PUNCTUATION MARKS

The English language has many punctuation marks, and you will usually learn to use many of them as you master the language. Still, there are some punctuation mark uses you might still not know about despite using and seeing them on a regular basis.

Here are 13 common punctuation marks in English.

1. The Full Stop (.)

2. The Question Mark (?)

3. Quotation Marks/Inverted Commas (” “)

4. The Apostrophe (‘)

5. The Comma (,)

6. The Hyphen (-)

7. The dash (–)

8. The Exclamation Mark (!)

9. The Colon (:)

10. The Semicolon (;)

11. Parentheses/Bracket  ( )

12. Ellipsis (…)

13. The Slash (/)

 

1. Full Stop (.)

A full stop, also known as a period (.), is one of the most commonly used punctuation marks in the English language.

Usages:

i. Full stop is mostly used at the end of a declarative sentence, or a statement that is considered to be complete.

ii. Full stop is also used following an abbreviation.

iii. A full stop can also be used to show the end of a group of words that don’t form a typical sentence.

Examples:

i. My name is Toluwanimi and I will be 16 in September.

ii. Mr. Shodipo was talking with Mrs. Augustina

 

2. Question Mark (?)

We use a question mark (?) after an interrogative sentence in English language.

Examples:

i. “Do you have a pen I can borrow?” she asked.

ii. Where are you from?

 

3. Quotation Marks or Speech Marks/Inverted commas (“ ”) or (' ')

We use quotation marks / inverted commas (” “) for direct quotations in English. The quotation marks / inverted commas are classified into the single quotation marks / inverted commas ( ' ') and the double quotation marks / inverted commas (“ ”). In English Language, it is wrong to use the two quotation marks / inverted commas in a piece of work. That is, one can only choose the single quotation marks / inverted commas or the plural quotation marks / inverted commas in a single writing.

Examples:

I. “I feel I’ve really earned this,” she said, taking up her mug of tea.

ii. 'I told Daniel about my age', Ezekiel said.

Iii. 'It is an interesting story', Ifeoluwa told her grandmother.

iv. “Fine, thanks,” he replied in a cheerful manner.

 

4. Apostrophe (')

An apostrophe ( ' ) is used to show that certain letters have been omitted from a word. The apostrophe can also be used to show the possessive form of a noun, in addition to indicating the plural form of lowercase letters.

Usages:

(a). An apostrophe is used in contractions forms.

Examples:

i. He is ___ He’s

ii. I am ___ I’m

iii. Do not ___ Don’t

iv. They have = They’ve

v. It is = It’s

vi. I would = I’d

vii. Let us = Let’s

viii. She has = She’s

ix. Who is = Who’s

(b) An apostrophe is used to indicate possession.

Examples:

i. Tony's Car has been painted in green.

ii. Victoria's hair was blond and curly.

iii. We have put together an anthology of children’s poetry.

iv. The boy’s sister traveled by bus to meet us.

 

5. Comma (,)

A comma (,) is used to show the difference between two separate ideas or elements within a sentence. Comma has other

uses as well, as it can be used to separate numbers, and write dates.

Usages:

(a). Comma is used to separate two different ideas

Examples:

i. We purchased some cheese, and we sold some fruit.

ii. Josphine went to the market to help her mother, hence, she came back late.

(b) Comma is used between words in a series. Notice that a comma does not follow the last word in the series   

Examples:

i. Akanji is tall, dark, and handsome.

ii. Victoria is a brilliant, intelligent, humble and honest girl.

(c) Comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence

Examples:

i. As the day came to an end, the fire fighters put out the last spark.

ii. On the last day of the event, the English teacher was awarded for Excellence.

(d) Comma is used to set off the words “yes” and “no”.

Example:

i. Do you like to come with me? No, I don't.

ii. Do you eat in the morning before coming to school? Yes, I did.

(e) Comma is used to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence.

Example:

i. She is your sister, isn’t she?

ii. They don't know we are coming tonight, do they?

(f) Comma is used to indicate direct address.

Examples:

i. Ayomiposi, Will you come to school tomorrow?

ii. John, Will you shut that door?

(g) Comma is used when a participle phrase clause is used.

Example:

i. Walking slowly, I could see the beautiful flowers.

ii. Having heard what the principal said, the teachers called off the strike.

(h) Comma is used to separate parts of the date.

Example:

i. Tuesday, May 2, 2016, was when I graduated.

ii. The letter was written on the 4th of may, 2020.

6. Hyphen (-)

A hyphen (–) is a punctuation mark with three main uses. Many people confuse this punctuation mark with the dash, but the two are quite different. The hyphen can be used in compound words, to link words to prefixes, and also as a way to show word breaks.

Usages:

(a) Hyphen is used to join two or more words together into a compound term. Do not separate the words with spaces.

Examples:

i. My eight-year-old boy loves reading.

ii. I work on a part time part-time basis

iii. The man's daughters-in-law are back from London.

iv. The National Youth Service Corp was established in the nineteenth-century.

(b) Hyphen is used to link prefixes to words

Examples:

i. These things happened before the pre-enlightenment era.

ii. The democracy of our post-colonial administration is working for us.

(c) Hyphen is used to indicate word breaks and also to indicate syllables

Examples:

i. Unlike what some people might think, the twentieth-century was very different from

 other preceding time periods.

ii. Introduction__ In-tro-DUC-tion

iii. Explanatory__ Ex-PLAN-a-tory

7. Dash

The dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two kinds of dashes, the 'en' dash and the 'em' dash. The 'en' dash shows range or connections. On the other hand, the 'em' dash is used in places where a comma could also be used. The dash can also be used to mark off words or statements that are not important to the meaning of the statement. The dash can also be used in places where a comma would be typically used.

'En' dash (--)

Slightly wider than a hyphen, the 'en' dash is a symbol (-) that is used in writing or printing to indicate a range or connections.

Examples:

i. The Second World War was in 1939---1945

ii. The man went to London through the Princeton–New York train

'Em' dash (—)

This is twice as long as the 'en' dash, the em dash (—) can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence.

Examples:

i. She gave him her answer—No!

ii. He told his mother that he had lost her money---100 Naira.

8. Exclamation Mark (!)

An exclamation mark is used to show emphasis. It can be used in the middle of a sentence or at the end of a sentence. When used at the end of a sentence, it also takes on the role of a full stop or a period. We often use an exclamation mark (!) to show strong emotion or give a command.

Examples:

i. What a lovely view you have here!

ii. That’s fantastic!

iii. Johnny, don’t touch that!

9. Colon (:)

A colon is a fairly common punctuation mark with a varied number of uses. It can be used to introduce a quotation, an example, a series, or even an explanation. Secondly, it can be used to separate two independent clauses. Finally, a colon can be used to show emphasis.

Examples:

i. You have two choices: finish the work today or lose the contract.

ii. That’s because we have one goal: for you to consider your website a success.

Iii. John has all the ingredients: minced clams, milk, potatoes, and onions.

10. Semicolon (;)

A semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses while still demonstrating that a close relationship exists between them. The semicolon does a better job of showing the connection between two statements than a full stop would.

Examples:

i. My daughter is a teacher; my son is a doctor.

ii. There are eight members in the team: two from Nigeria, Cameroon; three from Algeria, Spain; two from Brazil; and one from India.

iii. Richard always slept with the light on; he was afraid of the dark.

11. Parentheses/Bracket ( )

Parentheses are quotation marks that show additional thoughts about a statement. In many scenarios, they can be replaced by commas without any changes to the meaning of the sentence. Sentences in the parentheses are called 'parenthetic statements'. We also often use parentheses to set off less important details.

 

Examples:

i. The twin sisters (Odion and Omon) are the best in the Art department.

ii. The president (whose statement was misconstrued) refused to address the audience again.

12. Ellipsis (…)

An ellipsis is usually represented by three dots (…), although it can also be represented by three asterisks (*). This punctuation symbol is used to show that there has been an omission of some letters, words or numbers. In many cases, ellipses are used to cut statement short to avoid unnecessary or irrelevant words that have no impact on the meaning of the statement being made. We often use ellipsis to show that parts of sentences are left out.

Examples:

i. To be continued…

ii. You’ll never believe what I saw…

iii. 1,2,3,4,5,6...,20.

 

13. Slash (/)

A slash, which is also known as a forward slash, a virgule, or even an oblique dash, has a number of uses. The slash can be used to separate lines in a song or poem when they are written in a continuous line. The slash (/) is also used in place of the conjunction 'or'. The slash can also be used to show two contradictory notions.

Usages:

(a) Slash is used to separate parts of internet (web) addresses and file names for some computer programs.

Example:  http://www.example.com/

(b) Slash is used for fractions

Examples:

i. 1/3 = one-third

ii. ¾ = three quarter

iii. ½ = half

(c) Slash is used to separate the day, month, and year in date.

Examples:

i. 01/05/1992

ii. 10/02/2020

(d) Slash can be used to shorten words

Examples:

i. Without ___ W/T

ii. Not applicable or not available ____ N/A

iii. Radio Control ___ R/C

(e) Slash can be used to show the word “per” in measurements.

Examples:

i. 80 miles/hour = 80 miles per hour

ii. 100 km/h = 100 km per hour

iii. 100 Naira/barrel = 100 Naira per barrel

(f) Slash is used to separate lines of poetry or rhymes in regular text.

Example:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, / How I wonder what you are. / Up above the world so high, / Like a diamond in the sky.

(g) Slash is used to show alternatives in a sentence.

Examples:

i. Please press your browser’s Refresh/Reload button.

ii. You can check your missed/received calls’ icon.