Periods, Question marks and Exclamation points Punctuation Periods, Question marks and Exclamation points

When to use Periods . Use a period at the end of a statement. This English class is my favorite class this term. Use a period at the end of a command. Hand in the essays no later than noon on Friday. Use a period at the end of an indirect question. The teacher asked why Maria had left out the easy exercises. Use a period with abbreviations: Dr. Espinoza arrived from Washington, D.C., at 6 p.m.

When to NOT use a period . Although it is tempting, we DO NOT use periods in acronyms. An acronym is an abbreviation that we pronounce as a word instead of as individual letters. SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

WHEN A PERIOD IS TRICKY . Abbreviations we pronounce by spelling out the letters may or may not use periods. If you are unsure in that specific case, look up the abbreviation in a dictionary. FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Notice we say “F-B-I” but there are no periods U.S.A. (United States of America) Notice we say “U-S-A” but there are periods LSHS (Lake Shore High School) Notice we say “L-S-H-S” but there are no periods

When to use a Question mark ? Use a question mark at the end of a direct question. He should quit smoking, shouldn't he? If a question mark is part of an italicized or underlined title, make sure that the question mark is also italicized: My favorite book is Where Did He Go? When a question ends with an abbreviation, end the abbreviation with a period and then add the question mark. Didn't he use to live in Washington, D.C.?

When to NOT use a question Mark ? When a question constitutes a polite request, it is usually not followed by a question mark. Would everyone in the room who hasn't received an ID please move to the front of the line.

When to use exclamation points ! Use an exclamation point at the end of an interjection Wow! Use an exclamation point at the end of a strong command Sit down! If an exclamation mark is part of an italicized or underlined title, make sure that the exclamation mark is also italicized or underlined: My favorite book is Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Watch The Punctuation People: Don Period