What Are Punctuation Marks?

What are punctuation marks?
• A punctuation mark is a mark (sign) used in writing to divide texts into

phrases and sentences.
Some common punctuation marks are:
• period (full stop) ( . )

• question mark ( ? )
• exclamation mark ( ! )
• comma ( , )
• colon ( : )
• semicolon ( ; )
• quotation marks ( " " )
• hyphen ( ‐ )
• dash (–)
• ellipsis (. . . )
• apostrophe ( ' )
• Why is punctuation important?
• When we speak, we can pause or emphasize
certain words and phrases to help people
understand what we are saying.
In our writing, we use punctuation to show

pauses and emphasis. Punctuation marks help
the reader understand what we mean.
• End Punctuation
• End Punctuation is the most common punctuation in the
English language. You must use end punctuation at the
end of every sentence to avoid confusion. End
punctuation tells the reader where each sentence ends.
It also helps the reader understand the writer's emotions
about the subject. For example, an exclamation mark
( ! ) tells the reader that I am excited or yelling .
These are:
• Period
• Question mark
• Exclamatory mark
• Period
• The period is also known as a full stop because it signals a speaker or reader that the sentence has come to an
end.
Examples:
• The dog is brown.
• My sister's name is Lisa
• The baby is crying.
• When to use periods
• 1. We use a period at the end of sentences that are statements.
• A statement is a sentence that states, or tells, something.
Examples:
I like to eat pizza.
• School starts on Wednesday.
• The baby's name is Grace.
•
2. We use a period at the end of sentences that are commands.
• A command is a sentence that tells someone to do something.
Examples:
Pick up the blue ball.
• Turn left at the next light.
• Hand me the pencil.
•
3. We use a period at the end of sentences that are indirect questions.
• An indirect question is a question that is said as a statement. It uses a period instead of a
question mark.
Examples:
She asked me why I didn't go to school yesterday.
• I wondered why Bob wasn't there.
• Tim asked about that book.
• 4. We use periods in abbreviations.
• An abbreviation is a shortened version of a word or words.
Examples:
United States of America is abbreviated U.S.A.
• Mr. is the abbreviation for Mister.
• Rd. is the abbreviation for road.
•
5. We use periods in website addresses.
• Examples:
www.dictionary.com
• www.learnersdictionary.com
• www.really-learn-english.com
• How to use a period in sentences
• 1) Do not put a space before a period used to end a
sentence.
Correct: The shirt is blue.
• Incorrect: The shirt is blue
• .
• 2) Do put one space after the period if it is followed by
another sentence.
Correct: I am driving to the city. The city is north of here.
• Incorrect: I am driving to the city.The city is north of
here.
• Incorrect: I am driving to the city. The city is north of
here.
• Question Marks
• Use a question mark (?) at the end of a
sentence that asks a question.
Examples:
Where is the bathroom?
• Are you home?
•
Uses of question marks
•
•
1) Use a question mark when you are trying to get information. This
type of sentence is called an interrogative sentence.
Many interrogative sentences start with question words such as
who, what, when, where, why or how and end with a question mark.
Examples:
Where is the gas station?
• Who is your teacher?
• How did you do that?
• What color is the shirt?
• When will you arrive?
• Tips for using question marks
• 1) DO NOT use a question mark after an indirect question.
An indirect question is question found in a declarative sentence.
A declarative sentence is a sentence in the form of a statement. It is not a
command or question. It simply states an idea.
Incorrect: I asked her to pay the bill?
Correct: I asked her to pay the bill.
Incorrect: The teacher asked for their homework?
Correct: The teacher asked for their homework.
2) DO NOT put a space before a question mark.
Incorrect: What color is the ball ?
Correct: What color is the ball?
• Exclamation Mark
(also called Exclamation Point)

• The exclamation mark is a simple vertical line above a
period.

In English it is only used at the end of a sentence.
It looks like this: !
•
• When is the exclamation mark used?
• An exclamation mark is used to give emphasis to a statement. This

means the writer wants the reader to understand there is strong
feeling or urgency to the statement.
For example:
1. A warning
• In a story, the main character tells his daughter: "Watch out!"
The exclamation mark tells us that the man is scared and is calling
out his daughter. Without the exclamation mark, the statement is not
as urgent: "Watch out."
• 2. A direct order
• If you read a sign on a door that says "Do Not Enter!" the
exclamation mark helps catch your attention.

You are more likely to notice "Do Not Enter!" than if it says "Do Not
Enter."
The exclamation mark tells you that it might be dangerous to go
through that door.
•
• 3. Expressing strong feelings
• When we speak, we often use our voices and body movements

(also known as "body language") to show feelings.
In writing, other ways must be used. One way is to use an
exclamation mark.
The exclamation mark can be used to show surprise,
fear, happiness, etc.
For example:
• Fear: "That dog is going to bite me!"

• Anger: "Shut up!"
• Surprise: "The bus is early today!"
• Happiness: "It is good to see you again!"
• Here is a paragraph without end punctuation:
• Do you like to sing My mom and I sing in a choir that meets every Tuesday Last week
we sang Christmas carols at a nursing home The residents of the nursing home
enjoyed our visit It was fun Would you like to join us next Tuesday
•
You can see that it is very difficult to read and make sense of the paragraph. Every
sentence runs straight into the next sentence.
Here is the same paragraph with end punctuation:
• Do you like to sing? My mom and I sing in a choir that meets every Tuesday. Last
week, we sang Christmas carols at a nursing home. The residents of the nursing
home enjoyed our visit! It was fun! Would you like to join us next Tuesday?
•
• Commas
• Commas are another very important
type of punctuation. Commas tell the
reader where to pause. Commas also
separate phrases, ideas, and items in a
list. Commas help avoid confusion.
• A) Using commas in lists:
• Here is a list without commas:
• Sally likes to eat chocolate hot dogs and broccoli.
• Without commas, it sounds like Sally likes to eat hot dogs and broccoli covered in
chocolate!
Yuck!
•
Here is the same list with commas:
• Sally likes to eat chocolate, hot dogs, and broccoli.
Now, we see that Sally actually likes three foods:
1. chocolate
2. hot dogs
3. broccoli
•
• B) Commas for phrasing
• Here is another funny example:
• 1. It is time to eat David!
• t is time to eat, David!
•
1. In the first sentence, it sounds like we are
going to eat David for lunch!
2. The comma in the second sentence shows
the writer that we are actually informing David
that it is time to eat.
• Semicolon ;
• The semicolon (;) is used to connect
independent clauses. It shows a closer
relationship between the clauses than a
period would show.
• John was hurt; he knew she only said it to
upset him
• Colon :
• A colon (:) has three main uses. The first is after a word
introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a
series.
• He was planning to study four subjects: politics,
philosophy, sociology, and economics.
• The second is between independent clauses when the
second explains the first, similar to a semicolon:
• I didn't have time to get changed: I was already late.
• The third use of a colon is for emphasis:
• There was one thing she loved more than any other: her
dog.
• Quotation marks
• Quotation marks are another common punctuation mark in the
English language. Quotation marks are used with commas to inform
the reader that someone is talking or being quoted.
Example:
• "Punctuation is important," my teacher said. "Without

punctuation marks, your writing would be very confusing."
•
Without quotation marks and commas, it would be difficult to
understand what the character is saying.
• Punctuation is important my teacher said without punctuation

marks your writing would be very confusing
• Quotation marks are also very important when you are quoting
words someone has already said.
Example:
• Maya Angelo said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you
can't change it, change your attitude."
Maya Angelo is a famous author and poet. When I am quoting her, I

show her exact words by enclosing them in quotation marks. By
using quotation marks, I am giving her credit for her words.
• Apostrophes
• Apostrophes are another commonly misused form of punctuation. Apostrophes are
used to show ownership and missing letters in contractions.
Misplaced apostrophes can cause confusion for readers.
Example:
it's = it is
its = ownership
Correct:
• The dog sleeps in its house.
The house belongs to the dog.
• Incorrect:
• The dog sleeps in it's house.
• This does not make sense because we would not say, "The dog sleeps in it is house."
• Example:
boy's = ownership
boys = more than one boy
Correct:
•
The boy's room is painted blue.
The blue room belongs to the boy.
• Incorrect:
The boys room is painted blue.
In this example, we do not know if the room belongs to one boy (boy's) or more than one boy (boys').
• Correct:
The boys are sleeping in the tent.
There is more than one boy sleeping in the tent.
• Incorrect:
The boy's are sleeping in the tent.
The apostrophe is not needed in this sentence because we are not showing ownership.
Dash & Hyphen
• A dash is used to separate words into statements. There

are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash.
• En dash: Twice as long as a hyphen, the en dash is a
symbol (–) that is used in writing or printing to indicate a
range, connections or differentiations, such as 1880-
1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
• Em dash: Longer than 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. For example, She gave him her answer — No!
Whether you put spaces around the em dash or not is a
style choice. Just be consistent.
Hyphen -
A hyphen is used to join two or more
words together into a compound term and
is not separated by spaces. For example,
part-time, back-to-back, well-known.
• Ellipises (…)
• The ellipsis is most commonly represented by three
periods (. . . ) although it is occasionally demonstrated
with three asterisks (***). The ellipsis is used in writing or
printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or
words. Ellipses are frequently used within quotations to
jump from one phrase to another, omitting unnecessary
words that do not interfere with the meaning. 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.

What Are Punctuation Marks?

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What Are Punctuation Marks?

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What are punctuation marks?

• A punctuation mark is a mark (sign) used in writing to divide texts into

• period (full stop) ( . )

In our writing, we use punctuation to show

(also called Exclamation Point)

• An exclamation mark is used to give emphasis to a statement. This

• When we speak, we often use our voices and body movements

• Fear: "That dog is going to bite me!"

• "Punctuation is important," my teacher said. "Without

• Punctuation is important my teacher said without punctuation

Maya Angelo is a famous author and poet. When I am quoting her, I

• A dash is used to separate words into statements. There

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