Punctuation, Part 2

Punctuation, Part 2

Neutrality. "Question mark (black on white)". https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_mark_(black_on_white).png. 6/13/2005 via Wikimedia. Public Domain.

In this blog post I will continue to write about different forms of punctuation as described in Rules For Writers and then revise my draft looking for the punctuation that I wrote about. 

Parentheses: ()

Parentheses are used when the writer wants to give additional information but it does not fit into the sentence. The writer may be including supplemental material or afterthoughts. Parentheses are also used when a writer wants to enclose numbers or letters that being used with a series of items. The main use of parentheses for me is when using a direct quote from a source. I surround the information necessary to properly cite a source with parentheses. I will also use parentheses when I want to feel information that I believe to be necessary but I could not fit it into a sentence.

Ellipsis: (. . .)

An ellipsis occurs when a writer makes three spaced periods (. . .) and is used when a writer uses a direct quote but does not want to use the whole quote. Ellipsis are used in the place of those words deemed unnecessary. An ellipsis is only used in the middle of a quote, never at the beginning or end. Ellipsis can also be used to show hesitation or interruption in speech, a useful tactic for writers.

Period: (.)

A period is used to close every sentence unless it is a question or an exclamation. A period is also used in abbreviations for example, Mr. or Mrs.. The period is easily the most used form of punctuation as it would be impossible to write without it. Without using a period a writer would never be able to signal to their audience that the sentence has ended and there would be nothing to keep ideas separate.

After reading through my draft, specifically looking for these three chosen topics of punctuation, I learned that I don't often use ellipsis or parentheses. I did not feel the need to include additional information with the use of parentheses or the need to remove words from a quote by using an ellipsis. I do use parentheses when using a direct quote, “The ability to access information is much better because it's easier to get to it”, regarding how the amount of people using social media has affected information (Mullaney, T). I used the less common use of the period when using "U.S." as the abbreviation of United States.