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Punctuation is the tool that allows us to organize our thoughts and make it easier to review and share our ideas. The standard English punctuation is as follows: period, comma, apostrophe, quotation, question, exclamation, brackets, braces, parenthesis, dash, hyphen, ellipsis, colon, semicolon. Below is an explanation of some punctuation that is commonly misused. Comma ,Commas are primarily used to aid in clarity and to join two independent clauses with a conjunction. They set off introductory phrases and set off series. They also are used to separate independent and dependent clauses. The Oxford comma is the inclusion of a comma before coordinating conjunction in a series. Examples: I enjoyed the singers, and I loved the dancers. At the beginning of the performance, two dancers appeared from behind the curtain. Even though the auditorium was packed, the audience remained silent. I had eggs, toast, and orange juice. Commas can also be used to note an interjection in a sentence. Example: The criminal said the judge was an idiot. The criminal, said the judge, was an idiot. The criminal is speaking in the first sentence. The judge is speaking in the second. Apostrophe ‘Apostrophes are used to mark possession and to mark contractions. They are also used to denote a quotation mark in material that is already being quoted. Examples: It was James’ car that the drunk driver hit. “James said, ‘If you come any closer I’ll call the police.'” Quotation ” “Quotation marks are used to inform a reader either of something that was spoken or something that is being directly copied from another work. Quotes should also be placed around a word if it is used in a specific context or otherwise bears special attention. In informal applications, quotations can also be used to denote something that is ironic. Examples: Lydia said, “Is this my prom dress?” Dr. Shruti claims, “The use of violence against women in India is on the rise.” Question and Exclamation ? !Question and exclamation marks are used to note interrogative and exclamatory sentences. Neither of these punctuation marks are commonly used in academic writing. In general, a writer should not be shouting at the reader in formal writing. The lack of conversation makes any question rhetorical, and revising the question in a statement would be the better course. Hyphen –Hyphens are most commonly used to pair compound words. Throw-away, high-speed-chase, merry-go-round, user-friendly Dash –Dashes are generally not in common use but denote a tangent within a thought. There are two kinds of dashes, an “en” dash and an “em” dash. En dashes essentially are the same glyph as hyphens but fill a different purpose. Em dashes are longer, an easy way to remember is that an en dash is the length of an “n” and an Em dash is the length of an “m”. Example: Dashes are able to substitute for commas and semicolons in the right situation. They can replace commas to note non-essential information or semicolon to note an example. Despite, and because of this versatility dashes should not be frequently employed in your writing. The multitude of applications make dashes easy to overuse taking away from, rather than adding to clarity in your writing. Note: Dashes can either connect to the surrounding words or be separated by a space, it is an issue of style, be sure to ask your professors if they have a preference. Parenthesis (), Brackets [], Braces {}Parenthesis note non-essential information that could be skipped without altering the meaning of a sentence. Brackets are most commonly employed in academic writing within a quotation where the writer is omitting or explaining something. In either case, the writer places a bracket within the quote [explains or places an ellipsis and] closes the bracket to continue the quote. Braces are used quite rarely and are employed to essentially make a list within a list. Examples: Cora (the woman who lives down the street from Jane) works as a paralegal. Professor Brown claims, “She [the novel’s central character] is an example of a strong African-American woman.” Before I go on vacation I need to pack my bags {clothes, toiletries and shoes}, unplug the TV, and close all of the windows. Ellipsis …Ellipsis marks the omission of a word or words. If the omission includes the end of a sentence the glyph has four dots (….) instead of three. Colon :Colons make the statement: note what follows. Whatever information that follows the colon must, in some way, explain, prove, or describe what ever came before it. To properly employ a colon, ensure that the clause that follows the mark is able to stand on its own (unless it is a list). Because whatever comes before the colon must be a complete sentence, your writing after the colon is not required to be. Example: Semicolon ;A semicolon can be used to join two related main clauses. Example: Another way to employ a semicolon to join two related main clauses is to include a conjunctive adverb such as: however, moreover, nevertheless, furthermore, consequently, or thus. Conjunctive adverbs can also be used with a comma. Example: The simplest way to deal with two independent main clauses is to make two sentences. If the topic of the two sentences are not related, or if one (or both) of the sentences are already long, joining them could make the sentence too long and be a burden on the reader. One of the most common applications of semicolons is as a substitute for commas in a list in which commas are required for the things listed. Example:
We use words in writing. Shocking, I know! Do you know what else we use in writing? Here is a hint: they have already appeared in this paragraph. In addition to words, we use many different symbols and characters to organize our thoughts and make text easier to read. All of these symbols come in two major categories: punctuation marks and typographical symbols. These symbols have many different uses and include everything from the humble period (.) to the rarely used caret symbol (^). There may even be a few symbols out there that you’ve never even heard of before that leave you scratching your head when you see them on your keyboard!  What is punctuation?Punctuation is the act or system of using specific marks or symbols in writing to separate different elements from each other or to make writing more clear. Punctuation is used in English and the other languages that use the Latin alphabet. Many other writing systems also use punctuation, too. Thanks to punctuation, we don’t have to suffer through a block of text that looks like this:
Punctuation examplesThe following sentences give examples of the many different punctuation marks that we use:
What is a typographical symbol?The term typographical symbol, or any other number of phrases, refers to a character or symbol that isn’t considered to be a punctuation mark but may still be used in writing for various purposes. Typographical symbols are generally avoided in formal writing under most circumstances. However, you may see typographic symbols used quite a bit in informal writing. Typographical symbol examplesThe following examples show some ways that a writer might use typographical symbols. Keep in mind that some of these sentences may not be considered appropriate in formal writing.
Punctuation marks are considered part of grammar and often have well-established rules for how to use them properly. For example, the rules of proper grammar state that a letter after a period should be capitalized and that a comma must be used before a coordinating conjunction. Typographical symbols, on the other hand, may not have widely accepted rules for how, or even when, they should be used. Generally speaking, most grammar resources will only allow the use of typographical symbols under very specific circumstances and will otherwise advise a writer to avoid using them. Types of punctuation and symbolsThere are many different types of punctuation marks and typographical symbols. We’ll briefly touch on them now, but you can learn more about of these characters by checking out the links in this list and also each section below: Period, question mark, and exclamation pointThese three commonly used punctuation marks are used for the same reason: to end an independent thought. Period (.)A period is used to end a declarative sentence. A period indicates that a sentence is finished. Unique to them, periods are also often used in abbreviations.
Question mark (?)The question mark is used to end a question, also known as an interrogative sentence. Exclamation point (!)The exclamation point is used at the end of exclamations and interjections.
Comma, colon, and semicolonCommas, colons, and semicolons can all be used to connect sentences together. Comma (,)The comma is often the punctuation mark that gives writers the most problems. It has many different uses and often requires good knowledge of grammar to avoid making mistakes when using it. Some common uses of the comma include:
Try out this quiz on the Oxford comma! Colon (:)The colon is typically used to introduce additional information.
Like commas, colons can also connect clauses together.
Colons have a few other uses, too.
Semicolon (;)Like the comma and the colon, the semicolon is used to connect sentences together. The semicolon typically indicates that the second sentence is closely related to the one before it.
Hyphen and dashes (en dash and em dash)All three of these punctuation marks are often referred to as “dashes.” However, they are all used for entirely different reasons. Hyphen (-)The hyphen is used to form compound words.
En dash (–)The en dash is used to express ranges or is sometimes used in more complex compound words.
Em dash (—)The em dash is used to indicate a pause or interrupted speech.
Test your knowledge on the different dashes here. Parentheses, brackets, and bracesThese pairs of punctuation marks look similar, but they all have different uses. In general, the parentheses are much more commonly used than the others. Parentheses ()Typically, parentheses are used to add additional information.
Parentheses have a variety of other uses, too.
Square brackets []Typically, square brackets are used to clarify or add information to quotations.
Curly brackets {}Curly brackets, also known as braces, are rarely used punctuation marks that are used to group a set.
Angle brackets <>Angle brackets have no usage in formal writing and are rarely ever used even in informal writing. These characters have more uses in other fields, such as math or computing. Quotation marks and apostropheYou’ll find these punctuation marks hanging out at the top of a line of text. Quotation marks (“”)The most common use of quotation marks is to contain quotations.
Apostrophe (‘)The apostrophe is most often used to form possessives and contractions.
Slash and ellipsesThese are two punctuation marks you may not see too often, but they are still useful. Slash (/)The slash has several different uses. Here are some examples:
Ellipses (…)In formal writing, ellipses are used to indicate that words were removed from a quote.
In informal writing, ellipses are often used to indicate pauses or speech that trails off.
Typographical symbols rarely appear in formal writing. You are much more likely to see them used for a variety of reasons in informal writing. Asterisk (*)In formal writing, especially academic and scientific writing, the asterisk is used to indicate a footnote.
The asterisk may also be used to direct a reader toward a clarification or may be used to censor inappropriate words or phrases. Ampersand (&)The ampersand substitutes for the word and. Besides its use in the official names of things, the ampersand is typically avoided in formal writing.
Bullet Point (•)Bullet points are used to create lists. For example, For this recipe you will need:
Pound symbol (#)Informally, the pound symbol is typically used to mean number or is used in social media hashtags.
Tilde (~)Besides being used as an accent mark in Spanish and Portuguese words, the tilde is rarely used. Informally, a person may use it to mean “about” or “approximately.”
Backslash (\)The backslash is primarily used in computer programming and coding. It might be used online and in texting to draw emoticons, but it has no other common uses in writing. Be careful not to mix it up with the similar forward slash (/), which is a punctuation mark. At symbol (@)The at symbol substitutes for the word at in informal writing. In formal writing, it is used when writing email addresses.
Caret symbol (^)The caret symbol is used in proofreading, but may be used to indicate an exponent if a writer is unable to use superscript.
Pipe symbol (|)The pipe symbol is not used in writing. Instead, it has a variety of functions in the fields of math, physics, or computing. Punctuate perfectly with Grammar Coach™Not sure if you’re using the hyphen, en dash, or em dash correctly? Check your writing on Thesaurus.com’s Grammar Coach™. This writing tool uses machine learning technology uniquely designed to catch grammar and spelling errors. Its Synonym Swap will find the best nouns, adjectives, and more to help say what you really mean, guiding you toward clearer, stronger, writing. Whether you’re using commas, apostrophes, or parentheses, start writing smarter today! |
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