Punctuation

Colon (:)

Lowercase the first word after a colon unless it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence: "Prerequisite: graduate standing."

Comma (,)

Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The items on the dean's agenda included sabbaticals, collective bargaining and parking.

Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: "Among those attending the conference were the deans of arts and humanities, social sciences, and education and human development."

Use a comma to separate a name and an academic degree: "Jane Doe, Ph.D."

Do not use a comma to separate a name from Jr. or Sr.: "John Doe Jr."

Dash (–)

Put a space on both sides of a dash in all uses except the start of a paragraph. Do not combine a dash and a colon.

Quotation marks (“ ”)

Enclose commas and periods within the quotation marks:
"This parking lot is crowded," he said. "I should have stayed at home."

Colons and semicolons are never enclosed within quotation marks unless they are part of the quotation:

"He had not read Professor Jones' monograph, 'Ozone Contamination'; in fact, he had never heard of it. He retitled his monograph, 'Ozone Contamination: Earth's Open Window."

The dash, question mark and exclamation mark are enclosed within quotation marks only when they apply to the quoted material: "Shall we all go together?" he asked. Did he say, "We should all go together"?