PUNCTUATIONS

Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences. You use punctuation marks to
structure and organize your writing.

You can quickly see why punctuation is important if you try and read this text which has no punctuation
at all:

perhaps you do not always need to use commas, periods, or colons to make sentences clear when i am in
a hurry tired cold lazy or angry i sometimes leave out punctuation marks grammar is stupid i can write
without it and dont need it my uncle Harry once said he was not very clever and i never understood a
word he wrote to me i think ill learn some punctuation not too much enough to write to Uncle Harry he
needs some help

Now let's see if punctuating it makes a difference!

Perhaps you don't always need to use commas, periods, colons etc. to make sentences clear. When I am
in a hurry, tired, cold, lazy, or angry I sometimes leave out punctuation marks. "Grammar is stupid! I can
write without it and don't need it," my uncle Harry once said. He was not very clever, and I never
understood a word he wrote to me. I think I'll learn some punctuation - not too much, enough to write to
Uncle Harry. He needs some help!

There are several punctuation rules that you need to follow in order to make a good and
understandable sentence. Here are the rules:

A. THE PERIOD, FULL STOP OR POINT

The period (known as a full stop in British English) is probably the simplest of the punctuation marks to
use. You use it like a knife to cut the sentences to the required length. Generally, you can break up the
sentences using the full stop at the end of a logical and complete thought that looks and sounds right to
you.

1. MARK THE END OF A SENTENCE WHICH IS NOT A QUESTION OR AN EXCLAMATION

EXAMPLES:
• Rome is the capital of Italy.
• I was born in Australia and now live in Indonesia.
• The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.

2. INDICATE AN ABBREVIATION
Many abbreviations require a period. Dr, Mr, Mrs, and Ms do not take a period in British English, nor do
most abbreviations taken from the first capital letters such as MA, PhD, or CIA. In American English,
some of these do require periods or both usages are correct (with and without periods). If you require
100% accuracy in your punctuation, refer to a detailed style guide for the abbreviation usage rules in the
variety of English you are using.
EXAMPLES
• I will arrive between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.
• We are coming on Fri., Jan. 4.

3. ELLIPSIS
Often you will see a sentence concluding with three dots. This indicates that only part of the sentence or
text has been quoted or that it is being left up to the reader to complete the thought.

EXAMPLES
• The Lord's Prayer begins, "Our Father which art in Heaven...'"
• He is always late, but you know how I feel about that...

4. PERIOD AFTER A SINGLE WORD

Sometimes a single word can form the sentence. In this case you place a full stop after the word as you
would in any other sentence. This is often the case when the subject is understood as in a greeting or a
command.

EXAMPLES
• "Goodbye."
• "Stop."

5. PERIODS IN NUMBERS
Numbers use periods in English to separate the whole number from the decimal. A period used in a
number is also called a "decimal point" and it is read "point" unless it refers to money.

EXAMPLES
• $10.43 = ten dollars and 43 cents
• 14.17 = fourteen point one seven

B. THE COMMA

There are some general rules which you can apply when using the comma. However, you will find that in
English there are many other ways to use the comma to add to the meaning of a sentence or to
emphasize an item, point, or meaning.

Although we are often taught that commas are used to help us add 'breathing spaces' to sentences they
are, in fact, more accurately used to organize blocks of thought or logical groupings. Most people use
commas to ensure that meaning is clear and, despite grammatical rules, will drop a comma if their
meaning is retained without it.

1. SEPARATE PHRASES, WORDS, OR CLAUSES IN LISTS

When making a list, commas are the most common way to separate one list item from the next. The
final two items in the list are usually separated by "and" or "or", which should be preceded by a comma.
Amongst editors this final comma in a list is known as the "Oxford Comma".
 2. A SERIES OF INDEPENDENT CLAUSES (SENTENCES)

EXAMPLES
• I met Harry, we went for a swim together, and afterwards Harry went home.
• I like your son, I might even love him, but he is not a very good soccer player.

3. A SERIES OF NOUNS

EXAMPLES
• For dinner I had soup, fish, chicken, dessert, and coffee.
• This afternoon I went to Oxford Circus, Piccadilly, Hampstead, and Gatwick Airport.

4. A SERIES OF ADJECTIVES
A list of adjectives usually requires commas. However, if an adjective is modifying another adjective you
do not separate them with a comma (sentence 3).

EXAMPLES
• She was young, beautiful, kind, and intelligent.
• The house we visited was dark, dreary, and run-down.
• She was wearing a bright red shirt.

5. A SERIES OF VERBS
EXAMPLES
• Tony ran towards me, fell, yelled, and fainted.
• The boy leapt, spun, twisted, and dove into the water.

6. A SERIES OF PHRASES

EXAMPLES
• The car smashed into the wall, flipped onto its roof, slid along the road, and finally stopped
against a tree.
• The dog leapt into the air, snatched the Frisbee in its mouth, landed, and ran off into the forest.

7. TAG QUESTIONS

EXAMPLES
• She lives in Paris, doesn't she?
• We haven't met, have we?

8. INTERJECTIONS

EXAMPLES
• Yes, I will stay a little longer, thank you.
• No, he isn't like other boys.
• Wait, I didn't mean to scare you.
C. THE EXCLAMATION MARK
The exclamation mark is used to express exasperation, astonishment, or surprise, or to emphasize a
comment or short, sharp phrase. In professional or everyday writing, exclamation marks are used
sparingly if at all.

EXAMPLES
• Help! Help!
• That's unbelievable!
• Get out!
• Look out!

You can also use exclamation marks to mark a phrase as humorous, ironic or sarcastic.

EXAMPLES
• What a lovely day! (when it obviously is not a lovely day)
• That was clever! (when someone has done something stupid)

In very informal writing styles (SMS, chat, Twitter or Facebook, etc.), an exclamation mark is sometimes
combined with a question mark to indicate both surprise and slight uncertainty. Double and triple
exclamation marks are common in very informal writing styles, but are a sign of being uneducated in
less casual correspondence.

D. THE QUESTION MARK

Use the question mark at the end of all direct questions.

EXAMPLES
• What is your name?
• Do you speak Italian?
• You're Spanish, aren't you?

Do not use a question mark for reported questions

EXAMPLES
• He asked me what my name was.
• She asked if I was Spanish.
• Ask them where they are going.

Long questions still need question marks

EXAMPLES
• Isn't it true that global warming is responsible for more and more problems which are having a
disastrous effect on the world's climate and leading to many millions of people in countries that
can least afford it having to contend with more and more hardship?
• Why is it that even though you are unkind to me, ignore me when I ask you for help, and
consistently forget to thank me when I do favors for you, you still claim to want me to be your
friend and appear surprised when I prefer to hang out with other people?
Question marks can sometimes appear within sentences

EXAMPLES
• There is cause for concern (isn't there?) that the current world economic balance is so fragile
that it may lead to a global economic downturn.
• "Why is she here?" asked Henry.

E. THE COLON
The colon expands on the sentence that precedes it, often introducing a list that demonstrates or
elaborates whatever was previously stated.

EXAMPLES
• There are many reasons for poor written communication: lack of planning, poor grammar,
misuse of punctuation marks, and insufficient vocabulary.
• He collected a strange assortment of items: bird's eggs, stamps, bottle tops, string, and buttons.
• Peter had an eclectic taste in music: R&B,alternative, jazz, pop, and classical.
• He had just one fault: an enormous ego.

The colon is also used to divide the hour from the minutes in writing a time in English.

EXAMPLES
• 4:15 = "four fifteen"
• 6:45 = "six forty-five"

F. THE SEMICOLON
The semicolon is somewhere between a full stop and a comma. Semicolons can be used in English to
join phrases and sentences that are thematically linked without having to use a conjunction (example 1
below). Semicolons can also be used instead of commas to separate the items in a list when the items
themselves already contain commas (example 2 below).

EXAMPLES
• I like your brother; he's a good friend.
• Many great leaders, Churchill, leader of Britain during the Second World War; Alexander, the
great Emperor and general; and Napoleon, the brilliant French general, had strong characters,
which were useful when their countries were at war but which did not serve them well in times
of peace.