Punctuation Marks

Punctuation Marks
• Punctuation is the system of symbols that we use to separate
written sentences and parts of sentences, and to make their
meaning clear. Each symbol is called a "punctuation mark".
• The English language has many punctuation marks.
• We usually learn to use many of them as we learn to write.
• However, there are some punctuation mark uses we might
still not know about despite using and seeing them regularly.
 There are 14 common punctuation marks in
English:

• The Full Stop (.) • The Exclamation Mark (!)

• The Question Mark (?) • The Colon (:)
• Quotation Marks (” “) • The Semicolon (;)
• Parentheses ()
• The Apostrophe (‘)
• Brackets []
• The Comma (,)
• Ellipsis (…)
• The Hyphen (-)
• The Slash (/)
• The dash (—)
Comma (,)

• Comma (,) is used to show the difference between

two separate ideas or elements within a sentence.
• Comma has other uses as well, as they can be used to
separate numbers, and write dates.
• There are 6 main uses of the comma.
Six main uses of the comma
1. Use a comma between items in a series or list.
2. Use a comma after an introductory element.
3. Use commas for Inserters.
4. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but,
or, yet, so) to join two independent clauses.
5. Use a comma before or after direct speech
6. Use commas with other uses
1.Use a comma between items in a
series or list
In a sentence, the last two items usually do not need a comma
between them as they are separated by "and". However, if
one or both of the last two items are long, a comma may be
useful.
• coffee, tea, sugar, milk, eggs, butter, salt
• My favorite sports
are football, rugby, swimming, boxing and golf.
• Thida was wearing blue jeans, black shoes, his brand new
white shirt, and a brown and green cap.
2.Use a comma after
an introductory element
A comma is optional for short, simple introductory
elements.
• Rushing to catch the flight, he forgot to take his phone.
• As the year came to an end, he realized the days were
getting shorter.
• By evening we were getting worried.
• After a snack he went to sleep.
3.Use commas for Inserters.
An " Inserter " is any part of a sentence that can be
removed without changing the real meaning of the
sentence.
• John, who is a chairman of the company, is quite old.
• Andrew, my wife's brother, cannot come.
• Anthony, however, did arrive.
• We were, unfortunately, too late.
4. Use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction to join two independent clauses.

• He didn't want to go, but he went anyway.

• I want to work as an interpreter, so I am studying English at
university.
5. Use a comma before or
after direct speech

• He said, "I love you.“

• "I love you," he said.

6.Use commas with other uses
Use a comma for addresses, some dates, titles following a name,
numbers over 999, a tag question, words “yes” and “no”, and opening
and closing of letter.

• #11 , Road 2, Svay Por, Battambang

• November 4, 1948 (but 4 November 1948)
• Keuk Chanrith, Professor of English
• 1,569
• He is your sister, isn’t she?
• Dear John,
• Sincerely yours,
Full Stop / Period

1. Use a full stop at the end of a sentence:

The man arrived. He sat down.
2. Use full stops with abbreviations (in an abbreviation the last letter of
the word and of the abbreviation are not the same):
etc. (et cetera)
Semicolon
1. We sometimes use a semicolon instead of a full stop or period. This
is to separate sentences that are grammatically independent but
that have closely connected meaning.
• Josef likes coffee; Mary likes tea.
• Tara is a good speaker; she speaks very clearly.

2. Use a semicolon before conjunctive adverbs such as however,

therefore nevertheless, moreover, and furthermore You may also
use a semicolon before some transitional phrases such as for
example, as a result, that is in fact, etc
• It was a good car ; moreover, it’s price was quite reasonable.
• We were unable to get funding; therefore, we had
to abandon the project.
Semicolon
3. Semicolons maybe used as well to separate items in a series
when some of the items already contain commas.

I cannot decide which car I like best: the Ferrari, with its
quick acceleration and ease of handling; the Ford, with its
reclining bucket seats; or the uncomfortable Volkswagen,
with its economical fuel consumption.
Colon
The colon is a mark of introduction. It can be used in five ways:
1. Use a colon to introduce a list:
There are three countries in North America: Mexico, the USA and
Canada.
We can see many things in the sky at night: the moon, stars, planets,
comets, planes and even satellites.
*NOTE: Do not use a colon to introduce a list after the verb to be
unless you add the following or as follows.
To me, the most important things in life are the following: health,
happiness, good friends, and a lot of money.
Colon
2 Use a colon to introduce a quotation:

President George W. Bush recognizes the health care needs of so many

Americans: “A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our
citizens have affordable and available health care.”
3 Use a colon to introduce an explanation:
We had to cancel the party: too many people were sick.

There is no need to rush: the meeting will be starting one hour late.
Colon
4 Use a colon to introduce examples:

Colons are used in business letter greetings:

Dear Sir/Madam: To Whom it May Concern:

Colon
5 Other Uses

Colons are used in business letter greetings:

Dear Mr. Marshall: To Whom it May Concern:
Colons are used between hours and minutes:
I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday at 12:15 pm.
Colons are used to separate titles from subtitles:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Dash
• A dash is a horizontal line that shows a pause or break in meaning, or
that represents missing words or letters.
• Note that dashes are rather informal and should be used carefully in
writing.
• Dashes are often used informally instead of commas, colons and
brackets.
• A dash may or may not have a space on either side of it.
Dash
1. Use a dash to show a pause or break in meaning in the middle of a
sentence:
My brothers—Richard and John—are visiting Hanoi. (Could use commas.)
2. Use a dash to show an afterthought:
The 1st World War was supposed to be the world's last war—the war to
end war.
3. Use a dash like a colon to introduce a list:
Don't forget to buy some food—eggs, bread, tuna and cheese.
Dash
4. Use a dash to show that letters or words are missing:

They are really f––––d up. (Typically used for offensive words.)

I will look ––––– the children. (Typically used in "missing word"

questions.)
Hyphen
• A hyphen is a very short horizontal line between words.
• Note that there is no space between a hyphen and the character on
either side of it.
• Do not confuse a hyphen (-) with a dash (—), which is longer.
• The rules about hyphens are not fixed.
Hyphen
• 1. Use a hyphen to join words to show that their meaning is linked in
some way:
book-case (or bookcase)
race-horse (or racehorse)
2. Use a hyphen to make compound modifiers before nouns:
A cold-blooded man
The well-known actor
My four-year-old son
Hyphen
3. Use a hyphen with certain prefixes. The prefixes all-, ex-, and self-
usually need a hyphen:
all-inclusive
ex-wife
self-control
4. Use a hyphen when writing numbers 21 to 99, and fractions:
twenty-one
one hundred and sixty-five
two-thirds
Hyphen
5. Use a hyphen to show that a word has been broken at the end of a
line (hyphenation):
The directors asked
for a more conven-
ient location.
6. Use a hyphen with "suspended compounds". When we use several
very similar compounds together, it may not be necessary to repeat the
last part of the compound:
They need to employ more full- and part-time staff. (not They need
to employ more full-time and part-time staff.)
Round Brackets or Parentheses

Round brackets are basically used to add extra information to a

sentence.
Look at these examples:
1. explain or clarify
Tony Blair (the former British prime minister) resigned from office in 2007.
2. indicate plural or singular
Please leave your mobile telephone(s) at the door.
3. add a personal comment
Many people love parties (I don't).
4. define abbreviations
The matter will be decided by the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
Square Brackets or Brackets
We typically use square brackets when we want to modify another
person's words. Here, we want to make it clear that the modification
has been made by us, not by the original writer. For example:
1. to add clarification:
The witness said: "He [the policeman] hit me."
2. to add information:
The two teams in the finals of the first FIFA Football World Cup were both
from South America [Uruguay and Argentina].
3. to modify a direct quotation:
He "love[s] driving." (The original words were "I love driving.")
4. to add editorial or authorial comment:
They will not be present [my emphasis].
Quotation Marks
• We use quotation marks to show (or mark) the beginning and end of
a word or phrase that is somehow special or comes from outside the
text.
• Quotation marks can be double ("...") or single ('...')
1. Use quotation marks around the title or name of a book, film etc:

The third most popular book of all time, "Harry Potter", has sold over
400,000,000 copies.

'Titanic' is a 1997 movie directed by James Cameron about the

sinking of the ship 'Titanic'.
2. We use quotation marks around a piece of text that we are quoting
or citing, usually from another source:
In The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language, David
Crystal argues that punctuation "plays a critical role in the modern
writing system".
3. Use quotation marks around dialogue or direct speech:
Mary turned to him and said: "Do you love me, James?“
4. Use quotation marks around a word or phrase that we want to make
"special" in some way:
Note that sometimes we use "italics" instead of quotation marks.
Exclamation Mark

• An exclamation mark usually shows strong feeling, such as surprise,

anger or joy.
• Using an exclamation mark when writing is rather like shouting or
raising your voice when speaking.
• Exclamation marks are most commonly used in writing quoted
speech.
• You should avoid using exclamation marks in formal writing, unless
absolutely necessary.
1. Use an exclamation mark to indicate strong feelings or a raised voice
in speech:
She shouted at him, "Go away! I hate you!"
He exclaimed: "What a fantastic house you have!"
"Help!“
"Shut up!"
"Stop!"
2. Many interjections need an exclamation mark:
"Hi! What's new?"
"Oh! When are you going?"
"Ouch! That hurt."
3. A non-question sentence beginning with "what" or "how" is often an
exclamation and requires an exclamation mark:
What idiots we are! (We are such idiots.)
How pretty she looked in that dress! (She looked very pretty in that
dress.)
Apostrophe

1. Use an apostrophe in possessive forms:

the ball of the boy → the boy's ball
Tara's sister
my friend's mother
2. Use an apostrophe in contracted forms (the apostrophe shows that
letters have been left out):
cannot → can't
they have → they've
I would (or I had) → I'd