{"id":3491690,"date":"2026-09-30T17:43:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=glossary&#038;p=3491690"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:43:07","slug":"punctuation","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/glossary\/punctuation\/","title":{"rendered":"PUNCTUATION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>ampersand (&amp;)<\/strong>: Use the ampersand when it is part of a company\u2019s formal name or composition title:\u00a0<em>Episcopal Relief &amp; Development<\/em>. In general use, do not use an ampersand in place of \u201cand.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>apostrophe (\u2019)<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use \u2019s to indicate the possessive of singular and proper nouns not ending in s:\u00a0<em>Timothy\u2019s, the church\u2019s attendance, the bishop\u2019s request, the fox\u2019s den, Xerox\u2019s profit margin.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use \u2019s for singular common nouns ending in s:\u00a0<em>the virus\u2019s spread, the witness\u2019s reply<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use just an apostrophe (\u2019) for plural nouns and singular proper names ending in s:\u00a0<em>Jesus\u2019 example, James\u2019 letter, Moses\u2019 law, the churches\u2019 request, states\u2019 rights<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For parishes named after a saint, the saint\u2019s name takes an apostrophe<em>: St. Timothy\u2019s Episcopal Church, St. James\u2019 Episcopal Church, All Angels\u2019 Episcopal Church<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not use an apostrophe after a word ending in \u2018s\u2019 when it is primarily used descriptively: a\u00a0<em>writers guide, the rectors college, citizens band radio<\/em>. A way to remember this is that if \u201cfor\u201d or \u201cby\u201d would be appropriate in the longer version, rather than \u201cof,\u201d an apostrophe is not usually needed.\u00a0<em>A guide for writers, the college for rectors, a radio band for citizens.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>See also<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/years\/\">years<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>commas<\/strong>: Use a serial comma to separate items in a list.\u00a0<em>He bought apples, oranges, and bananas.<\/em>\u00a0Use a comma to offset additional information about something or someone: \u201cMy sister, Alison\u201d implies you have one sister, and her name is Alison. Without the comma, \u201cmy sister Alison\u201d implies you have other sisters as well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>dashes<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use an\u00a0em\u00a0dash (\u2014) without a space on either side when a dash is used in the body of the text to signal a change or set off a series within a phrase.\u00a0<em>The seminar\u2014attended by parishioners and clergy from throughout the diocese\u2014focused on issues of racial justice.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<em>(Chicago style)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Em dashes are used in citations; in an epigraph, they follow the quote, usually on a separate line:\u00a0<\/span><\/em><br><em>All shall be well.\u00a0<br>\u2014St. Julian of Norwich<br>See also\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/epigraph\/\" data-type=\"glossary\" data-id=\"3473759\">epigraph<\/a><em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>italics<\/strong>:\u00a0Do not use italics for book and other composition titles, nor for foreign words; use quotation marks instead. Seek to avoid using italics for emphasis; write clearly and give the reader credit for being able to discern the important words. Italicize for emphasis only when drawing attention to a word within a quotation. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>parenthesis \/ parentheses<\/strong>: If a parenthetical clause is a complete sentence and falls at the end of the sentence, it stands alone as a separate sentence:\u00a0<em>He didn\u2019t know the gorilla was hungry (despite all the warning signs), and so he ate a banana in front of him. (He won\u2019t do that again.)\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>quotation marks:\u00a0<\/strong>Use quotation marks (not italics) around\u00a0the names of\u00a0books, lectures, movies, operas, plays, podcasts, podcast episodes, poems, songs, speeches, radio and television programs, videos, and works of art.<em>For Advent, the church released new episodes of the \u201cProphetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community\u201d podcast.\u00a0See also\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/titles\/\" data-type=\"glossary\" data-id=\"3491676\">titles: composition<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks; dashes, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points go outside unless they apply to the quoted material.\u00a0<em>Will he show us how to find the place he described as \u201cthe world\u2019s most beautiful garden sanctuary\u201d?\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use single quotation marks for quotes within a quote:\u00a0<em>\u201cJesus said, \u2018I am the way, the truth, and the life.\u2019<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"background-color: rgba(118, 118, 118, 0.2);\">Citations after a quote should be in parentheses after the quotation marks with the period following:\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"background-color: rgba(118, 118, 118, 0.2);\">\u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life\u201d (John 3:16).<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When a quote is being used as an epigraph at the beginning of a work, no quotation marks are needed; use an em dash before the citation:\u00a0<em>For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. \u2014John 3:16\u00a0\u00a0<br>See also\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/epigraph\/\" data-type=\"glossary\" data-id=\"3473759\">epigraph<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"glossary-categories":[1976],"glossary-tags":[],"glossary-languages":[],"class_list":["post-3491690","glossary","type-glossary","status-publish","hentry","glossary-categories-writing-style-guide"],"post_title":"PUNCTUATION","post_content":"<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>ampersand (&amp;)<\/strong>: Use the ampersand when it is part of a company\u2019s formal name or composition title:\u00a0<em>Episcopal Relief &amp; Development<\/em>. In general use, do not use an ampersand in place of \u201cand.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>apostrophe (\u2019)<\/strong>:<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Use \u2019s to indicate the possessive of singular and proper nouns not ending in s:\u00a0<em>Timothy\u2019s, the church\u2019s attendance, the bishop\u2019s request, the fox\u2019s den, Xerox\u2019s profit margin.<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Use \u2019s for singular common nouns ending in s:\u00a0<em>the virus\u2019s spread, the witness\u2019s reply<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Use just an apostrophe (\u2019) for plural nouns and singular proper names ending in s:\u00a0<em>Jesus\u2019 example, James\u2019 letter, Moses\u2019 law, the churches\u2019 request, states\u2019 rights<\/em>.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>For parishes named after a saint, the saint\u2019s name takes an apostrophe<em>: St. Timothy\u2019s Episcopal Church, St. James\u2019 Episcopal Church, All Angels\u2019 Episcopal Church<\/em>.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Do not use an apostrophe after a word ending in \u2018s\u2019 when it is primarily used descriptively: a\u00a0<em>writers guide, the rectors college, citizens band radio<\/em>. A way to remember this is that if \u201cfor\u201d or \u201cby\u201d would be appropriate in the longer version, rather than \u201cof,\u201d an apostrophe is not usually needed.\u00a0<em>A guide for writers, the college for rectors, a radio band for citizens.<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em>See also<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/years\/\">years<\/a><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list --><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>commas<\/strong>: Use a serial comma to separate items in a list.\u00a0<em>He bought apples, oranges, and bananas.<\/em>\u00a0Use a comma to offset additional information about something or someone: \u201cMy sister, Alison\u201d implies you have one sister, and her name is Alison. Without the comma, \u201cmy sister Alison\u201d implies you have other sisters as well.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>dashes<\/strong>:<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Use an\u00a0em\u00a0dash (\u2014) without a space on either side when a dash is used in the body of the text to signal a change or set off a series within a phrase.\u00a0<em>The seminar\u2014attended by parishioners and clergy from throughout the diocese\u2014focused on issues of racial justice.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<em>(Chicago style)<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Em dashes are used in citations; in an epigraph, they follow the quote, usually on a separate line:\u00a0<\/span><\/em><br><em>All shall be well.\u00a0<br>\u2014St. Julian of Norwich<br>See also\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/epigraph\/\" data-type=\"glossary\" data-id=\"3473759\">epigraph<\/a><em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list --><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>italics<\/strong>:\u00a0Do not use italics for book and other composition titles, nor for foreign words; use quotation marks instead. Seek to avoid using italics for emphasis; write clearly and give the reader credit for being able to discern the important words. Italicize for emphasis only when drawing attention to a word within a quotation. \u00a0<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>parenthesis \/ parentheses<\/strong>: If a parenthetical clause is a complete sentence and falls at the end of the sentence, it stands alone as a separate sentence:\u00a0<em>He didn\u2019t know the gorilla was hungry (despite all the warning signs), and so he ate a banana in front of him. (He won\u2019t do that again.)\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>quotation marks:\u00a0<\/strong>Use quotation marks (not italics) around\u00a0the names of\u00a0books, lectures, movies, operas, plays, podcasts, podcast episodes, poems, songs, speeches, radio and television programs, videos, and works of art.<em>For Advent, the church released new episodes of the \u201cProphetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community\u201d podcast.\u00a0See also\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/titles\/\" data-type=\"glossary\" data-id=\"3491676\">titles: composition<\/a><!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks; dashes, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points go outside unless they apply to the quoted material.\u00a0<em>Will he show us how to find the place he described as \u201cthe world\u2019s most beautiful garden sanctuary\u201d?\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Use single quotation marks for quotes within a quote:\u00a0<em>\u201cJesus said, \u2018I am the way, the truth, and the life.\u2019<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><span style=\"background-color: rgba(118, 118, 118, 0.2);\">Citations after a quote should be in parentheses after the quotation marks with the period following:\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"background-color: rgba(118, 118, 118, 0.2);\">\u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life\u201d (John 3:16).<\/em><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>When a quote is being used as an epigraph at the beginning of a work, no quotation marks are needed; use an em dash before the citation:\u00a0<em>For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. \u2014John 3:16\u00a0\u00a0<br>See also\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/glossary\/epigraph\/\" data-type=\"glossary\" data-id=\"3473759\">epigraph<\/a><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list --><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->","acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"glossary-categories":[{"value":1976,"label":"Writing Style Guide"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"srands","author_link":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/author\/srands\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/3491690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossary"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/3491690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3491691,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/3491690\/revisions\/3491691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3491690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"glossary-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary-categories?post=3491690"},{"taxonomy":"glossary-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary-tags?post=3491690"},{"taxonomy":"glossary-languages","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary-languages?post=3491690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}