Q. Why do people feel the need to add punctuation to their organization names? I am editing a blog post about a local coalition that has named itself with a word (let’s say it’s “Believe”) followed by an exclamation point. To refer to the coalition by name, the only option seems to be leaving off the exclamation point, correct? Otherwise, it makes for an excessively clumsy sentence that makes no sense at first: “Believe! thinks this legislation is a great idea.”
A. People add punctuation to names when they want to be creative but are bad at it. Readers are actually getting used to this device, however, so it probably won’t cause a problem. Keep the punctuation while making sure that the context provides help to the reader. For instance, avoid putting the organization’s name at the end of a sentence like “The attorneys filing the lawsuit doubt that the contract was broken; although they have never visited the organization, tomorrow they are going to Believe!”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Good day! I want to inquire about your rule in chapter 6 about “smart” apostrophes at the beginning of a word. How come the apostrophe is the same character as the right single quotation mark? What is the implication of an incorrect (character for) apostrophe? Thank you very much.
A. Good day to you! The implication of the incorrect apostrophe symbol is that somebody goofed. The implication of the correct symbol at the beginning of a word is that one or more letters have been omitted: ’tis. An apostrophe is identical in appearance to a right single quotation mark (Unicode U+2019). Please refer to the Unicode.org Code Chart for General Punctuation, which tells us that U+2019 is “the preferred character to use for apostrophe.” A common error in typing an apostrophe is to type a left single quotation mark (or not to notice when Microsoft Word does it for you!).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’m editing a writing sample and am trying to explain (in writing) one of the rules for using periods within parentheses: “Add a period after sword and make your parenthetical element a stand-alone sentence enclosed in parentheses, like this: ‘(Romans 13 clearly delegates that job to government.).’” Do you see the issue? The two periods are driving me crazy, but because the one within parentheses is necessary to illustrate the grammar rule, I can’t drop it. Nixing the period following the closing parenthesis also feels wrong. Please help me!
A. The problem is that this material isn’t suited to a run-in sentence or paragraph. The example needs its own line:
Add a period after sword and make your parenthetical element a stand-alone sentence enclosed in parentheses, like this:
(Romans 13 clearly delegates that job to government.)
If the material must be formatted the way you have shown, you’re doomed to tolerate those two periods.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am unable to locate, by any means, where the CMS says that note superscripts follow all punctuation except dashes; I had to Google to find an answer. Why should it be so hard to search? I tried searching semicolon, footnote, etc., and no subhead suggested a likely answer.
A. Try our new search engine, introduced along with the 17th edition. Typing “note number punctuation” will return paragraph 14.26 (on the placement of note numbers) as the first hit. You can also try the chapter 14 table of contents, where you’ll see the same paragraph.
The index is another way to find a topic. For instance, under “note numbers” you’ll find “placement of, 14.26, 14.27.” I hope you find our new search engine to be an improvement—and that you’ll keep all three search methods in mind as you navigate CMOS in the future.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. When an apostrophe begins a line of dialogue, for a word like ’cause or some other contraction, should there be a space between the opening quotation mark and the apostrophe? I believe that the Manual suggests a space between a single quotation mark and closing quotes, and I wondered if a similar rule applied.
A. Yes, a similar rule would apply. But note that a thin space (or sometimes a hair space) is typically used in typeset material between contiguous quotation marks (or a quotation mark and an apostrophe). For material to be published online, a nonbreaking space is preferable. See CMOS 6.119–21. In a manuscript intended for publication, either use no space or a nonbreaking space, but do so consistently.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is it ever correct to put punctuation marks both before and after a final parenthesis? Should the following sentence have a period at the end? Write an essay in response to one of the questions posed by the narrator (e.g., “When is it right to pretend to believe a lie?”)
A. Yes, a period should follow the end parenthesis. A parenthesis that falls within a sentence is a disposable interruption; you mustn’t leave the sentence hanging with no end punctuation. On the other hand, if the parenthesis follows the end of a sentence and stands on its own, then its own internal punctuation is enough. (Need an example?) (Here’s another one.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is it correct to have the exclamation point or question mark immediately after the period in each of the following sentences? He said he’d be there at 5:30 a.m.! Is your name John Smith Jr.? I know that since at least 1993 CMOS has encouraged writers to avoid unnecessary commas (Is your name John Smith, Jr.? She works for Time, Inc.). However, there has not been a similar assault on periods. I am not complaining, but I wonder about the above sentences involving a period and punctuation immediately afterward.
A. It’s useful to distinguish punctuation that’s part of a word from punctuation that ends a sentence. A period that is part of a word (such as an abbreviation) cannot be replaced by any other punctuation besides a sentence-ending period. So yes, retain the question mark and exclamation mark, as you would a colon, semicolon, or comma.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I have a question about serial commas before ampersands when it concerns dates. Which one of the below is correct? And does the fact that the ampersand connects dates have anything to do with the rule?
Friday evening, April 26, & Saturday, April 27, 2013 or
Friday evening, April 26 & Saturday, April 27, 2013
A. In Chicago style, a comma is not used before an ampersand in dates or other text. The problem is that & creates a strong visual connection between the items on either side of it (April 26 & Saturday), which is heightened in your case by the pair of commas, even though April 26 and Saturday don’t belong together. “Friday evening April 26 and Saturday April 27, 2013” is a clearer way to write this. A style that allows for ampersands is “Friday evening & Saturday, April 26 & 27, 2013.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. How do I punctuate around internal ands? E.g., “We invited John Smith, Bob Jones and his daughter Jill, William, Doris, and Mable Johnston, Pat and Tim Roberts and their new baby, Jack and Elaine Miller’s mother, Judy Finch, and Tod and Deirdre Cook.” Admittedly, it is never quite this bad.
A. Use semicolons to indicate that some of the names are grouped: We invited John Smith; Bob Jones and his daughter Jill; William, Doris, and Mable Johnston; Pat and Tim Roberts and their new baby; Jack and Elaine Miller’s mother, Judy Finch; and Tod and Deirdre Cook.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In a chapter title in a book, should I drop the apostrophe? ’Till Death Do Us Part, or Till Death Do Us Part?
A. Dropping an apostrophe from a word is not optional; it’s part of the word. Perhaps you are confused about the word till, which does not have an apostrophe; it’s a complete word. You might be thinking of ’til, which is a shortening of until.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]