Punctuation

Aurangzaib
 punctuation

Punctuation (derived from the Latin punctum, a point)

means the right use of putting in Points or Stops in
writing.

Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the

structure and organization of written language, as
well as intonation and pauses to be observed when
reading aloud.
Correct punctuation can save a
person’s life

 THE POWER OF PUNCTUATION
“A woman without her man is nothing”

“A woman without her man, is nothing.”

 THE POWER OF punctuation
“A woman without her man is nothing”

“A woman: without her, man is nothing.”

Punctuation marks/stops

Other marks in
common use are
the Dash -
Parentheses ( );
ellipses ……
Full stop/ period
 FULL STOP

The full stop represents the greatest pause and

separation. It is used to mark the end of a
declarative or an imperative sentence;

Example:
I know that you would never break my trust intentionally.
Comma
 Comma
The Comma represents the shortest pause, and is
used :-
1. To separate a series of words in the same
construction; as,
England, France and Italy formed an alliance.
2. To separate each pair of words connected by and; as,
High and low, rich and poor, wise and foolish, must all
die.
3. To mark off a Noun or Phrase in Apposition ; as,
Milton, the great English poet, was blind
 Comma
3. To mark off a Noun or Phrase in Apposition ; as,
Milton, the great English poet, was blind
4. To mark off words used in addressing people
How are you, Mohan?

5. Before and after a Participial phrase, provided that the

phrase might be expanded into a sentence, and is not used
in a merely qualifying sense; as,
Caesar, having conquered his enemies, returned to Rome.
 Comma
6. Before and after words, phrases, or clauses, let into the
body of a sentence; as,
He did not, however, gain his object.
His story was, in several ways, improbable.
The essay-writers, whose works consisted in a great
measure of short moral dissertations, set the literary taste
of the age.
 Comma
7. To indicate the omission of a word, especially a verb;
as,
Rama received a fountain pen; Hari, a watch.
He was a Brahmin; she, a Rajput.
8. To separate short co-ordinate clauses of a Compound
sentence; as,
The rains descended, and the floods came.
I came, I saw, I conquered.
 Comma
9. To mark off a direct quotation from the rest of the
sentence; as,
"Exactly so," said Alice.
He said to his disciples, "Watch and pray."
10. To separate from the verb a long Subject opening a
sentence; as,
The injustice of the sentence pronounced upon that
great scientist and discoverer, is now evident to us
ail.
 Comma
11. To separate a clause that is not restrictive in meaning,
but is co-ordinate with the Principal clause; as,
Sailors, who are generally superstitious, say it is unlucky to
embark on a Friday.
12. To separate an Adverbial clause from its Principal
clause; as,
When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself.
semicolon
 Semicolon
1. To separate the clauses of Compound sentence, when
they contain a comma; as,
He was a brave, large-hearted man; and we all honored
him.

2. Use a semicolon in place of a full stop to separate two

sentences. where the conjunction has been left out.
Call me tomorrow; I will give you my answer then.
colon
 colon
The Colon marks a still more complete pause than
that expressed by the Semicolon. It is used
(sometimes with a dash after it): -
1. To introduce a quotation; as,
Bacon says :- “Reading makes a full man, writing an exact man,
speaking a ready man.”

2. Before enumeration, examples, etc.; as,

The principal parts of a verb in English are: the present tense, the
past Tense, and the past participle.
 colon
3. A colon should not precede a list unless it follows a
complete sentence

I want an assistant who can do the following:

a)input data,
b)write reports, and
c)complete tax forms.
Question mark
 Question mark
The Question Mark is used, instead of the
Full Stop, after a direct question; as,
Have you written your exercise?
But the Question Mark is not used after an indirect
question; as
He asked me whether I had written my exercise.
Exclamation
mark
 Exclamation mark
The Exclamation Mark is used after Interjections and after
Phrases and Sentences expressing sudden emotion or wish
; as,

Alas !
Oh dear !
What a terrible fire this is !
Inverted
commas
 Inverted commas
Inverted Commas are used to enclose the exact words of a
speaker, or a quotation; as,
"I would rather die," he exclaimed, "than join the
oppressors of my country.“
If a quotation occurs within a quotation, it is marked by
single inverted commas; as,
"You might as well say," added the March Hare, "that 'I like
what I get' is the same thing as 'I get what I like,”
Apostrophe
 Apostrophe

1. Use the apostrophe with contractions.

2. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where one

or more letters have been removed.

don’t, isn’t You’re

right.
 Apostrophe
2. Use the apostrophe to show possession. Place the
apostrophe before the s to show singular possession.

one boy’s hat one child’s hat

(Names ending in s or an s sound are also required to have
the second s added .)
Mr. Jones’s golf clubs
Mrs. Lees’s books (name is Lees)
 Apostrophe
3. Use the apostrophe where the noun that should follow is
implied.

This was his father’s, not his, jacket.

4. To show plural possession, make the noun plural first.

Then immediately use the apostrophe.
two boys’ hats two women’s hats
 Apostrophe
5. With a singular compound noun, show possession with ’s
at the end of the word.

my mother-in-law’s hat

If the compound noun is plural, form the plural first and

then use the apostrophe.

my two brothers-in-law’s hats

 Apostrophe
6. Use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two
people possess the same item.

Sara’s and Amna’s job contracts will be renewed next year.

(Indicates separate ownership.)

Sara and Amna’s job contracts will be renewed next year.

(Indicates joint ownership of more than one
contract.)
 Apostrophe
7. Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: his,
hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose. They already show
possession so they do not require an apostrophe.

This book is hers, not yours.

Sincerely your’s.
Capital letters
 Capital letters
Capitals are used :-
1. To begin a sentence.
2. To begin each fresh line of poetry.
3. To begin all Proper Nouns and Adjectives derived
from them : as,
Delhi, Rama, Africa, African, Shakespeare, Shakespearian.
4. For all nouns and pronouns which indicate the Deity; as,
The Lord, He is the God.
 Exercise # 1
Insert commas, where necessary, in the
following sentences:-
1. The necessity of amusement made me a
carpenter a bird-eager a gardener.
2. Speak clearly if you would be understood.
3. Brazil which is nearly as large as the whole of
Europe is covered with a vegetation of incredible
profusion
4. When we had dined to prevent the ladies
leaving us I generally ordered the table to be
removed.
5. My orchard was often robbed by schoolboys and
my wife's custards plundered by the cats.
 Exercise # 1(Answer Key)
Insert commas, where necessary, in the following sentences:-
1. The necessity of amusement made me a carpenter, a bird-
eager, a gardener.
2. Speak clearly, if you would be understood.
3. Brazil, which is nearly as large as the whole of Europe, is
covered with a vegetation of incredible profusion
4. When we had dined, to prevent the ladies leaving us, I
generally ordered the table to be removed.
5. My orchard was often robbed by schoolboys, and my wife's
custards plundered by the cats.
 Exercise # 2
Punctuate the following:
1.Nothing is so easy and inviting as the retort of abuse
and sarcasm but it is a paltry and an unprofitable contest.
2. The human mind is never stationary it advances or it
retrogrades.
3. The laws of most countries today are spilt into two
kinds criminal law and civil law.
4. Islam is one of the worlds Largest religions with an
estimated ] 100-1300 million believers it was founded in
the 7th century by the Prophet Mohammad
 Exercise # 2(answer key)
Punctuate the following:
1.Nothing is so easy and inviting as the retort of abuse
and sarcasm, but it is a paltry and an unprofitable
contest.
2. The human mind is never stationary; it advances or it
retrogrades.
3. The laws of most countries today are spilt into two
kinds: criminal law and civil law.
4. Islam is one of the world’s largest religions with an
estimated ] 100-1300 million believers. It was founded in
the 7th century by the Prophet Mohammad.