Editing workshop
Roland Nord
roland.nord@mnsu.edu
Punctuation
 Function
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“Punctuation is an essential element of
good writing because it makes the author’s
meaning clear to the reader.” (“Punctuation
Guide” from Oxford American College
Dictionary)
“Punctuation should be governed by its
function, whish is to promote ease of
reading.” (CMS 6.1)
Close vs. Open punctuation
Punctuation
 Function

“Punctuation is used to clarify the meaning
of written or printed language. Wellplanned word order requires a minimum of
punctuation. The trend toward less
punctuation calls for skillful phrasing to
avoid ambiguity and to ensure exact
interpretation.” (GPO Manual of Style 8.1)
Punctuation
Function

“The general principles governing the use
of punctuation are: If it does not clarify the
text it should be omitted; and, in the choice
and placing of punctuation marks, the sole
aim should be to bring out more clearly the
author’s thought. Punctuation should aid
reading and prevent misreading. (GPO
Manual of Style 8.2)
Comma rules

The comma “denotes a slight pause.
Effective use of the comma involves good
judgment, with ease of reading the end in
view.” (CMS 6.18)
 Before a coordinating conjunction joining
two sentences

and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet (fan boys)
Comma rules
 Between coordinate adjectives or between
items in a series
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The little, old man reads dictionaries for
fun.
Biff brought the bread, cheese, and wine.
Buffy cleaned the kitchen, Biff finished the
laundry, and I vacuumed the living room.
Comma rules
 After introductory phrases or
(subordinate) clauses
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
After watching the movie, Biff was afraid to
go to bed.
Because she had spent all of her money of
fashion items, Buffy couldn’t afford to buy
supper.
Comma rules
 Around parenthetical or nonessential information
(relative clauses, appositives, absolutes &
participial phrases)
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Buffy, who studies at MSU, manages a number of
telemarketing companies from her home.
Buffy manages a number of telemarketing
companies from her home, which is a block away
from mine.
Biff, an aging baby boomer, hopes to marry Buffy,
a woman half his age.
He wrote her a valentine, signing the card in red
ink.
Buffy opened the valentine, her heart skipping a
beat as she recognized the handwriting.
Comma rules
 To set off interjections—not or not only
(correlatives)
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The reporters heard the press secretary, not the
CEO, make the announcement.
Buffy immediately drove to Biff’s house, not only
determined to shove the valentine down his throat,
but also hoping to stomp on his aching heart.
but
Buffy not only rang the bell but also kicked the
door.
Biff decided not to open the door but to watch from
the window.
Comma rules
 To set off clauses of the type the
more…the more
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The more the reporters heard the press
secretary say, the more they doubted him.
The faster he walked, the safer he felt.
but
The sooner the better.
Comma rules
 To set off direct quotations or direct questions
 After a minute or so, Buffy yelled, “Open the door!”
 Biff replied, “Are you talking to me?”
 Buffy asked herself, what kind of an idiot is he?
 The question, how will the story end? was on
everyone’s mind.
 but
 Biff wondered whether opening the door was worth
the risk.
 How the story might end was the question on
everyone’s mind.
Quotation marks
 To set off direct quotations
Quotation marks
 To set off words or phrases that have a
specific technical use or that are being
used in a special manner
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When I said “plain,” I meant “flat land,” not
“ordinary.” (OACD)
Oh yah, Buffy thought Biff was a real
‘genius.’
The instructor defined Googlewhack,
quoting extensively from the Wikipedia.
Boston has six letters.
There’s no I in teamwork.
Parallelism
 “…requires that expressions similar in
content and function be outwardly similar.
The likeness of form enables the reader to
recognize more readily the likeness of
content and function.” (Strunk & White,
The Elements of Style, sec. 19)


Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall
be comforted.
Parallelism
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Biff strides through the mall, moseys
through the bookstore, and crawls through
the buffet line.
Help readers to learn and to expand their
minds.
Help readers to learn and expand their
minds.
Help readers (to) learn to expand their
minds.
Comparisons
 Comparative degree (with noun, phrase, or
a clause)
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Biff is older than Buffy.
Buffy is the smarter of the two.
Biff is younger than I thought.
 Superlative degree (to single out one of
more than two nouns)
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Buffy is the smartest person in the room.
Of the four children in her family, Buffy is
the smartest.
Capitalization
 When a character name involves an
animal as part of the name, should both
the given and animal name be capitalized?
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Samantha the Snake vs. Samantha the
snake
White Rabbit
Cheshire Cat/Puss
Baloo the Bear
Usage
 What vs. which questions
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What is used to when asking a question for
which many (or an unknown number of)
answers are possible.
Which is used if you are choosing between
two (or a limited number of) answers.
Usage
 What vs. which questions
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What is your favorite color?
Which is your favorite color (red or blue)?
Which wrist did your break?
What would you like for lunch?
What highway should I take to St. Peter?
You can take either 169 or 22. Which is the
better road?
Usage
 Lie/lay
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Lie – intr.v. lay, lain, lying, lies. 1. To be in
or place oneself in a prostrate or
recumbent position; rest; recline.
(American Heritage Dictionary)
I will lie down when I’m tired.
Yesterday, I lay in bed for most of the
morning.
Usage
 Lie/lay
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
Lay – tr.v. laid, laying, lays. 1. To cause to
lie; put in a recumbent position: lay a child
in its crib. 2. To place or rest in a particular
state or position. 3. To put or set down;
deposit. (American Heritage Dictionary)
I will lay the book on the table—the same
place I laid it yesterday.
Usage
 Omitting prepositions
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Biff saw Buffy (on) the day before
yesterday.
I saw her (on) last Thursday.
We lived there (for) six years.
I was in meetings (for) all week.
All (of) the Maverick players were
suspended for studying grammar during
practice.
Questions?