Punctuation – Recap
While the majority of ESL lessons will contain little focus on punctuation marks, it’s still important for you to be familiar with them, so that when you do come across a mistake, you’re able to identify it and demonstrate the correct use.
Take a few minutes to read over this summary below:
| Punctuation: | Symbol: | Uses: | Examples: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periods | . | Placed at the end of a sentence.
In abbreviations to indicate shortened forms. In an ellipsis to show missing words. |
I like to ski.
Mr. Mrs. Ph.D. M.D. She knocked on the door… but no one was home. |
| Commas | , | Used to indicate breaks within a sentence.
Separating lists of items. |
I like rice, eggs, chicken, and ham.
Although he enjoyed the movie, he didn’t want to watch it again. |
| Question marks | ? | Used to indicate that the phrase is a question and requires an answer. | Do you like carrots? |
| Exclamation marks | ! | Used to indicate heightened emotions. | I hate you! |
| Colons | : | Used to add additional information to a sentence, to introduce a quote, or to introduce a list. | To renew your passport you’ll need: 2 passport photos, your old passport, and an envelope. |
| Semicolons | ; | Used to connect two independent clauses. | I’m tired today; it was too hot to sleep last night. |
| Apostrophes | ‘ | Used to indicate words that are contracted, standing in the place of removed letters, and are also added onto the end of words with an ‘s’ to indicate possession. | It’s hot today.
The dog’s bed. |
| Quotation marks | “ ” | Used to surround speech in creative writing, or to indicate direct quotes. | “What are you doing?” He asked. |
| Hyphens | – | Used to link words or parts of words to give new meanings. | Sugar-free soda |
| Dashes |
– – |
En dash is primarily used to indicate a span of time between numbers or dates.
Em dash indicates a break in speech or thought, used for extra emphasis. |
The material is in chapters 7-9.
The day was finally over – or so she thought. |
| Slashes | / | Used primarily to indicate the word ‘or’ without writing it. | Someone had left his/her phone in the room. |
| Parentheses | () | Often used to add additional information that isn’t really vital for the sentence to be understandable. | The party (which was usually held every year) was canceled because of the storm. |
| Brackets: | [] | Usually used in technical writing or to add extra information that clarifies the situation. | It was the last time their parents saw them [the missing girls]. |
For further reading on the topic of punctuation, check out these resources: