English punctuation and typography
Capitals for days and languages, no space before «?», quotation marks, the Oxford comma, comma splices.
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Days, months | capital letter | Monday, May |
| Languages, nationalities (also adjectives) | capital letter | French, a French wine |
| Titles (often) | capitalise main words | The Lord of the Rings |
| Space before ; : ! ? | none | Really? Yes! |
| Quotation marks | double (US) / single (UK) | “…” / ‘…’ |
| Dialogue | quotation marks for each turn | “Hi,” she said. |
| Decimals / thousands | point / comma | 3.5 / 1,000 |
The comma
- Comma splice (a mistake): two full sentences joined by just a comma: «
It was late, we went home.» → It was late, so we went home. / It was late; we went home. - Oxford comma: a comma before «and» in a list (red, white, and blue): usual in the US, optional in the UK. Be consistent.
- After a clause at the start: If you need help, call me. But not before «that»: He said that…
Test yourself
-
Correct: I speak french and english .
Show answer
I speak French and English. -
Correct: See you on monday !
Show answer
See you on Monday! -
Correct: She was tired, she went to bed.
Show answer
She was tired, so she went to bed. / She was tired; she went to bed. -
Add quotation marks (US): He said Hello.
Show answer
He said, “Hello.”