Rules for Punctuation and Formatting

Punctuation is the proper use of quotation marks, commas, semicolons, colons, ellipsis, etc. I'll get a set of dialog examples up when I can.

Formatting is the use of italics, bolding, underscoring, etc.

This list is in no way complete and I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone...I don't necessarily promise to include them...

And, Or
Credit to:
Punctuation
General Rule: Use of commas with and / or
Rule: When used with items in a simple series, always use a , at the end of the word preceding the and or the or.
I bought bacon, eggs, and juice at the grocery store. We were trying to decide between going out dancing, the movies, or playing cards with friends.
Rule: More complex series which incorporate commas into the individual items require semicolons to separate the phrases. Immediately after the and / or, insert a comma.
George bought the bacon, it was Smithfield; Karen picked up some organic eggs at the farm stand, you know, over at Farmer Green's place; and, Mary picked the oranges off the trees to squeeze some juice. We were trying to decide between going out dancing; seeing that new action flick although Kandi wants to see that chick flick; or, playing cards, gin or poker, with friends.

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Apostrophe
Credit to: Enchanted Learning.com; Informatics.sussex.ac.uk; Wikipedia
Punctuation
General Rule
Indicates missing letter(s) or possession: Represent missing letters: Contractions create a more natural way of speaking Surnames of non-English origin, i.e., O'Bannion, d'Abbeville, D'Angelo Indicate an abbreviation of a year, i.e., 1997 may be represented as '97 (informal only; with the 21st century, best practice is to type the entire year, i.e., 1997) Represent non-standard forms of a word, i.e., gi' replaces give, a' replaces all and particularly used when recreating colloquial dialog or in poetry Possessive indicates a belonging to something or someone
Uses include:
Using contractions sets a more informal tone to the story, post, article, etc. and your expected audience should be taken into account. Eliminating contractions sets a more formal tone and is best used in formal papers, reports, term papers, or as a way to set a speaker in a novel apart from other characters. Not using contractions can make a character seem more formal, prissy, and/or snobbish.
Examples of Omission / Contractions
afraid	Colloquial: 'fraid
am not, are not, is not, has not, have not	Colloquial: ain't
another	Colloquial: 'nother
are not	aren't
because	Colloquial: 'cause
cannot	can't
cannot have	Colloquial: can't've
cat-of-nine-tails	cat'o-nine-tails
could have	could've
could not	couldn't
could not have	Colloquial: couldn't've
did not	didn't
do not	don't
does not	doesn't
even	Poetic/literary: e'en
forecastle	fo'c's'le
had not	hadn't
has not	hasn't
have not	haven't
Halloweven	Hallowe'en
he had, he would	he'd
he is, he was	he's
he will, he shall	he'll
he will have, he shall have	Colloquial: he'll've
he would have	Colloquial: he'd've
how had	how'd
how has, how is, how was	how's
how will	how'll
how would	how'd
I am	I'm
I had, I would	I'd
I would have	Colloquial: I'd've
I have	I've
I will, I shall	I'll
I will have, I shall have	Colloquial: I'll've
is not	isn't
it is	it's Archaic: 'tis Colloquial: 's
it is not	it isn't it's not Archaic: 'tisn't
it was	Archaic: 'twas
it had, it would	it'd
let us	let's
might have	might've
might not	mightn't
must not	mustn't
must not have	Colloquial: mustn't've
need not	needn't
never-do-well	ne'er-do-well
of the clock	o'clock
over	Archaic, Poetic, Literary: o'er
shall not	shan't
she is, she was	she's
she had, she would	she'd
she will, she shall	she'll
she would have	Colloquial: she'd've
should have	should've
should not have	Colloquial: shouldn't've
should not	shouldn't
so as	so's
suppose	'spose
that is, that was	that's
that will	that'll
there had, there would	there'd
there is, there was	there's
they are, they were	they're
they had, they would	they'd
they have	they've
they will, they shall	they'll
was not	wasn't
we are, we were	we're
we had, we would	we'd
we have	we've
we will have	Colloquial: we'll've
were not	weren't
what will, what shall	what'll
what are, what were	what're
what is, what has	what's
what have	what've
when has, when is	when's
where have	where've
where is, where has	where's
where would	where'd
who are	who're
who had, who would	who'd
who have	who've
who is	who's
who will, who shall	who'll
who will have, who shall have	Colloquial: who'll've
why are, why were	why're
why has	why's
why would	why'd
why is, why has	why's
why will	why'll
why would	why'd
will-of-the-wisp	will'o-the-wisp
will have	will've
will not	won't
would not	wouldn't
would not have	Colloquial: wouldn't've
you all	y'all
you all would have	Colloquial: y'all'd've
you are	you're
you had, you would	you'd
you have	you've
you will, you shall	you'll
you will have	Colloquial: you'll've
you would have	Colloquial: you'd've
Rule: Ownership or possession is usually shown by the use of an apostrophe s ('s)
Singular Possessive
Rule: Use 's
If one parent has a car, you would write parent's car
Show joint ownership:
Nan and Ted's dog. (Nan and Ted own the same dog.)
Show individual ownership:
Nan's and Ted's dogs. (Nan and Ted each own a different dog.)
Show ownership with indefinite pronouns
anybody's hats everybody's hats each's hats
Plural Possessive
Rule: There are two ways to indicate plural possession
Follow the plural word with an apostrophe and an s, 's	parents's, or my parents's car
Skip the extra s after the apostrophe Whichever you choose, be consistent	parents', or my parents' car
Rule: Plural words that do not end in an s are treated like singular words—add an 's
oxen's yoke women's rights children's toys
Already Possessive Words
Rule: Words which indicate a sense of belonging to something else
hers his its mine, my	ours theirs yours, your
Rule: Form the plural of letters, numbers, signs, and of words referred to as words.
How many and's are in the second paragraph? Remember to dot all the i's and cross all the t's in that letter. Or, the @'s, 2's and 3's, or and's. NOTE: Referring to a time period is considered a plural. Do not use an 's when referring to the 1960s, 1880s, 900s, etc.

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But

Credit to:

Punctuation

General Rule: Use of commas with but

Rule: , but may be a coordinating conjunction or expressing a contrast

I told him to stop it, but he just laughed.

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Capitalization
Credit to: Grammar Girl.com
Formatting
General Rule:
Sentences begin with a capital letter. The personal pronoun I Proper nouns such as: Names Days of the week and the month God when referring to God the Almighty (see God versus god) Company and product names like Sears, Target, IBM, Apple, Microsoft There are exceptions, such as: eBay, iPod, iPhone, and iPad Proper names: George Jones Names with particles should be capitalized or in lowercase per a biographical dictionary or other authoritative source Walter de la Mare, if the last name alone is used, then capitalize as De la Mare Stephen Ten Eyck John Le Carré Daphne du Maurier, if the last name is used alone, then Du Maurier
Acronyms are usually all caps
NORAD, NATO There are exceptions, such as: DoD,
Titles, except for the articles, conjunctions, and short prepositions
Books	Death is Not the End No Nest for the Wicket
Mom and Dad only when you are referring to them as names.	YES: Hey, Mom, where are the sandwich fixings? NO: Does anyone know where my mom is?
Titles of Rulers and Nobility (Presidents, Queens, Kings)
Capitalize if:	The title is before the person's name One-of-a-kind titles such as Pope When in their country, e.g., in the British Commonwealth, always refer to the Queen
Do NOT capitalize if:	The title follows the person's name (appositive phrase serving as an identifier) It's a general job description
Honorifics:	Directly to the person in speech/dialog: Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, My Lord, His Lordship, Your Grace, etc. NOT when referring to the person: her majesty, her royal highness, my lord
The words association, board, building, center, club, conference, council, department, division, hall, office, program, senate, street, etc. when used as part of a title, but NOT when used alone to refer to the group
Association for the Defense of Nerds; thereafter, the association Board of Trustees; thereafter, the board Memorial Hospital Building; thereafter, the building Center for the Prevention of Whale Drool; thereafter, the center City Council; thereafter, the council
Official names of government and corporate departments
Department of Defense Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Never capitalize the name when it is used informally He works for the Department of Defense. He works in the defense department. An exception would be: He works for Defense.
Branches of the armed forces when preceded by the name of the country.
U.S. Marines British Air Force
Entire geographic names
Platte River Black Sea Rocky Mountain National Park
Name of a specific course or subject
Biological Sciences English Literature International Technical Communication - COM 3310 - 001
College degrees
As part of the degree: I have a Technical Writing and Editing degree If the type of degree follows the word degree: I hold a degree in technical writing and editing.
Compass directions
East, North, South, West when referring to regions or sections of a country The West is generally associated with cowboys, skiing, and movie stars.
Historical Periods and Eras
Great Depression the Renaissance Middle Ages

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Colon
Credit to: Textbroker.com
Punctuation
Rule: Before formally introducing a list.
I'll need the following ingredients: flour, sugar, cashews, butter, and vanilla. I need to run these errands: bank, post office, grocery store, and hardware.
Rule: Between two independent clauses when the second explains or expands the first.
The leaders made the final decision: The earthquake victims would receive food and medical supplies. The sign was all too clear: "Here there be dragons". Here is our honest opinion: We think you are a genius.
Rule: Before a formal appositive
YES: The reaction of the audience signified one overwhelming feeling: fear. NO: The reaction of the audience signified: fear.
Rule: With time, between hour and minute. With the Bible, between chapter and verse.
At 4:01 p.m. the doors will be opened. You will find those words in Genesis 1: 14-17.

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Comma
Credit to: Textbroker.com
Punctuation
Rule: Joins two independent clauses using a coordinating conjunction

Rule: Use after an introductory phrase, a prepositional phrase, or a dependent clause

Rule: Separate elements in a series
Mary, Joe, and George met up after class. I almost forgot to pick up the bananas, walnuts, and mayonnaise I'll need for the salad. The business side of being an artist requires one to be concerned with marketing one's artwork, recording expenses and income, and tracking existing and potential clients.
Rule: Separate information not crucial to the message or intent of the sentence from the sentence
Before she could close the door, Mary needed to collect her keys and coat. George's friend, Helen, wanted to go out dancing instead.
Rule: Use between coordinate adjectives
The irritable, fidgety crowd waited impatiently for the theatre to open. Her curly, blonde hair was blowing in the wind.
Rule: Use after a transitional element:
above all also as a result finally	for example however in addition in conclusion	in other words instead nonetheless of course	on the other hand otherwise therefore thus
Rule: With quoted words, see Dialog
Rule: In a date
June 2, 1899 Monday, February 14, 2007 NOT: 10 October 1939
Rule: In a number
1,500 2,378,933 NOT: 1310 High Street
Rule: In a personal title
John Jones, MD Kevin Hall, vice-president of operations, reported on the third quarter. NOTE: The v-p bit would be capitalized if it were in front of Kevin's name.
Rule: Separate a city from a state
San Francisco, California Dallas, Texas
Comma Splice - BAD
Rule: Occurs when two independent clauses (two complete sentences) are joined by a comma.
Three Fixes: WRONG: I like wearing this helmet, it just doesn't go with my pumps. Create two separate sentences by adding a period. I like wearing this helmet. It just doesn't go with my pumps. Keep the comma, but follow it with a coordinating conjunction. I like wearing this helmet, but it just doesn't go with my pumps. Replace the comma with a semicolon. I like wearing this helmet; it just doesn't go with my pumps.

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Dash, see Em Dash, En Dash, or Hyphen

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Dialog
Credit to:
Punctuation
General Rule: Write each person's spoken words as a separate paragraph. If one person's dialog goes on for more than one paragraph, do NOT use the ending quotation mark until the person has finished speaking. There are three types: spoken, thought, and text message.
Spoken Dialog
Rule: The ideal overall format begins with the actual dialog and is followed by the tag.
"We're all headin' over to the club," Greg said.	Greg said is the tag.
Stuttering:	B-b-b-but, I th-thought
Stumbling, like over a word that's difficult to pronounce or another type of stuttering:	She's pretty perz - purs - pursnick - picky person! ...the witness is pretty cata... cata... not feeling well
Slurring:	Bbbbut, I ththought
Mumbling: The best method is to simply use a dialog tag to say the character is mumbling.	You are such a jerk, she mumbled.
Other options include: Eliminating all the spaces	Youaresuchajerk, she mumbled.
Eliminate letters and replace them with apostrophes	Y're s'ch ' j'rk, she mumbled. Could certainly work for drunken dialog!
Trailing off:	But I thought you wanted...
Pause between spoken words or a thought that will be continued:	But I thought you wanted... "I thought you wanted to...do things...to me," she whispered.
Interruptions, a break in thought, a change in tone:	No! You can't— But I thought you wanted—you, jerk!
Thought Dialog
Rule: Thought dialog is a direct thought that sometimes uses italics. It can stand alone as a paragraph or be inserted into a narrative passage. Less often, single quotes are used as though it were spoken dialog.
As Mari entered the darkened hall, she wondered if they'd run out of monsters or if more were lurking in the shadows. I hope there aren't any more monsters in those shadows Mari wondered.
Text Message
Rule: Text messaging is best handled differently from spoken to help reinforce the context for the reader.
Helen: u coming over 2nite?

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...Ellipsis

Credit to:

A.k.a., points of ellipsis, ellipsis points, suspension points, marks of emission

Punctuation

General Rule

Use three dots

Chicago Style and MLA require a space between each dot . . . and after the ending text and before the starting text.
AP Style does not require a space...

Rule: Replaces text if you choose to use parts of a quotation

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers...conceived in liberty,...all men are created equal

Rule: Requires four dots if interrupted text ends in a sentence and then you carry on with more text

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. ...any nation can...long endure

Rule: Used in dialogue:

At the end of a sentence, it indicates a trailing off
Within a sentence, it indicates a hesitation

I...I wouldn't like to try it.	Note that there are no spaces separating the beginning or ending of the ellipsis.
I wouldn't like to...	Again, note that there is no space between the end of the word and the beginning of the ellipsis OR between the end of the ellipsis and the end quote (in APA).

NEVER allow an ellipsis unit (word—word) Nto straddle two lines.

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Em Dash

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Punctuation: Three dashes that run together, - - -

General Rule: Separates thoughts similar to parentheses or semicolons generally giving a greater emphasis to the separated text.

Jackson finally decides to get scientific about his time traveling—with Adam's help.

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En Dash

Credit to:

Punctuation: Two dashes that run together, - -

General Rule: Creates a link between a range of numbers or with a compound modifier when one of the elements consists of more than one word Felici 204

2002–2007
New York–Boston corridor

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Hyphen	Credit to: Purdue OWL: Hyphen Use
Punctuation A single dash, -
General Rule: Hyphens link compound words and separate fragments of words at the ends of a line if you are justifying your text. It is also used as a minus sign. Dashes incorporate Em Dashes and En Dashes
Rule: Compound adjectives are hyphenated. A lack of a hyphen can lead to confusion on what is being described.
well-written well-dressed	brightly-colored so-called	free-falling under-staffed
Rule: Join two or more words serving as a single adjective in front of a noun
a one-man invasion after-dinner activities a well-loved teddy bear
Rule: Do NOT join two or more words when the adjectives come AFTER a noun
The invasion consisted of one man. Activities were after dinner. The teddy bear was well loved.
Rule: With compound numbers
forty-six fifty-nine seventy-one
Rule: Avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters
re-sign a petition Somehow, resign doesn't give quite the same impression shell-like is much easier to read than shelllike semi-independent doesn't make me feel like my eyes are crossing
Rule: NEVER hyphenate adverbs ending in -ly
YES: She was a beautifully dressed woman. NO: She was a beautifully-dressed woman
Rule: With prefixes:
ex- self- -elect all-	ex-husband self-assured all-inclusive president-elect
Rule: Between a prefix and a capitalized word
mid-September anti-American T-shirt pre-Civil War
Rule: Between a prefix and numbers
mid-17th century mid-1850s
Rule: Line breaks
Divide words ONLY at its syllables	Words ending in -ing	Only divide already hyphenated words AT the hyphen
syll-a-bles irr-i-tat-ing just-i-fy	plan-ning run-ning driv-ing call-ing	mass- produced self- conscious
Never divide the following type of words:
-ly should never start a new line	Lovely
First or last letter of a word	e-val-u-ate may be divided as eval-u-ate
Two-letter suffixes at the beginning of a new line	car-di-ac may be divided as car-diac call-ed, em-ploy-ee, fast-en can't be divided fal-si-fy may be divided as fal-sify
Rule: Make a break between syllables
pref-er-ence hol-i-day in-ter-min-a-ble

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Italics
Credit to: Purdue Owl Engagement; Chicago Manual of Style, 8.182
Formatting The same rules apply to any abbreviations and to website titles.
Rule: Always italicize:
Academic journals Book titles (unless it is unpublished) Cartoon and webcomic titles Catalog titles Computer, board, and video games (For exceptions, see __) Court case names Definitions explained in a sentence Dialog Internal thoughts Films Non-English words - oui, enchanté, fait accompli UNLESS they have been absorbed into the English language - patio, sombrero, foyer, etc. Check the dictionary. If the word is in an English dictionary, it is considered absorbed. Genera and species Magazines Music: Albums Long musical compositions Musicals Operas, operettas, oratorios Orchestral works with a specific name Symphonie erotique NOT, Symphony in D Minor Music scores (unless it is unpublished) Newspapers Plays Poems: long poems, tone poems Punctuation after italicized words, EXCEPT quotation marks and ' s Radio series Television shows Terms introduced for the first time Vehicle names: Locomotives - Casey Jones Ships (ONLY the name, not the prefix or the classification): HMS Trafalgar USS Enterprise M/S DD-745 Ship class (ship types are NOT italicized) Maryland class ice class C-class destroyers Hamburg class Works of art unless the name is part of a building, prize, organization, etc.
Rule: Never italicize:
Formal names of broadcast channels Traditional games such as hopscotch, jump rope, tic-tac-toe, etc. Mottos Music: Instrumental works Name of the artist or ensemble Opus Names of events, exhibitions, and fairs Names of wines, liquors, beers Restaurants Signs and notices Longer notices are treated as quotes Software
Rule: Place inside quotations:
Articles for newspapers, magazines, blog posts Episodes (radio and TV) Song titles (individual): Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Call Me U + Ur Hand

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Kerning
Credit to: Felici 165-166
Formatting
Rule: Adjusts the amount of space used by specific letter pairs. It's used to increase or decrease space between a pair of characters when they are too far apart visually or they overlap. Avoid purchasing programs that claim to control kerning through track kerning or range kerning.
Most fonts have had their character pairs adjusted. However, in real life, there is always something that doesn't quite look right—and it's all about the visual appearance with kerning and tracking. Combining an italic letter with a roman quotation mark may visually bump them into each other and you'll need to increase the kerning. An i may be paired with a w or t and need to have the space between them reduced. Adjusting the kerning should be done at the very end when you have a final document and the tracking has been set.
Examples include:
The most common problems are combinations of upper- and lowercase characters as well as pairs containing punctuation Felici 166
As of 2003: PostScript fonts have less kerning information built into them. OpenType fonts are about the only ones that provide number kerning. QuarkXpress has an Edit Kerning table.

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Figures	Spell It Out
Numbers
Credit to:
Formatting
10 through infinity Years, i.e., 1898, 907, 2134, etc. Immediately before a unit of measure 2.5 cm 6-foot .50 caliber Statistics Mathematical functions Fractions Decimal quantities Percentages Ratios Percentiles and quartiles Time 4:15 A.M. or a.m. (most common in Britain) 1640 or 16:40 is military time and the default expression for time in Europe However, if you use o'clock, the number must be spelled out, e.g., seven o'clock Age Sample, subsamples, or population size Specific numbers of subjects or participants in an experiment Scores and points on a scale Money - exact sums Lists of four or more numbers Page numbers Specific place in a numbered series Parts of books and tables	0 through 9 zero, one, two, three, four, etc. Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are ALWAYS spelled out. Always. It would be better if you reword the sentence so you don't start with a number. Well, okay, except if you are doing a text-message dialog.
When numbers being used in a comparison include 0-9 AND 10 and up: 7 out of 10 doctors agree Lines 9 and 32 5 of the 18 books focus on the clothes she packed included 2 handbags, 3 belts, and 14 pairs of shoes the 20th time we went out was even more passionate than the 1st	Numbers not being compared: 14 different tiles in three different bathrooms Numbers being compared that stay at 9 and under: one-man invasion the third of five dates
I know this gets really tedious and very mind-numbing. An easy, easy rule could be to simply spell out all figures 9 and under and use Arabic numerals for all figures 10 and up. Being consistent is the most important point.

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Orphan
Credit to: Felici 157-159
Layout
Definition: One or two lines of a paragraph that are stranded at the bottom or top of a column. A three-line paragraph fragment ending with a widow that appears at the top of a column may also be considered an orphan Felici 157.
A heading and a single line of text could use just one more line of mass.	Adding just one more line, lifts it out of orphan mode. It's still not ideal, but better—
Fixes include:
Layout changes include: Specify that the last two, three, or more lines of a paragraph must be kept with the paragraph that follows it Require that a heading is kept with the paragraph that follows it Editorial change in which you re-write the paragraph to eliminate the extra words

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Parentheses (Parenthesis is the singular)

Credit to: Towson.edu

Punctuation

Rule: Enclose interrupting elements that add information or identification that generally minimize the emphasis to the separated text.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has a strong lobby in Washington.

I walked right up to him (nobody was with him at the time) and told him what we had decided.

Rule: Enclose figures or letters when used for in creating a list within a sentence.

Each essay will be judged on the basis of its (a) length, (b) artistic merit, and (c) originality.

NOTE: You could also use a) or 1).

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Quotation Marks

Credit to: Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting

Punctuation, Formatting

Straight quotes were the original typewriter-style marks used; they should be used whenever you intend to upload your manuscript to a website, blog, or as an ebook.

Curly quotes are typographic marks. You can set Preferences in your word processing program to substitute curly quotes for the standard straight ones.

Do be aware that if you are writing for the Internet or an ebook, you should NOT use curly quotes.

Primes are ’ and ” and used to indicate feet (’) and inches (”), minutes (’) and seconds (”) as well as typographic points (“16’”).

Rule: DIALOG. When used to set apart a conversation, the quotation marks are outside the ending punctuation for that conversation.

If dialogue runs for more than one paragraph, there is still only one quote/endquote. A double quotation mark begins the dialogue and when the dialog is finished---however many paragraphs or pages later---that is when the end quote is used.

"Okay," he agreed, "I'll get right on that."

Rule: If used to set apart a song title or a quotation within a sentence, quotation marks are placed inside any ending punctuation.

Francis Scott Key watched the battle take place over Fort Sumter which inspired his writing the "The Star Spangled Banner".

Rule: Use single quotes when quoting a phrase or a song title within double quotes.

Mary asked, "Will we be performing 'Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies' this afternoon?"

Quote within a quote:
"Please stop saying, 'I love you,'" he begged.

"I just heard 'Amazing Grace,'" she said.

Handling a question or exclamation mark of a quote within a quote:
He said, "You asked, 'Do you love me?'"

He exclaimed, "I heard you asking, 'Do you love me?'!"

Rule: Song titles are set apart from other text. (Music albums are always italicized.)

"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is one of the first songs beginning instrumentalists learn.

Rule: Titles of articles or chapters are set apart from other text.

The Week ran an article, "The Secrets of Supermassive Black Holes" in its December 23, 2011 issue.

Rule: "Introducing a word or phrase used as an ironic comment, as slang, or as an invented or coined expression, but only the first time the word or phrase is used" (APA 34).

Rule: "Reproducing material from a test item or verbatim instructions to participants." Long instructions are set apart in a block quote. (APA 34-35).

The first fill-in item was could be expected to ______.

Rule: Block quotes should be used when the quotation is four lines or longer on a page.

Indent 1-inch from the left main margin.
Use double spacing.
Does not need quotation marks.

MLA has a few differences from APA:

Requires that you indent only 1/2-inch if there are multiple paragraphs
- Use block quote format when there are multiple paragraphs, even if the total number of lines is fewer than four
Maintain the original line breaks

Never Use Quotation Marks for:

Rule: Identifying anchors of a scale; use italics

Rule: Cite a letter, word, phrase, or sentence as a linguistic example—use italics

He explained the difference between loose and lose.

Rule: Use for technical or key terms; use italics

NO: An attribute is a label for HTML coding and defines the properties used to create a web page.

YES: An attribute is a label for HTML coding and defines the properties used to create a web page.

Rule: To hedge

NO: I don't care if you are club buddies.
YES: I don't care if you are club buddies.

However, DO use quotation marks to indicate irony or wherever the term so-called could be inserted.

The five-year-old prepared a gourmet breakfast for his mother on Mother's Day.

He's one of the fifty something crowd.

Adding Your Own Words to a Quote

Rule: There are times when you want/need to include a word or explanatory text within a quote. Always use brackets to indicate such words.

Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78).

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The red lines point out the blank vertical lines.
River
Credit to: Felici 161
Layout
Definition: Occurs when words are stacked one above the other in successive lines of type, creating the appearance of fissures running through the text. Felici 161.
Wiktionary.com
Fixes include: Tweaking the hyphenation Tweak the tracking

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Semicolon
Credit to: Textbroker.com; Purdue OWL
Punctuation
General Rule
Its main purpose is to join two complete and similar sentences. When two thoughts are tied strongly to one another, you may find a period too great a separation. Using a semicolon visibly increases the link between these thoughts. If you can use a period, you can use a semicolon just don't give up on using periods!
Rule: Join two independent clauses when the second clause restates the first or when the two clauses are of equal emphasis
Road construction in Dallas has hindered travel around town; streets have become covered with bulldozers, trucks, and cones. There were four survivors on this island; only two remain.This coffee maker doesn't just make coffee; it also greets you personally. A zombie eats brains; a shotgun fixes that.
Rule: Join two independent clauses when the second clause begins with:
Conjunctive Adverbs:
however furthermore meanwhile	moreover nonetheless otherwise	then, therefore, thus
Transitions:
even so for example for instance	in addition in fact in other words	on the other hand that is
Terrorism in the United States has become a recent concern; in fact, the concern for America's safety has led to an awareness of global terrorism. I like the thought of an underwater bear; however, I wouldn't want to meet one.
Rule: Join elements of a series when those elements already include commas.
Recent sites of the Olympic Games include Athens, Greece; Salt Lake City, Utah; Sydney, Australia; Nagano, Japan. To engender self-confidence, we must help others; but to procure love, we must please them.

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Then
Credit to: WordReference.com
Punctuation:
General Rule: Use of commas with then
	, then
If used as filler:	, then,
	until then,
	and then
I told him to stop it, then he just laughed. Well, then, what are ya gonna do about it?

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Tracking
Credit to: Felici 165
Formatting
Definition: Affects the amount of space used by a range of characters, words, or documents.

Uses include:
Don't worry about the tracking until you have a final document and then adjust the tracking before adjusting the kerning manually. Do NOT use tracking to force your text to fit. It's purpose is to make the text easier to read.

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Widow
Credit to: Felici 157-159
Layout
Definition: Last lines of a paragraph that starts on a new page, separated from the original paragraph. It looks very lonely all by itself at the top....

Photo courtesy of Wiktionary.com
Fixes include:
Draw it up into the rest of the paragraph Change the hyphenation of the preceding lines by using discretionary or soft hyphens Tighten the tracking a wee bit Make it longer

Hire a pro!
KD Did It will work with you.

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