LEC052010. ANNIE V.VERGHESE. Mechanics of Writing
Academic writing is concise, focussed and structured with a formal and objective tone. The style of writing stresses on accuracy, brevity and clarity as the target audience is mostly academicians and researchers. The arguments put forward in academic writing are supported with evidence and referenced accurately. Therefore, to ensure the logical coherence of scholarly writing, there are conventions to be followed called the mechanics of writing. These include technical aspects of writing like spelling, abbreviation, capitalisation and punctuation.
1. Capitalisation
The initial letter of the first word after a period should be capitalised. Capitalise initial letters of proper nouns, adjectives derived from proper nouns and all the content words in the title of a book, article, poem, journal. The initial letters of the function words are not capitalised unless they are the first word in a title.
E.g., By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
2. Comma (,)
A comma indicates a short pause and it separates words, ideas or clauses within a sentence.
E.g., I have red, woollen socks.
Having finally arrived in town, we went shopping.
3. Period (.)
A period, also known as a full-stop, is used to mark the end of an assertive or imperative sentence. It is also used after abbreviations and initials. E.g., There are two films prescribed in the syllabus of B.A. English.
4. Colon (:)
A colon is used to introduce a list, quotation or explanation. It is also used to separate two independent clauses where the first introduces the second.
E.g., The five sense organs are: eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin.
5. Semicolon (;)
A semicolon is used to separate main clauses, not usually joined by a conjunction, which are considered so closely connected as to belong to one sentence. It is used instead of a comma to separate from other parts of a sentence that are already separated by commas.
E.g., The sun was setting now; the shadows were long.
6. Question mark (?)
A question mark or an interrogation mark or is used at the end of a direct question. E.g., Will you dance with me?
7. Exclamation mark (!)
An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence or remark expressing a high degree of anger, amazement or any other strong emotion.
E.g., What a wonderful surprise!
8. Double quotation mark (“ ”)
The double quotation mark is used to quote something directly or to set off titles of essays, journal articles, poems, short stories. E.g., Benedict said, “I love acting.”
9. Single quotation mark (‘ ’)
The single quotation mark is used to emphasise a word or a term. It is also used to contain a quote within a quote.
E.g., Nikitha said, “She was very encouraging. ‘You did a brilliant job’, she said.”
10. Apostrophe (’)
An apostrophe is used to denote possession and contractions. Contractions are not common in academic writing.
E.g., It was Gautham’s book that I had borrowed.
11. Hyphen (-)
A hyphen is used to form compound words. It is also used to break a long word into parts so that the rest of it can continue in the next line.
E.g., It was a long-term solution.
12. Dash
En-dash (–) An en-dash indicates a range and can be understood as a symbol for through.
E.g., The summer course is from April – June.
Em-dash (—) An em-dash produces a sudden break in thought in the sentence. It is also used to give some additional information.
E.g., I think I should call Richard—his legal advice is good— for help.
13. Ellipsis (...)
An ellipsis is used to indicate the omission of words from a quoted line or passage. E.g., "Beauty is truth, truth beauty…all ye need to know."
14. Parentheses ( () )
Parentheses or round brackets are used to insert additional information or thought in a sentence.
E.g., Charlotte (the eldest among the Bronte sisters) was the author of Jane Eyre.
15. Brackets ( [] )
Brackets also known as square brackets are used to indicate that words have been added to a direct quotation.
E.g., “I am very happy that I won the prize [the Man Booker].”
16. Braces ( { } )
Braces also known as curly brackets are used to set off items in a set to show they are a unit.
E.g., {2,4,6.8,10} are even numbers from 1 to 10.
It is essential to write precisely and follow these rules to avoid ambiguity and to ensure that the readers understand what the writer intends.
1. Capitalisation
The initial letter of the first word after a period should be capitalised. Capitalise initial letters of proper nouns, adjectives derived from proper nouns and all the content words in the title of a book, article, poem, journal. The initial letters of the function words are not capitalised unless they are the first word in a title.
E.g., By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
2. Comma (,)
A comma indicates a short pause and it separates words, ideas or clauses within a sentence.
E.g., I have red, woollen socks.
Having finally arrived in town, we went shopping.
3. Period (.)
A period, also known as a full-stop, is used to mark the end of an assertive or imperative sentence. It is also used after abbreviations and initials. E.g., There are two films prescribed in the syllabus of B.A. English.
4. Colon (:)
A colon is used to introduce a list, quotation or explanation. It is also used to separate two independent clauses where the first introduces the second.
E.g., The five sense organs are: eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin.
5. Semicolon (;)
A semicolon is used to separate main clauses, not usually joined by a conjunction, which are considered so closely connected as to belong to one sentence. It is used instead of a comma to separate from other parts of a sentence that are already separated by commas.
E.g., The sun was setting now; the shadows were long.
6. Question mark (?)
A question mark or an interrogation mark or is used at the end of a direct question. E.g., Will you dance with me?
7. Exclamation mark (!)
An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence or remark expressing a high degree of anger, amazement or any other strong emotion.
E.g., What a wonderful surprise!
8. Double quotation mark (“ ”)
The double quotation mark is used to quote something directly or to set off titles of essays, journal articles, poems, short stories. E.g., Benedict said, “I love acting.”
9. Single quotation mark (‘ ’)
The single quotation mark is used to emphasise a word or a term. It is also used to contain a quote within a quote.
E.g., Nikitha said, “She was very encouraging. ‘You did a brilliant job’, she said.”
10. Apostrophe (’)
An apostrophe is used to denote possession and contractions. Contractions are not common in academic writing.
E.g., It was Gautham’s book that I had borrowed.
11. Hyphen (-)
A hyphen is used to form compound words. It is also used to break a long word into parts so that the rest of it can continue in the next line.
E.g., It was a long-term solution.
12. Dash
En-dash (–) An en-dash indicates a range and can be understood as a symbol for through.
E.g., The summer course is from April – June.
Em-dash (—) An em-dash produces a sudden break in thought in the sentence. It is also used to give some additional information.
E.g., I think I should call Richard—his legal advice is good— for help.
13. Ellipsis (...)
An ellipsis is used to indicate the omission of words from a quoted line or passage. E.g., "Beauty is truth, truth beauty…all ye need to know."
14. Parentheses ( () )
Parentheses or round brackets are used to insert additional information or thought in a sentence.
E.g., Charlotte (the eldest among the Bronte sisters) was the author of Jane Eyre.
15. Brackets ( [] )
Brackets also known as square brackets are used to indicate that words have been added to a direct quotation.
E.g., “I am very happy that I won the prize [the Man Booker].”
16. Braces ( { } )
Braces also known as curly brackets are used to set off items in a set to show they are a unit.
E.g., {2,4,6.8,10} are even numbers from 1 to 10.
It is essential to write precisely and follow these rules to avoid ambiguity and to ensure that the readers understand what the writer intends.
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