P
Parents
When denoting a parent of a student, use P and the student’s class year, and set it off in commas.
- Chia Fu, P ’24, was a guest speaker in this morning’s Sports Communication class.
Percentages
Refer to numbers.
Periods
Refer to punctuation.
Ploughshares
One of the country’s most prestigious literary journals and publishers, Ploughshares has been based at Emerson College since 1989. Published in April, August, and December, the literary journal features poetry, fiction, essays, and memoirs. Each issue is guest-edited by a prominent writer. It also publishes a blog. Its website is pshares.org.
Possessives
The general rule of making a possessive is to add an ’s to singular nouns, and add an apostrophe after the s in plural nouns.
- The student’s research paper was interesting.
- The students’ research papers were interesting.
This rule includes proper nouns.
- Dickens’s novels; Munro’s novels
- the Williamses’ new swimming pool
However, if a singular word or name ends in an eez sound, or ends in a silent s, no additional s is needed.
- The Ganges’ water quality has improved over the past few years.
- Frannie loves all of Albert Camus’ novels.
Post- Prefix
Words using this prefix are usually closed, with no hyphen. Refer to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for preferred usage.
- postbaccalaureate
- postmodern
Pre- Prefix
Words using this prefix are usually closed, with no hyphen. Refer to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for preferred usage.
- preempt
- preregistration
Pro- Prefix
Many words using this prefix that denote support for something are hyphenated. Refer to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for preferred usage.
- pro-democracy
- pro-family
ProArts Consortium
ProArts is an association of several neighboring Boston institutions of higher learning dedicated to the visual and performing arts: Emerson, Berklee College of Music, Boston Architectural College, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, New England Conservatory, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Its website is proarts.org.
Public Garden
Not Gardens.
Publications
- The Berkeley Beacon (student newspaper), berkeleybeacon.com
- Expression (magazine for alumni and friends), expression.emerson.edu
- Ploughshares (literary journal), pshares.org
Find a full list of student publications at emconnect.emerson.edu.
online and email newsletters
The Common Thread (for faculty and staff)
Emerson Today, today.emerson.edu
For the Record (published by the Registrar; has both student and faculty/staff editions)
Provost Notes (for faculty and Academic Affairs staff)
Punctuation
Note: There should only be one character space after a period, exclamation point, or question mark—not two.
- Bond. James Bond.
apostrophes
The apostrophe is used to indicate a possessive or to stand in for missing letters or numerals.
- Charlie’s phone is ringing.
- Sabrina is a member of the Class of ’82.
Note: In a class year or an abbreviated year, the apostrophe should be a single right quotation mark (opening to the right), but the default opens to the left. To create a single right quotation mark, insert two apostrophes and then delete the first one.
colons
Colons are often used to introduce a list.
- A complete application for the conference includes:
1. Abstract of research
2. Outline of lecture
3. Application form
If a colon introduces a quotation, formal statement, or more than one sentence, capitalize the first letter.
- The comedian looked out into the crowd: “Mom, are you here?”
If a colon introduces an incomplete sentence or a complete sentence closely related to the first clause, don’t capitalize the first letter.
- The professor congratulated the students: they won first place in the competition.
commas
Use a comma after each item in a series.
- The office serves faculty, staff, and students.
In names with a Jr. or Sr., do not insert a comma before Jr. Do not use a comma before II or III either.
- Michael Stagney Jr. is the director of the department.
- Jules Allston III is the new team captain.
When including a person’s academic degree, use a comma before and after the degree.
- William Mason, PhD, made the special announcement.
In place names, set off each word with a comma.
- Boston, Massachusetts, is 16 miles from Salem, Massachusetts.
Add a comma after connectors such as for example, however, and therefore.
- However, graduate students may attend this lecture.
Add a comma after i.e. and e.g.
- Devyn does his best writing in the most quiet place on campus, i.e., the fourth–floor study lounge.
- Hua gets the most work done at small coffee shops, e.g., Espresso Royale on Newbury Street.
Refer also to Latin abbreviations.
hyphens and dashes
Use hyphens in temporary compounds to show that two or more words are forming one idea.
- The College-wide celebration starts tomorrow.
Compounds that include proper nouns or -ly adverbs are not hyphenated.
- Professor Banks has conducted research in a number of Middle Eastern countries.
- Hilary Manso is an internationally known expert in her field.
Hyphenate modifiers when they come before nouns. Leave them open when they follow nouns.
- Mary has a well-used copy of Wuthering Heights.
- Mary’s copy of Wuthering Heights is well used.
When the second part of a hyphenated expression is omitted, keep the hyphen.
- The Milwaukee- and Madison-bound passengers were delayed for six hours.
Do not hyphenate compound nationalities.
- Bai identifies as Asian American.
- Pete’s interests include African American literature and world music.
The en dash is used when referring to ranges of numbers, dates, years, and times.
- The open house program is June 3–6.
- Professor Levine’s office hours are 3:30–4:30 pm today.
Using the phrase “from...to” with an en dash is redundant. The en dash implies this phrase.
- The library is open 9:00 am–6:00 pm.
Not
- The library is open from 9:00 am–6:00 pm.
If one element in a compound adjective is two or more words, use an en dash instead of a hyphen.
- The Andy Warhol–style paintings sold first.
To create an en dash on a Mac, press option and hyphen keys.
The em dash signifies a break in thought in a sentence. It is stronger than using commas.
- He started his first semester—for the second time—because he had fallen ill.
To create an em dash on a Mac, press option, shift, and hyphen keys.
Note: En and em dashes should be closed; do not put character spaces between letters and dashes.
Periods
Use a period after a numeral in a vertical list, not parens.
1. Contact your advisor.
2. Fill out the appropriate form.
3. Submit the form. When a word that takes a period at the end finishes a sentence, it is not necessary to add another period.
- Wednesday was Stefanie’s first day with McBride and Co.
When a URL or email address ends a sentence, insert a period.
- For more information, contact nancy_howell [at] emerson.edu.
Punctuation placement and quotation marks
Insert periods and commas inside quotation marks.
- Rhoda’s favorite song is “Moon River.”
Insert colons and semicolons outside of quotation marks.
- Her nickname was “Mole”; he gave himself the simple nickname “Informer.”
Insert question marks, dashes, and exclamation points inside quotation marks if they are part of the quotation. If not part of the quotation, insert them outside.
- “Let’s go!” Philip whined.
- What did Tatiana mean by saying “I would watch your back”?
Semicolons
Use a semicolon between two sentences that are closely related.
- Ilya submitted an op-ed to the newspaper; he believed the reporter’s account was biased.
Use a semicolon to separate items in a list if any of the list items contain a comma.
- Ernesto had clients in Leeds, England; Rabat, Morocco; and Dresden, Germany.