Basic Rules Of Punctuation For Business Writing

An interesting incident happened in one of our writing seminars. We were talking about punctuation--when and how to use it--and that the reality is that business writing today demands fewer rather than more marks of punctuation. An alert woman raised her hand. In front of the group she confessed, "I like to use a lot of different marks of punctuation, just so my readers will think I'm more intelligent." She continued, "I'm not even certain that the marks I use are correct, but I figure that the more semicolons, question marks, colons, and exclamation points people find in my writing, the more intelligent they'll believe I am." We had to chuckle at her honesty. It's so typical of what people tend to do with all aspects of their writing!

The sad thing is, though, that instead of believing you to be smarter, your audiences will perceive you to be obscure, pretentious, and uninformed.

Punctuation is a vital and necessary part of good writing. In fact, the best writers know that they can have wonderful ideas and cleverly phrased sentences, but poor and inaccurate punctuation will ruin their writing.

The Power of Proper Punctuation. Punctuation demands a book in itself.

We recommend that in conjunction with a good grammar and reference text, you purchase a punctuation manual. Several are listed in Appendix C, Additional Resources for Business Writers. We will highlight here several aspects about punctuation that good business writers need to know.

Put the Period. The mark of punctuation most needed and least used in business writing is the period. Why? Because most writers create sentences that are much too long. They don't put the period soon enough. When do you put the period? When you have completed a thought.

This mark of punctuation gives your reader a chance to pause, to digest what you've just written, and then to move smoothly to your next thought.

Instead of writing:

Poor: Your analysis of the brochure we published yesterday was coherent but I still would like some more concise explanations because many of your examples were vague.

Better: Your analysis of the brochure we published yesterday was coherent. But I still would like some more concise explanations. Many of your examples were vague.


Curbing Comma Fever. The next vital mark of punctuation is the comma.

English has dozens of rules for using the comma, and your grammar reference book will show them to you. Look at the sentence below and see how the writer has linked two independent or complete thoughts with a comma.


Poor: You should have received your check, we mailed it to you on Friday 20.

That's what editors call a "comma splice," or a run-on sentence. You should separate these two sentences by a period or semicolon, not a comma. Keep this rule in mind: commas can't separate sentences! Some of the other uses for commas are between items in a series, between lengthy introductory phrases and clauses, and between two clauses separated by conjunctions. You will come across these needs and uses as you are writing. Just keep in mind that the comma is an effective mark of punctuation for separating thoughts and phrases in your letter writing.

A lot of people have "comma fever"; that is, when they don't know what else to do with their punctuation, they insert a comma just to show any kind of pause or break. Although the comma is a necessary mark of punctuation, it can be overdone. You don't want to break up the flow of a sentence unnecessarily. Try just using commas where you would pause to take a breath when reading the sentence out loud. If you don't have a reason to use a comma, leave it out. The comma should not come too often in the flow of a sentence; otherwise, what you have is choppy rather than connected thoughts.

Avoid sentences like the following:

Poor: Please, analyze, prepare, and evaluate, then, print out a new, complete brochure, so that James, the editor, can reread your work.

or

Poor: That idea, which contradicts everyone else's may be good, but it's a problem raiser, and we should, if we can, avoid problems, at all costs.

Delete commas and any other excesses. If you need to, begin new sentences where commas now exist. For example:

Better: Please analyze, prepare, and evaluate. Then print out a new complete brochure so that James, our editor, can reread your work.

Better: That idea contradicts everyone else's. It may be good, but it is an issue raiser. We should, if we can, avoid problems.

Secrets for the Semicolon. Now what about the semicolon? Many people are confused about when to use the semicolon; they don't really know what one is. A semicolon has two primary uses: (1) to separate independent clauses that are closely related or (2) to serve as a "super comma" for a list of items when any one or more of those items contains a comma. Look at the sentence below and see how the writer has used the semicolon:


Good: The original materials came from our Charleston plant; the finished product was made in Toledo.

That's one long sentence that could have been divided into two sentences with a period or separated by a comma and conjunction. But the two parts of the sentence are very closely connected and the semicolon shows the close link between them. Thus this semicolon separates independent clauses. Note that following the semicolon there is a complete thought. An alterative revision could read:

Good: The original materials came from our Charleston plant, but the finished product was made in Toledo.

Both examples are grammatically correct. It is up to you to choose the style you want. By using both, you can add variety to your letters.

Often when two sentences are closely related, the second part of the sentence following the semicolon begins with a transition or connective word such as "however."

Right: We went to the store; however, they were all out of the items we needed.

The second use of a semicolon is as a super comma. How many people are mentioned in the following sentence?

Wrong: Jack, a junior, Jane, a senior, and Bill went to the movies. The answer is unclear! You could have three named and two unnamed people or three people, two of whom happen to be a junior and a senior. To clarify this situation, a semicolon is needed.


Right: Jack, a junior; Jane, a senior; and Bill went to the movies.


Knowing About Colons. First cousin to the semicolon is the colon.

Colons are primarily used to indicate that other material follows.

The most effective use of the colon in business writing is to introduce a list or example.

Right: The general manager called the meeting for two reasons:

1. To specifically identify the problem

2. To determine a feasible resolution to the problem


Posturing the Apostrophe. The apostrophe is a mark of punctuation used to show possession and contraction. First, possessives show ownership. "The manager's" shows ownership by the manager. That's not much of a problem. Most people get in trouble by trying to decide where to put the apostrophe when the word ends in "s" or when they have a plural. Look at the following examples and see the correct uses of the apostrophe.

Singular Singular Possessive Plural Plural Possessive employer employer's office employers employers' office week week's worth weeks two weeks' worth dollar dollar's worth dollars 5 dollars' worth woman woman's purse women women's purses

Rules for deciding where to put the apostrophe include:

1. Decide if the word showing possession is singular or plural.

2. If it is singular, add 's.

3. If it is plural, and doesn't end in s, add 's.

4. If it is plural, and ends in s, add ' to the right of the s.


Refer to a grammar book or comprehensive style guide for exceptions and more particular points regarding the possessive.

Apostrophes are also used for contractions. But, should you use contractions at all in business writing? Ten years ago most business letters, and reports avoided them. Words like "cannot, do not, should not" appeared instead of "can't," "don't," and "shouldn't." However, the trend in business today is toward more relaxed writing. There is nothing wrong with "can't," "don't" and "shouldn't" if they maintain rather than undermine the tone and purpose of your letter. The more formal the tone of the letter, the more contractions should be avoided.

If you use contractions in one part of your letter, try to be consistent and use them throughout. Look at the following sentence written by a well-intended business writer. Notice that what you see is a mixture of contractions and non-contracted forms.

Poor: You didn't get your check because you did not send us the correct form. It doesn't matter when you return the form. You are entitled to your benefits.

If you mix and match contractions and the non-contracted form, you're shifting back and forth between the formal and the informal tone. That can create confusion and an inconsistent tone in your letter. Again, there is nothing wrong with using contractions if in fact your tone is informal, especially for in-house letters.

Your boss writes an informal letter:

Informal: We can't meet tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. so we'll reschedule the meeting next Monday at lunch. I hope it's convenient for you.

The same letter could have been written:

Formal: We cannot meet tomorrow at 5 p.m. so we will reschedule the meeting for next Monday at noon. I hope it is convenient for you.

The content is the same, but the tone is not. The second tone is more formal, distant, and perhaps does not make the reader feel as comfortable. After all, imagine that you are the listener. You want to be communicated with like a peer. Contractions can sometimes relax your words enough so that even bad news can be softened.

Hyphens. Hyphens cause most writers a lot of confusion. You should hyphenate compound adjectives when they are used together before the noun they modify:

Right: The well-known engineer.

But not if they follow the noun:

Right: The engineer was well known.

Be especially careful with numbers.

Right: He painted three 40-foot ceilings.

Right: The neighborhood had two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses.

Adverbs, which typically end in "ly," are not hyphenated.

Right: The highly recommended report finally arrived.

Using Dashes and Parentheses. Many people are unclear of the meaning and use of dashes (represented on a typewriter by two adjacent hyphens) and parentheses. Use dashes to indicate a break in thought, or to highlight and give greater importance to additional information inserted in a sentence. Use parentheses to diminish tangential information that is added. If the inserted information is about as important as the information in the sentence itself, set it apart with commas.


Right: Mary, feeling low, decided not to come to the party.

Right: Mary--who was having the worst day of her life--skipped the party.

Right: Mary (she parked the car crooked) decided not to go to the party.


A dash can also be used to set off information at the end of a sentence.

Right: We all signed the contract--finally.


Parentheses are also used if you give a lengthy name of a company or document, and then give the abbreviated form or acronym, for example, Employees Assistance Program (EAP). The parentheses should enclose the acronym when it first appears. You can then refer to the acronym only, without parentheses, throughout the rest of the letter. This is one way you can use abbreviations in your letter and be certain your reader knows their meaning--event then, however, don't overuse acronyms.

Quoting Quotation Marks. Quotation marks are necessary and functional marks of punctuation. Most people know that quotation marks are effective in indicating what someone has said. The problem is not when but how to use them. Below are examples of the proper use for quotation marks.

1. Rule 1. Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

He said, "Let's meet soon."

2. Rule 2. Semicolons and colons always go outside quotation marks.

He said, "let's meet soon"; however, no meeting was scheduled.

3. Rule 3. Exclamation points and question marks go inside or outside the quotation marks depending on the sense of the sentence.


Have you read "Business News"?

We are going to discuss the question

"What is our strategy on the Miller Project?"

He shouted "Watch out!"

Watch out for "bozos"!

Again, a complete grammar reference book will give you sound guidelines for using quotation marks, but those three rules should help.

Many business writers are hesitant to use the question mark and the exclamation point. I recommend that if you are trying to achieve variety in vocabulary, style, and format, that you experiment and use both interrogative and exclamatory sentences, where appropriate.

What's wrong with starting a letter with a question? It's a very effective way of drawing your reader into your letter and getting him or her involved in the subject matter. Have you ever attended a speech where the speaker opens with a question? Immediately, the audience looks up. They are involved. They're drawn into the subject. You can do the same by opening a letter with a question, speaking directly to your reader, rather than speaking at him or her. "What are your thoughts on the Simington project?" "Can you arrange a meeting in my office at 5 p.m. tomorrow afternoon?" Those are effective letter openers that directly address the topic and attract your readers' attention.

To express emotion, there's nothing wrong with writing, "That was a great report you gave yesterday afternoon!"

Unconventional punctuation, like offbeat vocabulary, can be overdone, overused, and inappropriate. But a modest sprinkling of various punctuation marks, used appropriately, energizes your writing. Punctuation need not be a terribly complex subject, and you certainly don't have to review your seventh-grade English notes in order to learn it.

However, knowing and using the correct punctuation will increase your confidence in your writing.