Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences.

.Full Stop. You use this like a knife to cut the sentences to the required length. The uses of the full stop: Marks the end of a sentence which is not a question or an exclamation. Indicates an abbreviation. In special cases, ellipses (three dots) will be used to indicate an unfinished thought that picks up later, after the ellipses.

Often referred to as “breathing spaces”. These emphasise items. ,Comma, Often referred to as “breathing spaces”. These emphasise items. The uses of the comma: Separates items in a list. Marks off interjections like “thank you”, “yes”, “no”.

?Question mark? Do not use a question mark The uses of the question mark: Marks the end of a direct question. WATCH OUT! Do not use a question mark at the end of a question in indirect speech!

!Exclamation! Do not overuse! The uses of the exclamation mark: Marks exasperation, astonishment, or surprise. Indicates humour, irony or sarcasm. WATCH OUT! Do not overuse! Do not use a series of exclamation marks!!! 

(Parentheses) Most commonly parentheses refers to brackets, but can also include dashes and commas. Uses of parentheses: Adds further explanation or additional information. Indicates an afterthought.

-Hyphens- vs –Dashes- Hypens join two or more words together, like x-ray. Dashes separates words into statements of parentheses. The uses of the hyphen: Form compound words and numbers (twenty-one). However, many compound words have dropped the hyphen with time. Consider the word e-mail that has become email. Used in written fractions (three-fifths). The uses of the dash: Indicates additional information, like brackets. Creates emphasis.

“Quotation Marks” Uses of quotation marks: Indicates direct speech. Marks idiomatic expressions.

;Semicolon; Semicolons are somewhere between a weak full stop and a strong comma. The uses of the semicolon: Joins sentences without having to use a conjunction when sentences share a mutual theme while still remaining independent.

‘Apostrophe’ The ONLY two uses of the apostrophe: Omission/Contraction. He’s (he is) They’re (they are) Possession/Ownership. Mary’s father WATCH OUT The apostrophe is NEVER used to indicate plurals. You MUST know the correct term for the two uses of the apostrophe.

:Colon: The uses of the colon: Indicates the start of a list of items. Simple, isn’t it? 

Capital Letters The uses of capital letters: Indicates the start of a sentence. Proper nouns. Adjectives functioning as proper nouns. The main words in the titles of works. The pronoun “I”.

Punctuation Take careful note of how different writers use punctuation differently. It is part of how they tell their story! You can also use punctuation to draw pictures with your language. !@#$%^&*(),<.>/?;:’\!@#$%^&*(),<.>/?;:’\