Other Punctuation Marks
The Period (.)
The period is used to end most sentences except direct questions and genuine exclamations.
Examples:
Melissa is allergic to all mosquitoes.
Go feed the cat.
I wonder when it will start raining.
The period is also used at the end of most abbreviations. If a sentence ends with a period marking an abbreviation, do not add a second period. A period is not used in US Postal Service abbreviations for states: CA, TX, NY.
Examples:
Dr. Hardin
Mr. and Mrs. Cheatham
M.A. Degree
etc.
i.e.
a.m. (or AM)
p.m. (or PM)
The Question Mark (?)
The question mark is used to end a direct question.
Examples:
Have you seen Mel Gibson in Braveheart?
“What kind of meat do you want in your tacos?” the waiter asked.
Are you feeling sad?
Indirect questions do not need a question mark. They end with periods. Indirect questions tell a reader about a question rather than ask it directly.
Examples:
Please ask mom if she can drop me off at the mall on the way to the grocery store.
I worry if we’ll experience an earthquake this summer.
He asked me who will be teaching the geometry course.
If a polite request is written in the form of a question, it may be followed by a period.
Example:
Would you please send me the new Alloy catalog.
Questions in a series may be followed by question marks even when they are not complete sentences.
Example:
We wondered where the bunny was hiding. Under the bed? Behind the couch? Wrapped in a blanket?
The Exclamation Point (!)
The exclamation point is used to end a sentence expressing great excitement or any other strong feeling. Remember not to overuse the exclamation point.
Examples:
When Alli entered the room, I turned on the lights and we all shouted, “Surprise!”
Watch out for that car!
Heads up!
If your dog bites my child again, I’ll sue you!
Hey you!
Wow! Look at that rainbow.
The Colon (:)
The colon has three important uses:
1. To introduce a list.
2. To introduce a long or literary quotation.
3. To introduce a final fact or explanation, between two independent clauses if the second summarizes or explains the first.
Examples:
1.The homeless man’s possessions were few: a shopping cart, a flannel blanket, and two cardboard signs.
2. Charles Dickens begins his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities with these well-known words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…..”
3.There’s only one excuse for being late: you have died.
Also use a colon after the salutation in a formal letter, to indicate hours and minutes, to show proportions, between a title and subtitle, and between city and publisher in bibliographic entries.
Examples:
To Whom It May Concern:
5:14 p.m.
The ratio of men to women was 17:5
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
New York: Zondervan, 1993
Avoid common misuses of the colon. A colon must be preceded by a full independent clause.
1. Do not put a colon between a verb and its object or complement.
Example: Some important qualities he lacks are: humor, kindness, and compassion.
2. Do not put a colon between a preposition and its object.
Example: The heart’s two pumps each consist of: and upper chamber, or atrium, and a lower chamber, or ventricle.
3. Do not use a colon after such as, including, or for example.
There are many trees on the university campus such as: redwoods, sequoias, and weeping willows.
The Semicolon (;)
Semicolons are used between two closely related complete thoughts/independent clauses, not joined by a joining word/coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet). When the two independent clauses are not linked with a coordinating conjunction a semicolon must be used.
Examples:
Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.
–H.L. Mencken
In 1800, a pioneer needed 42 days to get from New York to Chicago; in 1860, the trip by railroad took two days.
Semicolons are used between independent clauses linked with a transitional phrases and conjunctive adverbs.
Transitional Phrases:
after all, as a matter of fact, as a result, at any rate, at the same time, even so, for example, for instance, in addition, in conclusion, in fact, in other words, in the first place, on the contrary, on the other hand
Conjunctive Adverbs:
accordingly, also, anyway, besides, certainly, consequently, conversely, finally, furthermore, hence, however, indeed, instead, likewise, meanwhile, moreover, nevertheless, next, nonetheless, now, otherwise, similarly, specifically, still, subsequently, then, therefore, thus
Examples:
Musical theater productions are very elaborate and detailed; in fact, they can take months to rehearse.
Most singers gain fame through hard work and dedication; Laura Bell Bundy, certainly, was no exception.
Semicolons, just like periods and commas, are used to help the reader sort out pauses and major groupings in sentences.
Semicolons are also used between items in a series containing internal punctuation.
Example:
My all time favorite movies are Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightly; Pirates of the Caribbean, with Keira Knightly again and John Depp; and Becoming Jane, and movie based on the life of Jane Austen.
The Hyphen (-)
Sometimes it can be difficult to determine or remember which compound words are hyphenated. Consult a dictionary whenever you are in doubt. This next lesson will also help you figure out when to use a hyphen and when not to use a hyphen.
The hyphen is used to connect two or more words that act together as an adjective to describe a noun.
Example:
Sarah Palin is becoming a well-known candidate.
In most cases you should not use a hyphen when a compound follows the noun.
Example:
After the election is over, Sarah Palin will continue to be well known.
Never use a hyphen to connect –ly adverbs to the words they modify.
Example:
The slowly-moving slug was smashed. (incorrect)
The slowly moving slug was smashed. (correct)
In a series, hyphens are suspended.
Example:
Would you like to purchase upper-, lower-, or floor-level tickets?
The hyphen is used when writing the written form of a fraction and of compound numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine.
Example:
One-third of my paycheck goes toward bills.
A hyphen is used with the prefixes all-, ex-, and self- and with the suffix –elect.
Examples:
I bought a new self-help book last week.
Melissa Cheatham is the senior class president-elect.
The hyphen is used to separate double or triple letters in some compound word (anti-intellectual, cross-stitch).
The hyphen is also used to avoid words that have two meanings and pronunciations. With words like recreation and re-creation, without the hyphen it would be hard to distinguish between the two words and their two different meanings.
Examples:
Hiking Castle Crags is the most tiring form of recreation.
At the Irish Folk Museum they display re-creations of old Irish towns and farm life.
One last note about hyphens:
Hyphens are used to divide a word at the end of a line of writing.
Always divide a word between syllables. Do not divide one syllable words. Check your dictionary to see where syllable divisions occur for any word.
The Dash –dash
A dash indicates a dramatic pause. The dash gives special emphasis to the words that the dash separates from the rest of the sentence.
Example:
Bee stings usually—but not always—cause me to have a seizure.
Dashes are also used to set off a list, a restatement, for amplification, or a dramatic shift in tone or thought.
Examples:
At the back counter are the meats—chicken, fish, sliced deli meats, and steaks. (Here a colon could be used instead of the dash.)
Consider the amount of sugar in the average person’s diet—103 pounds per year. (A colon could also be used here instead of the dash.)
Everywhere we looked were happy Americans—a sparkler in one hand and their heads turned up to the sky.
Vanessa dribbled the ball, ran down the court, threw the ball—and the missed the shot.
The dash can also be used to signal the end of a list of items.
Example:
A two-mile jog, forty-five minutes of weight lifting, and one hundred push-ups—that’s how my personal training wants me to begin my day.
To type a dash, type two hyphens. Do not add a space before or after a dash.
Do not over use the dash. It will make your writing sloppy and choppy, and the dash will lose its dramatic affect.
Parentheses ( )
The parentheses are used to indicate that the information inside them is less important than the other information given.
Examples:
Jimmy Kimmel (my favorite comedian) has decided to retire.
The assignments that follow (chapters 4, 5, and 6) will help you understand more about probability.
Also place parentheses around numbers that introduce items in a list within a sentence.
Example:
My new weight loss program consists of (1) jogging, (2) weight lifting, and (3) sit-ups.
