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requesting advice regarding punctuation

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:26 pm
by dinosaur2007
Hello,
I always feel confused when trying to use some punctuation marks in some situations. For example, when using the words "however" and "therefore", when to use a semicolon before them and when to put a full stop. Another thing I'd like to ask about is the problem with the word "so". When should I use a comma before it? When should I use a semicolon before it? And when should I omit punctuation marks altogether?

These rules have always been a nuisance to me when I attempt to use them. I am now requesting your help regarding this issue.

If you have comments on the the above writing regarding punctuation usage, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

Re: requesting advice regarding punctuation

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 11:03 am
by Ryan
I'm sorry no one got back to you on this, dinosaur2007.

The grammatical items you identified are punctuated according to their situation. For example, the word 'however' is preceded by a semicolon when it joins two independent clauses:

Production typically peaks towards the end of each month; however, this month has been abnormal.

'However' doesn't have to connect two independent clauses, though. You can use it like this:

Production typically peaks towards the end of the month. However, this month has been abnormal.

The Purdue OWL resources can help you answer any additional questions you might have: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/04/