Punctuation

Punctuation is the name given to characters in text that aren't numbers or letters. Punctuation tells us where a sentence begins and ends, where the pauses are in it, delineates clauses and shows where to put emphasis. From this it can be seen that punctuation is extremely useful, and is something all writers ought to know how to use. Most badficcers have a problem with it, it appears.

Punctuation's best friends are Spelling and Grammar. Use all three for best results, and to get the six extra marks on your English GCSE.

Common punctuation marks are:


 * Full stop (or period in American English):.
 * This denotes the end of a sentence.
 * Comma: ,
 * This shows a pause (in dialogue only) or denotes the beginning of a new clause in a sentence.
 * Colon: :
 * Used to introduce a list or an example.
 * Semicolon: ;
 * Separates two different ideas in a sentence. Use sparingly.
 * Apostrophe: '
 * Used to denote a contraction or a possessive.
 * Exclamation mark: !
 * Shows excitement or anger or similar emotions.
 * Question mark: ?
 * Denotes that the sentence is a question.
 * Brackets (or parentheses):
 * An aside or a separate clause should be put inside brackets. Different sets of brackets can be nested within each other.

External link
Guide to Punctuation by Larry Trask, former professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex.