Punctuation

For Intermediate learners

Punctuation marks are special signs and certain typographical devices used to make the understanding and correct reading of texts easier.

What Is Punctuation?

Punctuation is the use of standardized marks and symbols in writing to make the meaning of the sentence clearer. Punctuation marks serve different purposes, such as indicating the end of a sentence, separating words and phrases, indicating pauses, etc.

Common Punctuation Marks

The following is a list of common punctuation marks in English:

Full stop (.)
Apostrophe (')
Question and Exclamation marks (? and !)
Quotation marks (" ")
Comma (,)

Now, let us see how each of them functions in sentences.

Full Stop

When we want to finish a sentence, we use a full stop, also called a period (.). Take a look at the following examples:

Diana is dead.

Professor Brown is not going to attend the class today.

Warning!

Please note that the sentence that comes after a full stop is always capitalized.

Apostrophe

An apostrophe (') is mainly used when we combine two words with each other to create a contracted form, and when we want to form possessive nouns. Study the following examples carefully:

Those are Velvet's clothes.

Here, the apostrophe is used to show possession of something.

How could you steal Anna's bag?

What I want to do with my life isn't your business.

As you can see, 'is not' has been changed into one word.

Shouldn't she be doing her homework now?

Question and Exclamation Marks

When we want to ask a question, we must use a question mark (?) at the end of the sentence. Take a look at the following examples:

Are you going anywhere at this hour?

How is everything?

Another punctuation commonly used is the exclamation mark (!) that comes at the end of the sentences to show strong emotions such as anger, surprise, etc. Study the following examples:

Such a pathetic person you are!

What a beautiful, blue sky!

Boy, have I gone mad!

Quotation Marks

When we want to report a direct speech or avoid repetition, we mainly use quotation marks (" "). Check out the following examples:

Mom said, "Clean your rooms".

	Names of fathers
Anna	Fredrick
Mia	"
Sarah	"

Comma

Comma (,) is used in many different contexts. However, we are going to discuss some of them below:

In lists
When we want to state dates
After adverbs
Between adjectives

World War I began on July 28th, 1914.

As you can see, comma is used when stating dates.

I want to buy lemon, apricot, apple, and banana from the market.

Here, commas are used among items in a list.

Technically, I do everything on my own.

Here, a comma is put immediately after an adverb.

Have you ever seen such a tall, handsome, yet arrogant man like him?

Here, commas are used between adjectives.

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What Is Punctuation?

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