What the punctuation check catches
- Comma splices: two complete sentences joined only by a comma (“It was late, we went home”).
- Missing commas after introductory words such as However, Therefore, Finally and Unfortunately.
- “, however” used to join two sentences, which needs a semicolon: “…late; however, we…”.
- Spaces before commas, full stops and question marks, and missing spaces after them.
- Doubled commas, full stops and runs of exclamation marks.
- Missing end punctuation, missing commas after greetings (“Hi Sam,”), and “e.g.”/“i.e.” punctuation.
- Unmatched brackets and quotation marks.
Four comma rules that cover most cases
- Before a conjunction joining two complete sentences: “I called, but nobody answered.”
- After an introductory word, phrase or clause: “After lunch, we left.”
- Around extra information that could be removed: “My brother, who lives in Leeds, is visiting.”
- Between items in a list. The final “Oxford” comma before “and” is standard in US style guides such as Chicago and APA, optional in most UK styles.
How to fix a comma splice
Take “The shop was closed, we went home.” You have four options: a full stop (“The shop was closed. We went home.”), a semicolon (“The shop was closed; we went home.”), a conjunction (“The shop was closed, so we went home.”), or make one half dependent (“Because the shop was closed, we went home.”).