Punctuation
Common Punctuation
Exclamation points
Avoid using the exclamation mark. Overuse can signify fake enthusiasm.
Commas (Comma vs. Oxford Comma)
Use commas to indicate a series of items in a sentence but not before the final “and.”
Do write
Don’t use: The Oxford “extra” comma
Periods
Periods signal the end of a sentence and should always remain within punctuation.
Use within parenthesis that is a standalone sentence
Em dash/En Dash/Hyphen — – -
Em dash
Em dash is used to separate information (It’s a substitute for a comma, colon, semi-colon, or parentheses) or signal a pause in speech. Space between Em Dashes is not required.
En Dash
En Dash is used to mark ranges, dates, or time. The use of a space before and after is required to help differentiate it from the regular hyphen.
Hyphen
Hyphen is used for compound words. No spaces are required.
