Capitalization and Punctuation

Punctuation Definition Punctuation the marks, such as full stop, comma, brackets etc. used in writing to separate sentences and to make the meaning clear is called punctuation.

What is punctuation for? Service to readers Helps readers comprehend meaning Prevents misunderstanding Facilitates the activity of reading

Marks of Punctuation Capitalization (A----a) Full stop or period (.) Question mark (?) Exclamation mark(!) Comma (,) Colon (:) Quotation mark (“-----”) The Semicolon ( ; ) The Apostrophe (‘) Ellipsis (….) Parentheses ()

Capital Letters-1 All sentences begin with capital letters. We enjoyed reading the book. Those girls finished cleaning the counter.

Capital Letters-2 Proper nouns begin with capital letters. Mr. Azan asked if Emaan would help. Uncle Rafi took us to Texas.

Capital Letters-3 The pronoun I is always capitalized. I don’t need your help. My aunt and I picked up the papers.

Capital Letters-4 Capitalize first letter days of the week and months of the year. Examples: Monday, Tuesday, June, December.

Period-AmE (full stop-BrE)-1 A complete sentence that makes a statement ends with a period. Learning English easy. You blow out the candle. She comes to class every day.

Period-2 Most abbreviations end with a period. Examples: Dr. , A.D. , A.M, p.m. , U.S.A etc.

Question Mark-1 A question mark is used in writing after a question. Do you agree? Have you seen him?

Exclamation Mark The cake is deliciou! Oh! She got first position. An exclamation mark is used at the end of exclamatory sentence which shows strong feeling or emotion. Example: oh! , Wow! , Mmmm! , Ouch! Etc. The cake is deliciou! Oh! She got first position.

Comma-1 Joining independent sentences with conjunctions (and, or, but...) Example: We won the game, but the opponent gave tough winning position.

Comma-2 Examples: Ali studied hard. Therefore, he got first position. Comma is used to punctuate transitions. Transitions are: Therefore, In fact, In addition etc. Examples: Ali studied hard. Therefore, he got first position.

I ate pizza, a burger, a bread and ice cream. Comma-3 A comma is used to separate words or group of words in a series. I ate pizza, a burger, a bread and ice cream.

Comma-4 A comma separates items in an address (places) or date. Examples: Miami, Florida, USA. January 6, 2003.

Comma-5 It is used to separate a tag question from the rest of the sentence: (tag question—needing confirmation/rejection) Examples: It’s quite expensive, isn’t it? You live in kabul, don’t you?

Colon-1 A colon is principle symbol of punctuation which is used before a list, or an explanation. I will need the following items: pens, paper, and books . She will send the given materials: mobile, T.V and a camera.

Colon-2 A colon is used to separate the hour and the minutes in expression of time. Examples: He attends the class at 3:00 pm. Adnan comes to class at 4: 40 pm. .

Quotation Marks Quotation marks are used to identify the exact words of a speaker . (direct speech) Ali said, “ I am tired.” Jamshid said, “ I am playing cricket.”

( We completed the circuit; the light would not turn on.) The Semicolon-1 ( ; ) more formal than the comma, the semicolon is a half comma, half period. A longer pause Joining independent clauses, with or without conjunction ( ‘and, however, although, ...’) Examples: He plays football and She plays cricket. ( She plays football; she plays cricket.) 2. We completed the circuit; however, the light would not turn on. ( We completed the circuit; the light would not turn on.)

The Apostrophe: 1 Used in contractions( omit figures) of letter or number) Generally, contractions are inappropriate in academic writing Examples: He’s (for he is ) Who’s ( for who is) etc. It was in ‘92 (= 1992)

The Apostrophe: 2 Indicates possession that a thing or person belongs to Examples: The boy’s room (one boy) The boys’ room (two boys) Teacher’s class

Dots/Ellipsis (….) It is used to alert the reader that something has been removed (omitted) from the quoted material, that the speaker has hesitated, or that there is something for the reader to take out. Example There are many good sports, such as football, swimming, jogging, … That help your nervous system.

THE HYPHEN-12 MARK OF SEPARATION USED BETWEEN PARTS OF A WORD. USE A HYPHEN: 1) TO SEPARATE (JOIN) THE PARTS OF COMPOUND WORDS: e.g. fast-moving; sister-in-law; half-asleep; X-ray; forty-seven; When ever we use ‘self’ as a prefix, we add hyphen between the word. Example: self – confident, self- respect, self-sacrifice.

Bracket (BrE)- Parentheses(AmE) To separate extra information or a comment form the rest of sentence: Mount Robson( 12 972 feet) is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Around numbers or letters in text: Our objectives are (1) to increase output, (2) to improve quality and (3) to maximize profits.