ENGL+ FUNDAMENTALS OF GRAMMAR

Topic PUNCTUATION MARKS

Objective After reading this, you will be able to identify easily punctuation mark errors
in a sentence.
Discussion
PUNCTUATION MARKS

PERIOD (.)
1. Use a period at the end of a declarative sentence.
e.g. I know him well.
Jim and Jill went to the market.
2. If the last item in the sentence is an abbreviation that ends in a period, do not
follow it with another period.
e.g. This is Robert James, M.D. x This is Robert James, M.D..
The summer camp offers many outdoor activities for kids such as fishing,
hiking, canoeing, etc.
3. Do not use a period (.) after a quotation mark that is preceded by another
terminating mark, such as a period (.) or a question mark (?).
e.g. The lecturer asked, “How determined are you?”
X The lecturer asked, “How determined are you?”.
4. Question marks and exclamation points replace or eliminate period at the end
of a sentence.

COMMA (,)
1. to separate word groups in a series of three or more items
e.g. My favorite snacks are pasta, burger, and fries.
2. to separate two independent clauses joined by a connector (conjunction)
e.g. She didn’t like her work, and her distaste was obvious.
3. after certain words that introduce a sentence, such as well, yes, why, hello, hey,
etc.
e.g. No, you can’t have a single centavo.
4. to set off expressions that interrupt the sentence flow (nevertheless, after all,
by the way, on the other hand, however, etc.)
e.g. I am, by the way, nervous about tomorrow’s event.
5. when starting a sentence with a dependent clause
e.g.If you really want to pass this exam, you have to review well.
6. to set off non-essential words or phrases/ appositives
e.g. Jerome, my brother, is going to graduate this year.
Note: a semicolon (;) may be used between independent clauses joined by a
connector (and, but, or, nor, etc.) when one or more commas appear in the first
clause.
 e.g. When I finish here, I’ll be glad to help you; and that is a promise I will keep.

SEMI-COLON (;)

to separate items in a series (where commas are already in use)

e.g. Relatives at the reunion included my older brother, John; my aunt, Mari;
and my cousins, Melisa and Richie.

COLON (:)
1. to introduce a series of items
e.g. I want the following: burger, pasta, and fries.
2. to separate two independent clauses when the second clause explains,
illustrates, paraphrases, or expands on the first sentence
e.g. He got what he worked for: he really earned that promotion.
3. to follow the salutation in a business letter
e.g. Dear Mr. Brand:

QUOTATION MARKS (“…”)

1. to set off a direct quotation (double quotation marks)
e.g. He said,“When will you visit me?”
2. Use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
e.g. He said, “George cried,’Do not treat me this way.’ ”
3. with technical terms, terms used in an unusual way, or other expressions that
vary from standard usage
e.g. I did some “experimenting” in my college days.

APOSTROPHE (‘)
1. contractions
e.g. I have I’ve He is He’s
2. possessive case
e.g. Jacob’s answer Sara’s dog
3. plural for lowercase letters, numbers, etc.
e.g. All the p’s
References De' A Morelli, R. (2017). Quick and Easy English Punctuation. Spektrum Ink.

Newbold, C. (2017, March 12). The 15 Punctuation Marks in Order of Difficulty. The
Visual Communication Guy.
https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/06/05/the-15-punctuation-mar
ks-in-order-of-difficulty/.

Punctuation Marks: EnchantedLearning.com.

https://www.enchantedlearning.com/grammar/punctuation/.

Sarah Scott is the Digital Marketing Manager for Walsworth. She enjoys studying the
ways print and digital mediums can be used to support each other. Sarah holds
a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Truman State Universi. (2018,
August 31). 10 Common Punctuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.
Walsworth.
https://www.walsworth.com/blog/10-common-punctuation-mistakes-avoid.

staff, Y. D. What Are the 14 Punctuation Marks in English Grammar? English

Grammar Rules & Usage.
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/punctuation/what/fourteen-punctuation
-marks.html.

Straus, J., Kaufman, L., & Stern, T. (2014). The Bluebook of grammar and punctuation.
Jossey-Bass.