Punctuation is the practise of using certain markings to help the reader understand how a sentence is structured and how it should be read.
- Punctuation helps one to understand where sentences begin or end.
- A wrongly used pronunciation mark can change the entire meaning of a sentence.
- Let's look at some punctuation marks and how to utilise them correctly to punctuate sentences.
1. Full stop (.) -The full stop is used at the end of a sentence. It signals the reader that sentence has come to an end and it's time to give long pause while reading.
Example:
a) Sita wore a beautiful dress.
b) Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
It is also used in abbreviations.
Example:
a.m.
B.Com
M.A.
Co.
2. Comma (,) - The comma is used to separate words, phrases and ideas in a sentence. It signals the reader to give short pause while reading.
Example:
a) We need cocoa powder, milk, butter, dry fruits and sugar to make chocolate.
b) The house is small, but it is beautiful.
3. Colon (:) -The colon is used to introduce a list, explanation, examples etc. It signals the reader that more details are coming in the sentence.
Example:
a) Hari wanted to visit three cities in India: Mumbai, Jaipur and Chennai.
b) I have very little time to learn the subject: my final exam stats in seven days.
The colon is also used to write time by separating hours from minutes, to show ratio of two numbers, while writing email etc.
Example:
7:30a.m. (time)
4:9 (ratio)
Subject: (email)
4. Exclamatory Mark (!) - The exclamatory mark is used to show strong feelings/emotions like excitement, forcefulness, surprising etc. It signals the reader to give more emphasis on that particular word/sentence which is followed by exclamatory mark while reading it.
Example:
a) That's fantastic!
b) Ugh! Why are you shouting?
5. Question Mark (?) - The question mark is used at the end of a question or statement when you ask for some unknown information.
Example:
a) Where do you live?
b) Do you want to eat pizza?
6. Apostrophe (') - The apostrophe mark is used to show possession i.e it is used to show that a thing/person belongs to someone/something.
You need to write 's when the noun is singular and s' when the noun is plural.
Example:
a) Anita's bag. (Singular)
b) The birds' nest. (Plural)
Apostrophe mark is also used when letters are omitted from particular words.
Example:
a) don't (do not)
b) it's (it is)
7. Double inverted commas (" ") - Double inverted commas is used to highlight word or statements in Direct speech.
Example:
a) Sam said, " I need help with my homework."
b) Priti replied, "No, I haven't seen Jenny since lunchtime."
c) Amit said, "Oh no! I lost my wallet."
8. Hyphen (-) - The Hyphen is used to connect compound words that indicates they have combined meaning.
Example:
a) One-man show
b) Vice-president
c) well-known magician
d) up-to-date
e) One-third
9. Dash (-) - The dash is used to separate group of words/parts of a sentence. It is a little horizontal line that is drawn in the middle of a line. Sometimes it is used instead of colon. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause.
Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.
Example:
a) Vijay and Rohit - both love apples.
b) Delhi - the capital of India
10. Parenthesis () - Parenthesis are punctuation marks that is added within a sentence in order to include more information. It is always used in pairs and can be used to enclose a word, a phrase or a sentence.
When information within parenthesis is removed, the meaning of the sentence should remain unaffected grammatically.
Example:
a) Monty (the boy who goes to school with me) invited me to his birthday party.
b) I read the news in TOI (Times of India).
c) I left my bag (pink and black colour) in the classroom.
11. Ellipsis (...) - An Ellipsis is a punctuation mark consisting of three dots used when omitting a word, phrase, line, paragraph from quoted passage.
Example:
a) He went to the market to buy some fruits.
He went... to buy some fruits.
b) So...What happened?
c) Well, I think... the thing is... we should go now.
12. Capital letter - A sentence should always begin with a capital letter.
Example:
a) Vaibhavi enjoys cooking.
b) An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Complete the given sentences with the correct punctuation marks.
1. The fruit juice was quite refreshing
2. We saw a lion a tiger an elephant lots of monkeys and many other animals at the zoo
3.Please set the alarm for 6 30 am
4. Ouch the pan is hot
5. When will the meeting start
6. That is Jims pencil
7. The stationary kit includes the following a pencil a pen an eraser a ruler a notebook a gluestick and a marker
8. How will you go home
9.Nicky is afraid if two things Lizard and Cockroach
10. Theyre enjoying the party
11. Thrice they awarded thrice did heaven refuse the gift
12. The topic is God created men and women as equals
13. Im going to sleep now
14. Hurray weve won the match
15. Seema said Where are you going
Answers
1. The fruit juice was quite refreshing.
2. We saw a lion, a tiger, an elephant, lots of monkeys and many other animals at the zoo.
3.Please set the alarm for 6:30 a.m.
4. Ouch! the pan is hot!
5. When will the meeting start?
6. That is Jim's pencil.
7. The stationary kit includes the following: a pencil, a pen, an eraser, a ruler, a notebook, a glue stick and a marker.
8. How will you go home?
9.Nicky is afraid if two things - Lizard and Cockroach.
10. They're enjoying the party.
11. Thrice they awarded - thrice did heaven refuse the gift.
12. The topic is, "God created men and women as equals."
13. I'm going to sleep now.
14. Hurray! we've won the match.
15. Seema said, "Where are you going?"
Vanividya Skyway Blossom
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