This document provides information about various punctuation marks including their definitions and common uses. It discusses apostrophes, brackets, commas, colons, semicolons, dashes, hyphens, exclamation marks, and slashes. For each punctuation mark, it provides one or two examples to illustrate how they are used in sentences. The document is intended as a guide for properly using different types of punctuation.

1. PUNCTUATIONS
BOYS GROUP:
Nauman Khan (04)
Syed Ahsan Shahid (08)
Ibrahim Khan (16)
Hamad Khan (30)
Sikandar Shah (41)
GIRLS GROUP:
Farah Aziz (01)
Mushkbar Fatima (03)
Syeda Maham (13)
Sara Noor (18)
Kehkishan Masood (21)
CENTRE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY & MICROBIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR
PAKISTAN

2. INTRODUCTION
Definition
• The marks, such as full stop, comma, and brackets, used in writing to
separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meanings.
• The practice, action, or system of inserting points or other small marks into
texts, in order to aid interpretation; division of text into sentences, clauses,
etc., by means of such marks.
For Example:
• Woman, without her man, is nothing.
 Woman: without her, man is nothing.
• Eats shoots and leaves.
 Eats, shoots, and leaves.

3. SIGNS OF PUNCTUATIONS:

4. • Punctuation is one of the most important aspects of written English, and yet it is
one that is taken the most lightly. It is, in fact, this feature of writing that gives
meaning to the written words… much like pauses and changes in tones of the voice
when speaking. An error in punctuation can convey a completely different meaning
to the one that is intended.
For Example: Don’t stop.  Don’t, stop
Your book, John.  Your book, John?
IMPORTANCE OF PUNCTUATIONS:

5. • Using proper capitalization.
• Using end-of-sentence Punctuation marks.
• Using Commas.
• Using Colons and Semi-colons.
• Using Hyphens and Dashes.
• Using Apostrophes.
• Using Slashes.
How to use Punctuations correctly?

6. APOSTROPHE:
An Apostrophe is a punctuation mark and has many uses in English
Language.
RULES AND USES:
Possessive Apostrophe:
The apostrophe is used to indicate possession.
Basic Rule (Singular Nouns)
For most singular nouns the ending `s is added .
For Example:
the boy hat

7. • Acronyms and initialisms used as nouns ( CD ,
DVD ) use the `s rule.
For Example:
the TV`s remote
• If a singular noun ends witan an s-sound.
For Example:
Mrs. Jones` hat/ Mrs. Jones`s hat

8. BASIC RULE ( PLURAL NOUNS):
• When the noun is a plural, with an added s,no extra s is
added for the possessive , after the apostrophe.
For Example:
the neighbors' garden
• If the plural is not the one that is formed by adding s ,
an “s” is added for possessive after the apostrophe.
For Example:
children`s hats
women`s hairdresser

9. Basic rule ( Compound Nouns) :
Compound nouns have their singular possessives formed
with an apostrophe and an added s , in accordance to the
same rules as that for the singular and plural nouns.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Brother in law
Joint or separate possession:
For two nouns (or noun phrases) , joined by and , there are
several ways of expressing possession including:
FOR EXAMPLE:
 Jack and Jill's children
 Jack`s and Jill's children

10. APOSTROPHE SHOWING OMISSION
• It is used in contractions.
For Example:
can`t from cannot
haven’t from have not
• It is used in abbreviations.
For Example:
gov`t from government etc.

11. APOSTROPHE IN FORMING SOME PLURALS:
It is also used in forming some plurals.
For Example:
1000`s of years.
Find all the number 7`s.

12. BRACKETS:

13. BRACKETS:
A bracket is a tall punctuation mark usually used in a pair
to set a word or phrase aside from the rest of a sentence. Dates
and other numbers in a sentence are also in brackets.
Common bracket symbols:
{ } = braces/curly brackets
[ ] = square bracket
( ) = round bracket/parentheses
< >= angle brackets

14. BRACES { }
USES:
They are very rarely used in English and is commonly
used in mathematics, poetry or music.
For Example:
 Select your animal{goat , sheep , cow , buffalo} and follow
ANGLE BRACKET < > :
USES:
The bracket is used to enclosed highlighted materials.
In physical science, they are used to denote an average
overtime. They are also called chevrons.

15. SQUARE BRACKETS [ ] :
USES :
They are placed around extra information in a text ,
especially comments made by an editor. They are typically used
for editorial comments, corrections and clarifications or used to
add any quote in a sentence.
For Example:
• She drove 60 on the highway to town.
• She drove 60[miles per hour] on the highway to town.
• She [ Martha] is a great friend of us.

16. PARENTHESES ( ) :
USES:
The most commonly used bracket in English is the
parentheses. The information in the parentheses is not essential
to the meaning of original sentence. It gives an additional or
extra information.
For Example:
• Sam (the boy from the school) helped me with my homework.
• Mount Everest (in the Himalayas) is the highest mountain.

17. THE COMMA
 A punctuation mark , that is
used to separate words or
groups of words in a
sentence.
 The commas (,) tells the
reader to pause between
the words that it separates.
The commas are used according to
the following rules.

18. Rule No. 01
 Use commas to separate items in a series. Put a comma
after each item in the series except the last one.
A series is a list of three or more things.
For Example:
The man brought tomatoes, apples, and peaches to the party.
Books, magazines, newspapers, and CDs can be found in the
library.

19. Rule No. 02
Two short, related sentences can be made into one
sentence. Use a comma and the connecting word and, but,
or or.
For Example:
The oxen tried to pull the wagon. The cart was stuck in the mud.
 The oxen tried to pull the wagon, but the wagon was stuck in the
mud.

20. Rule No. 03
Use commas to set off words yes, not, and well when they
are at the beginning of a sentence.
For Example:
Yes, I can come to the party.
No, you do not need to bring a present.
Well, I might just bring some extra snacks.

21. Rule No. 04
Use a comma or commas to set off the names of people
who are spoken to directly.
For Example:
“Ahsan, come and lend me some help.”
“What would you like help with, Aslam?”
“What I need, Hamad, is some help with my math.”

22. Rule No. 05 Rule No. 06
Use a comma to
separate the month and
the day from the year.
For Example:
 January 3, 2006
 The United States became a
nation on July 4, 1776.
 Use a comma
between the names
of a city and a state.
For Example:
 Clackamas, Oregon
 Milwaukie, Oregon

23. Rule No. 07
Use a comma after the greeting and closing of a friendly letter.
For Example:
 Dear Uncle Ralph,
 Yours truly,
 Sincerely yours,
Mr. Smith
COMMA SAVE LIVES :P
Let’s eat Daddy
Let’s eat, Daddy

25. Colons (:)
The colon (:) is a mark of punctuation used after a
statement (usually an independent clause) that introduces a
quotation , an explanation , or a series.
USES:
To introduce a list .
For Example:
Please pick up these groceries: milk , bread , eggs and butter.
To introduce a Quotation.
For Example:
• President Franklin is famous for his statement : “The only thing we
have to fear is fear itself”.

26. Between independent clauses.
For Example:
 Leena told me a secret : its her birthday today.
 Between hours and minutes.
For Example:
 Jack needs to leave at 1 : 45.
 Between chapters and verses from Holy texts.
 We read a passage from Genesis 3:5

27. SEMI COLON ( ; )
Like commas , semi colons indicate an audible pause slightly longer
than a comma but short of a period full stop.
USES:
 To connect two independent clauses.
 Don’t use it with conjunctions.
 Use a semi colon as a super comma.
 The main task of the semi colon is to mark a break that is stronger than
a comma but not as final as a full stop.

28. For Example:
The ice cream truck man drove by my house today; he had
hairy knuckles.
I travelled to Washington; Tokyo; Japan and London.
Pause
Comma ( brief pause)
Semicolon ( moderate pause)
Period (complete stop)

29. DASH: ( — )
Definiton:
• Dash is a short version of line that is used as a punctuation in sentences which is
used in pairs or also used singly.
For Example:
• This is the end of our sentence — or so we thought.
Uses:
• They are used to indicate an interruption.
 For Example:
• The English student began to say, “ A noun is a word that — ” when his cell phone rang.
• They can also be used as substitute for “it is” , “they are” or similar expressions.
 For Example:
• There was only one person suited to the job — Mr. Lee.
• They can also be used as substitute for parenthesis.
 For Example:
• Mr. Lee is suited to the job — he has more experience than the others.
• Dashes are double the size of hyphens.

30. HYPHENS:
Definition:
• Hyphen is a shorter mark that joins two or more words together, to
get additional meaning or to create new words.
 For Example:
Aliya is his ex-girlfriend.
Uses:
• They are used to break up a whole word that would not fit into the
spaces.
 For example:
• part-time , well-known.

31. Uses:
• They are used to denote prefixes and suffixes.
 For Example:
• Sarah is his ex-girlfriend.
• For writing numbers as words.
 For Example:
• He lived to be one hundred twenty-one.
• They are used when two modifiers together modify another
word.
 For Example:
• The up-to-date newspaper reporters were quick to jump on the latest
scandal
• They are used when a word breaks b/w two lines.
 For Example: No matter what he tried, he just couldn't get the novel's elec-
trifying surprise ending out of his head.

32. EXCLAMATION MARK:
Definition:
A mark Used specially after an interjection or exclamation to
indicate forceful utterance or strong feelings.
Uses:
 They are commonly used after interjection ( words or phrases that are
used to exclaim, command or protest ). Interrogatories include words.
 For Example:
• Yes! We did it.
• Wow! It’s a beautiful car.
• Oh! That’s Right, I did.

33. SLASHES:
DEFINITION:
• That usually indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or
whole section from a text without altering its original meaning but on
other hand its also used for division sign.
For Example:
• Each guest must present his or her ticket prior to entry.
 Each guest must present his/her ticket prior to entry.
• Please proofread or rewrite the story before tomorrow.
 Please proofread/rewrite the story before tomorrow.

34. USES of SLASH Symbol:
In Mathematics:
• Its also uses in mathematics which show us about division.
 For Example: 2500/500 = 5.
In English Hand Writing:
The slash sometimes serves as shorthand for or
 For Example :
• Each child will take his or her science project home tonight.
 Each child will take his/her science project home tonight.
In Webpage Designing:
• Its also used in web links which show about that concern page.
• The slash is used in a similar fashion, in internet URLs.
For Example: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_(punctuation)).

35. FULL STOP(Period):
DEFINITION:
• The full stop is punctuation mark placed at the end of sentence.
• The main function of full stops, or periods, is to mark the end of a
sentence.
 FOR EXAMPLE:
My name is Nauman Khan.

36. Uses of Full Stop.
Ending sentence:
• Full stops are used to indicate the end of sentences which are not
questions or exclamations.
Full stops after initials:
• It is usual to use full stops after initials.
 For Example: A. A. Milne, George W. Bush. M.A. Jinnah
Abbreviations:
• A full stop is used after some abbreviations
• For Example: "My name is Gabriel Gama, Jr."

37. Abbreviations and personal titles of
address:
• According to the Oxford A–Z of Grammar and Punctuation,
"If the abbreviation includes both the first and last letter of the
abbreviated word, as in 'Mister' [" Mr "] and 'Doctor' [" Dr "], a full stop is
not used.
Acronyms and Initialisms: Full stops are somewhat more often
placed after each initial in American English
For Example: (U.S. and U.S.S.R.)
• if an acronym or abbreviation occurs at the end of a sentence, do not
use two periods.
For Example: He was thinking about moving to the U.S.

38. Mathematics:
• In countries that use the comma as a decimal separator, the full stop is
sometimes found as a multiplication sign.
 For Example: 5,2 . 2 = 10,4
• This notation is also seen when multiplying units in science;
For example: 50 km/h could be written as 50 km·h−1.
• However, in all countries the full stop is used to indicate a dot product,
i.e. the scalar product of two vectors.
Computing: In computing the full stop is often used as a dot.
Document.text

39. Parenthesis (Brackets):
• Full stops can also cause causes problems when Parenthesis are
used; if an entire, independent sentence is enclosed in
parentheses, a full stop goes outside the parentheses.
 For Example:
• Amy decided to have a dinner party with several friends (she
wasn't sure who).

40. THE QUESTION MARK

41. THE QUESTION MARK
The question mark is basically used at the end of
sentences or phrases in which we are trying to get
information i.e. interrogative sentences.
Uses:
• At the end of “wh” and “how” interrogative
sentences.
For example:
• Who is your teacher ?
• How was your trip?
• Why did you stop here?

42. • At the end of sentence starts with forms of words “do” and “be”.
 For Example:
• Does he likes apple?
• Do you know her name?
• Are you there?
• To change statement into a question.
For Examples:
• See you there at 8:00 tonight?
• You promise to call me everyday?

43. • At the end of tag questions.
For Example:
• You speak English, don't you?
• Lisa is not here, is she?
• The dog is brown ,right?
• Use after rhetorical questions.
For Example:
• Who cares?
• Are you kidding me?

44. • Use after each question in a series.
For Examples:
 Do you want to eat pizza and chicken burger?
 Do you want to eat pizza, chicken or burger?
No use of question mark:
After indirect questions.
For Examples:
• Incorrect: I asked her to pay the bill?
Correct : I asked her to pay the bill.
• Incorrect: He asked me what was my name?
Correct :He asked me what was my name.

45. QUOTATION MARKS

46. QUOTATION MARKS:
A quotation mark looks like two apostrophes together and is always
written in pairs (like this “ ” ) . The quotation mark is used in written
language to quote exact words from spoken or written language . It is als
called speech marks or inverted commas.
RULES:
• Quotation marks are always used in pairs.
If you open a quotation you have to close it.
For Example:
“I am studying to become a doctor” , he said.

47. • The placement of question marks and exclamation points with quotation marks follow
logic.
• If the punctuation mark belongs to the title or quote, then it goes inside.
• If the punctuation mark does not belong to the title or quote it goes outside.
 For Example:
• He said: “Do you want to stay ?”
• Semi-colons and colons always grows outside the quotation marks
 For Example:
• The following fruits are called “ Tropical”: Bananas , Coconuts and Pineapples.
 USES:
• To quote exact words from spoken or written language.
 For Example:
• She said, “Come home”.
• “This is a new car” , Ali said.

48.  To show titles. The title can be of short stories, poems,
articles, chapters etc.
For Example:
• Did you read the article “ Building vocabulary ” ?
• “The Tempest” , is a play by William Shakespeare.
• It is used to highlight something in a passage or
conversation.
For Example:
• Bread , shelter and clothing are the fundamental rights
every human but “ Education is foremost ”

49. • They are used around words actually spoken.
For Example:
 “Hello”, she said.
• They are used to show that you are using someone else words.
For Example:
 Brown ( 2009 ) says, “This indicates that the data should not be trusted.”

50. • Semicolons and colons always goes outside the quotation
marks.
For Example:
 The following fruits are called “tropical” : bananas, coconuts
and pineapples.
• Capitalize the first letter of a quote if the quote is a complete
sentence.
For Example:
• She asked Ali, “ Who is the president of America?”