Punctuation Rules (ACT English)

Commas

Use Commas: Introductory Elements

After introductory words, phrases, or clauses:

✓ "However, I disagree with that statement."
✓ "After the game, we went out for pizza."
✓ "Running down the street, I tripped and fell."
✓ "Because I was tired, I went to bed early."

Rule: Comma after dependent clause at START of sentence
But: No comma if dependent clause is at END

✓ "I went to bed early because I was tired." (no comma)

Use Commas: Items in a Series

Three or more items:

✓ "I bought apples, oranges, and bananas."
✓ "She is smart, kind, and funny."

ACT uses Oxford comma (comma before "and" in list)

Use Commas: Compound Sentences

Before coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) joining two complete thoughts:

✓ "I wanted to go, but I was too tired."
✓ "She studied hard, and she passed the exam."

DON'T use comma if second part isn't a complete sentence:

✓ "I wanted to go but was too tired." (no comma — "was too tired" isn't complete)
❌ "I wanted to go, but was too tired." (unnecessary comma)

Use Commas: Non-Essential Information

Around information that can be removed:

✓ "My brother, who lives in California, is visiting."
(Can remove "who lives in California")

✓ "The Eiffel Tower, a famous landmark, attracts many tourists."

DON'T use commas for essential information:

✓ "The student who won the award is my friend." (no commas)
(Which student? The one who won — essential to meaning)

Use Commas: Appositives

Around renaming phrases:

✓ "My teacher, Ms. Johnson, is excellent."
✓ "The capital of France, Paris, is beautiful."

DON'T Use Commas: Between Subject and Verb

❌ "The tall man in the blue shirt, walked slowly."
✓ "The tall man in the blue shirt walked slowly."

DON'T Use Commas: Before "That"

✓ "I think that we should go." (no comma)
❌ "I think, that we should go."

Semicolons

Use Semicolon: Join Related Independent Clauses

When two complete thoughts are closely related:

✓ "I love reading; it's my favorite hobby."
✓ "She didn't study; she failed the test."

Think of semicolon as strong period — both sides must be complete sentences

❌ "I love reading; my favorite hobby." (second part incomplete)
✓ "I love reading; it's my favorite hobby."

Use Semicolon: Before Conjunctive Adverbs

With words like however, therefore, moreover, furthermore, nevertheless:

✓ "I wanted to go; however, I was too tired."
✓ "She studied hard; therefore, she passed."

Pattern: Semicolon before, comma after

Use Semicolon: Complex Lists

When list items contain commas:

✓ "I've visited Paris, France; London, England; and Rome, Italy."

Colons

Use Colon: Introduce a List

After a complete sentence:

✓ "You'll need three things: a pencil, paper, and an eraser."
✓ "We visited several cities: Boston, New York, and Philadelphia."

DON'T use after incomplete sentence:

❌ "My favorite colors are: blue, green, and yellow."
✓ "My favorite colors are blue, green, and yellow." (no colon)
✓ "I like three colors: blue, green, and yellow." (complete before colon)

Use Colon: Emphasis or Explanation

To introduce an explanation or emphasis:

✓ "She had one goal: to win the championship."
✓ "The answer was clear: he had been lying."

Use Colon: After Greeting in Business Letter

✓ "Dear Sir or Madam:"
✓ "To Whom It May Concern:"

Dashes

Use Dash: Interruption or Sudden Change

✓ "I was walking home — it was a beautiful day — when I saw her."
✓ "The test — which I forgot to study for — was incredibly difficult."

Note: Dashes create a stronger break than commas

Use Dash: Emphasis

✓ "There's only one thing I want — to succeed."
✓ "She achieved her goal — against all odds."

Dash vs Colon: Both can introduce, but dash is more informal/dramatic

Apostrophes

Use Apostrophe: Possession

Singular nouns — add 's: ✓ "the dog's toy"
✓ "James's book" (even names ending in s)

Plural nouns ending in s — add only apostrophe: ✓ "the dogs' toys" (multiple dogs)
✓ "the students' desks"

Plural nouns NOT ending in s — add 's: ✓ "the children's playground"
✓ "the women's rights"

Use Apostrophe: Contractions

✓ "it's" = it is
✓ "they're" = they are
✓ "you're" = you are
✓ "who's" = who is
✓ "don't" = do not

DON'T Use Apostrophe: Possessive Pronouns

These don't need apostrophes:

• its, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, whose

✓ "The dog wagged its tail." (NOT it's)
✓ "The book is hers." (NOT her's)
✓ "Whose book is this?" (NOT who's)

Common Confusions

| Contraction (with apostrophe) | Possessive (no apostrophe) | |-------------------------------|---------------------------| | it's (it is) | its (belonging to it) | | you're (you are) | your (belonging to you) | | they're (they are) | their (belonging to them) | | who's (who is) | whose (belonging to whom) |

Quotation Marks

Use Quotation Marks: Direct Speech

✓ She said, "I'll be there soon."
✓ "I can't believe it," he exclaimed.

Comma before quote if introducing: ✓ He asked, "Where are you going?"

Comma inside closing quotation mark: ✓ "I'm going home," she replied.

Use Quotation Marks: Titles of Short Works

Use for: articles, short stories, poems, songs, chapters

✓ I read "The Lottery" in English class. (short story)
✓ My favorite song is "Imagine." (song)

Use italics (or underline) for: books, movies, albums, newspapers

✓ I read The Great Gatsby. (book)
✓ We watched The Matrix. (movie)

Punctuation with Quotation Marks

Commas and periods — INSIDE quotation marks: ✓ "Hello," she said.
✓ She said, "Hello."

Semicolons and colons — OUTSIDE quotation marks: ✓ She said, "Hello"; then she left.

Question marks and exclamation points — depends: ✓ She asked, "Are you okay?" (question is quoted)
✓ Did she say, "I'm fine"? (overall sentence is question)

Question Marks and Exclamation Points

Use Question Mark: Direct Questions

✓ "Where are you going?"
✓ "How old are you?"

DON'T use for indirect questions:

✓ "She asked where I was going." (no question mark)
❌ "She asked where I was going?"

Use Exclamation Point: Strong Emotion

✓ "Watch out!"
✓ "That's amazing!"

ACT tip: Use sparingly — ACT prefers periods for most sentences

ACT Punctuation Strategies

Strategy 1: Check Both Sides of Semicolon

Both sides must be complete sentences:

Test: "I love reading" → complete ✓
Test: "it's my favorite hobby" → complete ✓
Result: "I love reading; it's my favorite hobby." → correct ✓

Strategy 2: FANBOYS Requires Comma

If you see and, but, or, so, etc. joining two complete sentences:

Check: Both sides complete? → Add comma before conjunction
Check: Second side incomplete? → No comma

Strategy 3: Essential vs Non-Essential

Can you remove the phrase without changing core meaning?

• YES → Use commas around it
• NO → Don't use commas

✓ "My brother who lives in Texas called yesterday." (essential — which brother?)
✓ "My only brother, who lives in Texas, called yesterday." (non-essential — only one brother)

Strategy 4: Its vs It's Test

Replace with "it is":

• Makes sense? → Use "it's"
• Doesn't make sense? → Use "its"

"The dog wagged [it is] tail." → Doesn't make sense → Use "its" ✓

Common ACT Mistakes

❌ Comma splice — using only comma to join sentences
"I went home, I was tired." → Use semicolon or add conjunction

❌ Unnecessary comma before "that"
"I think, that we should go." → Remove comma

❌ Comma between subject and verb
"The tall man in the blue shirt, walked slowly." → Remove comma

❌ Colon after incomplete sentence
"My hobbies are: reading and writing." → Remove colon

❌ Confusing its and it's
"The dog wagged it's tail." → Should be "its" (possessive)

❌ Apostrophe in possessive pronoun
"The book is her's." → Should be "hers" (no apostrophe)

Quick Reference Chart

| Punctuation | Use | Example | |-------------|-----|---------| | , | Lists, introductory, compound sentences | "I bought apples, oranges, and bananas." | | ; | Join related complete sentences | "I love reading; it's relaxing." | | : | Introduce list/explanation (after complete sentence) | "I need three things: pen, paper, eraser." | | — | Interruption, emphasis | "The test—surprisingly—was easy." | | ' | Possession, contractions | "the dog's toy," "it's raining" | | " " | Direct quotes, short work titles | She said, "Hello." |

Decision Tree: Joining Two Clauses

Are both complete sentences?

• NO → No punctuation needed (unless introductory)
• YES → Continue below

How are they related?

• Very closely → Semicolon
• Want to show specific relationship → Comma + FANBOYS (and, but, or, so, yet, for, nor)
• Want to introduce/explain → Colon (first introduces second)
• Separate ideas → Period

Practice Tips

✓ Read aloud — your ear catches many errors
✓ Test semicolons — both sides must be complete
✓ Check FANBOYS — needs comma if both sides complete
✓ Replace "it's" with "it is" — if doesn't make sense, use "its"
✓ Remove phrase — if sentence still works, use commas around it
✓ Watch for "however" — semicolon before, comma after
✓ Shortest correct answer often wins — ACT dislikes unnecessary punctuation

Remember: The ACT tests the same punctuation rules repeatedly. Master commas, semicolons, apostrophes, and the its/it's distinction, and you'll handle most punctuation questions correctly!