The presentation shows where, why and how we use punctuation marks in written English. Here I show the descriptions and examples of some of the English punctuation marks. Enjoy!

1. Use of

4. FULL STOP
 At the END OF A SENTENCE.
 Full stop has very big muscles and it is very strong.
 With certain ABBREVIATIONS.
 Govt.
 Nov.
 p. 100

6. QUESTION MARK
 At the end of a QUESTION.
 Are you enjoying my presentation?

8. QUOTATION MARKS
 To EMPHASISE A WORD.
 The word “factory” was first used in the seventeenth century.
 To give QUOTATIONS FROM WRITERS.
 Albert Einstein said, ”You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”
 To SHOW THE DIRECT SPEECH.
 “what is your name?” asked the teacher.

10. APOSTROPHE
One of the most CONFUSING features of English punctuation!
 To show CONTRUCTIONS.
 He’s the leading authority on Hegel.
 I’m here to tell you something.
 With POSSESSIVES.
 The professor’s secretary (singular)
 Students’ marks (plural)
 Women’s rights (for irregular plurals)

12. COMMA
One of the COMMONEST punctuation marks, but also the HARDEST to provide
guidance for!
 After INTRODUCTORY WORDS OR PHRASES.
 However, most cases should be considered before reaching a conclusion.
 Around EXAMPLES OR COMMENTS.
 Nationalism, it is widely recognized, has a positive and negative side.
 With CONJUNCTIONS.
 Three hundred people were interviewed, but only half the responses could be used.
 In LISTS.
 Tomatoes, beans, cabbages and potatoes were all genetically modified in turn.

14. HYPHEN
 Used with certain words, such as COMPOUND NOUNS, and certain structures.
 A well-researched, thought-providing book.
 Her three-year-old daughter is learning to read.

16. EXCLAMATION MARK
 Used after a INTERJECTION OR EXCLAMATION.
 “Well!” he shouted, “who would believe it?”

18. COLON
 To introduce EXPLANATION.
 The meeting was postponed : Dean was ill.
 To START A LIST.
 There aspects were identified : financial , social and ethical.
 To INTRODUCE A QUOTATON.
 As the Duchess of Windsor said : “You can never be too rich or too thin.”

19. “A COMMA would be
too weak and A FULL
STOP would be too
strong!”

20. SEMICOLON
 Used to show THE LINK BETWEEN TWO CONNECTED PHRASES.
 Nobody questioned the results ; they were quite conclusive.
 Used to divide up items in a list WHEN THEY HAVE A COMPLEX STRUCTURE, AS IN A MULTIPLE
CITATION.
 ( Maitland, 2006 ; Rosener, 1997 ; New Scientist, 2006 ; University of Michigan, 2000 ).

22. BRACKETS
 Used to give ADDITIONAL DETAIL, WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH THE FLOW OF MAIN IDEA.
 Relatively few people ( 10-15 percent ) were literate in sixteenth-century Russia.

23. THANK YOU!

24. TALAL TAKI
Department of Linguistics
University of Dhaka