Warning: This Content is HIGHLY COPYRIGHT MATERIAL and part of the book Syntax by Abirlal Mukhopadhyay, and must not be reproduced.

The first writing systems were either logographic or syllabic, for instance, Chinese and Mayan script—which do not necessarily require punctuation, especially spacing. This is because the entire morpheme or word is typically clustered within a single glyph, so spacing does not help as much to distinguish where one word ends and the other starts. There are two major styles of punctuation in English: British or American. These two styles differ mainly in the way in which they handle quotation marks, particularly in conjunction with other punctuation marks. In British English, punctuation marks such as periods and commas are placed inside the quotation mark only if they are part of what is being quoted, and placed outside the closing quotation mark if part of the containing sentence. In American English such punctuation is generally placed inside the closing quotation mark regardless. This rule varies for other punctuation marks; for example, American English follows the British English rule when it comes to semicolons, colons, question marks, and exclamation points. The serial comma is used much more often in the United States than in England.
Punctuation consists of both rules and conventions. There are rules of punctuation that have to be followed; but there are also punctuation conventions that give writers greater choice. The most common punctuation marks in English are: capital letters and full stops, question marks, commas, colons and semi-colons, exclamation marks and quotation marks. In speaking, we use pauses and the pitch of the voice to make what we say clear. Punctuation plays a similar role in writing, making it easier to read. Punctuation is the use of spacing, conventional signs, and certain typographical devices as aids to the understanding and correct reading of written text, whether read silently or aloud. There are some punctuation marks that are commonly used in English grammar. They are: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis.

The Period (.)
The period (.) is placed at the end of declarative sentences, statements thought to be complete and after many abbreviations.
As a sentence ender: Jul and Dack went to the market.
After an abbreviation: Her son, Tom, was born on September 12, 1900.

Question mark (?)
Use of a question mark (?) indicates a direct question when placed at the end of a sentence.
When did Dack leave for the market?

Exclamation mark (!)
The exclamation point (!) is used when a person wants to express a sudden outcry or add emphasis.
Within dialogue: “Holy cow!” screamed Jul.
To emphasize a point: My mother-in-law’s rants make me furious!

Comma (,)
The comma is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structure of a sentence. Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation and closing.
Direct address: Thanks for all your help, Jul.
Separation of two complete sentences: We went to the movies, and then we went out to lunch.
Separating lists or elements within sentences: Bika wanted the black, green, and blue dress.
Whether to add a final comma before the conjunction in a list is a matter of debate. This final comma, known as an Oxford or serial comma, is useful in a complex series of elements or phrases but is often considered unnecessary in a simple series such as in the example above. It usually comes down to a style choice by the writer.

Semicolon (;)
The semicolon (;) is used to connect independent clauses. It shows a closer relationship between the clauses than a period would show.
Jul was hurt; she knew he only said it to upset her.

Colon (:)
A colon (:) has three main uses. The first is after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series.
He was planning to study four subjects: politics, philosophy, sociology, and economics.
The second is between independent clauses when the second explains the first, similar to a semicolon:
I didn’t have time to get changed: I was already late.
The third use of a colon is for emphasis:
There was one thing she loved more than any other: her dog.
A colon also has non-grammatical uses in time, ratio, business correspondence and references.

Dash (–)
A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash.
En dash: Twice as long as a hyphen, the en dash is a symbol (–) that is used in writing or printing to indicate a range, connections or differentiations, such as 1880-1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
Em dash: Longer than the en dash, the em dash can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence. For example, She gave him her answer — No!
Whether you put spaces around the em dash or not is a style choice. Just be consistent.

Hyphen (-)
A hyphen is used to join two or more words together into a compound term and is not separated by spaces. For example, part-time, back-to-back, well-known.

Brackets ([])
Brackets are the squared off notations ([]) used for technical explanations or to clarify meaning. If you remove the information in the brackets, the sentence will still make sense.
He [Mr. Hobb] was the last person seen at the house.

Braces ({})
Braces ({}) are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are considered as a unit. They are not commonplace in most writing but can be seen in computer programming to show what should be contained within the same lines. They can also be used in mathematical expressions. For example, 2{1+[23-3]}=x.

Parentheses ( () )
Parentheses ( () ) are curved notations used to contain further thoughts or qualifying remarks. However, parentheses can be replaced by commas without changing the meaning in most cases.
Jul and Johan (who were actually half brother and sister) both have red hair.

Apostrophe (‘)
An apostrophe (‘) is used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, or the plurals of lowercase letters. Examples of the apostrophe in use include:
Omission of letters from a word: I’ve seen that movie several times. She wasn’t the only one who knew the answer.
Possessive case: Sara’s dog bit the neighbor.
Plural for lowercase letters: Six people were told to mind their p’s and q’s.

Quotations marks (” “)
Quotations marks (” “) are a pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word. They are also used to indicate meanings and to indicate the unusual or dubious status of a word.
“Don’t go outside,” he said.

Single quotation marks (‘ ‘)
Single quotation marks (‘ ‘) are used most frequently for quotes within quotes.
Radha told the teacher, “I saw Sohom at the playground, and he said to me ‘Tukkai started the fight,’ and we believed him.”

Ellipsis ( … )
Ellipsis is omission from speech or writing of one or more than one constituent, sometime it results in situational ellipsis. The ellipsis is most commonly represented by three periods (. . . ) although it is occasionally demonstrated with three asterisks (***). The ellipsis is used in writing or printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or words. Ellipses are frequently used within quotations to jump from one phrase to another, omitting unnecessary words that do not interfere with the meaning. Students writing research papers or newspapers quoting parts of speeches will often employ ellipsis to avoid copying lengthy text that is not needed.
Omission of words: She began to count, “One, two, three, four…” until she got to 10, then went to find him.
Within a quotation: When Newton stated, “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion…” he developed the law of motion.

Exercises
A. Use appropriate punctuation marks in the following sentences.
1. We had a great time in France the kids really enjoyed it
2. Some people work best in the mornings others do better in the evenings
3. What are you doing next weekend
4. Mother had to go into hospital she had heart problems
5. Did you understand why I was upset
6. It is a fine idea let us hope that it is going to work
7. We will be arriving on Monday morning at least I think so
8. A textbook can be a wall between teacher and class
9. The girls father sat in a corner
10. In the words of Murphys Law Anything that can go wrong will go wrong
11. A grandparents job is easier than a parents
12. It looks as if the sun goes around the earth but of course the earth really goes round the sun
13. He neither smiled spoke nor looked at me
14. Long ago in a distant country there lived a beautiful princess
15. It was my aunt who took Peter to London yesterday not my father.
16. Ruth was invited to the party but she was ill so Jane went instead of her
17. Sorry to disturb you could I speak to you for a moment
18. Is it any use expecting them to be on time
19. Johns going to sleep during the wedding was rather embarrassing
20. Having lost all my money I went home

B. Put in semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, Italics (use an underline), and parentheses where ever they are needed in the following sentences.
1. The men in question Harold Keene, Jim Peterson, and Gerald Greene deserve awards.
2. Several countries participated in the airlift Italy, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.
3. There’s no room for error, said the engineer so we have to double check every calculation.
4. Judge Carswell later to be nominated for the Supreme Court had ruled against civil rights.
5. In last week’s New Yorker, one of my favorite magazines, I enjoyed reading Leland’s article How Not to Go Camping.
6. Yes, Jim said, I’ll be home by ten.
7. There was only one thing to do study till dawn.
8. Montaigne wrote the following A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.
9. The following are the primary colors red, blue, and yellow.
10. Arriving on the 8 10 plane were Liz Brooks, my old roommate her husband and Tim, their son.
11. When the teacher commented that her spelling was poor, Lynn replied All the members of my family are poor spellers. Why not me?
12. He used the phrase you know so often that I finally said No, I don’t know.
13. The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz.
14. Though Phil said he would arrive on the 9 19 flight, he came instead on the 10 36 flight.
15. Whoever thought said Helen that Jack would be elected class president?
16. In baseball, a show boat is a man who shows off.
17. The minister quoted Isaiah 5 21 in last Sunday’s sermon.
18. There was a very interesting article entitled The New Rage for Folk Singing in last Sunday’s New York Times newspaper.
19. Whoever is elected secretary of the club Ashley, or Chandra, or Aisha must be prepared to do a great deal of work, said Jumita, the previous secretary.