Hi jaybaby,
Punctuation marks are standardized marks or signs used to clarify and
segment the units of a text.
Punctuation marks are written symbols that do not correspond to either
sounds of a spoken language nor to words and phrases of a written
language, but which serve to organize or clarify written language.
"Punctuation marks help you to organise your words into clauses and
sentences, and hence into identifiable units of meaning. They are the
signs that alert readers to the appropriate pauses in your text. These
pauses signal where you intend the emphasis and intonation to be
placed, and thus how you want the text to be read. Punctuation marks
help you tell the reader how to find the meaning from your
organisation of the words.
Thus punctuation is more than just an incidental aspect of writing. It
is an essential skill that helps you to express yourself clearly,
directly and effectively."
Source: Learmline: Punctuation
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu.html
Common punctuation marks are:
1. End marks -- the full stop or period, question marks, exclamation marks
End marks are used to end a sentence. They enable you to tell your
reader where one thought ends and another begins. Thus end marks help
you keep your ideas distinct so that your reader can understand what
you have written.
There are three ways in which a sentence can be ended:
The full stop (or period) written thus: .
The exclamation mark written thus: !
The question mark written thus: ?
Full stop (or period)
A full stop ends a sentence, for example:
This sentence finishes with a full stop.
Exclamation mark
This was used in the example above. An exclamation mark should be used
when you intend the sentence to be either a strong command or an
emphatic declaration. For example:
Do as you are told! [strong command]
Idiot! [emphatic declaration]
Question mark
This is used to indicate a direct question. For example:
What did you mean by that outrageous claim?
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_em.html
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2. Commas
As a general guide, commas (written as ,) are used when you would
normally pause for breath when speaking.
Commas are used to indicate general subdivisions within a sentence.
There are four major areas in which commas are needed:
to separate nouns or noun phrases within a list,
to mark off parenthetical phrases or asides,
to separate Independent from dependent clauses, and
to separate two Independent clauses that are joined to form one sentence.
Some examples:
George brought orange juice, chips, and beer.
Political science, therefore, is remarkably flexible.
Although he was ill, he went to work.
Exercise is necessary for good health, but it should not be overdone.
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_com.html
-----------------------------
3. Colons
Colons (written as : ) are used mainly to introduce lists, summaries,
or quotations.
For example:
A list:
You will need the following: four cups of flour, three eggs, one cup
of sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla flavouring, and some imagination.
A summary:
The company's financial position can be summarised in one word: disastrous.
A quote:
Within western philosophy, for a man the question of the sex of his
body does not arise: A man never begins by presenting himself as an
individual of a certain sex; it goes without saying that he is a man
(de Beauvoir 1988, 15).
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_col.html
-----------------------------
4. Semi-Colons
Semicolons (written as ;) are used to link two closely related
Independent sentences.
For example:
The chef prepared the fancy dishes; the assistants did the rest.
You can also use a semicolon to separate comma-containing phrases within a list.
For example:
We shall need three tents; six rucksacks containing tools, first aid
kits, and insect repellents; six utilities pouches for maps, small
hand tools, spare batteries and compasses; and six two-way radios.
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_sc.html
-----------------------------
5. Apostrophes
An apostrophe is used to indicate that a subject possesses or owns an
object. For example:
George's car. (ie the car belonging to or of George)
In this case an 's' follows the apostrophe.
For plural nouns ending with an 's', it is usually not necessary to
add an 's'. For example:
cows' milk (ie the milk of the cows)
Apostrophes can also be used to indicate that a letter has been left
out of a word. Common examples of contractions are:
don't (do not)
hasn't (has not)
can't (can not)
won't (will not)
it's (it is)
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_ap.html
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6. Quotation Marks
Quotation marks can either be single (ie '...') or double ("...") and
are used to indicate direct speech or material that has been written
by someone else.
Direct speech:
She said, "Get the cat out of the house".
Quoting someone else's writing:
Far too many people fail to understand the sexism of Aristotle's claim
that "man was a political animal".
Quotation marks can also be used to highlight a word that is being
defined or named.
For example:
By 'sexism', I mean discrimination of women by men on the basis of sex.
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_qm.html
-----------------------------
7. Parentheses
Parentheses are brackets that you can use to indicate explanatory or
interrupting material (sometimes referred to as parenthetical
material), but which is not essential for the meaning of a sentence.
For example:
Seven different colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and
violet) combine to form white light.
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/wr/wr_pu_pa.html
-----------------------------
8. Dashes and Hyphens
Dashes can be used in a similar fashion to brackets to make a
parenthetical comment.
For example:
Three gangsters - Scarface, Itchy, and Knuckles - left before the dust
had cleared.
Dashes are generally considered a weaker form of parenthetical marker
than brackets.
Hyphens are used to form compound words such as 'semi-colon' or
'half-back'. Hyphens are also used to help clarify the meaning of
compound words.
For example:
frog-eating person
The above example describes a particular person - 'frog-eating' is
used as an adjective created from a noun ('frog') and a past
participle ('eating').
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More on punctuation marks:
Commonly Used and Misused Punctuation Marks
http://www.lrcom.com/tips/punctuation.htm
The Free Dictionary: Punctuation
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/punctuation
University of South Florida: Punctuation Made Simple
http://www.stpt.usf.edu/pms/intro.html
Capital Community College: Punctuation Marks
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/marks.htm
Search criteria:
"punctuation marks"
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I hope the information provided is helpful.
Best regards,
Rainbow |
