REPORTER

English
 bochins.paw

PU N C T U A T I O N
M A R KS
PUNCTUATION
MARKS
is the symbols that you use to divide written words
into sentences and clauses and to clarify meaning.
Example:

Jessica scanned the lines, none of which had

any punctuation.
 PUNCTUATION MARKS
1. Comma 2. Semicolon 3. Colon 4. Quotation
Mark

5. Apostrophes 6. Parentheses 7. Dashes 8. Hyphens

 Symbol
1. COMMA

Eight(8) Basic Uses

1. Use a comma to separate independent clauses
Rule: Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, yet, so, or nor, for) when
it joins two complete ideas (independent clauses).

Examples: He walked down the street, and then he turned the corner.
You can go shopping with me, or you can go to a movie alone.

2. Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase

A comma tells readers that the introductory clause or phrase has come to a close and that the main
part of the sentence is about to begin.

Example: When Evan was ready to iron, his cat tripped on the cord.
3. Use a comma between all items in a series
Rule: Use a comma to separate each item in a series; a series is a group of three or more
items having the same function and form in a sentence.
 Examples:
 We bought apples, peaches, and bananas today. (series of words)
 Mary promised that she would be a good girl, that she would not bite her brother, and
that she would not climb onto the television. (series of clauses)
 The instructor looked through his briefcase, through his desk, and around the office for
the lost grade book. (series of phrases)
4. Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses-
adds additional information to a sentence.
Rule: Use commas to enclose clauses not essential to the meaning of a sentence.
Both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses may begin with a relative pronoun (such as who, whom,
whose, that, which). A relative pronoun refers to the noun or pronoun that precedes it.
Examples: John, who spent the last three days fishing, is back on the job again. (nonrestrictive)
5. Use a comma to set off appositives
Rule: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames a nearby noun. Appositives
offer nonessential information. Nonrestrictive appositives are set off with commas;
restrictive appositives are not.
Examples:
Alexander Pope, the Restoration poet, is famous for his monologues. (appositive)
The poet Pope is famous for his monologues. (no appositive)
6. Use a comma to indicate direct address
Rule: 
When a speaker in a sentence names the person to whom he is speaking, this addressing of his audience is called
direct address. Direct address is indicated by the use of a comma or commas, depending upon its placement
within the sentence.

Examples:
 I think, John, you’re wrong.
 John, I think you’re wrong.
 I think you’re wrong, John.

7. Use commas to set off direct quotations

Rule:
 A dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. If the speaker (not the listener) in the
conversation is identified, his name, (or the noun or pronoun used to refer to the speaker), and the verb
that refers to his speaking are enclosed within commas.

Examples:
 Mary said, “I dislike concerts because the music is too loud.”
 “I dislike concerts because the music is too loud,” She said.
8. Use commas with dates, addresses, titles, and numbers
 Rules for dates: In dates, the year is set off from the rest of the sentence with a pair
of commas.
Example:
•On December 12, 1890, orders were sent out for the arrest of Sitting Bull.
 Rules for addresses: The elements of an address or place name are separated by
commas.
 A zip code, however, is not preceded by a comma.
Examples:
•John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England, in 1940.

 Rules for titles: If a title follows a name, separate the title from the rest of the
sentence with a pair of commas.
Example:
•Sandra Belinsky, MD, has been appointed to the board.
 Rules for numbers: In numbers more than four digits long, use commas to separate
the numbers into groups of three, starting from the right. In numbers four digits long,
a comma is optional.
 Examples:
•3,500 [or 3500]
•100,000
•6,000,000
 2. SEMICOLON
A semicolon is a punctuation mark that is most commonly used to join two related independent
clauses without using a coordinating conjunction or comma.

Three (3) Ways to Use a Semicolon

1. Use a semicolon to connect related independent clauses.

\

To connect two independent clauses that express related ideas, place the semicolon between
the first independent clause and the second independent clause—no conjunction necessary.

Example:
“I ordered another coffee; caffeine always puts me in a better mood.”
 
Call me tomorrow; you can give me an answer then.
 2. With a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase.
When you have a conjunctive adverb linking two independent clauses, you should use a semicolon.
Some common conjunctive adverbs include moreover, nevertheless, however, otherwise, therefore,
then, finally, likewise, and consequently.

Example:
"The employees were encouraged to eat their lunch in the break room; however,
John ate at his desk to catch up on some work."
\
3. Use semicolons to separate items in a list.
This comes in handy when the list items are lengthy or contain internal punctuation.

 To separate items in a list that contain commas.

Example:
"We traveled to New York, New York; Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; Venice, Italy; and
Berlin, Germany.
 3. COLON
 A colon is a punctuation mark that is used to divide a sentence.
Uses
1. A colon can be used to connect two independent sentences.
Typically, a colon is used when the second sentence clarifies or explains the first sentence.
Example:
Me and my sisters are really excited: We’re going to Disneyland!
2. Introducing additional information.
a. A list:
Example:
I need several things from the store: eggs, milk, and bread.
b. A noun or noun phrase.
Example:
The weapon to defeat the beast was something nobody expected: love.
c. A quote:
Example: My dad told me something I will never forget: “Pineapple on pizza is an abomination.”
 Other uses:
These uses are based more on formatting or style guides rather than grammar. Some
non-grammatical uses of colons include:
a. Time:
Example: We need to be at the hotel by 5:45 p.m.
b. Biblical passage:
Example: She quoted Ezekiel 6:5 in her speech.
c. Ratio:
Example: The odds of my horse winning are 10:1.

The Difference of Semi colon & colon

In general, the two sentences connected by a semicolon are less specifically related to each other
than those connected by a colon. The sentence following a semicolon may not describe or explain
the previous sentence.

Example:
Colon: Jeremy raised a very important question: who had invited us all to the spooky house?
Semicolon: Jeremy raised a very important question; it was a question nobody thought to ask.
 4. Quotation marks
 Quotation marks are used to emphasize titles of works such as books, poems,
 short stories, and articles.
Example:
The first poem in the book is called “Athena’s Birth.”
 Qoutation marks are usually work for a direct quotes and to quote the
words of another person. Example:
Direct quote: “I like the snow,” said Alice.

 So, the main rules about quotation marks are that if you open them, you need
to close them as well. Where the quote starts and where it ends should be
clear.
 Sometimes, the text inside quotation marks is capitalized, in other cases,
it's not. So if you’re quoting a complete sentence, you should start the quote with
a capital letter.
Example:
She used the following phrase: “My life is a miracle.”
 But, if you’re quoting a phrase or part of a sentence, you don't have
to start with a capital letter.
Example:
She considered them “rich and successful, like Hollywood stars.”

 Single quotation marks are also known as ‘quote marks’, ‘quotes’, ‘speech

marks’ or ‘inverted commas’.
 show direct speech and the quoted work of other writers
 enclose the title of certain works
 draw attention to a word you’re defining.

They look like this – ‘good day’ – and can be used instead of
parentheses for translations.
Example:
Her ‘good day’ was Bonjourno in reality.
 5. Apostrophe
Three uses
1) To Show Possession
a) To show possession by a singular noun, add ’s to the singular form of the word (even if it ends with the letter s.)
Example: the owner’s car.
Example: James’s hat.
b) Add ’s to the plural forms that do not end in s.
Example: the children’s game
c) Add ’s to the end of plural nouns that end in s.
Example: the houses’ roofs
Example: three friends’ letters
d) Add ’s to the last noun in a group to show joint possession of an object.
Example: Todd and Anne’s apartment
2) To Show Omission of Letters
In contractions, one or more letters (or numbers) have been omitted. The apostrophe shows this omission.
Contractions are common only in speaking and informal writing.
Examples: don’t = do not I’m = I am shouldn’t = should not didn’t = did not
 3) To Form Plurals of Letters, Numbers, and Symbols
Although apostrophes are usually not used to form plurals, they are inserted in the creation
of
the plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols.
a) Two A’s = two letters that happen to both be A.
Example: Nita got A’s on her Biology quizzes.
b) Six 5’s = six numbers that are each 5.
Example: There are six 5’s in my SSN.
c) Many &’s = Many ampersands
Example: That printed page has too many &’s on it.

Do Not Use Apostrophes for Possessive Pronouns or for Noun Plurals

His, her, my, yours, and ours are possessive pronouns.

Examples: Those are his shoes.

  are curved notations which are used to showcase thoughts or qualifying
remarks.
6. Parentheses  An important point about parentheses is that they can be replaced
by commas without changing the meaning—in most cases

When To Use Parentheses?

1. Use Parentheses To Add Extra Information
The most common way to use parentheses is to insert extra information in your sentence.
The sentence should still make sense without the extra information, but it clarifies your meaning.
Examples: She always brings her dog (the little one that barks at me) when she comes to visit.
Barry got a big promotion (senior vice-president).
2. Use Parentheses To Make A Side Comment
You can also put parentheses around a comment that reveals how the speaker really feels about something.
Example: I told the neighbor I’d watch his parrots (even though I really didn’t want to).
3. Use Parentheses To Add a Side Sentence
If a side comment isn’t enough space for you, you can finish your sentence and add a parenthetical statement
afterward. They’re not relevant enough to be their own sentences outside the parentheses, but interesting enough
to be included after the main sentence.
Example: Sure, I can meet you on Tuesday at 1 p.m. (I wonder if she’ll really show up this time.)
4. Use Parentheses To Define Acronyms
When you refer to something that commonly goes by an acronym or initialism, write it out fully and use parentheses
to show its shortened version. You only need to do this the first time it appears in your writing; you can just use the
acronym or initialism afterward.
Example: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has allocated funds to help people recover
from the disaster. A FEMA representative will visit soon.
5. Use Parentheses With Source Citations
In academic writing, you need to use parentheses for in-text citations. This should be done in a manner consistent
with the particular style guide required by your instructor or the scholarly journal or conference to which you plan to
submit your work.
Example: For long quotes, American Psychological Association (APA) style requires the
author’s name, the year and the page number (White, 2020, p. 45).
6. Use Parentheses With Numerals
When including the equivalent of a numbered list within a sentence, you are creating what is
referred to as a horizontal (across) list. With this type of numbered list, you should put
parentheses around each numeral.
Example: This recipe requires three ingredients: (1) cucumbers, (2) vinegar,
and (3) salt.
 7. Dashes
4 ways to use dashes
1. To set off material for emphasis.
dashes indicate that the reader should pay more attention to the material between the dashes.
A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence.
Example:
After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized it was time to finally revisit the
land of his youth—Ireland.
Example: “The Office”—a harmless television program or a dangerously subversive guide to
delinquency in the workplace
2. To indicate sentence introductions or conclusions.
You can sometimes use a dash to help readers see that certain words are meant as an introduction or
conclusion to your sentence.
Example: Books, paper, pencils—many students lacked even the simplest tools for
learning in nineteenth-century America.
Example: To improve their health, Americans should critically examine the foods that
they eat—fast food, fatty fried foods, junk food, and sugary snacks.
3. To mark “bonus phrases.”
Phrases that add information or clarify but are not necessary to the meaning of a sentence are
ordinarily set off with commas.

Better example with dashes:

Even the simplest tasks—washing, dressing, and going to work—were nearly impossible after I
broke my leg.

4. To break up dialogue.
In written dialogue, if a speaker suddenly or abruptly stops speaking, hesitates in speech, or is cut off
by another speaker, a dash can indicate the pause or interruption.

Example: Mimi began to explain herself, saying, “I was thinking—” “I don’t care what you
were thinking,” Rodolpho interrupted.
 8. Hyphens The hyphen (-) is a mark that joins words or parts of words and is
placed directly between letters and with no spaces.
This way we get a compound term.
Uses:
1. Use a hyphen at the end of a line to divide a word where there is not enough space for the whole word.
Follow the rules for dividing words correctly.
Divide a word between syllables.
Never divide a one-syllable word.
Examples:
Correct: For effective proofreading, certain strategies are recom- mended.
Incorrect: After taking the workshop on proofreading, it really se- ems that I am better at editing my own
papers.
2. Use a hyphen to indicate a word spelled out letter by letter.
Example: The correct way to spell that word in English is h-e-l-l-o.
3. Use a hyphen to join two or more words to form compound adjectives that precede a noun.
Example: He was proud of his well-stocked cupboards.
4. Use a hyphen to avoid awkward doubling of vowels.
Examples: semi-independence without a hyphen would be written semiindependence
re-elect without a hyphen would be written reelect
5. Use a hyphen to prevent misreading of certain words
Examples: Re-creation means to create again; without a hyphen, the word recreation has a
different meaning.
Co-respondent without the hyphen could be confused with correspondent.
6. Use a hyphen to join a prefix to a capitalized word.
Examples: un-American, pre-Christmas

7. Always use a hyphen with the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-, and with the suffix -elect.
Example: all-inclusive, ex-president, self-righteous, governor-elect

8. Use a hyphen with all compound numbers between twenty-one through ninety-nine, and when
writing fractions as words.
Example: fifty-six, two-thirds

9. Use a hyphen to indicate stammering or sobbing.

Example: "I d-d-didn't m-mean it."
 Exercises
(1-10)
Direction: choose the one correct punctuation mark for the part in the sentence which is
highlighted by ". . . ".
1. The rich man was a self...made man.
A. No punctuation mark
B. ' an apostrophe
C. - a hyphen
The rich man was a self-made man.
2. I found Claire...s jacket on the chair.
A. - a hyphen
B. , a comma
C. ' an apostrophe
I found Claire’s jacket on the chair.
3. Jim lives in Australia... his brother lives in England.
A. - a hyphen
B. ; semi-colon
C. : colon
Jim lives in Australia; his brother lives in England.
 Exercises
4. ...I haven't seen Carol today,... said Tom

A. () brackets
B. " " Quotation marks
C. , commas
“I haven't seen Carol today,” said Tom

5. The children were told to bring the following items... a pen, a pencil, a ruler...
and an exercise book.

A. , a comma
B. ; a semi-colon
C. : a colon

The children were told to bring the following items: a pen, a pencil, a ruler: and
an exercise book.
 Exercises

6. Which CANNOT come at the end of a sentence?

A. a period
B. a colon
C. an exclamation mark

7. You must put a space ____ every comma in a sentence.

A. before
B. around
C. after

8. Quotation marks are put _____ the words being quoted.

A. Before
B. after
C. before and after
 Exercises

9. Which of the following is correct?

A. Harvey is a good driver, moreover, he is a very friendly one.
B. Harvey is a good driver. Moreover he is a very friendly one.
C. Harvey is a good driver; moreover, he is a very friendly one.

10. Which of the following is correct?

A. The table was set knives, forks, candlesticks all were set up correctly.
B. The table was set-knives, forks, candlesticks all were set up correctly.
 References:

• 1.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/punctua
tion

• 2.
https://www.iue.edu/student-success/coursework/commas.ht
ml

• 3.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/when-to-use-a-semicolo
n

• 4.
https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/how-do-you-use-a-col
on/

• 5. https://essaypro.com/blog/punctuation-marks
• Quotation Marks
• 6. https://sg.docs.wps.com/l/sIGKYs_CoAeiB-5kG (Apostrophe)
7.
 bochins.paw

Thank you...
For listening.