Punctuation and symbols should be used sparingly. @, Ampersands, Apostrophes @ symbol The ‘@’ symbol should only be used in an email address or social media address. Never use it to represent the word ‘at’. Accents Use only in names or non-English text, not in words like cafe. Ampersand (&) Use in breadcrumb trails and navigation panels. Never use in paragraph text. Use as necessary in headings - 'and' is preferred - but make sure you are consistent. Apostrophes Possessive Use with time periods where the time period modifies a noun. Example two days’ time, 12 years’ imprisonment but not where the time period modifies an adjective. Example Six months pregnant, ten years old Singular possessive Where an object or objects belong to one person or thing, the apostrophe goes before the s. Example The University’s halls of residence The one exception to this rule is its. Example The book was old and its cover was in tatters. Plural possessive Where an object or objects belong to more than one person or thing, then the apostrophe goes after the s. Example Students’ Union, Freshers’ Week Where plural nouns that don’t end in s are used – eg children, women, sheep – the apostrophe goes before the s. Example The women’s minibus runs until 11pm. Nouns ending in s Singular proper nouns ending in s follow the rule of writing what is voiced. Example Keats’s poetry. It is acceptable to omit the additional s provided your approach is consistent. Example Dickens’ Great Expectations, Welles’ Citizen Kane. If the ‘s’ is soft, omit the ‘s’ in writing. Example Rabelais’ writings. The s is usually omitted when the last syllable is pronounced ‘iz’ and in the names of the ancients, except for ‘Jesus.’ Example Moses’ scriptures, Socrates’ philosophies, Achilles’ heel but Jesus’s disciples Plural Never use an apostrophe in plurals, except to indicate the plural of single letters. Examples the 1960s not the 1960’s CDs not CD’s 3 As at A level not 3 A’s at A level but crossing the i’s, p’s and q’s Brackets, colons Brackets/parentheses If the sentence is logically and grammatically complete without the information contained within the parentheses, the punctuation stays outside the brackets. Example We will contact all postgraduate students (including PhD students). When a complete sentence is within brackets, the full stop stays within the brackets as well. Example Use gloves when conducting chemistry experiments. (These are stored in the cupboard.) Square brackets are used when an interpolation [a note from the writer, not the speaker] is added. Example Professor Elaine Watson said: “We are honoured that HRH The Princess Royal [the Vet School’s patron] could be with us.” Colons Colons are used to indicate the beginning of lists in sentences: Example Research topics include: gender and politics in France, French cinema, twentieth-century literature. Colons can also be used to separate statements in a sentence, when the second statement explains the first. Example Chemistry has some of the best facilities in the country: its recently refurbished laboratories are state of the art. Dashes and hyphens Dashes and hyphens Keep hyphen usage to a minimum. Hyphens in print and signage Hyphen usage in print can help readers to better understand language, for example in compound adjectives. Hyphens in digital content In digital content, hyphens can cause readability problems and may not be recognised by screen-reading software. Some screen readers can interpret them as minus signs. If you need to use a hyphen, make sure it is a hyphen and not an en-dash or an em-dash. There are some circumstances in which you should include a hyphen. These include in most words with the prefixes 'hi' and 'e.' Examples hi-tech, hi-res e-learning, e-commerce (but not in the word 'email') Use hyphens in compound adjectives. Examples World-leading research The four-year course A common-sense approach A half-hour wait Examples of twentieth-century literature You can study part-time The out-of-date equipment A well-read book the 24-hour clock Your A-level results Do not use a hyphen if the compound adjective starts with 'multi.' Examples multidisciplinary multinational An exception is if 'multi' is followed by a vowel. Examples multi-ethnic Omit the hyphen if the adverb ends in -ly. Examples A badly prepared speech Genetically modified vegetables Avoid hyphens for time and date ranges. Use 'to' instead. Examples 5 to 7 July not 5-7 July 2020 to 2024 not 2020-2024 Ellipsis, exclamation mark Ellipsis Three full stops, not two. Use a space before and after an ellipsis. Can be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought or a trailing off into silence at the end of a sentence. Example He said “The University of Edinburgh…is wonderful”. Exclamation mark Use sparingly. It is unlikely this will be needed, even in direct speech. Never use in headings or navigation panels, unless it is a title of something. Example The Chancellor’s favourite poem is ‘Forward Ho!’ not ‘Forward Ho!’ is the Chancellors’ favourite poem! Percent, question marks, quotation marks Per cent % Not percent. %, combined with a numeral, is better. Examples 64% Sixty-four per cent not 64 percent Question marks A question or request should end in a question mark. There should be no space between the last letter of the sentence and question mark. Example Where do I get an application form? not Where do I get an application form Quotation marks Direct speech should be contained in double quotes. Quotes within quotes should be contained in single quotes. Examples “Our Students’ Union is excellent.” “So I said to him, ‘I don’t think so’ and he said…” When quoting multiple paragraphs, opening quotation marks should be used at the start of each paragraph; closing marks only at the end of the final paragraph. Titles of essays, articles, songs and poems should be in single quotation marks. Don't use quotation marks when using the EdWeb quotation element, as these are added automatically. Spaces Never use double spaces at the end of a sentence. Semicolons, spaces Semicolons Used to separate clauses or items in a list, or to indicate a pause longer than that of a comma and shorter than that of a full stop. Usually the two parts of a sentence divided by a semicolon balance each other, rather than lead from one to the other (in which case a colon should be used). Example Some reporters were brilliant; others were mediocre. Spaces Double spaces should not be used at the end of a sentence. This article was published on 2024-09-17