Periods, commas, and semicolons Punctuation Periods, commas, and semicolons Oh my! … And quotation marks, parentheses, hyphens, dashes, colons, question marks, slashes, apostrophes, ellipses and asterisks.

Part 1 The common stuff

Names of punctuation marks What is this? . PERIOD/DOT/POINT

Periods How can I use a period? At the end of a complete sentence. In numbers (point) 5.5, 0.25 In email addresses or URLs (dot) Gmail.com Leannateacher.wordpress.com

Names of punctuation marks What is this? , COMMA

Commas How can I use a comma? With a conjunction In a list I like apples, but he likes oranges. In a list I play tennis, basketball, and baseball. After an introductory phrase or clause During the winter months, it snows a lot. Hey, what are you doing? To set aside information I have carrots, which I like, and peas, which I hate.

Names of punctuation marks What is this? ’ APOSTROPHE

Apostrophes How can I use apostrophes? In contractions Didn’t, won’t, it’s In possession Aigerim’s boyfriend , the school’s library

Names of punctuation marks What are these? “ ” QUOTATION MARKS

Quotation marks How can I use quotation marks? Around quotes I said, “You’re a liar, and you know it.” NOTE: Periods, commas, question marks and exclamation points go INSIDE the quotation marks. Exception: Did you see the sign that said “Warning: Do not enter”? Around technical terms or foreign words “Bishbarmak” is a traditional Kazakh dish.

Names of punctuation marks What is this? ! EXCLAMATION POINT

Exclamation points How can I use an exclamation point? After an exclamation Wow! Look out!

Names of punctuation marks What is this? ? QUESTION MARK

Question marks How can I use a question mark? After a question Did you see the question up there?

Part 2 The weird stuff

Names of punctuation marks What are these? ( ) PARENTHESES

Parentheses How can I use parentheses? To set aside information, like a private comment or explanation I never drink (except on weekends). To reference something The research data (Fig. 1) shows the results of the study. To give a translation They’re going on hajj (pilgrimage).

Names of punctuation marks What is this? : COLON

Colons How can I use a colon? In time It’s 12:30. In ratios The ratio of boys to girls is 2:1. To introduce an idea or list Here’s my idea: We buy a boat. I need the following items: kittens, puppies, cake, and ice cream.

Names of punctuation marks What is this? ; SEMICOLON

Semicolons How can I use a semicolon? To connect independent clauses without a conjunction I like apples; he likes oranges. In longer lists We discussed the following ideas: buying boats and sailing to Mexico; having parties with dogs, cats, ice cream, and cake; the problems of being university students with part-time jobs; and how to study abroad.

Names of punctuation marks What is this? - HYPHEN

Hyphens How can I use a hyphen? To connect pieces of a single word E-mail Part-time jobs An 8-year-old girl To connect a sentence across a line break She worries about her financially depen-dent brother.

Names of punctuation marks What is this? — DASH (EM DASH)

Dashes (em-dashes) How can I use an em-dash? There are two kinds of dashes; this is the longest one. How can I use an em-dash? Like parentheses, but less disconnected; an abrupt pause She likes every color—except purple. I have to get up early—at 5am—and go to the airport. Comma, dash, parentheses Least to most disconnected phrase

Names of punctuation marks What is this? / SLASH

Slashes How can I use a slash? To give two options (or all options) I want cake and/or ice cream for my birthday. A teacher should share his/her knowledge. In URLs vk.com/video

Names of punctuation marks What is this? * ASTERISK/STAR

Asterisks How can I use an asterisk? As a bullet  To reference a note at the end Puppies are never ugly.* *Except when they have physical deformities. To call attention to something important *** Warning: Do not eat ***

Names of punctuation marks What is this? … ELLIPSIS

Ellipses How can I use an ellipsis? To show words were removed from a quote According to the author, puppies are “always welcome at any birthday party … or other event.” To show pauses in speaking or “trailing off” I don’t … think you understand. What the…