Other punctuation

How to use the @ symbol, accents, ampersand, ellipsis, exclamation mark, per cent and spaces.

@ symbol

The ‘@’ symbol should only be used in an email address or social media address. Do not use it to represent the word ‘at’.

Accents

Use only in names or non-English text, not in words like cafe.

Ampersand (&)

Use in breadcrumb trails and navigation panels. Never use in paragraph text.

Use as necessary in headings – ‘and’ is preferred – but make sure you are consistent.

Ellipsis

Use three full stops. Put a space before and after an ellipsis.

Example

He said: “To learn I was accepted ... I was over the moon really.”

An ellipsis can be used to indicate a pause in speech or an unfinished thought.

Use an ellipsis in square brackets within a quote to indicate where speech has been omitted.

Exclamation mark

Avoid using exclamation marks.

Exclamation marks in a title (such as a title of a book or academic paper) can be included.

Per cent %

Not ‘percent’. Combining the symbol % with a numeral is better.

Examples

64%

Sixty-four per cent

Question marks

A question or request should end in a question mark. There should be no space between the last letter of the sentence and question mark.

Write:

Where do I get an application form?

Do not write:

Where do I get an application form

Spaces

Double spaces should not be used at the end of a sentence.

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