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.
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.)
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Q. I am editing the program for our upcoming conference. We’re using commas to separate name, degree, job title, professional affiliation. This is fairly simple when there is one speaker with one affiliation (Presented by Donald Duck, Vice President, Duck Enterprises). However, it’s less straightforward when I’ve got multiple speakers with multiple affiliations and degrees: Donald Duck, Vice President, Duck Enterprises; Minnie Mouse, Chief Financial Officer, Mouse, Inc.; Jiminy Cricket, PhD, President, WishUponAStar, LLC and Professor, Dream Big University; and Elmer Fudd, President, PuddyTatt & Sons. What is the appropriate way to address this?
A. You could use parentheses: Donald Duck (Vice President, Duck Enterprises), Minnie Mouse (Chief Financial Officer, Mouse, Inc.), Jiminy Cricket, PhD (President, WishUponAStar, LLC; Professor, Dream Big University), and Elmer Fudd (President, PuddyTatt & Sons). Or you could make a vertical list:
Donald Duck, Vice President, Duck Enterprises
Minnie Mouse, Chief Financial Officer, Mouse, Inc.
Jiminy Cricket, PhD, President, WishUponAStar, LLC; Professor, Dream Big University
Elmer Fudd, President, PuddyTatt & Sons
Q. In the sentence “The times, they are a changin’” does the period come before or after the apostrophe? Logic would dictate after, but it does not look right aesthetically.
A. Logic wins in this case: the apostrophe is part of the word, not punctuation for the sentence, and therefore it must cleave to the word, ugly or not: changin’.
Q. Apparently from now on the ellipsis has been banned. Which punctuation marks can take its place?
A. Hmm. Is this a state or local ordinance? (Surely not federal—Congress would never cooperate on that.)
Unless we missed a major memo, I’m confident that you can carry on eliding.
Q. Are periods always used with the initials of a person’s name? This is for use not with running text,
but rather on a memorial on a university campus. And the donor sees no value in the use of periods.
A. The donor is usually right. Chicago style does require periods after name initials, but display type is not bound by such
rules.