What is Punctuation:
Punctuation (derived from the Latin Punctum, a point) is the art of using some stops to separate one sentence from another or to separate one part of a sentence from another in order to make the meaning clear and sensible. Punctuation also acts to express the mood and manner in the written form.
The followings are the Punctuation marks used in English writing.
• (1) Full Stop or Period [ . ]
• (2) Comma [ , ]
• (3) Semicolon [ ; ]
• (4) Colon [ : ]
• (5) Question Mark [ ? ]
• (6) Exclamation Mark [ ! ]
• (7) Apostrophe Comma [ ‘ ]
• (8) Inverted Commas [ ” ” ]
• (9) Dash [ — ]
• (10) Hyphen [ – ]
• (11) Brackets [ ( ) ]
• (12) Asterisk [ * ]
(1) Use of Full Stop or Period:
(i) The Full Stop is used after every complete sentence except an Exclamatory and Interrogative sentence.
He goes out for hunting. (Assertive Sentence)
Please give me your pen. (Imperative Sentence)
May you live long. (Optative Sentence)
(ii) It is used after abbreviations and Initials.
B.A, M.A, M.Sc, M.P, Dr. S.N. Roy etc.
(Note that in current English Mr and Mrs occur without a full stop as these are regarded as full spellings.)
(2) Use of Comma:
The Comma represents the shortest pause in a sentence. A Comma is used –
(i) To separate three or more words or phrases of the same class when only the last two are connected by ‘and’:
England, Italy, Denmark and Spain went to the semifinals of the Euro Cup in 2021.
He lost money, lands and reputation.
He scored good marks in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English.
(ii) To separate each pair of words connected by and:
Sorrows and sufferings, pain and pangs are part of life.
(iii) To separate a Nominative Absolute:
The sun having set, we left the field.
(iv) To separate the Noun or Phrase in Apposition:
Akbar, the King of Mughal, was a great emperor.
(v) To separate a Vocative case:
Ramesh, come here.
I am, Sir, your obedient student.
(vi) To separate introductory ‘Yes’ or ‘No’:
Yes, I will go there.
No, I have not done it.
(vii) To separate an Adverbial Clause taking position before a Principal Clause.
If it rains, I shall not go out.
(viii) Before a Direct Speech:
He said to me, “I shall not go to school”.
(ix) Before and after Parenthesis – words, phrases or clauses inserted into the main body of a sentence.
His behaviour, after all, was very rude.
England, however, lost the match at the last moment.
He is, above all, an honest man.
(3) Semicolon:
The Semicolon represents a longer pause than the Comma. The Semicolon is used –
(i) To separate Co-ordinate Clauses when they are not joined by a conjunction.
To err is human; to forgive divine.
(ii) When Co-ordinate Clauses having different subjects are connected with Conjunctions like and, but still, yet etc.
Rahim is lazy ; so ha can’t succeed.
Our friends helped us with money; yet we failed.
(4) Colon:
The Colon represents the longer pause than Semicolon. The Colon is used –
(i) To separate the speaker and the formal quotation:
Keats : “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”.
(ii) Before listed items that are introduced by such words as ‘follows’, ‘following’, ‘thus’ etc.
Send me the followings: An exercise book, a pencil box and a pen.
(5) Question Mark:
The Question Mark is used at the end of Interrogative Sentence.
What is your name?
(6) Exclamation Mark:
The Exclamation Mark is used after interjections and after Exclamatory Phrases or sentence expressing sudden emotion or wish.
Alas! The man is dead.
If I were the bird! How nice it would be.
(7) Apostrophe Comma:
(i) Apostrophe is used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters in a word.
I’m (I am), You’re (You are), He’s (He is), isn’t (is not), can’t (can not), won’t (would not), Hon’ble (Honourable)
(ii) Apostrophe is used to form the possessive case.
This is Ram’s book.
Gita stays in a Girls’ hostel.
(8) Inverted Commas:
(i) The Inverted Commas are used at the beginning and end of the Direct Speech or exact words of speaker.
Netaji said, “Give me blood and I will give you freedom”.
He said, “I am I’ll today”.
(ii) The Inverted Commas are used to indicate the titles of books, magazines, newspapers, poems etc.
I have read “Macbeth”.
(9) Dash:
(i) To indicate break or abrupt turn in a sentence.
If my wife were alive — but why should I lament for the past?
(ii) To indicate words in Apposition or Explanation:
The poor man had to sell everything — a mirror, an almirah, a clock and a table.
(iii) To indicate an incomplete sentence:
I said so because —
(10) Hyphen:
(i) The Hyphen or a short line than the Dash is used to connect the parts of a Compound words.
Brother-in-law, Motor-car, Passers-by
(ii) The Hyphen is also used to connect parts of a word divided at the end of a line.
We went for expeditions early but it was clear-
ly an impossible task.
(Note: Though the Hyphen is shown as Punctuation Mark, but it is not at all a mark of pause, rather the reverse)
(11) Brackets:
The Brackets are used to introduce an explanation of a word, phrase or number.
I have to draw Rs 2000 (two thousands) from the bank.
I said (rather meant it) that I hated him.
Note: The first bracket ( ) is the British style and the third bracket [ ] is the American style.
(12) Asterisk:
One Asterisk is used to indicate the special attention and two or more Asterisks or Dots are used to indicate that some words or phrases or clause have been intentionally omitted.
* Smoking is injurious to health.
The man who was ……. (*****) confessed the crime at last.
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