Punctuation Edit

Punctuation marks are symbols or signs used to make the meaning of written words clear to the reader.

A punctuation mark can tell you that the sentence expresses a question, declares a statement, or indicates a strong emotion.

Types of Punctuation

1. Period ( . )

A period may tell you that a sentence expressing a complete thought has ended. Period has several uses:

  1. Use a period at the end of a declarative or imperative sentence.
    • LT Jojo is a visionary leader and a man of action.
    • Please give my letter to the kind lad named Mikoy.
  2. Use a period rather than a question mark after a courteous request even if the sentence poses a question.
    • Will you please give it today.
  3. Use a period rather than a question mark after an indirect question.
    • They are asking if you wish to go with them.
  4. Use a period after initials and abbreviations.
    • Mrs.
    • Ph.D.
    • L. B. Makiraptanan
  5. Use three periods to indicate the omission of words from a quotation and four periods when the omission comes at the end of a quoted passage.
    • “Happy is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked ones... but his delight is in the law of Jehovah.” – Psalms 1:1-2

2. Question Mark ( ? )

Question mark has several uses:

  1. Use a question mark at the end of a direct question.
    • Are you planning for a swimming?
  2. In a sentence containing more than one question, each question may use a question mark. But if a question is not complete until the final word of the sentence, the question mark is placed only at the end.
    • Are you sure of this name? This age? This address?
    • Will you come back on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?

3. Exclamation Mark ( ! )

Exclamation mark has several uses:

  1. Use the exclamation mark to end exclamatory sentences. Such sentences express strong or sudden emotion.
    • This is utter sadness!
    • What an awesome movie!
  2. Use the exclamation mark after interjections.
    • Doctor! This is very painful.
  3. Use the exclamation mark after commands specifying immediate action.
    • Run as fast as you can!
  4. Use the exclamation mark after an interrogative sentence meant to be exclamatory.
    • Why did you do that!

4. Quotation Marks ( “ ” )

Quotation marks have several uses:

  1. Use quotation marks to enclose the exact words of a speaker or writer.
    • “Do your parents drink wine?” I asked.
  2. Use quotation marks to enclose the titles of essays, chapters, stories, films, etc.
    • Ms. Gonzales wrote the book “English Grammar.”
  3. Place a period or comma before ending quotation marks.
    • “We do not try to convert others,” the Salome Follower said. “Only to live our own way.”
  4. Place the question mark before the quotation marks when they refer to the quoted content, or after when they refer to the complete sentence.
    • Did he say, “He wants to visit me”?
  5. Place a semicolon and colon after the quotation marks unless they are part of the quoted material.
    • They are shouting, “We will burn your house”; consequently, we have to leave.

5. Apostrophe ( ’ )

Apostrophe has several uses:

  1. Use the apostrophe to indicate the possessive case of nouns.
    • Have you played with Ezekiel’s new tennis racket?
  2. Use the apostrophe to show a contraction.
    • It’s a sin to tell a lie.
  3. Use the apostrophe to form the plural of letters and symbols.
    • Planet is filling the paper with letter A’s.
  4. Use the apostrophe to indicate more than one copy of a word.
    • The report of the word counter software states that there are ten work’s in the paragraph.
  5. Use the apostrophe to denote the plural or some other form of an abbreviation.
    • The V.I.P’s have arrived.

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