Punctuation

The following rules apply to spacing after a punctuation mark:

• No space before, and only one space after a punctuation mark

• No space before or after a question or exclamation mark when followed by a closing quotation mark, parenthesis, or bracket: e.g. The delegate added, “Is it not high time we tightened our belts and dealt with the deficit?”

• No space before or after a comma when followed by a closing quotation mark: e.g. “Stop procrastinating,” she said

• No space before or after a colon when used to express ratios or the time of day using the 24-hour clock, or to separate chapter and verse, volume and page, act and scene in references to books, plays, etc.: e.g. a slope of 1:4

• One space before and none after an opening parenthesis or bracket within a sentence; no space before or after a closing parenthesis or bracket when followed by a punctuation mark: e.g. Please read the enclosed booklet (Using Your Modem); it will help you take full advantage of your new communication tool.

• No space before or between parentheses enclosing subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, etc., in citations from legislation: e.g. subparagraph 123(4)(b)(ii)

• No space before or after an oblique (/) when used between individual words, letters, or symbols; one space before and after the oblique when used between longer word groups that contain internal spacing: e.g. yes/no, Language and Society / Langue et société

The period is a “full stop”. It stops the reader more fully than the colon, semicolon, comma, or dash. Each of these punctuation marks may, in many circumstances, be used in place of one of the others to lessen or intensify a break in the flow of the sentence or passage.

Short signboard messages do not require a final period: e.g. No Trespassing, Employees Only

Do not use periods with acronyms or initialisms, compass directions (except in street addresses that do not appear on envelopes or packages), degrees, memberships and distinctions, metric unit symbols, chemical symbols or mathematical abbreviations: e.g. GCEI, BSc, km

Use of the semicolon

The semicolon is used between independent clauses not joined by conjunction but too closely related to be separated by a period: e.g. “Inflation makes misery unanimous; it is universal poverty.” —Arthur Meighen

The colon may be used between two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction if the second clause explains, illustrates, or enlarges upon the first. In such sentences, a semicolon would also be correct, but less effective: e.g. “Put most simply, the colon looks forward or anticipates: It gives readers an extra push toward the next part of the sentence”. —The Canadian Press Stylebook – A Guide for Writers and Editors and The Canadian Press CAPS and Spelling

Apostrophes should only be used to denote possession (e.g. Bob’s car) or in contractions (e.g. “it is” becomes “it’s”)

When used with plurals, no additional “s” should be used: e.g. the employees’ suggestions

Plurals of numerals should be formed by adding an “s” (e.g. the 1960s). The use of an apostrophe in this instance would be incorrect.

Generally, when numbers appear within a sentence, the rule of thumb is to spell out the numbers up to and including nine. Numbers 10 and above should be represented numerically.

TRCA recommends the APA format for documenting scientific citations. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, educators, and professionals in psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing, social work, and justice administration and for other disciplines in which effective communication with words and data is fundamental. Purdue University has a comprehensive website that explains APA citations and examples of use.

For further grammatical rules and reference, the The Canadian Style, issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada is a great resource for written English in the Canadian context.