Punctuation and Its Various Marks

 

 

Punctuation and Its Various Marks

 

Objective to achieve:

There are various punctuation marks that are commonly used in English grammar. They are the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis. Following their correct usage will make your writing easier to read and more appealing.

Let’s start the Lecture.

 

What is punctuation? V. important

Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences. You use punctuation marks to structure and organize your writing. The right use of stops in a sentence is called punctuation.

Q. What are the principal marks of punctuation?

·         Terminal Punctuation

Terminal punctuation refers to the punctuation marks used at the end of sentences. There are three types of terminal punctuation:

·         The Period .

·         The Question Mark ?

·         The Exclamation Mark !

 

1.       Full Stop/ The Period         ( . )

Period marks a longest pause. A period is required at the end of the following:

Declarative statements

1.       Shujah came to class late.

2.       The persistence of her symptoms began to alarm her doctor.

3.       Fear is not only a very normal emotion but also an essential one.

Imperative sentences

1.       Stand by the door.

2.       Write your name at the top of the page.

3.       Put a circle around the correct answer.

Indirect questions

1.       She asked him if he knew when the next bus came.

2.       One needs to ask oneself whether there is any point in raising an issue that is so unpopular.

3.       Mildred wondered where Sam got such ludicrous ideas.

Requests stated as polite questions

1.       Would you please enclose a copy of your transcripts with your application.

2.       Will you please forward the documents to the following address.

3.       Could you have this typed by the end of the day.

Most abbreviations

Mrs. Anila, M.B.A., U.N. , U.S.A, B.A, Ph.D., viz., etc., e.g., Jr.Ali

Between whole numbers and decimals

1.       .05

2.       4.6

3.       $5.95

4.       $0.95

5.       .95 or 95 cents but not .95 cents

2.  The Question Mark

This mark is put after an interrogative sentence. A question mark is required at the end of direct questions.

1.       What is your name?

2.       Have you written the letter?

3.       “Would you like a piece of my mind?” she asked.

4.       When will governments learn not to tinker with the monetary system?

5.       “Where have all the Flowers Gone?” was one of Marianne Faithful’s biggest hits.

3.The Exclamation Mark

An exclamation mark denotes strong emotion and exclamatory sentences. It is the written equivalent of shouting. It is used after an interjection or emphatic exclamation

1.       “Stop thief!” he cried.

2.       Fire!

3.       Ow!

4.       Oh, no! why he is coming.

5.       Watch out! Ayaz.

6.       What a lovely flower!

7.       What a capital Idea!

8.       How foolish I am!

Note: The exclamation mark should be used sparingly.

Q. What are the Internal Punctuation Marks? 

Internal Punctuation

1.       The Comma ,

2.       The Colon :

3.       The Semicolon ;

4.       The Dash —

5.       Parentheses

6.       Brackets [ ]

7.       Ellipsis Marks . . .

8.       Apostrophe ( ’)

9.       Quotation Marks “ ”

10.   Single Quotation Marks ‘ ’

 

4.      The Comma

Comma marks a shortest pause. For example

1.       Hamid, go there

2.       Father, I need a watch.

A comma is used in the following ways:

TO separate different Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs:

1.       There are chairs, tables, sofa sets and fans in the room. (Nouns)

2.       He danced, laughed and played. (Verbs)

3.       You, he and I went to college. (Pronouns)

4.       He was a neat, clean and well-mannered boy. (Adjective)

 

To separate words, phrases, and clauses in a series of three or more coordinate elements (parallel structures)

1.       The basket contained oranges, apples, plums, and nectarines. (words)

2.       Exasperated, Tracy leaned back in her chair, pushed her glasses onto her forehead, and folded her arms across her chest. (phrases)

3.       The duck waddled across the lane, it quacked at the chick that had lingered behind, and then it waddled back to the rest of the brood that was waiting virtuously on the other side. (clauses)

4.       However, he wasn’t too tired to play football that afternoon.

5.       Even with her crazy dog, Sharon was the only one qualified for the job in the veterinary lab.

6.       The main disagreement is between the president and the vice president, sitting over there in the corner.

To set off items in dates, geographical names, addresses, and titles after names

1.       The confederation of Canada occurred July 1, 1867. (date)

2.       Is that London, Ontario or London, England? (geographical names)

3.       The British Prime Minister resides at 10 Downing Street, London. (address)

4.       Ivan Galichenko, Ph.D., is the keynote speaker at the conference. (title after name)

To set off words in direct address

1.       “It’s not what you say that bothers me, Jess, but the tone in which you say it.”

2.       You might, madam, consider something in black chiffon.

3.       You, my colleague and mentor, must join us in our endeavor to stamp out sexism and racism in this university.

5. The Colon

The Colon marks a more complete pause than a semi colon. In general, there must be a complete thought either before or after a colon.

Note that Canadian usage is lower case after a colon, while American is uppercase. The colon is used in the following ways:

To introduce a list after a complete sentence

1.       There are three boys in the class: Ashraf, Hamid and Saleem.

2.       Three things are necessary for good health: air, water and food.

3.       The writers Victoria admired most were these: Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, and Jane Austen. (Incorrect: The writers Victoria admired most were: Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, and Jane Austen—here, a complete sentence does not precede the colon.)

4.       On her list were the following: 2lbs. sugar, 5lbs. flour, 2 cans tomatoes, 1 loaf bread, and 1-quart milk.

5.       Kevin’s emergency kit for winter driving contained only the essentials: a parka, candles, bandages, and a bottle of brandy.

To introduce an amplification or explanation of a preceding statement or word

1.       There was only one solution to the problem: Janus would have to go.

2.       One thing troubled him: where had the money come from?

3.       Revenge: Joe lived by it, ate by it, loved by it, and finally died by it.

4.       There is one quality you need to succeed in this business: ruthlessness.

To separate the hour and minute figures used for time

1.       My watch read 7:45 when I woke up this morning.

2.       It is now 11:00 a.m.

3.       Jawad and Waseem caught the 1:15 train to Brighton.

To introduce a quotation:

Shakespeare says: “Frailty” thy name is woman.

6.The Semicolon

A semi colon denotes a longer pause than a comma. A semicolon is used in the following ways:

To separate independent clauses not joined by and (provided a Colon is not appropriate), but, or, nor, so, or yet

1.       I have no money; therefore, I cannot buy anything.

2.       Mark was tall; Peter, however, was short. (Note these two independent clauses are joined by a conjunctive adverb.)

3.       The sky ripped open with a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning; we ran into a doorway for cover.

4.       Golf is suitable for those in less than good physical condition; it is only slightly more strenuous than walking.

To make for clearer reading of heavily-punctuated independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction

1.       People will argue that educational television is vapid, predictable, and at times, misdirected; but they will not argue that commercial television is preferable.

2.       Linda reminded Joe, Pete, and Sam about the meeting; and Sally, Jane, and Lori reminded their co-workers.

3.       If your reader has to stop every once in a while to puzzle over your meaning, he or she will get frustrated, and so gain a bad impression; and if this happens too often, your attempt to communicate will fail.

To separate internally punctuated coordinate elements that are joined by a coordinating conjunction

1.       The grand tour usually included Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; and Rome, Italy.

2.       In our group at the time were Smith, a welder; Jones, a corporate lawyer; and two auditors from the tax office.

3.       The meeting was attended by all departments; Accounting, which sent two representatives, Dennise and Jane; Personnel, which sent the manager, Greg, and a senior payroll clerk, Pat; and Systems, which sent three computer programmers, Cindy, Janice, and Karen.

 7. The Dash

In general, dashes emphasize. A dash is longer than a hyphen, and there are no spaces on either side. A dash is used in the following ways:

To indicate an abrupt shift or a break in thought

1.       If my father were alive ____but why think of the past.

2.       There shall come a time____ a blessed time___ when Kashmir become part of Pakistan.

3.       We also had a lengthy discussion about Celtic mysticism—but I won’t bore you with the details of that.

4.       She raises chickens—much easier than raising children.

5.       At the age of fifteen—such was her naivety—she decided she wanted to have twelve children and to become a pediatrician.

To set off an informal or emphatic parenthetical element

1.       Alison said—I couldn’t believe this—that she wasn’t ambitious.

2.       Tom—the cretin! —didn’t support us at the meeting.

3.       The researchers—can you understand this? —got it wrong and submitted inaccurate reports upon which the government based its policy.

8. Parentheses

In general, parentheses de-emphasize. Parentheses are used in the following ways:

To enclose incidental, explanatory or parenthetical comments that are unessential to the main thought of the sentence

1.       I sent him seventy-five rupees (Rs. 75) by money order.

2.       Someone once said (I think it was Oscar Wilde) that the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about at all.

3.       The first article (What is Statistics?) discussed some of the most basic features of data.
Enclosed is a cheque for fifty dollars ($50.00).

4.       His view is that even The New Yorker seems (apart from the cartoons) completely irrelevant.
This would mean that temperatures would drop substantially (see Diagram 1).

To enclose details, brief definitions, and examples

1.       Despite the prices (300,0 RS for four), Italian Pizza, attracts people of even the most modest of incomes.

2.       The poet, Joseph Howe (1804-1873), was born near Halifax.

3.       Ever since 1915, when Einstein developed his theory of gravity, physicists have assumed that gravity waves (ripples in the fabric of space-time) are radiated by any mass that is accelerating.

To enclose letters or figures used to enumerate points in a text

 Govt. University began discussions in February 1993 that will result in a mutually beneficial partnership, enabling (1) Frontier graduates to pursue post-secondary studies, (2) prospective AU students to upgrade their reading and writing skills, and (3) existing AU students to become involved in literacy initiatives in their own communities.

9.  Brackets [] 

Brackets are used in the following ways:

To enclose any editorial remark in material that is quoted

1.       “When it [the pain] gets extreme, the animal will try to chew off the diseased limb,” said Kendrick.

2.       According to the demographer, “The [US. government’s] goal of population stabilization is clearly considered inoperative at home.”

10. Ellipsis Marks   (…)

Ellipsis marks are used in the following ways:

To indicate any editorial omissions in quoted material

In the month when hundreds of thousands of people are buying a certain volume of memoirs, let me quote from another:

Given the political climate . . . could we have advanced more? The answer is probably yes. Perhaps I did not grasp the opportunity firmly enough. Perhaps I did not realize it could be there. . . Looking back I fear I was not sufficiently on the offensive.
—From Why Jo Grimond was too good to be Prime Minister by Charles Moore

To indicate a full line of poetry that has been omitted

Break, break, break
. . .
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
—From Break, break, break by Alfred Tennyson

11. Hyphen   ( - )

It is comparatively smaller than Dash. It is used in following

Used between a compound words like

1.       Sea—shore

2.       Lamp—oil

3.       Ear—ring

To show the syllables between the words

1.       In- complete (incomplete)

2.       Bright-end

3.       Beau-ti-ful

12. Quotation Marks ( “   ”)

Quotation marks are used to remark exact wording of the other speaker or anyone. Quotation marks are used in the following ways:

To enclose direct quotations

1.       He said “Honesty is the best policy”.

2.       His mother said “well, my boy, Solomon says, spare the road and spoil the child”.

13. Single Quotation Marks ('  ') 

Single quotation marks are used to set off a quotation within a quotation

1.       At the meeting last night, I heard James actually say, “As my pappy once told me ‘If you’re going to do a job, do it right.’ ”

 

14. Apostrophe (’)

The best way to get apostrophes right is to understand when and why they are used. There are two main cases – click on the links below to find straightforward guidance:

Using apostrophes to show possession

Using apostrophes to show omission

 

Apostrophes showing possession

It is use to show possession. You use an apostrophe to show that a thing or person belongs or relates to someone or something: instead of saying the party of Sami or the weather of yesterday, you can write Sami’s party and yesterday’s weather.

Here are the main guidelines for using apostrophes to show possession:

Singular nouns and most personal names

1.       We met at Sami’s party.

2.       The dog’s tail wagged rapidly.

3.       Yesterday’s weather was dreadful.

4.       He joined Charles’s army in 1642.

5.       Dickens's novels provide a wonderful insight into Victorian England.

6.       Thomas's brother was injured in the accident.

Note that there are some exceptions to this rule, especially in names of places or organizations, for example:

Apostrophes showing omission

An apostrophe can be used to show that letters or numbers have been omitted. Here are some examples of apostrophes that indicate missing letters:

1.       I’m - short for I am

2.       he’ll - short for he will

3.       she’d – short for she had or she would

4.       pick ’n’ mix - short for pick and mix

5.       it’s hot - short for it is hot

6.       didn’t - short for did not

Conclusion:

I hope this Lecture of Functional English  and section will be useful  to improve your writing, check your grammar, correct your punctuation, expand your vocabulary, and hone your writing style.