What Is Punctuation?
– Meaning and Definition
Punctuation is as important or rather a little more important than the words
you use, the way you structure your sentences, and the content you are
trying to convey. The term ‘punctuation’ refers to the system that allows a
writer to let the audience know where the sentences end, where there is a
short pause or a long pause, and also to show if the writer is questioning,
explaining or providing some extra information. Since the writer is not
directly speaking to the audience, punctuation is the only way to make the
reader see it the way the author put it.
Punctuation, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “the
marks used in writing that divide sentences and phrases; the system of using
these marks.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines punctuation as “the
act or practice of inserting standardized marks or signs in written matter to
clarify the meaning and separate structural units.” According to the
Cambridge Dictionary, the term ‘punctuation’ is defined as “(the use of)
special symbols that you add to writing to separate phrases and sentences to
show that something is a question, etc.”, and “punctuation is the use of
symbols such as full stops or periods, commas, or question marks to divide
written words into sentences and clauses”, according to the Using
Punctuation in Sentences – Examples
Using punctuation is vital to make your writing look professional, logical and
well-founded. Using no punctuation at all will not make sense; overuse of
punctuation can make your writing look distorted and vague.
Have a look at the following table to understand each punctuation mark and
to see how they can be used in sentences.
Punctuation mark Punctuation mark (Symbol) Sentence example
Full stop / Period . I am a student.
Comma , Ashlin, my sister’s daughter, came home today.
Colon : You have two options: Take a bus or hire a cab.
Semicolon ; I did not like the dish; however, I ate it since I did not want
to waste it.
Apostrophe ’ Ritu’s brother is moving to Sydney.
Quotation marks “ ” My mom said, “Make sure you get home before 7
p.m.”
Hyphen – We have a black–eyed white bunny.
Dash — My mom’s friends — Sheela, Immaculate and Agnes — visited
her today.
Parentheses () Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (popularly known as ‘Mother
Teresa’) was born on August 26, 1910.
Slash / You can use a noun/pronoun to start a sentence.
Exclamation mark ! Wow! That is great news.
Question mark ? What would you like to have for dinner?
Ellipsis … We wrote in the comments section, “We were here. This is
the … again.”
Frequently Asked Questions on Punctuation
Q1
What is punctuation?
The term ‘punctuation’ refers to the system that allows a writer to let the
audience know where the sentences end, where there is a short pause or a
long pause, and also to show if the writer is questioning, explaining or
providing some extra information.
Q2
What is the definition of punctuation?
Punctuation, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “the
marks used in writing that divide sentences and phrases; the system of using
these marks.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines punctuation as “the
act or practice of inserting standardized marks or signs in written matter to
clarify the meaning and separate structural units.” According to the
Cambridge Dictionary, the term ‘punctuation’ is defined as “(the use of)
special symbols that you add to writing to separate phrases and sentences to
show that something is a question, etc.”, and “punctuation is the use of
symbols such as full stops or periods, commas, or question marks to divide
written words into sentences and clauses”, according to the Collins
Dictionary.
Q3
What are the different punctuation marks in the English language?
The various punctuation marks in English grammar are
Period
Comma
Colon
Semicolon
Apostrophe
Quotation marks
Hyphen
Dash
Parentheses
Slash
Exclamation mark
Question mark
Ellipsis
