HUL 810, August 14, 2014

Lecture 7: Method to writing (Part II).

Punctuations are very important in writing as they contribute to the meaning. Moreover, in a
research work, it is very important to use the correct punctuations at the correct place.
Inconsistency in writing (and thereby punctuation) is looked down upon in academia.
Punctuation is an important skill set in research writing as it gives clarity and readability to the
written text. It explains the written text and its structure. It could separate some material and
group the others. It clarifies ideas and helps the readers manoeuvre through a sentence or a
paragraph. It sets the motivation of a writer and clarifies his/her meaning. The set of rules
covered here will encompass several instances of dilemma one might encounter whilst writing
ones research project.
The various kinds of punctuations are as follows:
Commas
Semicolons
Colons
Dashes and Parentheses
Hyphens
Apostrophes
Quotation Marks
Square Brackets
Slashes
Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation
Spacing after concluding Punctuations

Commas are used ahead of coordinating conjunctions such as (and, but, for, nor, or, so, or yet).
It helps join independent clauses in a sentence.
For example: The minister brought the bill to the table at the Lok Sabha, and it was
successfully passed.
The idea is ironic, for the writers meaning contrasts with his words.
But the comma can be done away with if the sentence is small and the meaning and idea
between the two clauses arent open to interpretation or misreading.
Eg. Neither Habermas nor Heidegger found gold.
I would play a guitar and you can play the drums.
You can also use a comma to separate words, phrases and clauses.

Example of Words: The work of Shakespeare has inspired plays, movies, operas and
music.
Example of Phrases: Akbar created the system of intricate tunnels, reorganized military
strategies and built massive catapults.
Example of Clauses: During the epidemic, millions were rendered homeless, as their
cattle died and lands were barren.
Use comma when there are two adjectives in a sentence modifying the same noun.
For Example: The novelist was praised for his candid, lucid style. (Candid and lucid
are both effecting the idea of the noun style in a different way)
But
The writer was praised for his brilliant psychological thriller. (Brilliant is effecting the
idea of a psychological thriller)

You can use a comma for giving a brief parenthetical comment or reference. (Detailed lecture
on parentheses later)
For Example: The particle is, for example, named after British Theoretical physicist
Peter Ware Higgs.
Use commas in non-restrictive modifiers. Non-restrictive modifiers are those that can be
dropped off without changing the main idea of a sentence.
For Example: Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, an Indian scientist, was awarded the Nobel
Prize in 2009.
Indian scientist Venkataraman Ramakrishnan was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009.

Semicolons can be used, in case there are internal commas in a series.

For example: The Home Ministry has decided to initiate massive development work in
major cities in India such as Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Ranchi, Jharkhand; Durgapur, West
Bengal; and Kanpur, UP.
You can also use a semicolon between independent clauses not linked by a conjunction.
For example: The ground is damaged beyond repair; still, the coach things that one
could play.
The colon is used between two parts of a sentence, when the first part conveys a sense of
anticipation (or impending idea) for the second part. Also, there is always a space behind q
colon.
For example, HUL810: Communication Skills
Similarly, a colon can be used to introduce a list.

For example, The list includes those who have greatly influenced the field of linguistics:
Ferdinand de Saussure, Jaqques Derrida, and Noam Chomsky.
A colon can also be used to elaborate on an idea.
For example, The test was based on deception: three of the test results were tampered
with.
A colon can be used to show a Rule or Principle
For example, Life truly revolves around Murphy's law: When you least want something to
go wrong, something will go wrong.
And lastly, a colon can be used to introduce quotation.
For example, In Gone with the Wind, the protagonist was an optimist: Tomorrow is
another day, tomorrow is a new day
Note: If the quote is introduced by says, writes, exclaims, notes etc. introduce it by
comma instead.
Dashes and parentheses helps us make a break. Dash makes a sharper break in continuity than
comma. Parentheses makes an even sharper break. Use dashes and parentheses sparingly as
they can be disruptive. To use a dash, make two hyphens and your word processor will convert
it into a dash.
Use dashes or parentheses when you are interrupting a train of thought in your sentence.
For example: Amartya Sens piece (He earlier won the Nobel Prize for his work in
Economics) in the daily newspaper was a thought provoking article on political situation in
Iraq.
Use dashes or parentheses instead of comma if you think your specific ideas maybe misread or
lost.
For example: The colours in Claude Monets painting Red, Blue and Green imbibes a
symbolic significance.
You can use a dash to summarise an idea of the preceding series.
For example: Acutely sensitive, vividly descriptive Guru Dutts Pyaasa is an engaging
and moving story about a struggling poet.
Dash may also be used instead of a colon to show a list of things.
For example: The list includes those who have greatly influenced the field of linguistics
Ferdinand de Saussure, Jaques Derrida, and Noam Chomsky.

Compound words can be written as separate words (hard boiled, hard cover), with hyphen
(hard-boiled, hard-cover) or as one word (hardboiled, hardcover). Consistency in the spelling
is paramount. A compound, not in the dictionary should be written as separate words. However,
one can use a hyphen if one feel that its meaning can be misconstrued.