Good morning class Today

were going to study

punctuation marks I have
some assistants who will be
helping with todays lesson
so lets start Ready Set Go

Hey! Wait a minute! I

forgot to put punctuation
marks to what I just
wrote. Well, we can
correct that when we
finish the lesson.
Ok. Let’s begin our
lesson. While you
watch the presentation
take notes. You’ll be
quizzed at the end.
Punctuation

In the English language

 Outline
• History of punctuation

• Types of punctuation marks

(ancient & modern)

• How to use them

 What is punctuation?
• The system of symbols that we use to
separate written sentences and parts of
sentences to make their meaning clear.

• Each symbol is called a punctuation mark

A brief history
of
punctuation
• The beginnings of punctuation lie in classica
rhetoric--the art of oratory. Back in ancient
Greece and Rome, when a speech was
prepared in writing, marks were used to
indicate where--and for how long--a speake
should pause.
• Until the introduction of printing in the late 15th
century, punctuation in English was decidedly
unsystematic and at times virtually absent.
Many of Chaucer's manuscripts, for instance,
were punctuated with nothing more than
periods at the end of verse lines, without regard
for syntax or sense.
• One of the first to codify the rules of
punctuation in English was the playwright
Ben Jonson--or rather, Ben:Jonson, who
included the colon (he called it the "pause" or
"two pricks") in his signature.

• In the final chapter of The English

Grammar (1640), Jonson briefly discusses
the primary functions of the comma,
parenthesis, period, colon, question
mark (the "interrogation"), and exclamation
point (the "admiration").
 Modern
punctuation
 Main types of modern
punctuation marks
1. End Punctuation: Periods, Question
Marks, and Exclamation Points

2. Middle punctuation: commas, dashes,

parentheses, colons, semicolons

3. Other punctuation: hyphens,

apostrophes, quotation marks
»Let’s
examine
these one
by one ☺
 A Period
A period is used to end a
sentence. It is also used
after initials, after
abbreviations, and as a
decimal point.
 To End a Sentence
Example:
Computers are getting
smaller.
 After an Initial
Example:
J. K. Rowling
 After Abbreviation
Example:
Mr.
Mrs.
Dr.
 As a Decimal
Example:
Roberto is 99.9 percent
sure that it costs $2.50 to
get into the movies today.
 Question Mark
A question mark is used
after a direct question (an
interrogative sentence) and
to show doubt about the
correctness of something.
 Direct Question
Example:
Did you go to the movies last
night?
 Correctness
Example:
You’ll see virtual reality TV
shows by the year 2006 *(?)

•A question mark is placed in parentheses to show that

the writer isn’t sure a fact is correct.
 Exclamation Point
An exclamation point is
used to express strong
feeling. It may be placed
after a word, a phrase, or a
sentence.
 Exclamation Point
Example:
Happy birthday!
Excellent!
Wow! That’s great!
That new program is awesome!
 Apostrophe
An apostrophe is used to form plurals,
to show that a letter or letters have
been left out of a word,
or to show possession.
 To Form Plurals
Example:
A’s (letter)
8’s (number)
+’s (sign)
 In Contractions
Contraction Short For
don’t do not
it’s it is; it has
they’ll they will
they’re they are
In Singular Possessive
Example:
My sister’s hobby is jazz dancing.
 Commas
• The most popular mark of punctuation,
the comma(,) is also the least
law-abiding.
• In Greek, the comma was a "piece cut
off" from a line of verse--what in English
today we'd call a phrase or a clause.
• Since the 16th century, comma has
referred to the mark that sets off words,
phrases, and clauses.
 Comma
Commas are used to keep words and
ideas from running together, making
your writing easier to
read. Commas tell the
reader where to pause.
 Items in a Series
Example:
I know someone who likes pepperoni,
pineapple, and olives on her pizza.
(words)
 Items in a Series (phrases)
Example:
In summer I like to go skateboarding,
ride my bike, and play basketball.
(phrases)
 In Dates and Addresses
Example:
We are having our next reunion
on July 4, 2006, at The Ritz
Carlton.
 In Dates and Addresses
Example:
His new address is 3344 South
First Street , San Juan, PR 00923.
 Using the comma
1. Use a comma before a coordinator (and, but, yet,
or, nor, for, so) that links two main clauses:
"The optimist thinks that this is the best of all possible
worlds, and the pessimist knows it.“

2. Use a Comma to Separate Items in a Series

"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have
three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech,
freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to
practice either of them.“
3. Use a comma to set off a dependent word
group at the beginning of a sentence.
Because he wore tight boots, the stranger had
blisters.
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot
and hang on.

4. Use a pair of commas to set off words,

phrases, or clauses that interrupt a
sentence:
"Literature is all, or mostly, about life."
 How NOT to use the comma
Do not use a comma to separate the subject from its
predicate:
[WRONG] Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will
save you thirty percent of the membership cost.

Do not misuse a comma after a co-ordinating

conjunction:
[WRONG] Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof but, the family was used to the
noise and paid it no attention.

Do not use a comma before the first item or after

the last item of a series:

[WRONG] You should practice your punches, kicks and foot sweeps, if you
want to improve in the martial arts.
 Parentheses
Parentheses are used around
words included in a sentence to add
information.
 To Add Information
Example:
The map (figure 2) will help
you understand the
explorer’s route.
 Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are used to enclose
the exact words of the speaker and to
show that words are used in a special
way.
 Direct Quotations
Example:
“Rosa Parks is a true American hero,”
the teacher reminded her students.
 Special Words
Example:
My family likes to go to Piñones to eat
“alcapurrias” and “bacalaitos”.
 Colon
Means “as follows”
A colon is used in a sentence to
introduce a long list or draw attention
to information that follows. Colons are
also used between the numbers in
time.
 To Introduce a List
Example:
Motorcycles are used for the following
reasons : transportation, recreation,
and racing events.
 After a Salutation
Example:
Dear Ms. Pérez :
 Between Numbers in Time
Example:
The race begins at 1 : 30 p.m.
• an explanation, an example, or a series.
Example
"I have never made but one prayer to God, a
very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies
ridiculous.' And God granted it.“
"It is by the goodness of God that in our
country we have those three unspeakably
precious things: freedom of speech,
freedom of conscience, and the prudence
never to practice either of them."
 Semicolon
• A mark of punctuation ( ; ) used to
connect independent clauses and show a
closer relationship than a period does.
Using the semicolon, examples
• "Happiness isn't something you
experience; it's something you remember.“

• "Volleyball games resume on the sand flat;

someone fires up the sauna; in the long
dusk, at eleven o'clock, half a dozen
beach fires people the shore.“

• "Management is doing things right;

leadership is doing the right things.“
 Dash
• A mark of punctuation (—), technically
known as an em dash, used to set off a
word or phrase after an independent
clause or to set off words, phrases, or
clauses that interrupt a sentence.
• (!)Don't confuse the dash (—) with
the hyphen (-).
• "A dash is a mark of separation stronger
than a comma, less formal than a colon,
and more relaxed than parentheses."
 Using the dash, examples
"My cow turned out to be a very large one.
The first time I led her out I felt the way I
did the first time I ever took a girl to the
theater—embarrassed but elated.“

"A hypocrite is a person who—but who isn't

 Hyphen
A short horizontal mark of punctuation ( - )
used between the parts of
a compound word or name or between
the syllables of a word when divided at the
end of a line.

(!)Don't confuse the hyphen (-) with

the dash (—).
 Using the hyphen, examples
• "The hyphen is the
most un-American thing in the world."
• "New truth is always a go-between,
a smoother-over of transitions."
• "I'm part of the blame-America-last crowd."
Well, I hope you
learned how to
use punctuation
marks and their
names. But before
we finish here,
let’s see if you can
correct what I
wrote on the
board at the
beginning.
Good morning class Today
were going to study
punctuation marks I have
some assistants who will be
helping with todays lesson
so lets start Ready Set Go

Are you ready to correct?

Begin!
Good morning class!
Today we’re going to
study punctuation
marks. I have some
assistants who will
be helping with
today’s lesson. So
let’s start.
These areReady!
the corrections
you should have made.
Set! Go!
 Conclusion ☺
• Remember:Punctuation is being governed
two-thirds by rule and one-third by
personal taste :)

A woman, without her man, is nothing.

Vs
A woman : without her, man is nothing.
Well, students. Hope you
learned your lesson and if
you have any trouble with
punctuation marks you
can always visit the library
and log on to the Internet.
You’ll find lots of sites
explaining the use of each
punctuation. See you
soon! Bye!