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The scatterometer is separated into a gimbal, a transmitter-receiver assembly, and rack-mounted
electronics.
The scatterometer is separated into three assemblies: a gimbal, a transmitter-receiver assembly, and
rack-mounted electronics.
The dash, when used carefully, is an emphatic mark-it can be used to emphasize interrupting elements,
nonrestrictive modifiers, and explanatory phrases and clauses (see section 3.6):
Auxiliary meteorological data used herein -- such as vorticity -- have been computed from NMC isobaric height
fields.
The one-sided spectrum -- engineers call it simply "spectrum" -- is the output of most spectral analyzers.
Other random processes have average properties that vary appreciably with time -- for example, the load demand
on an electric power generating system.
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Chapter 3. Punctuation
Chapter 3. Punctuation
3.1. A Functional Concept of Punctuation
Punctuation is placed in text to make meaning clear and to make reading easier. The various punctuation marks
perform four functions: they (1) separate (a period separates sentences), (2) group or enclose (parentheses
enclose extraneous information), (3) connect (a hyphen connects a unit modifier), and (4) impart meaning (a
question mark may make an otherwise declarative sentence interrogative). The function of a punctuation mark is
the basis for the rules governing its use and should be the basis for determining whether or not it is needed. The
modern tendency is to punctuate to prevent misreading (open style) rather than to use all punctuation that the
grammatical structure will allow (close style). Although the open style results in a more inviting product, it does
allow subjectivity, perhaps arbitrariness, in the use of some marks, for example, the comma and hyphen.
Consistency in the author's or editor's subjective decisions is vital to a well-punctuated report.
This chapter addresses the marks of punctuation, in alphabetical order, presenting their functions, situations when
the marks are required or incorrect, and situations when the marks are appropriate but optional. Because the
exclamation point is so rare in technical writing, it is not covered herein. Guidelines for its use parallel those for
the question mark (section 3.13).
3.2. Apostrophe
The functions of the apostrophe are to indicate possession; to form the plurals of abbreviations, characters, and
signs; and to indicate omitted characters in contractions.
The rules for forming the possessive case of nouns are presented in section possessive. An apostrophe is never
used to form the possessive of a personal pronoun.
" We prefer to follow the GPO and to use the 's to form the plural of symbols, abbreviations, acronyms,
designations, signs, numbers, and years:
x's 's C-130's
PMT's M.A.'s 4's
+'s 1970's 60's
Note: Chicago Manual of Style and WIT recommend that the apostrophe be used in such plural
constructions only when necessary to avoid confusion.
" An 's is used to form the plural of a word referred to as the word itself, but the apostrophe is not necessary
when the word retains its meaning:
There can be no ands, ifs, and buts. (meaning no conditions)
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Chapter 3. Punctuation
There can be no and's, if's, and but's. (meaning the words cannot appear)
" The apostrophe indicates letters left out of contractions, for example, it's (it is), Gov't, and nat'l. Since
contractions are rare in formal writing, such use of the apostrophe is also rare.
3.3. Brackets
The nonmathematical function of brackets is to enclose editorial insertions, corrections, and comments in quoted
material and in reference citations:
"These instruments [the radiometer and scatterometer] have been used successfully aboard
satellites as well as aircraft."
Boeing Commercial Airplane Co.: Integrated Application of Active Controls Technology. NASA
CR-000000, [1977].
Although some authorities (Chicago Press 1982; Skillin et al. 1974; and Ebbitt and Ebbitt 1982) recommend
brackets to enclose material within parentheses, particularly in legal and scholarly works, we have not found the
nonmathematical use of parentheses within parentheses to be misleading in Langley reports. Thus, we do not
recommend that brackets be used.
3.4. Colon
The function of the colon is to separate and introduce lists, clauses, and quotations, along with several
conventional uses. Authorities disagree on usage of the colon and capitalization after a colon. The following
guidelines generally correspond to Words Into Type (Skillin et al. 1974).
3.4.1. Colons That Introduce
A colon has the same separating force as a period. It thus brings a sentence almost to a halt (Bernstein 1981).
" Because of its strong separating function, an introductory colon should generally be used only after a complete
sentence. In particular, do not use a colon between a verb or preposition and its direct object:
Wrong The components of the rack-mounted electronics are: power
supplies, the gimbal controller, . . .
Correct The components of the rack-mounted electronics are power
supplies, the gimbal controller, . . .
Wrong The scatterometer is separated into: a gimbal, a transmitter-
receiver assembly, and rack-mounted electronics.
Correct The scatterometer is separated into a gimbal, a transmitter-
receiver assembly, and rack-mounted electronics.
Page 46
Chapter 3. Punctuation
Nor should a colon be used after such introductory phases as that is, for example, and such as (the colon
replaces them):
Wrong Microwave instruments are used for remote sensing of
environmental variables such as: sea ice, soil moisture, and
surface wind speed.
Either Microwave instruments are used for remote sensing of
environmental variables, such as sea ice, soil moisture, and
surface wind speed.
Or Microwave instruments are used for remote sensing of
environmental variables: sea ice, soil moisture, and surface
wind speed.
" When items of a list are numbered, the numbers do not affect the punctuation:
The quantities calculated from microwave instruments are (1) radiometer wind speed, (2)
radiometer rain rate, and (3) scatterometer wind vector.
Remember that the colon has strong separating force; do not use it where separation is not grammatically
desirable.
When using a colon incorrectly, an author probably wants to emphasize the material that follows. The editor
should consider a correction that preserves this emphasis, for example, itemization (see section 2.6) or correct use
of the colon.
Lists
A colon is an elegant way of introducing a list and at the same time emphasizing the elements of the list (by
separating them from the rest of the sentence). Such lists might consist of words, phrases (prepositional,
infinitive, or noun), or even clauses.
" Use a colon to introduce a list in apposition to a noun:
The scatterometer is separated into three assemblies: a gimbal, a transmitter-receiver assembly, and
rack-mounted electronics.
" Use a colon to introduce a list whose introductory statement contains the words as follows or the following:
The rack-mounted electronics consist of the following: power supplies, the gimbal controller, . . .
" Use a colon to introduce a list that amplifies an introductory sentence:
The purpose of this report is twofold: to evaluate the performance of the instruments and to
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