Anyely FernándezDelis Soto

Diana Paternina

Why do we use punctuation?

We use punctuation marks:

To separate groups of meaning and emphasis.

To convey an idea of the variations of pitch, volume, pauses, and intonation of speech.

To help avoid contextual ambiguity.

Types of Punctuation

Apostrophe1. Indicates the possessive case of nouns and indefinite

pronouns.E.g. The boy’s mother / Sara’s house

2. Marks omission of letters in contracted words.E.g. didn’t / o’clock / telephone – ’phone

3. Marks omission of digits in numbers.E.g. class of ’83

4. Is often used to form plurals of letters, figures, punctuated abbreviations, symbols, and word referred to as words.E.g. Your plan is good, even if there are lots of but's

in it.Two of the junior faculty have Ph.D’s.

Brackets 1. To add clarification and information.

E.g. The witness said: "He [the policeman] hit me.“ The two teams in the finals of the first FIFA Football World Cup were both

from South America [Uruguay and Argentina].2. Set off phonetics symbols and transcriptions.

E.g. Punctuation [ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃən]3. To add missing words.

E.g. It is [a] good question.4. To add editorial o authorial comment. E.g. They will not be present [my emphasis].5. To modify a direct quotation: E.g. He "love[s] driving." (The original words were "I love driving.") 6. For nesting. E.g. Square brackets can also be nested (using square brackets [like these]

inside round brackets).

Colon1. Introduces a clause or phrase that explains, illustrates,

amplifies, or restates what has gone before. E.g. The sentence was poorly constructed: it lacked both

unity and coherence.2. Directs attention to an appositive. E.g. He had only one pleasure: eating3. Introduces a series. E.g. Three abstained :England , France, and Belgium.4. Separates titles and subtitles. E.g. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Era of the Civil War.

Colon5. Introduces lengthy quoted material set off from the rest of

a text by indentation but not bu quotation marks. E.g. I quote from the text of Chapter One:6. Separates elements in a page references, in

bibliographical and biblical citations, and in set formulas used to express ratios and time.

E.g. John 4:10 / a ratio of 3:5 / 8:30 a.m.7. Follows the salutation in formal correspondence. E.g. Dear Sir: / Ladies and Gentlemen:8. Punctuates headings in memorandums and formal

correspondence. E.g. TO: / SUBJECT: / REFERENCE:

Comma1. Use a comma between items in a serie or list. E.g. coffee, tea, sugar, milk, eggs, butter, salt. My favourite sports are football, rugby, swimming, boxing

and golf.2. Use a comma between three or more adjectives or adverbs. E.g. I like the old, brown, wooden table. He bought an old, red, open-top Volkswagen.3. For two adjectives, use a comma where you could use “and”. E.g. It was a short, simply film. (It was a short and simply

film.)4. Use a comma for numbers over 999. E.g. 1,000 (one thousand) / $75, 050.75

Comma5. Use a comma for addresses, some dates, and titles following

a name. E.g. Los Angeles, California / November 4, 19486. Use a comma before of after direct speech. Do not use a

comma for reported speech. E.g. He said, “I love you.” / “I love you”, he said. He told her that he loved her.7. Use a comma before coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor,

but, or, yet, so) to join independent clauses. E.g. He didn't want to go, but he went anyway. She is kind so she helps people.8. Use a comma for parenthetical elements. E.g. John Miles, who is chairman of the company, is quite old. Andy, my wife’s brother, cannot come.

Comma9. Use a comma after an introductory part. E.g. Rushing to catch the flight, he forgot to take his

phone. By evening we were getting worried.10. Sentence adverbs. E.g. However, Anthony did arrive. Anthony, however, did arrive.11. Adverbial clause. E.g. If I win the lottery, I will buy a castle / I will buy a

castle if I win the lottery.12. Set off contrasting and opposing expressions. E.g. He changed his style, not his ethics.

Comma

13. Separates a tag question from the rest of the sentence. E.g. It’s a fine day, isn’t it?14. Is used to avoid ambiguity that might arise from

adjacent words. E.g. To Mary, Jane was someone special.15. Punctuates an inverted name. E.g. Morton, William.16. Follows the salutation in informal letter. E.g. Dear Mark, / Very truly yours,

Dash1. To show a pause or break in meaning in the middle of a

sentence. E.g. My brothers—Richard and John—are visiting Hanoi. In the 15th century—when of course nobody had

electricity—water was often pumped by hand. 2. To show an afterthought. E.g. I attached the photo to my email—at least I hope I did!3. To introduce a list. E.g. Don’t forget to buy some food—eggs, bread, tuna and

cheese.4. To show that letters or words are missing. E.g. They are really f----d up.5. Often precedes the attribution of a quotation. E.g. My foot is on my native heath.... -Sir Walter Scott

Ellipsis 1. Indicates the omission of one or more words within a

quoted passage. E.g. In the little world in which children have their existence,… there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as injustice.-Charles Dickens2. Usually indicates omission of one or more lines of poetry

when ellipsis is extended the length of the line. E.g. I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. –Joyce Kilmer3. Indicates halting speech or an unfinished sentence in

dialogue. E.g. “I’d like to … that is … if you don’t mind ….”

Exclamation 1. To indicate strong feelings or a raised voice in speech. E.g. “Help!” / “Stop!” She shouted at him, “Go away! I hate you!” 2. Many interjections need an exclamation mark. E.g. “Hi! What’s new?” / “Ouch! That hurt.”3. A non-question sentence beginning with “what” or “how”

is often an exclamation. E.g. How pretty she looked in that dress!4. Informal writing. E.g. Met John yesterday. He is so handsome!!! Remember, don’t be late!!!

Hyphen 1. To join words to show that their meaning is linked in some

way. E.g. Book-case / race-horse 2. To make compound modifiers before nouns. E.g. A blue-eyed boy / The well-known actor3. Prefixes. E.g. All-inclusive / Ex-wife / Self-control non-English4. When writing numbers 21 to 99, and fractions. E.g. Twenty-one / Two-thirds5. To show that a word has been broken at the end of a line. E.g. The directors requested that a more conven- ient time be arranged.6. Suspended compounds. E.g. This rule applies only to 12-, 13- and 14-year olds.

Parentheses1. Explain or clarify. E.g. Tony Blair (the former British prime minister) resigned from office in 2007.2. Indicate plural or singular. E.g. Please leave your mobile phone(s) at the door.3. Add a personal comment. E.g. Many people love party (I don’t)4. Define abbreviations E.g. The matter will be decided by the IOC (International Olympic Committee)5. Enclose numerals that confirm a written number in a text. E.g. Delivery will be made in thirty (30) days.

Period1. Ends sentences or sentence fragments.

E.g. I went to the store for groceries. / Not bad.2. Abbreviations and contractions.

E.g. Dr. / A.D. / Jr. 3. Is normally used with an individual’s initials. E.g. T.S. Elliot4. Is used after numerals and letters in vertical enumerations and

outlines. E.g. Required skills are: A. Shorthand B. Typing C. Transcription

Quotation Mark (double and single)

1. Title or name of a book, film, ship etc. E.g. ‘Titanic’ is a 1997 movie directed by James Cameron about

the sinking of the ship ‘Titanic’ The third chapter of Treasure Island is entitled “The Black Spot.”2. We use a quotation marks around a piece of text that we are

quoting or citing, usually from another source. E.g. In The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language,

David Crystal argues that punctuation “plays a critical role in the modern writing system”.

3. Use quotation marks around dialogue or direct speech. E.g. It was a moonlit night. James opened the door and stepped

onto the balcony, followed by Mary. They stood in silence for a few moments, looking at the moon. Then Mary turned to him and said: "Do you love me, James?"

Quotation Mark (double and single)

4. Use quotation marks around a word or phrase that we see as slang or jargon.

E.g. The police were called to a "disturbance"-which in reality was a pretty big fight.

5. Use quotation marks around a word or phrase that we want to make “special” in some way.

E.g. Note that sometimes we use “italics” instead of quotation marks.

Semicolon1. We sometimes use a semi-colon instead of a full stop or period.

E.g. George likes coffee; Mary likes tea.

You did your best; now let’s hope you pass the exam.

2. Use a semi-colon as a kind of “super comma”.

E.g. ABC Investments has offices in five locations: Kensington, London; Brighton & Hove; and Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester.

3. Links clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb (such as consequently, furthermore, however).

E.g. Speeding is illegal; furthermore, it is very dangerous.

Slash 1. Separate alternatives. E.g. Dear Sir/Madam. Mary will eat cake and/or fruit.2. Replaces the word to or and between related terms that are

compounded. E.g. In the May/June issue. The fiscal year 2009/2010.3. Divides elements in dates and divides numerators and

denominators in fractions. E.g. Offer expires 5/10/2011 2/3 (two-thirds)4. Set off phonemes and phonemic transcription. E.g. /b/ as in but

Question Mark

1. Ends a direct question. E.g. How are you?.2. Indicates the writer’s ignorance or uncertainty. E.g. Lord Byron, English poet (1788?-1824)

Linking Devices Linking words or devices help you to build a logicalargument or thread in your assignment by linking onestatement to another. An assignment without linking wordsreads like a series of unrelated statements with no flow.

Linking words can be used to:Link the flow of ideas in your writing. Guide your reader towards the next stage of your

argument.Link paragraphs together.

References

http://www.englishclub.com/writing/punctuation.htm

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition (1996)

Thanks