Punctuation
Capital letter: ABC
1. Start of a sentence
2. Proper nouns and proper adjectives
3. Main words in titles
4. First word in direct speech
Full stop: .
1. At the end of a sentence
2. After certain abbreviations
Comma: ,
1. Separate words in a list
2. Indicates where one phrase or clause ends and another begins
3. Adds additional information (same role as brackets)
4. Before and after “,however,” and “,nevertheless,”
5. Separates introductory words or phrases from the rest of the sentence
6. Comma splice error = using a comma between two main clauses
Semi colon: ;
1. A long pause that balances two equally relevant ideas
2. Indicates opposite ideas.
3. Joins two main clauses where there is no conjunction
4. Often replaced by a full stop or by the conjunction and, but, so, for and although
Colon: :
1. Indicates that a list, an explanation or an idea is following
2. Introduces a quotation
3. In dialogues or script writing, it follows the name of the speaker.
Question mark: ?
1. Occur at the end of a question
2. At the end of a rhetorical question
Exclamation mark: !
1. Follow exclamations or interjections
2. Used to accentuate and strengthen the tone of a statement
3. After sentences, phrases or words that contain emotions
Quotation mark: “ “ or ‘ ‘
1. Indicate direct speech
2. Used to quote someone else’s words
3. Single quotations were traditionally used to indicate titles, but now they are underlined
4. Used to excuse oneself for using slang or foreign words
5. Indicate a metaphoric usage
, Parentheses: ( )
1. An explanation, an aside or additional information
2. Often replaced by commons or dashes
Hyphen: -
1. Links prefixes to words
2. Links two words in order to form a compound word
3. Helps to differentiate meaning
4. Facilitated spelling and pronunciation (if a prefix ends in a vowel and the word joined begins
. with the same vowel)
5. Shows that words extend onto the next line
Dash: —
1. Separates part of a sentence and forces us to pause
2. Gives additional information (same role as brackets)
3. Separates a comment or afterthought form the rest of the sentence
4. Creates a dramatic pause, leading to a climax or an anti-climax
Bullets:
= modern communication (word processors, the internet and email) has resulted in the popular
use of this
1. Used to itemize points in a simple and visual manner
2. Avoids using letters or numbers
3. Uses partial sentences to save time and space
Note: punctuation is omitted as sentences are incomplete
Ellipses: ...
1. Indicates that a sentence is incomplete
2. Indicates that something has been omitted
(The meaning can usually be guessed or your own thought can be added)
Italics: abc
= Used to highlight and emphasis certain words or phrases such as titles and foreign words
(Very popular as it is easy with computer editing)
Capital letter: ABC
1. Start of a sentence
2. Proper nouns and proper adjectives
3. Main words in titles
4. First word in direct speech
Full stop: .
1. At the end of a sentence
2. After certain abbreviations
Comma: ,
1. Separate words in a list
2. Indicates where one phrase or clause ends and another begins
3. Adds additional information (same role as brackets)
4. Before and after “,however,” and “,nevertheless,”
5. Separates introductory words or phrases from the rest of the sentence
6. Comma splice error = using a comma between two main clauses
Semi colon: ;
1. A long pause that balances two equally relevant ideas
2. Indicates opposite ideas.
3. Joins two main clauses where there is no conjunction
4. Often replaced by a full stop or by the conjunction and, but, so, for and although
Colon: :
1. Indicates that a list, an explanation or an idea is following
2. Introduces a quotation
3. In dialogues or script writing, it follows the name of the speaker.
Question mark: ?
1. Occur at the end of a question
2. At the end of a rhetorical question
Exclamation mark: !
1. Follow exclamations or interjections
2. Used to accentuate and strengthen the tone of a statement
3. After sentences, phrases or words that contain emotions
Quotation mark: “ “ or ‘ ‘
1. Indicate direct speech
2. Used to quote someone else’s words
3. Single quotations were traditionally used to indicate titles, but now they are underlined
4. Used to excuse oneself for using slang or foreign words
5. Indicate a metaphoric usage
, Parentheses: ( )
1. An explanation, an aside or additional information
2. Often replaced by commons or dashes
Hyphen: -
1. Links prefixes to words
2. Links two words in order to form a compound word
3. Helps to differentiate meaning
4. Facilitated spelling and pronunciation (if a prefix ends in a vowel and the word joined begins
. with the same vowel)
5. Shows that words extend onto the next line
Dash: —
1. Separates part of a sentence and forces us to pause
2. Gives additional information (same role as brackets)
3. Separates a comment or afterthought form the rest of the sentence
4. Creates a dramatic pause, leading to a climax or an anti-climax
Bullets:
= modern communication (word processors, the internet and email) has resulted in the popular
use of this
1. Used to itemize points in a simple and visual manner
2. Avoids using letters or numbers
3. Uses partial sentences to save time and space
Note: punctuation is omitted as sentences are incomplete
Ellipses: ...
1. Indicates that a sentence is incomplete
2. Indicates that something has been omitted
(The meaning can usually be guessed or your own thought can be added)
Italics: abc
= Used to highlight and emphasis certain words or phrases such as titles and foreign words
(Very popular as it is easy with computer editing)
