Punctuation Two
How to use colons and apostrophes
Colons (:)
A colon is mainly used to introduce a list or a series:
Example 1: An assistant is required who can do the following: input data, write reports, and complete tax forms.
Example 2: Wilson et al. (2012) discuss a variety of factors affecting social mobility, namely: education; cultural 鈥榗apital鈥�; early years influence; and health.
Example 3: There are several issues which need to be addressed: the size of the group sample; the sex and age of the respondents; the length of time they have lived in the city; and the type of work they are involved in.
Note: If each item in the list is more than a few words long then it is more usual to separate them with a semi-colon (;) rather than a comma.
Note: avoid using a colon before a list when it directly follows a verb or preposition that would ordinarily need no punctuation in that sentence.
Incorrect I want: butter, sugar, and flour.
Correct I want butter, sugar, and flour.
Incorrect: She has visited all the islands, including: Mull, Iona, and Orkney. 脳
Correct: She has visited all the islands, including Mull, Iona, and Orkney.
Apostrophes (鈥�)
The apostrophe is used to
(a) show that letters are missing (contraction)
(b) indicate ownership (possession)
Contractions: are not normally used in academic writing When letters are missing in a word and the word becomes shorter, the apostrophe is used to show where the missing letters have been left out.
I am > I鈥檓听
You will > You鈥檒l
Contractions are used in informal writing. Essays and reports should not contain informal writing. Words should be written in full.
Possession:
Apostrophes are also used to show that something belongs to something else. Look at the examples and note the position of the apostrophe.
The boy鈥檚 football - the boy owns one football
The boy鈥檚 footballs - the boy owns more than one football.
The boys鈥� football - the boys all share ownership of the one football.
The boys鈥� footballs - the boys own several footballs.
Note the position of the apostrophe with these plural irregular nouns (e.g. children, people, men, women).
Incorrect: two childrens' hats听
(the plural is children, not childrens)
Correct: two children's hats
(children + apostrophe + 鈥榮鈥� )
Incorrect: the twelve womens鈥� responses听
(the plural is women, not womens)
Correct: the twelve women鈥檚 responses
(women + apostrophe + 鈥榮鈥�)
Incorrect: the peoples鈥� government听
(the plural is 鈥榩eople鈥�, not 鈥榩eoples鈥�)
Correct: the people鈥檚 government
(people + apostrophe + 鈥榮鈥�)
Common problems with apostrophes:
滨迟蝉/颈迟鈥檚
The dog chewed its bone.
(no need for an apostrophe. 鈥榠ts鈥� is a pronoun which stands in for 鈥榯he dog鈥檚鈥� and indicates ownership.
It鈥檚 an amazing idea.
(A missing letter has been replaced by the apostrophe. 鈥業t鈥檚鈥� here really means 鈥榠t is鈥�.
奥丑辞蝉别/飞丑辞鈥檚
Whose books are these?
(Whose is a special kind of pronoun 鈥� like 鈥榠ts鈥� 鈥� which indicates ownership so there is no apostrophe.
Who鈥檚 arriving late?
(a missing letter has been replaced by the apostrophe, so 鈥榃ho鈥檚鈥� here really means 鈥榳ho is鈥�.
听
Useful websites:
For more information and guidance on academic study,
please visit the Effective Learning Service section of our website.
If you would like to talk to someone in the Effective Learning Service
then email us at els@qmu.ac.uk
