Punctuation:

Punctuation is the system of signs or symbols given to a reader to show how a sentence is
constructed and how it should be read.
Sentences are the building blocks used to construct written accounts. They are complete
statements. Punctuation shows how the sentence should be read and makes the meaning clear.
Punctuation is marks used in printing and writing to separate sentences and clauses and to help
make the meaning of sentences more clear. Commas, periods, and question marks
are examples of punctuation.
Every sentence should include at least a capital letter at the start, and a full stop, exclamation
mark or question mark at the end. This basic system indicates that the sentence is complete.
14 punctuation marks are commonly used in English grammar. They are the period, question
mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces,
apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis.
Some of the following are discussed below:
1. Period/Full stop(.):

A period/full stop should always be used to end a sentence. The full stop indicates that a
point has been made and that you are about to move on to further explanations or a
related point.
Less frequency, a series of three full stops (an ellipsis) can be used to indicate where a
section of a quotation has been omitted when it is not relevant to the text.
For example:

“The boy was happy… at the start of his summer holiday.”

A single full stop may also be used to indicate the abbreviation of commonly used words
as in the following examples:
 Telephone Number = Tel No.
 September = Sept.
 Pages = pp.

2. Question Mark (?):

The question mark simply indicates that a sentence is asking a question. It always comes
at the end of a sentence.
For example:

Are we at the end?

The question mark also serves as a full stop.
3. Exclamation Mark (!):

An exclamation mark indicates strong feelings within a sentence, such as fear, anger, or
love. It is also used to accentuate feeling within the written spoken word.
For example:

“You did a good job!”

In this way, it can also be used to indicate a sharp instruction:
“Stop! Police!”
Or to indicate humor
“Ha! Ha! Ha!”
The exclamation mark at the end of a sentence means that you do not need a full stop.

4. The comma (,):

The comma is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structure of a

sentence. Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation
and closing.

Direct address: Thanks for all your help, John.

Separation of two complete sentences: We went to the movies, and then we went out to
lunch.

Separating lists or elements within sentences: Suzi wanted the black, green, and blue
dress.

Whether to add a final comma before the conjunction in a list is a matter of debate. This
final comma, known as an Oxford or serial comma, is useful in a complex series of
elements or phrases but is often considered unnecessary in a simple series such as in the
example above. It usually comes down to a style choice by the writer.

5. The semicolon (;):

The semicolon is used to connect two independent clauses into a single sentence.

For example:
 “I could tell that it was getting late; it was going darker by the second.”

The second use of a semicolon is to separate items in a series when the items contain
parenthetical elements within themselves.

For example:

“The following crewmembers were on the bridge: James T. Kirk, captain of the
Enterprise; Mr. Spock, first science officer;”

6. Colon (:):

The colon within a sentence makes a very pointed pause between two phrases. A colon
has three main uses.

The first is after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series.

For example:

He was planning to study four subjects: politics, philosophy, sociology, and economics.

The second is between independent clauses when the second explains the first, similar to
a semicolon:

For example:

I didn't have time to get changed: I was already late.

The third use of a colon is for emphasis:

For example:

There was one thing she loved more than any other: her dog.

A colon also has non-grammatical uses in time, ratio, business correspondence, and
references.
7. Quotation Marks:

Quotation marks (are also called quote marks or quotes for short). Quotations marks are a
pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the beginning and end of a passage
attributed to another and repeated word for word. They are also used to indicate meanings
and to indicate the unusual or dubious status of a word.

For example:

"Don't go outside," she said.

Single quotation marks (' ') are used most frequently for quotes within quotes.

For example:

Marie told the teacher, "I saw Marc at the playground, and he said to me 'Bill started the
fight,' and I believed him."

8. The apostrophe (‘):

An apostrophe (') is used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the
possessive case, or the plurals of lowercase letters. Examples of the apostrophe in use
include:

The omission of letters from a word: I've seen that movie several times. She wasn't the
only one who knew the answer.

Possessive case: Sara's dog bit the neighbor.

Plural for lowercase letters: Six people were told to mind their p's and q's.

9. The hyphen (-):

The hyphen is used to link words together. A hyphen is used to join two or more words
together into a compound term and is not separated by spaces.
 For example:

 Sub-part

 Eighteenth-century people

 Week-end

 Second-class post

 Gender-neutral

 Non-verbal

The hyphen is also used when a word is split between two lines. The hyphen should be
placed between syllables at the end of the upper line and indicates to the reader that the
word will be completed on the next line.

Computer applications such as word processor can be set to automatically hyphenate

words for you, although it is more common to use extra spacing to avoid hyphenation.

10. Dash (–):

A dash is used to separate words into statements.

There are two common types of dashes: n dash and m dash.

N dash: Twice as long as a hyphen, the n dash is a symbol (–) that is used in writing or
printing to indicate a range, connections, or differentiation, such as 1880-1945 or
Princeton-New York trains.

M dash: Longer than the n dash, the m dash can be used in place of a comma,
parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence.

For example: 
She gave him her answer — No!

Whether you put spaces around the dash or not is a style choice. Just be consistent.