Punctuation denotes the implementation of standardized marks and symbols within written language to signify pauses, separate ideas, clarify meaning, and aid in the appropriate enunciation and comprehension of textual content.
Therefore, the process of using marks of pause is called Punctuation.
Different Punctuation Marks
| PUNCTUATION MARK | SYMBOLS | USAGE |
|---|---|---|
| FULL STOP (Period) | . | Indicates the end of a sentence or an abbreviation. |
| NOTE OF INTERROGATION | ? | Denotes a question or inquiry. |
| NOTE OF EXCLAMATION | ! | Shows strong emotions or exclamatory remarks. |
| COMMA | , | Separates elements within a sentence or list. |
| SEMI-COLON | ; | Indicates a pause stronger than a comma, yet lighter than a full stop. |
| COLON | : | Introduces lists, quotations, or explanations. |
| APOSTROPHE | ‘ | Denotes possession or omission in contractions. |
| INVERTED COMMAS | ” “ | Marks titles, quotes, or dialogues. |
| QUOTATION MARKS | ” “ | Encloses direct speech or a quotation within a text. |
| DASH | — | Shows breaks, interruptions, or emphasis in a sentence. |
| BRACKETS | (), {}, [] | Contains additional or explanatory information. |
| ASTERISK | * | Highlights or draws attention to specific text. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #1
FULL STOP ( . )
The Full Stop signifies the end of a sentence or an abbreviation, indicating a complete pause.
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USE OF FULL STOP
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| The Full Stop (Period) is used to end various types of sentences: – Declarative sentences (Statements or assertions), Imperative sentences (Commands or requests), Optative sentences (Wishes or desires) | Declarative sentence: The sun sets in the west. Imperative sentence: Stop shouting! Optative sentence: May you find happiness. |
| It is employed after abbreviations, initials, and in numerical or time expressions. | E.g., Ph.D., Mr., Mrs., Ave., St., Mon., Tue., 1984 A.D., 9 a.m., 10 p.m., etc. |
NOTE: Some short forms like Mr, Mrs, PTI, BBC, USA, and UNESCO are used so much that we don’t put full stops in them anymore.
Use Of Punctuation Marks #2
NOTE OF INTERROGATION ( ? )
The Note of Interrogation represents a significant pause in written text, typically used to indicate a question.
NOTE OF INTERROGATION
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| The Note of Interrogation is used after sentences that pose questions. | • Where is the nearest grocery store? • How old are you? • Why did you come late? |
| It is also utilized within brackets to express uncertainty or doubt. | • The meeting is scheduled for 9 am tomorrow (?) • He said he would arrive by 6 pm (?) |
NOTE: We don’t use a question mark after sentences that ask indirectly. For example, “He wanted to know why she was late” or “She asked where the cat went.”
Use Of Punctuation Marks #3
NOTE OF EXCLAMATION ( ! )
The exclamation mark is used in sentences where you show strong feelings or excitement.
NOTE OF EXCLAMATION
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| The Exclamation Mark is used after words expressing strong emotions or interjections like Alas! Hurray! Bravo! etc. | • Alas! He is no more. • Hurray! We won the championship! • Bravo! What a performance! |
| When a sentence begins with ‘what’, ‘how’, etc., followed by an exclamatory expression, the Exclamation Mark is placed at the end. | • What an incredible day it is! • How magnificent the view is! • What a surprise! • How unbelievable! |
| It is used after addressing a group or audience with enthusiasm or emphasis. | • Friends and colleagues! (Or) Colleagues and friends! • Gentlemen and ladies! (Or) Ladies and gentlemen |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #4
COMMA ( , )
The comma is a punctuation mark that represents a shorter pause than a full stop or period.
USE OF COMMA
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| Separates three or more words or phrases of the same class, with ‘and’ between the last two. | • Apples, oranges, and bananas are on the table. |
| Used to separate Vocative Case. | • John, could you pass the salt? • Thank you, Mary, for your help. • Excuse me, sir. |
| Separates introductory ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, etc. | • Yes, I’ll be there on time. • No, I haven’t seen that movie. |
| Precedes the Quotation mark. | • She said, “Please, come in.” |
| Before and after an Apposition. | • My brother, a doctor, will be joining us for dinner. |
| Before and after a Parenthesis. | • Our project, although challenging, is nearly complete. |
| Comes after an Absolute phrase. | • The storm having passed, we ventured outside. |
| Comes after an Adverbial clause or phrase if it starts a sentence. | • After the meeting, we went for lunch. But we went for lunch after the meeting. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #5
SEMI-COLON ( ; )
The semicolon makes a pause that is shorter than a full stop but longer than a comma. So a comma is used below a Full Stop to make a Semi-colon.
USE OF SEMI-COLON
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| Used between two clauses of a compound sentence without a conjunction. | • The coffee shop opens at 6:00 am; it closes at 10:00 pm. Nowadays, ‘a.m.’ and ‘p.m.’ are often written without periods as ‘am’ and ‘pm’. • To explore is to discover; to travel is to live. |
| Employed between coordinate clauses when subjects differ, with words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘yet’, etc. | • The storm raged on; and the city slept soundly. • The tree stood tall; but the wind was too strong. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #6
COLON ( : )
The Colon indicates a longer pause compared to the Semi-colon.
USE OF COLON
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| The Colon is used before a list introduced by phrases like ‘as follows’, ‘the following’, ‘thus’, etc. | • His daily routine includes the following: jogging, yoga, and meditation. |
| It separates two sentences where the second elaborates on the meaning of the first. | • She faced an unexpected challenge: her car broke down in the middle of nowhere. |
| Introduces a formal quotation, with or without quotation marks. | • Sarah said: “The meeting has been rescheduled.” (with quotation marks) • Sarah said: The meeting has been rescheduled. (without quotation marks) |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #7
APOSTROPHE COMMA ( ‘ )
The Apostrophe Comma does not indicate a pause.
USE OF APOSTROPHE COMA
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| ‘s is used to indicate possession of a singular animate noun. | • The cat’s tail twitched nervously. |
| ‘s is used for possessive plural nouns without ‘s’ in their plural form. | • They visited the children’s playground. |
| Apostrophe comma (‘ ) is used for possessive plural nouns ending in ‘s’ or ‘es’. | • The students’ books were neatly arranged. |
| The Apostrophe comma is used to indicate the omission of letters in contractions. | • I’m (= I am), He’s (= He is), You’re (= You are). • They’re (= They are), Haven’t (= Have not). • Isn’t (= Is not), Can’t (= Cannot). • Won’t (= Will not/Would not). |
| ‘s is used to form plurals of letters and figures. | •She wrote down five 7’s in the list. •Mind your A’s and B’s in your handwriting. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #8
INVERTED COMMAS ( ‘ ‘ / ” ” )
Inverted Commas do not indicate pauses.
USE OF INVERTED COMMAS
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| Inverted commas or Quotation marks indicate direct speech or a quotation in a sentence. | • She exclaimed, “What a beautiful day!” • “Could you pass the salt?” he asked politely. • “Sure,” she replied, “I’ll be there in a moment.” |
| Inverted commas may indicate titles, poems, or draw attention to a word. | • ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a famous play by Shakespeare. • ‘The Road Not Taken’ is a well-known poem by Robert Frost. • It is ‘we’, not ‘I’, who completed the project. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #9
DASH
A dash in punctuation is a line used to indicate a break or emphasis in writing.
USE OF DASH
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| The Dash marks a break or shift in a sentence. | • “He was gone—but his spirit remained strong.” |
| It indicates a significant pause or interruption. | • “The results were astonishing—surprising everyone in the room.” |
| The Dash highlights the repetition or restatement of an idea. | • This is an ideal school-perhaps the best that we have in Mumbai. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #10
HYPHEN
The hyphen is a shorter punctuation mark compared to the em dash.
USE OF HYPHEN
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| The Hyphen is used to join compound words. | • Brother-in-law, mother-in-law, Self-confidence, state-of-the-art, merry-go-round, over-the-counter, high-quality, etc. |
| The Hyphen is used to indicate an incomplete word at the line’s end. | • She lived in a picturesque vil- lage among the mountains. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #11
BRACKETS ( ), { }, [ ]
FIRST BRACKET ( )
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| First brackets are used to clarify or insert words within a sentence. | • He said that his friend (John) had received the prestigious prize. • The city (London) is vast. |
| First brackets enclose extra information in a sentence. | • Modern music (post-2000) is often electronically influenced. |
| The first brackets enclose extra information in a sentence. | • Number the chapters (i), (ii), and (iii) for the textbook. |
SECOND BRACKET { }
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single second bracket denotes pairs in a vertical line. | • Light (on)………………………………… • Dark (off)………………………………. |
| Double second brackets enclose first brackets between them. | • {5 × 2(3 – 3)} |
THIRD BRACKET [ ]
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| Square brackets are used in place of the first bracket in American style. | • Sarah [the CEO] announced the quarterly results. |
| They enclose serial numbers, mathematical expressions, or references. | • [1], [2], [3] for labeling items in a list. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #12
ASTERISK *
USE OF ASTERISK *
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| An asterisk [*] or a little star is utilized to emphasize a particular point or information. | • * Remember, the capitalization of “I” is essential as a first-person, singular pronoun. |
| Multiple asterisks indicate omission, especially in paragraphs or stanzas. | • The passage described a beautiful night sky *** filled with twinkling stars. |
Use Of Punctuation Marks #13
CAPITAL LETTER
USE OF CAPITAL LETTER
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| Start of a sentence always begins with a capital letter. | • The sun rises in the east. |
| Each line in a poem or verse is initiated with a capital letter. | • “The road not taken” by Robert Frost: “Two roads diverged in a wood…” |
| Quotations have the first word capitalized. | • She said, “Take a deep breath.” |
| Salutations and greetings begin with a capital letter. | • Dear Professor, Hello everyone! |
| Proper nouns, names of specific people or places, start with capital letters. | • The Eiffel Tower is in Paris. |
| Academic subjects commence with a capital letter. | • Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. |
| Country abbreviations, official titles, and academic degrees are capitalized. | • U.K., B.A., Dr. Smith. |
| Pronoun ‘I’ and the vocative ‘O’ use capital letters. | • It was I who spoke. O, what a wonderful surprise! |
| God and related pronouns beginning with a capital letter. | • God’s mercy is infinite. |
Punctuation Exercise
Rewrite the following sentences using punctuation marks where necessary:
- She said sweet my child I live for thee
- The second cricket match between India and England started at Eden Gardens on 31st December
- On the first day India won the toss and decided to bat the opening batsman batted well but England bowled very well also
- The weather was not good on the second day the game had to be stopped before time the Indian batsman were batting very well and they had already scored a good total
- The soyabean is a plant with great food value but neither the farmers nor the common people knew very much about it
- We can either drink milk or use it for making tea coffee and other drinks other milk-products are sandesh pudding and dahi
- The Soviet Union and the United States have made great progress in exploring outer space the USSR was the first to launch a satellite
- Whos there whos there i say am i to get no sleep tonight
- How did you get here child whose baby are you the man asked
- The convict said they have made me a thief god curse them all
Answers
- She said, “Sweet my child, I live for thee.”
- The second cricket match between India and England started at Eden Gardens on 31st December.
- On the first day, India won the toss and decided to bat. The opening batsman batted well, but England bowled very well also.
- The weather was not good on the second day. The game had to be stopped before time. The Indian batsmen were batting very well, and they had already scored a good total.
- The soyabean is a plant with great food value, but neither the farmers nor the common people knew very much about it.
- We can either drink milk or use it for making tea, coffee, and other drinks. Other milk products are sandesh, pudding, and dahi.
- The Soviet Union and the United States have made great progress in exploring outer space. The USSR was the first to launch a satellite.
- “Who’s there? Who’s there?” I say. Am I to get no sleep tonight?
- “How did you get here, child? Whose baby are you?” the man asked.
- The convict said, “They have made me a thief. God curse them all.”
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Also, Read
Homophones in English
Homonyms in English
Figures of Speech
Illative Conjunctions
Auxiliary Words
