Punctuation

Punctuation is the system of symbols (.,?: etc.) that we use to separate sentences or parts of
sentences, and to make their meanings clear. Each symbol is called a “punctuation mark”.

Purposes
The purpose of using punctuation is to helps us present our ideas clearly and accurately.

Common punctuations
• The Period(.)
• The Comma (,)
• The Question Mark (?)
• The Exclamation point (!)
• The Colon (:)
• The Semicolon (;)
• The Apostrophe (’)
• Quotation Marks (“ ”)
• The Hyphen
• The Dash
• Ellipses (…)
• Parentheses ( )
• Brackets ([ ])
• The Slash (/)

The Period (.)

The period is used:
• At the end of a statement, command, or indirect question.
 We are going there next month.
 Order your copy today.
 She asked me when I would submit the paper.
• In many abbreviations
 Mr. Dr. Ave. W. B. Yeats
• If the abbreviation is made up of capital letters, however, the periods are optional.
 BA (or B.A.) MA (or M.A.) PhD (or Ph.D.)
• Periods are omitted in abbreviations for organizations and acronyms (Words made up
for initials)
  IBM FBI NATO NASA

The Comma (,)

The comma is used:
• To separate items in a list.
• We are going to buy a pencil box, pen, eraser, and sharpener.
• To set off introductory elements.
• By the way, what are you doing?
• To set off words of direct address
• Jack, come here. I want to show you something.
• To set off a direct quotation from the rest of a sentence.
• “I am sorry”, said the restaurant hostess. “You’ll have to wait”
• To divide main clauses joined by coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so,
yet)
• The meeting was cancelled, for no one could get to the office.
• To set off non-restrictive elements: words, phrases, clauses that are not essential to the
meaning of the sentences in which they appear.
• The Empire State Building, one of the tallest buildings in the world, is a popular
tourist attraction.
• To expresses dates, addresses, numbers, people’s titles, and openings and closing of
letters.
• I was born on September 11,1980
• I live at Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
• MY brother earns TK 360,000 a year.
• Humayun Rashid,M.D., delivered the speech.
• Dear Rakib,
• Sincerely Yours,
• To mark the end of a direct question.
• Where are you going?
• To indicate uncertainty within a statement.
• The host must have paid a lot of money (sixty dollars?) for each meal.
The Exclamation Point (!)
It is used to convey strong feeling.
• What a nice view!
The Colon (:)
The colon is used:
• To introduce a list or an explanation after a main clause.
 Success depends on three things: talent, determination, and luck.
 All of Jane’s efforts were directed towards one goal: she wanted to be a singer.
• To separate hours from the minutes when the time of day is shown in numerals.
 10:30 7:20 12:15

The Semicolon (;)

A semicolon is used:
• To join two main clauses not linked by a coordinating conjunction.
• The A team wore the old uniforms; the B team wore new ones.

The Apostrophe (’)

It is used frequently to show possession and contractions.
• Possessions:
• Amy's ballet class
• Rubayet’s car
• We use an apostrophe and an s to form the possessive of a noun or indefinite pronoun
that does not end in s.
• The apartment’s bedroom is too much small.
• Anybody’s help would be appreciated.
• We add an apostrophe and an s to form the possessive of a singular noun that ends in
s.
• The business’s stock climbed three points.
• Only the apostrophe is used to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in s.
• Several computer’s tents collapsed during the storm.
• To show joint possession of one thing, we use an apostrophe only with the last noun.
We use an apostrophe for every noun for individual ownership.
 • Sharif and Sultan’s committee report was real and clear.
• Jack’s and Jane’s grades are A and B respectively.

Using an apostrophe to show plural possession

Regular nouns are nouns that form their plurals by adding either the letter s or es (guy,
guys; letter, letters; actress, actresses; etc.). To show plural possession, simply put an
apostrophe after the s.
• guys’ night out (guy + s + apostrophe)
• two actresses’ roles (actress + es + apostrophe)
In special cases, such as when forming a plural of a word that is not normally a noun, some
writers add an apostrophe for clarity.
• Here are some do’s and don’ts.
In that sentence, the verb do is used as a plural noun, and the apostrophe was added because
the writer felt that dos was confusing. Not all writers agree; some see no problem
with dos and don’ts.

English also has many irregular nouns (child, nucleus, tooth, etc.). These nouns become
plural by changing their spelling, sometimes becoming quite different words. You may find it
helpful to write out the entire irregular plural noun before adding an apostrophe or an
apostrophe + s.
• two children’s hats (children + apostrophe + s)
• the teeth’s roots

Apostrophe / contractions
A contraction is formed when two words are joined, and one or more letters are omitted. In a
contraction the apostrophe stands for the missing letter or letters.

 Isn’t (is not)

 hasn’t (has not)
 I’ll (I will)
 It’s (it is, or it has)

Quotation Marks (“ ”)
• To indicate the exact words of a speaker or writer.
• John Keats said, “A thing of beauty is joy forever”
• To enclose titles of short works such as articles, poems and stories.
• Humayun Ahmed’s “Aguner Poroshmoni” was one of the movie of independence
war.
• Indicate that a word or phrase is being used in a special way.
• The words “there” and “their” sound alike but have different meanings.
The Hyphen
Hyphens are used to form compound adjectives or nouns.

 It is a well-known fact that caffeine is a stimulant.

 May I introduce my sister-in-law?

They are also used to divide a long word at the end of a line.

 Jane hired a clown , a magician, an acro-

bat to perform at the party.

Ellipses
Ellipses are used to indicate that words have been omitted from a quotation.
• “There are recent indications that the market will remain unstable for some time. I
suggest we reevaluate our present marketing strategy. Research and development
should be given more funds.”
• “… the market will remain unstable for some time…. Research and developments
should be given more funds.”
• Note: we use a period plus three dots when words at the end of a sentence are omitted.

Parentheses ( )
It is used to enclose additional information.
 The tickets (ranging in price from TK 500 to TK 1500) go on sale on Thursday
mornings.

Brackets ([ ])
Brackets are used to set-off material that is not part of the original quotation.
 “Toronto’s CN Tower, the city’s most distinctive landmark ,reaches 555.33 meters [
1,815 feet] into the sky”.

The Slash (/)

 The slash (/) is also known as forward slash, stroke, oblique. A slash is used :
 To indicate “or”:
 Dear Sir/Madam
 For fractions:
 ½ (half)
 To indicate per in measurements of speed, prices etc.
 The speed limit is 100 km/h. (kilometers per hour)
 In certain abbreviations:
 This is my a/c number.
 To separate day, month, year:
 He was born on 30/11/2007
• To separate parts of website address (url) on the internet, and to separate folders on
some computer systems.
• http://www.englishclub.com/writing/puctuation.htm