54 NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY period Periods go at the end of complete sentences only. Bullets do not get periods at the end if they are incomplete statements. Also, periods always go inside quotation marks. See also academic degrees. plurals numbers, single capital letters, and noun coinages: simply add an s. • YMCAs, the 1920s, CPAs, lasers, the ’90s, Ph.D.s , the three Rs single lowercase letters: add ’s. • x’s and y’s, p’s and q’s italic plurals: put the final s (or ’s) in roman type. • W hich one of the Star Treks was your favorite? See also apostrophe, curriculum, and memorandum. quotation marks If you want an ironic or quaint effect with a word or phrase, or if you’re making the first reference to an unfamiliar expression, you may set it off with quotation marks. • I was tickled to learn that Matt had “gored his ox.” Otherwise—except for direct quotations— use quotation marks sparingly. Periods and commas go inside quotation marks. Dashes, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points go inside only if they’re part of the quoted material; otherwise, put them outside. Alternate between double and single quotation marks when you have quotations within quotations. • Tamara said, “Ginger told me, ‘I realize that accusing Matt of “goring his ox” was going a bit too far.’” semicolon The semicolon can replace such conjunctions as and, but, or for to link independent clauses. • The package was due last week; it arrived today. Semicolons can add clarity to a series that contains internal commas. • He leaves a son, John Smith of Chicago; two daughters, Jane Smith of Wichita, Kansas, and Mary Smith of Denver, Colorado; and a sister, Rochelle Glick of Sweet Lips, Tennessee. (Note that the semicolon also appears before the and in such a series.) Even when a conjunction is present, use a semicolon before it if individual clauses contain internal commas. • They pulled their boats from the water, sandbagged the retaining walls, and boarded up the windows; but even with these precautions, the island was hardhit by the hurricane. serial or Oxford comma Use a comma before the and in a series of three or more items. Be sure the elements in a series have a parallel structure. • She applied to Florida State University, University of Florida, and Nova Southeastern University. • NOT She applied to Florida State University, University of Florida, and especially liked Nova Southeastern University. • OR She applied to Florida State University, UF, and NSU.
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