Punctuation Marks

the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon,

hyphen, parentheses, brackets, apostrophe, quotation marks, and
ellipsis
Period ( . )
• The . is called a period. The period actually serves two purposes in
grammar.
• When it appears at the end of a declarative sentence, it ends the
sentence. The period can also indicate that a word is an abbreviation.
• As a sentence ender - Jane and Jack went to the market.
• After an abbreviation - John Jones Jr. was born on Dec. 6, 2008.
Question Mark ( ? )
• The ? is called a question mark. Question marks ask direct questions,
which are also known as interrogative sentences. They can also
express confusion.
• Interrogative sentence - When did Jane leave for the market?
• Expressing confusion - Why do we have so much homework?
Exclamation Point ( ! )
• The ! is called an exclamation point. Exclamation points are
punctuation marks that show a sudden outcry in writing.
• They also emphasize a point more strongly than a period.
• Sudden outcry - "Holy cow!" screamed Jane.
• To emphasize a point - My mother-in-law's rants make me furious!
Comma ( , )
• The , is called a comma. Commas separate ideas or elements within
the structure of a sentence. They also appear in numbers, dates, and
letter writing after the salutation and closing.
• Direct address - Thanks for all your help, John.
• Separating two complete sentences - We went to the movies, and
then we went out to lunch.
• Separating elements in a list - Suzi wanted the black, green, and blue
dress.
Semicolon ( ; )
• The ; is called a semicolon.
• Semicolons are punctuation marks that connect independent clauses
to show a closer relationship between the clauses than a period
would. They can also separate items in a list that already include
commas.
• Connecting independent clauses - John was hurt; he knew she only
said it to upset him.
• Items in a list - I’ve visited Cleveland, Ohio; Los Angeles,
California; and St. Louis, Missouri.
Colon ( : )
• The : is called a colon. Colons introduce a quotation, an explanation,
an example, or a series. They can also clarify information or
emphasize an important word or phrase.
• Introducing a series - He was planning to study four subjects: politics,
philosophy, sociology, and economics.
• Clarifying information - I didn't have time to get changed: I was
already late.
• Emphasizing an important phrase - There was one thing she loved
more than any other: her dog.
Hyphen ( - )
• The - is called a hyphen. Hyphens are even shorter than dashes. They
join two or more words together to make compound nouns,
compound adjectives, and compound numbers.
• Compound noun - My sister-in-law works as a pastry chef.
• Compound adjective - The well-known author signed autographs for
his fans.
• Compound number - Cory can count all the way to ninety-nine.
Parentheses ( )
• The ( ) are called parentheses.
• Parentheses add further thoughts or qualifying remarks to a
sentence. They separate these phrases from the rest of the sentence.
• Further thought - John and Jane (who are brother and sister) both
have red hair.
• Qualifying remarks - Add any special skills (typing, organization,
training, and so on) to your resume.
Brackets [ ]
• The [ ] are called brackets. Brackets clarify meaning in a quote by
adding words or the phrase sic. They also form parenthetical
statements inside larger parenthetical statements (called nesting
parentheses).
• Adding words to a quote - “He [Mr. Jones] was the last person seen
at the house,” reported the detective.
• Adding sic to a quote - “Our team issues no further statments [sic] at
this time.”
• Nesting parentheses - We decided to go to the Grand Canyon
(my [childhood] dream) this summer.
Apostrophe ( ‘ )
• The ' is called an apostrophe.
• Apostrophes are punctuation marks that indicate the omission of a
letter or letters from a word.
• They form contractions, show the possessive case, or create plurals of
lowercase letters.
• Contractions - I've seen that movie several times.
• Possessive case - Sara’s dog bit the neighbor.
• Plural for lowercase letters - Mind your p's and q's.
Quotation Marks (“ ”)
• The " " are called quotation marks (or double quotation marks).
Quotation marks indicate the beginning and end of a quoted passage.
They can also show dialogue in fiction.
• Quoted passage - Nathan Hale’s last words were, “I regret that I have
but one life to live for my country.”
• Dialogue - "Don't go outside," Katie said.
Ellipsis (...)
• The .... is called an ellipsis. An ellipsis indicates an omission of words
or sentences.
• Students writing research papers or newspapers quoting parts of
speeches will often employ ellipsis to avoid copying lengthy text that
is not needed.
• Omission of words - She began to count, "One, two, three, four…"
until she got to 10, then went to find him.
• Within a quotation - When Newton stated, "An object at rest stays at
rest and an object in motion stays in motion..." he developed the law
of motion.