Punctuation Marks
Punctuation marks are used to to clarify the meaning of a written text.. It is used to structure and order your writing,
1. Period or full stop ( . )
At the end of an affirmative sentence.
• Rabat is the capital of Morocco.
• Samia lives in Egypt.
With abbreviations like Mr. Mrs. Dr.
• Miss Meryeme is my English teacher.
• Mr. Ahmed is our next-door neighbor.
2. Comma ( , )
To separate a group of words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs…) in a sentence.
• Ahmed, Karim, Brahim, and Ayoub are friends.
To separate a group of words, clauses, or phrases in a sentence.
• I woke up, showered, ate breakfast, and went to work.
Tag questions
• He speaks English, doesn’t he?
• We don’t have classes today, do we?
3. Colon ( : )
It is used to introduce a list or explain whatever before it.
• Some of my hobbies are: reading, cooking, and surfing the net.
4. Semicolon
A semicolon is used interchangeably with a colon and a comma to separate independent clauses or a group of items when they
contain commas as punctuation.
• She didn’t have many qualities; nevertheless, she was accepted for the job.
• There are two ways to write; with a pen or pencil, which is inexpensive and easily accessible, or by computer and printer,
which is more expensive but quick and neat
5. The exclamation mark !
• It is used to express surprise or to insist on a comment or short, snappy phrase.
• What a wonderful view!
• Oh! How beautiful this little boy is!
• Help!
• I just can’t believe it!
6. The question mark ( ? )
It is clear from its name we use it for questions.
• Where are you from?
• Can I take your pen?
• Did you visit Spain before?
7. The apostrophe ( ‘ )
It is used to show possession and contraction (short form).
• This car is Samia’s. (possession).
• He can’t bear the noise. (contraction of cannot).
• We’ll have a test next week. (contraction of we will.
8.The quotation mark ( “….” )
They are used in direct speech to cite someone’s speech exactly.
• “Don’t forget to revise your lesson,” said the teacher.
• Lina: “I just love English.
9.The hyphen ( – )
It is used with compound adjectives.
• A five-stars hotel.
• He is a well-known singer.
10. The dash ( — )
It is the long form of the hyphen. It is used to emphasize the meaning of a sentence.
• You probably think she will be late — she will not.
11. Parentheses ( )
They have the same function as commas when we want to give more explanation.
• I visited Marrakesh (which was full of tourists) on my way to Atlas Mountain for a hiking trip
12. Ellipsis (…)
We use it to indicate omitted words or a pause in speech.
• “To be continued…”
13. Square brackets ([])
They are used to enclose explanatory or qualifying material that is not essential to the sentence’s meaning, especially when
quoting the text
“She went to the store [yesterday] to buy some groceries.”
II.Uses of capital letters
1/ Names of people:
Maria, Ahmed, Jacque, Adel….
2/Names of places:
Morocco Mall, Anfa Place, Hassan Tour, Menara, Volubilis….
3/Countries and nationalities:
Morocco Moroccan England English
Egypt Egyptian Germany German
Canada Canadian Greece Greek
4/The personal pronoun I
I have bought a new book.
5/Days of the week
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
6/Months of the year
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August September, October, November, December
7/Languages
Arabic, English, Chinese, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, Turkish, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese…
8/ Planets and Stars:
Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Neptune, Mars…
9/Title of Text:
Education, Internet Addiction…
10/Titles of books, Magazines, Films
Antigone, The Black tulip, …
11/ Public holidays
Aid AL Fiter, Asouraa, Independence Day….
12/ At the beginning of a sentence.
Culture is a way of life of a group of people.
