Punctuation Mark is Important in writing

1. Punctuation Mark is Important in
writing
Name :- Kishan Jadav
Semester :- 4
Class :- M.A Part 2
Paper 209: Research Methodology
RollNo :-10
Email Id :- jadavkishan55555@gmail.com
Submitted :- SMT S.B.Gardi Department
of English MKBU

2. Table Content
1. What is punctuation?
2. The Basic Rules of Punctuation
3. End Punctuation: Periods, Question Marks, and
Exclamation Points
4. Commas
5. Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes
6. Apostrophes
7. Quotation Marks
8. Conclusion
9. Works Citation

3. What is punctuation?
The English language has a system of symbols and signs
known as 'punctuation'.
Punctuation is the set of marks used to regulate texts and
clarify their meanings, mainly by separating or linking
words, phrases, and clauses. The word comes from the Latin
word punctuare meaning "making a point." (Richard)
Why do we need punctuation?
Punctuation shows us how to structure sentences and
how each sentence should be read.

4. The Basic Rules of Punctuation
Like many of the so-called "laws" of grammar, the rules for using
punctuation would never hold up in court. These rules, in fact, are
conventions that have changed over the centuries. They vary across
national boundaries and even from one writer to the next.
Understanding the principles behind the common marks of
punctuation should strengthen your understanding of grammar and
help you to use the marks consistently in your own writing.
"Punctuation has the primary responsibility of contributing to the
plainness of one's meaning. It has the secondary responsibility of
being as invisible as possible, of not calling attention to
itself."(Richard)

5. Question mark :
Indicates the end of a question.
Ex.
"How are you?".
"How long is the bus journey to
London from Cambridge?".

6. Exclamation mark :
Marks the end of a dramatic
statement or sentence.
Ex.
Stop!
Don't run into the road!

7. Periods (Full stop) Marks :
the end of a sentence.
Ex.
Chloe went to the shop. She bought some
sweets.

8. Comma :
Indicates a natural pause in a sentence
or is used to separate items in a list.
Ex
Stacey went to her friend Amy's house,
she loves to go there.
Adam bought apples, bananas, pears
and grapes from the market.

9. Semicolons
English author Beryl Bainbridge described the
semicolon as "a different way of pausing, without
using a full stop." Semicolons still appear fairly often
in academic writing; however, they have fallen out of
fashion in less formal kinds of prose — as Associated
Press editor Rene Cappon advises, "you would do well
to keep semicolons at a minimum.”
That said, semicolons can also be used to separate
items in a series containingcommas to distinguish
each item from the next group of items. (Lisa)

10. A colon should follow an independent clause. If the text before the colon is
not able to stand alone as a complete sentence, it is incorrect to use a
colon.
If you want to draw special attention to something, you can use a colon
between the two independent clauses. The independent clause that
follows the colon should illustrate the text before the colon. The desire to
write a book is not enough: it takes dedication, determination, and time.
A colon can be used in a ratio.
A colon is used to introduce a list.
A colon can be used to introduce a quotation, dialogue, or excerpt.
A colon can be used after a greeting.
A colon can be used in a ratio.
A colons are used in many types of numeric terms.(Lisa)

11. Hyphen :
Used to join words or to separate
syllables in a word.
Example :
She is very self-confident.
Her son is going to be four-years-old.

12. En dash :
Indicates a period of time, range of numbers
or a distance.
Example :
She lived in London from 1999-2005.
The numbers range from 1-20. The flight from
Dubai-UK is very long.

13. Em dash :
Long dash that can be used instead of a comma,
colon or brackets. This adds emphasis or enhances
readability.
Example
I can't wait to see Amy-my best friend -on Sunday.
My parents are visiting tomorrow-I have missed
them so much.

14. Ellipsis points :
Indicates omitted words or to add effect to a
sentence.
She walked into the shop...then walked straight back
out. → omitted words.
"Sorry..I forgot my homework" said Adam. → pause
for effect.

15. The apostrophe is used to show that a letter is
'missing'. This is most common in
contractions: I'm, he's, we'll, don't, can't,
won't and o'clock (of the clock) etc.
The apostrophe is used to show possessions.
Here are the ways this is used:
We use an apostrophe only to show that there
are missing letters or to show possession. We
do not add an apostrophe to verbs or to
plural words when there is no possession. In
many cases we use an apostrophe for people
and animals. (Chris)

16. Quotation marks :
Indicates direct speech.
Ex.
love to read a book" said
Stacey.
"What did you do yesterday?"
asked Lucy.

17. Parentheses (Round brackets) :
Separates extra information from the rest of the sentence
or add emphasis. Commas can replace them without
changing the sentence.
Example :
On the weekends I visit James (my best friend).
Yesterday (Friday) was the last day of school.

18. Square brackets :
Used by the editor to indicate extra
information. [ ]
Example :
The book states that "When climbing it
[mountain], it is important to be very safe".

19. Slash :
Forward slash is used to indicate the
word 'OR' and can be used to separate
the day, month and year.
Example :
Please explain to the lawyer when
he/she arrives.
The date today is 01/02/2017.

20. Conclusion :
The use of punctuation marks is very important for writing any
paragraph because if any mistake is made in it then the meaning
of the sentence becomes meaningless. So by understanding the
rules of each punctuation mark and applying it correctly in the
same place where it needs to be applied, the writing becomes
nice and meaningful. We can see it through the example below.
Panda eats, shoots & leaves.
Panda eats shoots & leaves.

21. Works Citation :
Chris, McCarthy. "Punctuation – the apostrophe (‘)."
Ecenglish (2013): 0.
Lisa. "The Classy Colon & the Sassy Semicolon."
Lisaswritopia (2015): 0.
Richard, Nordquist. "An Introduction to Punctuation."
thoughtco (2020): 0.