2. Importance of Punctuation
Punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. Improving punctuation helps the reader
understand you and makes the meaning clear.
Punctuation includes such marks as commas, quote marks, question mark, used in writing to
separate sentences and their elements to clarify meaning
Punctuation is essential for the following reasons:
Punctuation separates sentences.
Punctuation shows us when to pause.
Punctuation shows us where to place emphasis.
Punctuation clarifies the meaning of the sentence.
Ambiguous, unpunctuated sentences can change the meaning and confuse the reader.
Consider the following sentence without punctuation.
“My 10 Million dollar estate is to be split among my husband daughter son and nephew.”
“My 10 Million dollar estate is to be split among my husband, daughter, son, and nephew.”
“Let’s eat grandma!”
“Let’s eat, grandma!”
3. Important Punctuation Rules
Spacing ( )
Use one space after punctuation. Do not put a space before or after a hyphenated word.
Co-operate
Periods (.)
If the last word in a sentence ends in a period, do not follow it with another period. For
example, We are going home, Dr.
Use a period after an indirect question. For example, She asked where her keys are.
Ellipse Marks (…)
Ellipses are used for shortening a quote. Use three dots when omissions occur. For
example, “Four score and seven years ago…”
Commas (,)
Use commas to separate words and word groups with a series of three or more. For example,
“Can you get eggs, bread, and beans from the supermarket?”
Use a comma to separate two adjectives when you do not use and. For example, “She is a fit,
healthy young woman.”
Use a comma around a person being directly identified. For example, “I am talking to you,
Anne, put out the trash.”
I like going to Ambala, my uncle’s place, for holidays.
I like going to Ambala for holidays. My uncle’s place is in Ambala.
4. Important Punctuation Rules
Semicolons (;)
Semicolons are a comma with a full stop above. It is stronger than a comma.
Use a semicolon to separate two strong clauses in a sentence. For example, “Call me
tomorrow; I will fill you in on the details.”
Colons (:)
A Colon finishes a clause while continuing the sentence with a list.
Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list when introductory words
such as for example, do not appear. For example, “You are required to bring the
following items: pen, paper, ruler and protractor.”
A colon should not precede a list unless the list contains a complete sentence.
Use a colon instead of a semicolon between two strong clauses when the second clause
explains the first clause. For example,
“Release the pressure valve: the pressure valve releases the steam into the main radiator.”
Use a colon to introduce a long quote.
Vikram Seth in his novel The Suitable Boy said:
“_-----------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------”
5. Important Punctuation Rules
Question marks (?)
Only use a question mark after a direct question. Do not use a question mark for an
indirect question. Examples are:
Are you listening to me?
I asked if she was listening to me.
Exclamation mark (!)
Only use exclamation points to show surprise or emphasis. Do not use exclamation
points in formal or business writing. Example, Hurray! We won the tournament.
Quotation Marks (“”)
Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks at the end of a quotation. For
example, Ram said, “Do you want to go to the beach?”
Ram said, “I am going to school.”
If a sentence is a question including a quote, the question mark goes outside the
quotation marks. For example, Do you agree with the saying “All is fair in love
and war”?
6. Important Punctuation Rules
Apostrophes (’)
Use an apostrophe with contractions at the place of the omission. For example, don’t, isn’t,
wasn’t, weren’t,
Use an apostrophe to show possession. For example, the girl’s hat. Girls’ hats. King Jones’s castle
When showing plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then follow with an apostrophe — for
example, The Princess’ hats.
When a title is used as a noun, then use the apostrophe after the title to show plural where the
apostrophe is needed to show possession. For example, I went to three M.D.s’ offices yesterday.
I have lent my C.D.s’ bag to Hari.
Hyphens (-)
It is not always clear when to use a hyphen to separate a compound noun. For example,
Eyewitness, eye shadow, eye-opener
Parentheses ()
Use parentheses to encapsulate words or figures that support a statement. Examples are:
I expect one hundred dollars ($100) to be paid into my account by Monday.
Carbon reacts with Hydrogen (refer to the chapter on Hydrocarbons).
Use full parentheses to enclose numbers or letters used for a list. For example,
Before using the hand-gun (1) Perform a safety check (2) Check the chamber for ammunition (3) Check the
safety switch is on.
