The document provides a detailed guide on punctuation usage, including commas, semicolons, colons, quotation marks, parentheses, and dashes. It illustrates rules with examples, emphasizing their importance in writing for clarity and emphasis. Overall, it serves as a resource for improving grammar and punctuation skills.

1. How to Check Text for
Punctuation:
Top Grammar Rules

2. When we are talking, we
usually pause or make our
voices different in order to
emphasize something. In
case of writing, punctuations
marks help us to put the
emphasis. However, not
everyone is using them
correctly. Check these out:
• Woman, without her man,
is nothing.
• Woman! Without her, man
is nothing.

3. Comma
Comma is used to join
two complete sentences
together usually with and,
but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
Simple examples:
• Grace knew grammar rules,
and she wrote an accurate
essay.
• Grace knew grammar rules,
but didn’t use commas
correctly in her essay.

4. Comma
Comma is also used with an
introductory word group before the
main sentence.
• Although I am not a vegetarian, I totally get
why lots of people don’t eat meat.
When we have a list of 3 or more
items, we use comma between them
as well.
• I’ve had a delicious French breakfast a
consisted of croissant with jam, tartine,
orange juice and coffee.

5. Comma
There are 2 word groups: restrictive and
nonrestrictive. We use comma with the
second group which adds some
information to the main sentence.
• Nonrestrictive: My sister, whom I’ve missed so
much, is an amazing doctor.
• Restrictive: That laptop that I want is way
outside my price range.

6. Comma
We use a comma with introductory words such
as “however”, “besides”, “to sum up”, “what is
more”, “for example”, etc.
• I ate my supper in the restaurant; however, I
didn’t enjoy it as my chicken was overcooked.
We also use comma when we compare word
groups that contradict.
• Unlike men, women tend to express their
emotions more often.

7. Comma
If there are names of people to whom we
address, words “yes” and “no”, mild interjections
(well, alright, hi, goodbye, please, goodness,
cheers, etc), question tags in the sentence, we
use comma as well.
• Grace, how are you feeling today?
• Yes, I’m sure that you’ve got a fever.
• Alright, I’m going to the drug store right now.
• Calm down. You’re going to be just fine, aren’t you?

8. Comma
In direct quotations we use comma as well.
• Mr. Smith said, “I’m going to fire everyone who will
use Facebook during work hours”.
Dates, titles (such as Ph.D., D.D.S., etc.) and
addresses also need a comma.
• On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump became
the 45th President of the United States.
• John Trevor, D.D.S., cured my tooth decay
amazingly and really fast.

9. Semicolon
• What does a semicolon mean in
grammar? Check by yourself:
read your sentences aloud and
define where you’ll pause
naturally and where a much
longer pause but not a full stop
will be needed. In the first case,
you have to put a comma; in the
second one, a semi-colon is
exactly what you need.
• Make sure that those sentences

10. Semicolon
Semicolon is used to join in one
sentence two or even more closely
connected ideas that have equal
position or rank.
• I have to finish my diploma paper; I can’t go
out tonight.

11. Semicolon
Semicolon is like a signal to the
reader that that information in
both sentences is connected and
that’s why they should be taken
together.
• I was planning to go to Paris after
graduating; however, I had to cancel
it because of health problems.

12. Semicolon
Semicolon is also used
betweeQn two parts that are
combined together by
conjunctive adverbs and
transitional phrases.
• My sister had to prepare a dinner
for a huge company; in the
meantime, her husband was
watching TV and even didn’t offer
a help.

13. Put a semicolon between 2
sentences that already have
commas in order to prevent
confusion.
• There are two ways to avoid a conflict: listen
silently and give dispassionate comments,
which is very effective; or continue arguing
till your opponent will give up, which is
ineffective at all.
If you are not sure whether to
put a comma or a semi-colon,

14. Colon
Colon is usually used when we need
to explain something or present a
list of items.
• This book reminded me my childhood: both were
so happy, engaging and remarkable.
• My teacher is so well-educated and knows lots of
languages: French, German, Chinese, Russian,
Italian, Arabic and Hindi!

15. Quotation Marks
We use quotation marks with
direct quotations, titles of
newspaper and magazine
articles, songs, chapters in
books, etc.
• The song “What a Wonderful World” is
on top of the list of all-time favourite
songs according to The Telegraph.

16. Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are also
needed when we try to pay
the reader’s attention to
particular words.
• The French word
“pamplemousse” sounds so
beautifully, don’t you think?

17. Parentheses
We use parentheses to distinguish
not important information (for
example, dates, sources, clarifying
info) from a sentence.
• Grace (25-year old) still is living with her
parents.

18. Dash
Dash is usually used to emphasize
some point; it relates groups of
words and separates them from the
whole sentence. Dash is put in the
middle or at the end of a sentence.
• My plans for the vacation – swimming, laying
on the beach, dancing in the club in the
evening - have been ruined by my fever.

19. • Still have troubles with
punctuation? Read this Google
book and fond out more
grammar rules!

20. Do you want more?
Check
www.semicolonchecker.com
right now!