Punctuation

 The 'Period', 'Full Stop' or 'Point' [.] 

The period (known as a full stop in British English) is probably the simplest of the punctuation marks to use. 

You use it like a knife to cut the sentences to the required length. Generally, you can break up the sentences using the full stop at the end of a logical and complete thought that looks and sounds right to you. Use the full stop. 

1. To mark the end of a sentence which is not a question or an exclamation. 

a. Rome is the capital of Italy.
b. I was born in Australia and now live in Indonesia.
c. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. 

2. To indicate an abbreviation

a. I will be in between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Note: Dr and Mr and Mrs and Ms do not take a full stop nor do most abbreviations taken from the first capital letters such as MA, Phd, CNN.

3. Special case - three dots (ellipsis)

Often you will see a sentence concluding with three dots. This indicates that only part of the sentence or text has been quoted or that it is being left up to the reader to complete the rest of the sentence.

a. The Lord's Prayer begins, 'Our Father, which art in Heaven...'

4. Full stop after a single word

Sometimes a single word can form the sentence. In this case you place a full stop after the word as you would in any other sentence.

a. "Goodbye."
b. "Hello."

Note: This is often the case when the subject is understood as in a greeting or a command such as "Stop."

The Comma [,]

There are some general rules which you can apply when using the comma. However, you will find that in English there are many other ways to use the comma to add to the meaning of a sentence or to emphasise an item, point or meaning. Although we are often taught that commas are used to help us add 'breathing spaces' to sentences they are, in fact, more accurately used to organise blocks of thought or logical groupings. Most people will now use commas to ensure that meaning is clear and, despite grammatical rules, will drop the comma if their meaning is retained in the sentence.

A. Using the comma to separate phrases, words, or clauses in lists.

1. A series of phrases

• On my birthday I went to the cinema, ate dinner in a restaurant, and went dancing.

2. A series of nouns

• The meal consisted of soup, fish, chicken, dessert and coffee.

3. A series of adjectives

• She was young, beautiful, kind, and intelligent.

Note: if an adjective is modifying another adjective you do not separate them with a comma - e.g. She wore a bright red shirt.

4. A series of verbs

• Tony ran towards me, fell, yelled, and fainted.

5. A series of clauses

• The car smashed into the wall, flipped onto its roof, slid along the road, and finally stopped against a tree.

B. Using the comma to enclose insertions or comments. The comma is placed on either side of the

insertion.

• China, one of the most powerful nations on Earth, has a huge population.

C. Use the comma to mark off a participial phrase

• Hearing that her father was in hospital, Jane left work immediately.

D. Use the comma in 'tag questions'

• She lives in Paris, doesn't she?
• We haven't met, have we?

E. Use to mark off interjections like 'please', 'thank you', 'yes', and 'no'

• Yes, I will stay a little longer, thank you.

Exclamation Mark [!]

Use an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence to show surprise or excitement.

• We won the Stanley Cup!
• The forest is on fire!

Question Mark [?]

Use a question mark at the end of a sentence to show a direct question.

• How many provinces are there in Canada?

Note: do not use a question mark for indirect questions.

• The teacher asked the class a question. Do not ask me why.

Colon [:]

1. Use a colon to introduce a list of things.

• There are three positions in hockey: goalie, defence, and forward.

2. Use a colon to introduce a long quotation.

• The prime minister said: "We will fight. We will not give up. We will win the next election."

Semicolon [;]

1. Use a semicolon to join related sentences together.

• The festival is very popular; people from all over the world visit each year.

2. Use a semicolon in lists that already have commas.

• The three biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, B.C.

Quotation Marks ["]

Use quotation marks to show what someone has said directly.

• The prime minister said, "We will win the election."
• "I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

Apostrophe ['] 

1. Use an apostrophe to show ownership of something. 

• This is David's computer. 
• These are the player's things. (Things that belong to the player). 

Note: For nouns in plural form, put the apostrophe at the end of the noun. 

These are the players' things. (Things that belong to the players). 

2. Use an apostrophe to show letters that have been left out of a word. 

• I don't know how to fix it. 

Hyphen [-] 

1.Use a hyphen to join two words that form one idea together. 

• Sweet-smelling. Fire-resistant. 

2. Use a hyphen to join prefixes to words. 

• Anti-Canadian. 
• Non-contact. 

3. Use a hyphen when writing compound numbers. 

• One-quarter. 
• Twenty-three. 

Dash [-] 

1. Use a dash before a phrase that summarizes the idea of a sentence. 

• Mild, wet, and cloudy - these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver. 

2. Use a dash before and after a phrase or list that adds extra information in the middle of a sentence. 

• The children - Pierre, Laura, and Ashley - went to the store. 
• Most Canadians - but not all - voted in the last election. 

3. Use a dash to show that someone has been interrupted when speaking. 

The woman said, "I want to ask - " when the earthquake began to shake the room. 

Brackets and Parentheses [ ] ( )

The difference between a 'bracket' and a 'parentheses' can be a bit confusing. Generally, parentheses refers to round brackets () and brackets to square brackets []. However, we are more and more used to hearing these referred to simply as 'round brackets' or 'square brackets'.

Usually we use square brackets - [ ] - for special purposes such as in technical manuals. 

Round brackets - ( ) -, or 'parentheses' are used in a similar way to commas when we want to add further explanation, an afterthought, or comment that is to do with our main line of thought but distinct from it.

Many grammarians feel that the parentheses can, in fact, be replaced by commas in nearly all cases. For

example:

1. further explanation - The government's education report (April 2005) shows that the level of literacy is rising in nearly all areas.

2. comment - I visited Kathmandu (which was full of tourists) on my way to the Himalayas for a trekking expedition.

3. afterthought - You can eat almost anything while travelling in Asia if you are careful to observe simple rules (avoiding unboiled or unbottled water is one of the main rules to be aware of).