Punctuation:

Punctuation marks are signals to

the readers. In speaking, we can
pause, stop, or change our tone of
voice. In writing, we use the
following marks of punctuation to
emphasize and clarify what we
mean.
 The Comma (,)
• The Comma is a punctuation mark used to
indicate a slight division between different
parts of a sentence or to indicate a small
break in the sense of continuity within a
sentence.
 The Comma is used

• To separate the items of a list

shoes, socks, shirts
• Between clauses when the subjects of the
clauses are different
Jim bought a tie, and Hilary bought a scarf
• To cut off exclamation , parentheses from
the rest of the sentence
Oh, what a pity you didn’t catch him!
• To separate two or more adjectives:
She is a young, energetic and enterprising
lady
• To prevent ambiguous, confused and
awkward readings:
Hundred yards below, the bridge was
flooded.
Waleed, our milkman, has been hurt.
• Before and, but, or, nor, for, yet when they
join independent clauses:
He sold his car, and his wife was angry.
• To set off expressions that interrupt the
sentence:
The man, you say has gone.
His father , the president of the company
will be responsible.
• Use of comma to mark an inversion:
Myself , I will vote in favor of it.
Being ignorant of the facts of the situation, I
could say nothing.
• In following cases:
– In figures - 22,425
– In names followed by titles - S. K. Waris, D.C.
– In letters - Dear Hamid,
– After yes or no - Yes, I ‘ll do it.
 The Colon (:)is used
• To introduce a list
For this recipe you will need the following
ingredients:
eggs, rice, sugar and butter
• To introduce a quotation or lengthy items
of direct speech
Keats wrote: “A thing of beauty is a joy
forever”; and critics have been arguing
about it ever since.
• To mark a dramatic break between two
main clauses
Man proposes: God disposes
They cannot win : We cannot lose
• To introduce a clause that explains a
statement made in an earlier clause
The reasons for the success of the play are
obvious: it has an engaging plot, witty
dialogues and a powerful theme.
• Between hours and minutes
3:30
4:15
• Between chapters and verses when
referring to passages from the holy books
Genesis 4:2
• Between volumes and numbers
Forum 22:4
 The Semicolon (;)
• Semi colon is a mark of separation.
• The semicolon is a punctuation mark
halfway between a comma and a full stop.
 The semi colon is used
• To divide statements which are separated
but which are still very closely connected
The first present that she opened was a box
of handkerchiefs; the second was a box of
chocolate.
• To separate items in a list when these are
phrases rather than single words
The weather was showing its most wintry
face: dark storm clouds that rode fiercely
across the sky; gusts of violent wind that
rattled the window panes; the touch of ice
in the air that made the flesh shiver.
• To separate elements in a series when
they contain internal punctuations
Accessories of this model include;
supplementary lenses, ranging from 28
mm to 400 mm; dedicated electronic flash;
filters, both for color and black-and-white
film; an aluminum-framed hold-all.
 Exclamation Marks (!)
Exclamation marks are used for
• Words used as exclamation
Oh! Wow!
• Sentences using ‘how’ or ‘what’ as
exclamation
How senseless you are!
What a nuisance you are!
• Sentences expressing strong feeling
Stop thief!
 Question Mark (?)
Question marks indicate a question.

Have you heard the news?

What do you want?

 Quotation Marks (“”)
• Quotation marks are used to enclose a
direct quotation.
The lawyer said, “Are you ready to sign the
contract?”
• Single quotation marks are used to
enclose a quotation within a quotation.
The policeman asked Bill, “Did you say, ‘I
heard a noise in the basement’?”
 Brackets
• Round Brackets ( ) are used to enclose
additional information or explanations.
Hardy’s long life (1840 – 1928) spanned the
reigns of three monarchs.
• Square Brackets [ ] are used to indicate
that a word or words included in quoted
matter are not part of the original material.
Johnson answered, “ I have no doubt that
they [the poems of Ossian] are forgeries.”
 The Hyphen (-) is used
• To join two or more words that are
regarded as a compound word
mother-in-law
self-made
arm-chair
• To indicate that an unfinished word at the
end of a line is completed at the beginning
of the next line.
The scientists are still look-
ing for the answer.
 The Dash ( _ )is used
• As a pause mark before an explanation
They sold their heirlooms _ furniture,
pictures, books.
• To separate a ‘summing up’ from the
items preceding it.
The gearbox, transmission, suspension _
all constitute a revolutionary design
concept.
• To stress a word or a phrase at the end of
a sentence.
In the whole world there is only one person
he really admires _ himself.
 THE MIGHTY APOSTROPHE
The apostrophe has only a handful of uses,
but these uses are very important. A
misplaced apostrophe can be annoying.
The apostrophe is used:
• 1. to create possessives
• 2. to show contractions
• 3. to create some plural forms
The apostrophe is used to create
possessive forms for singular and plural
nouns, especially nouns referring to
people.
the mayor’s car, my father’s beard
Kashif’s brother, Naveed’s habits
When a noun already ends in “s,” you can
decide whether or not to use another “s”
after the apostrophe.
Charles’s car OR Charles’ car
With multi syllabic words, do not add
another “s” after the apostrophe.
• Dumas’ second novel, Jesus’ birth,
Socrates’ ideas, Illinois’ legislature
To form the possessive of an inanimate
object, we are usually better off using an
“of phrase,” but the apostrophe
possessive is not impossible, especially
with expressions of time and in
personifications.
The smell of the greasepaint,
a year’s salary, my heart’s desire,
your dollar’s worth, the paper’s conclusion
To form the possessive of a plural noun, we
pluralize first and then add the
apostrophe.
The Kennedys’ house
The children’s playhouse
The travelers’ expectations
Notice that with an irregular plural, the
apostrophe will come before the “s.”
A contraction allows us to blend sounds by
omitting letters from a verb construction.
The apostrophe shows where something
is left out.
I am a student here = I’m a student here.
I have been working on the railroad. = I’ve
been working on the railroad.
They could have been great together. =
They could’ve been great together.
REMINDER: It’s is a contraction for “it is”;
the possessive of it = its (no apostrophe).
The apostrophe is also used to form the
plural of digits and letters . . .
The word Mississippi has four s’s.
She got three A’s and two B’s last semester.
She dotted all her i’s very carefully.
. . . and to indicate omission of a number in
a date:
summer of ’99; class of ’38
The mighty apostrophe does not mind being
used, but it wants to be used wisely.
Use it well and it will be there whenever you
need it!