Punctuation and Format Help

by GlenH

Posted: 16 years ago 10 replies

COPY WRITING

Hi guys,

I've got a question about how you determine when the right times are to us to use dotted lines '......' dashes '-' commas ', ' in copy, and why.

As an example just take this:

************************
Every so often a legitimate and truly effective new trend comes along that sweeps thorough the internet marketing world and changes the way we ALL market.

IS THIS CORRECT?

Optin-forms - Squeeze Pages and free reports - pop-ups - pop-ins - slide-ins - exit popups and a whole lot more, were all new and exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

OR THIS....

Optin-forms, Squeeze Pages and free reports, pop-ups, pop-ins, slide-ins, exit popups and a whole lot more, were all new and exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

OR THIS....

Optin-forms....Squeeze Pages and free reports....pop-ups....pop-ins....slide-ins....exit popups, and a whole lot more, were all new and exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

**********************

I haven't been able to find any good written instruction on this.

I hope I was clear with that question

Thanks

Glen

#format #punctuation

PatriciaS 16 years ago

This would be my version:

Opt-in forms, squeeze pages with free reports, pop-ups, pop-ins, slide-ins, exit pop-ups, and a whole lot more were all new, exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

Dots -- called ellipses -- are used 3 at a time and technically are used to indicate a break in a quoted passage. If there's an end-of-sentence period in the missing text, then 4 dots are used. Some writers use them for more dramatic effect, to indicate a pause in the line of thinking or the speech, but that's not "technically" correct.

When using dashes, use two at a time as sort of an alternative to a parenthetical phrase, as in my example above. I tend to overuse them and should corral my punctuation better than that.
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- virginiad 16 years ago
  
  Hi,
  
  Every so often, a legitimate and truly effective new trend comes along that sweeps thorough the internet marketing world and changes the way we ALL market.
  
  Put a comma after "often". The rest of this one is fine IMO
  
  Virginia
  
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  Virginia Drew
  
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RickDuris

16 years ago

Originally Posted by GlenH

Hi guys,

I’ve got a question about how you determine when the right times are to us to use dotted lines ‘......’ dashes ‘-‘ commas ‘, ‘ in copy, and why.

As an example just take this:

************************
Every so often a legitimate and truly effective new trend comes along that sweeps thorough the internet marketing world and changes the way we ALL market.

IS THIS CORRECT?

Optin-forms - Squeeze Pages and free reports - pop-ups - pop-ins - slide-ins - exit popups and a whole lot more, were all new and exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

OR THIS....

Optin-forms, Squeeze Pages and free reports, pop-ups, pop-ins, slide-ins, exit popups and a whole lot more, were all new and exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

OR THIS....

Optin-forms....Squeeze Pages and free reports....pop-ups....pop-ins....slide-ins....exit popups, and a whole lot more, were all new and exciting tactics and strategies at one time.

**********************

I haven’t been able to find any good written instruction on this.

I hope I was clear with that question

Thanks

Glen

Hi Glen,

“Every so often, a truly legitimate, breakthrough marketing strategy comes along… slamming the Internet marketing world like a Level 5 hurricane…

FOREVER changing the way we ALL market.

Optin-forms… squeeze pages offering ultra-valuable, yet free reports… pop-ups, pop-ins, slide-ins, exit pop-ups… ALL AT ONE TIME, were once a new, exciting strategy or tactic.”

It’s hard to say what’s best, formatting-wise.

In such cases, when I write, I'm imagining I'm one of those baritone Hollywood announcers who do those mesmerizing trailers and previews we see before the movies starts.

- Rick Duris

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Bruce Wedding

16 years ago

Just a word of advice regarding punctuation. 95% of copywriters and web layout people don't seem to know how to FIND proper punctuation. An ellipse is NOT 3 periods, an emdash is different than a dash and inch marks are not quotation marks.

There are several ways to get the proper characters but I use the ALT key with the numeric keypad.

" = ALT - 0147 Open quotation
" = ALT - 0148 Closing quotation
... = ALT - 0133 Ellipses
-- = ALT - 0151 Em dash
- = ALT - 0150 En dash

En Dash vs. Em Dash: When and How to Use Them Properly and Look Like a Desktop Publishing Pro

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Mr. Subtle 16 years ago

Originally Posted by Bruce Wedding

There are several ways to get the proper characters but I use the ALT key with the numeric keypad.

I've BOLDED numeric keypad because if you're doing all your (copy)writing on a laptop that doesn't have a numeric keypad, you will not be able generate the characters Bruce is talking about.
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Nathan Alexander

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Bruce Wedding

Just a word of advice regarding punctuation. 95% of copywriters and web layout people don't seem to know how to FIND proper punctuation. An ellipse is NOT 3 periods, an emdash is different than a dash and inch marks are not quotation marks.

There are several ways to get the proper characters but I use the ALT key with the numeric keypad.

“ = ALT – 0147 Open quotation
” = ALT – 0148 Closing quotation
… = ALT – 0133 Ellipses
— = ALT – 0151 Em dash
– = ALT – 0150 En dash

En Dash vs. Em Dash: When and How to Use Them Properly and Look Like a Desktop Publishing Pro

Well that sucks. I've only been doing it wrong my whole life.

Oh well. It's better to learn late than to remain ignorant I suppose. And Subtle, any thoughts on an alternative method for laptop users?

Anyway, thanks for pointing this stuff out. I hope I skew the stats a bit from now on. (94.99999999%)

NOTE: OK. Never mind, I got it. Just use the Fn and ALT key with the numbers on the keyboard. (In case anyone else is slow like me.)

Thanks for the link Bruce and the clarification guys.

EDIT: And here's yet another helpful link illuminating my poor skills—but I'd rather be corrected than keep doing it wrong. (Did you see that? My Fn and ALT 0151 magic? I threw that sucker right in there. The Em dash lives.)

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx

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Nathan Alexander 16 years ago

"I'll be damned."

“There IS a difference.”

Please tell me others on this forum were doing it wrong too.
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- sethczerepak 16 years ago
  
  I have an entire section on punctuation in my book "The Cashflow Copywriter." It explains the impression created by each type of punctuation and has a ton of examples, see my signature. Peace.
  
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- Bruce Wedding 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Nathan Alexander
  
  "I'll be damned."
  
  "There IS a difference."
  
  Please tell me others on this forum were doing it wrong too.
  
  Nathan, the vast majority are doing it wrong. If you look at many sales letters where the headline is in quotes, as it should be most of the time, you'll see inch marks. Now many editors will convert the 3 periods to an ellipse for you but not all.
  
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