part of a sentence, like this phrase, should be set off by a pair of commas called parenthetical commas. Alternatively, you can use parentheses as well.

9.      Thou shall not mix up “its” and “it’s.”

This is simple: “its” is possessive; it’s is a contraction of “it is” with the apostrophe replacing the omitted “i.”

10.   Thou shall not hyphenate adverbs ending in –ly.

Simple reason: it is already understood.

More rules encompass proper punctuation use; however, understanding these ten can go a long way in your exam preparation. Remember to take time checking your marks before proceeding. You can never be too sure.

SOURCES

Picard, Caroline “The 20 Most Common Punctuation Mistakes We All Make.” Good Housekeeping. Accessed on July 22, 2019. Accessed from: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g4694/punctuation-mistakes/

Scott, Sarah. “10 Common Punctuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.” Walsworth. Accessed on July 22, 2019. Accessed from: https://www.walsworth.com/blog/10-common-punctuation-mistakes-avoid

Yang, Lucy. “How to Avoid 9 Common Punctuation Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb.” Insider Lifestyle. Accessed on July 22, 2019. Accessed from: https://www.insider.com/common-punctuation-mistakes-dumb-2017-8