The punctuation that gets me unstuck

I am meant to know a fair bit about punctuation. Yet I admit to checking, and then re-checking, the rules on certain types of punctuation that I encounter time and again in writing and editing.

Some rules around punctuation and grammar are changing as we become more 'global' in our communication. Plus there are often preferences and styles defined by the business or government department doing the writing.

I once heard punctuation described as one of the qualities that helps to define an author's voice: the pace, flow and rhythm. I like this description. So don't be put off by the rules. Embrace punctuation to enhance your writing.

Here are some of my punctuation rules:

• Hyphenation. I see hyphenation being used less. But I still think hyphenation helps the reader. I use it for joining two words (compounds) or to make a prefix. I personally don't like seeing hyphens used as dashes. Instead, use an en-dash or em-dash.
• Possessive apostrophes on names ending in s. The general rule is to use Jones's or Cairns'. Another rule I follow is if the name is one syllable, then use James's; if the name is two or more syllables, then I use Nicholas'. Just be consistent.
• Semicolons. These little fellas aren't used much anymore. Generally, commas will do, and I tend to use semicolons very sparingly. But if you want to separate two parts of a sentence where a contrast is made, the semicolon is handy.