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Welcome to the PUNCTUATION PAGE!

Welcome! This page gives you a free guide to punctuation, clearly describing all areas including examples.




At the beginning of all sentences – [No one knew where it was].
Names of days, months and public holidays – [Friday, August, Christmas].
CAPITAL LETTERS (G,T)
Names of people, places and peoples’ titles – [John, New York, Mr Smith].
Nouns and adjectives for nationalities, languages, religions. [I speak Greek and she is Catholic].
The first word of book titles, plays, newspapers and often other main words in titles – [Snow White, Guardian, Seven Dwarves].




At the end of a sentence (but before the quotes if used) – [I am going to the Cinema tonight] and [John said “No way.”]
FULL STOP(.)
In numbers, which is read as (point something) – [3.15 = three point one four].




After a direct question – [Where are you going tonight?]
QUESTION MARK (?)
To show doubt – [William Shakespeare 23rd April? 1564].




At the end of a sentence to show surprise, shock or emphasis – [That’s a ridiculous idea!]
EXCLAMATION MARK (!)
To show a loud sound or spoken exclamation – [Bang!, Help!].




To show possession – [Jane & Jane’s] and [Women & Women’s] and [Girls & Girls’].
EXCLAMATION MARK (!)
To show that letters have been left out (contraction) – [he’s gone=he has gone] and [she’s selling=she is selling] and [we’d=we would].
Words which do not usually have plurals, sometimes have an apostrophe when the plural form is written. – [There are too many if’s in that business] and [Her p’s and q’s are excellent].




[it’s – It’s time to go (It is time to go)]. [Its – The dog ate its food].
BE CAREFUL
[Who’s – Who’s there (Who is there)]. [Whose – Whose bag is this].




Between items in a list, or between similar adjectives describing the same noun (BUT not before the final item/adjective) – [The charity is collecting food, medicine, clothes and toys].
Between clauses (where a speaker would pause in speech) and following a subordinate clause which comes at the beginning of the sentence – [The price at the first hotel we called at was exorbitant, but the second one gave us a better deal] and [If you like the outdoor life, you’ll love the country park].
COMMA(,)
Around non-defining clauses – [Strawberries, which are in season at the moment, are rich in vitamin C]].
To separate adverbs that apply to a whole sentence from the rest of the sentence. [The plan, however, did not work so well in practice] and [At that time they were unaware of the danger].
Before a question tag – [They have changed the display, haven’t they?].
Between direct speech and the reporting expression – [And then Johann said, “I’ll pay!”].




TIP: In the error correction exercises, keep an eye out for two commas, generally if there is one in the latter part of a sentence there is one missing at the beginning.
LOOK OUT FOR
[The clothes I ordered which I wanted for my holiday, were out of stock]. THERE IS A COMMA MISSING BETWEEN ORDERED AND WHICH.




SEMI-COLON (;)
To separate two parts of a sentence (instead of using a full stop to make two sentences) – .Students are required to pass all compulsory subjects; those who fail will be required to resit the exams in September].




To add information which clarifies something – [You can speak to Duncan (my secretary)].
PARENTHESES/BRACKETS ( () )
To give extra facts which are less important – [Guided tours cost ten pounds (7.50 for students and the over 60’s)].




Before an explanation – [The concert had to be cancelled: too few tickets had been sold]
COLON(:)
 To introduce a list – [The following factors must be considered: cost, staff and publicity].
To introduce a quotation or famous saying – [As pope John once said: “A little learning is a dangerous thing”]




Single inverted commas (‘’) are more common in British English; double inverted commas (“”) in American English.
INVERTED COMMAS AND QUOTATION MARKS (' ' & " ")
 To show direct speech/quotation – [“I just wanted to try it on,” the customer protested].
For titles – [The last film I saw was ‘The Hours’
For words used as labels – [Programmes like that are commonly referred to as ‘reality shows’].




BE CAREFUL
Within error correction and your own writing comprehension that single and double quotes always come in pairs. (‘ ’ and “ ”).




To join two words together to make a compound.
HYPHEN (-)
 Two-part adjectives –ed –ing. [blue-eyed, high-flying]
Phrases used as adjectives. [out-of-work, builder]
With some prefixes. [Non-smoker] and [Ex-boyfriend]
TIP: Check a dictionary for other words and combinations used.




In formal writing, to separate parts of a sentence as they would be spoken (like a colon, semi-colon or brackets) – [I’d love to come and visit you – if I can afford it this summer, that is].
DASHES (—)
Meaning (to) – [the London – Paris rail link (London to Paris)].




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