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Punctuation

Master the use of punctuation to improve the readability and comprehension of your text. This section covers the rules and best practices for using punctuation marks to ensure your writing is clear and precise.

Minimalist punctuation​

Always consider whether necessary

! Exclamation mark for high-level warnings only!

? Question mark only if necessary

: Use colons: especially to introduce lists

. Full stops at the end of all full sentences

. Full stops before all file extensions: .csv .txt .zip

. Consistent use of full stops throughout the application

… Ellipsis only for transitional text: Upload…

' Single quotation mark for possession: Customer’s role (single), customers’ roles (plural)

No quotation mark or brackets for plurals: PDFs

& Avoid ampersands unless in a product or company name: Siemens & Halske AG

* Avoid asterisks in applications

( Avoid brackets ( ) and [ ]

; Avoid semi-colons

: Avoid and remove colons whenever possible, for example Username instead of Username:

Formats​

  • 12-hour clock: 11am and 11pm or 11AM and 11PM

  • 24-hour clock: 11:00 and 23:00

  • Date: Monday, January 12, 2021

  • Money: $400,456.50

  • Measurement and quantities: 30 mm

  • Hyphen for ranges: 10-40%

  • Numbers: Use No. as an abbreviation for number, no spacing between abbreviated No. and number: No.8

11am
Monday, January 12, 2021
€999.50
€2.5 million
$400,456.50
£320
30 mm
10 oz
10-40%
No.7
Number 7
11 a.m.
Monday, 12 January 2021
€999,50
€2,5 million
$400.456,50
320£
30 mms
10 oz.
10–40%
#7
Num 7

Spacing​

  • No space before %

  • No space before colon, semi-colon, ellipsis

  • Add a space after colon or semi-colon

  • Add a space before and after equation marks, hyphens and em dashes

  • Add a space before unit of measurement

50%
11am
Tuesday: no data
Browse…
50 %
11 am
Tuesday: no data
Browse …

Lists​

  • Consistent use of full stops in lists / bullet points

  • If lists / points are not full sentences, do not use full stops

  • Use fragments or full sentences in lists, not both

  • If a bullet / list item has two sentences, use full stops for this point and all others

  • Make lists parallel, i.e. all items / bullets have the same look, length, feel, punctuation, capitalization

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