Here are the answers to a couple of questions I've received about punctuation. I hope you find them helpful: COMMAS Use a comma when you join two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, such as "and" or "but." * The official expressed disgust at the corruption uncovered in the department, but the report cited her own policies as part of the cause. * The girl threw her boyfriend's class ring into the pond, and the boy cried as the ring plopped into the murky water. Do not use a comma when the second part of the sentence has same subject as the first part. * The official expressed disgust at the corruption uncovered in the department but said she was powerless to stop it. * The girl went to the edge of the pond and threw her boyfriend's class ring into the murky water. [This question arose because we sometimes insert a comma in the second case.] COLONS Use a colon before a list. * The company provides a number of benefits: four weeks of paid vacation, free dental insurance, financial counseling, on-site child care and personal valet services. Note that the parts of the series are set off by commas, not semicolons. Use semicolons if any of the items in the series also contain commas. Do not capitalize the first word in the series, unless it is a proper noun. Capitalize the first word of a complete sentence that follows a colon. * It has been said that a successful project goes through three stages: It won't work, it costs too much, and I always knew it was a good idea. ********** If you have questions about style or want to make a point about some error you frequently see in copy, please let me know. I will be happy to spread the word.