The Canadian Style
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- - Close Punctuation
- Introduction to Punctuation
- Spacing
- The Period, Main purpose
- Imperatives, exclamations and indirect questions
- Ellipsis points
- Leaders
- Other uses
- Periods properly omitted
- The Question Mark, Main purpose
- Requests, indirect questions and other uses
- The Exclamation Mark, Main purpose
- The Exclamation Mark, Miscellaneous
- The Comma, General
- Restrictive/non-restrictive
- The Comma, Co-ordinate elements
- Clarity and emphasis
- Omitted words
- Quotations, etc.
- Names and titles
- Dates, geographical names and addresses
- Commas properly omitted
- The Semicolon, Between independent clauses
- The Semicolon, Co-ordinate elements
- Misuse and overuse
- The Colon, Between independent clauses
- Annunciatory function
- The Colon, Miscellaneous
- Misuse
- Parentheses, General
- Clarification
- Punctuation with parentheses
- Afterthoughts and asides
- Parentheses within parentheses
- Legal documents
- Letters and numerals
- Square Brackets, General
- Use within parentheses
- Use
- Multiples
- The Em Dash, General
- Enumerations
- Interruptions, pauses, afterthoughts, clarifications and emphasis
- Summarizing
- Material in apposition
- Headings
- Lists and tables
- Punctuation with em dash
- The En Dash, Numerals
- Compound expressions
- Compound words
- Spelling and enunciation
- The Oblique, General
- Abbreviations
- The Oblique, Numerals
- Alternatives and headings
- Possession
- Inanimate possessors
- Compounds
- Two nouns (group genitive)
- Geographical names
- Institutions and organizations
- Its
- Contractions
- Plurals
- Vertical Lists, General
- Use of colon
- Numbering
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7.16 Clarity and emphasis
Sometimes the reader will be led astray by a word or phrase which appears at first to be used in one sense but turns out from the context to be used in another. In all the following examples, commas should have been used in order to prevent misreading:
- In all his efforts were quite laudable.
(comma after In all) - He was taken to the cleaners and left without any money, he soon grew desperate.
(comma after and) - In the presence of Sir Henry James began to quiver.
(comma after Sir Henry) - I was high up and far below I saw the globe of the earth.
(comma after up)
The comma can be a useful device for securing a pause or emphasis:
- I am sure the contract will be signed, eventually.
- Senior management had, once again, put itself in a no-win situation.
- The end had come, but it was not yet in sight.
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