Proper Punctuation Periods question marks exclamation points quotation

Proper Punctuation Periods, question marks, exclamation points, quotation marks, hyphens, and more

Period Ends 2 types of sentences: ◦ Declarative (statements) The dogs like to run together. ◦ Imperative (commands) Come here right now.

Exclamation Point Comes after: ◦ A strong interjection Hey! That hurt! Wow! You were amazing. ◦ An exclamatory sentence That band rocked!

Question Mark Comes after a question Who was that masked man? How do you know him? Why was he here? What did he say to you? Where did he come from? When will he be back? Isn’t he hot? Would you like to meet him?

Hyphen Connects an adjective-noun combination used as a single word ◦ A well-kept home ◦ A three-inch cut ◦ An emergency-preparedness plan Connects a prefix to a proper noun ◦ Un-American ◦ Pre-Civil War Connects prefixes to some words [all-, ex-, pro-, self -] ◦ All-knowing ◦ Self-sticking Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine

Dash A dash is typed as 2 hyphens with no space -- it is used to: ◦ Set off material for emphasis Dogs love and trust humans – when humans love and trust them. ◦ Clarify an idea You have a choice – learn to drive or walk everywhere. ◦ Separate a list from and independent clause The Clash, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles – these are the greatest bands of all time.

Quotation Marks Quotation marks go before the first word and after the last word of a quote or title of a smaller work. ◦ “A well-trained dog is a woman’s best protection, ” the trainer stated. ◦ My aunt asked, “What kind of dog would you recommend for me? ” NOTE: End quotation marks ALWAYS go OUTSIDE the punctuation. Single quotation marks show a quote within a quote ◦ Billy said, “I said to Tom, ‘The gig is Friday at 7, ’ but I guess he didn’t hear me. ”

Apostrophe Shows possession ◦ Before the “s” in a singular word or a plural not ending in “s” The boy’s truck The children’s toys ◦ After the “s” in plurals or words ending in “s” Those five dogs’ bones The Connors’ house Creates a contraction by replacing missing letters Can not - > can’t We are - > we’re Shows a plural for a number, letter, or abbreviation ending in a period He got two A’s and three B’s on his report card. Annie picked two 10’s in a row. I check their ID’s, before I let them in

Semi-colon Join independent clauses without a conjunction ◦ The family moved; they couldn’t afford that big house. Join independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase ◦ The houses in our neighborhood are expensive; even though, they are quite small. ◦ I would like to help your group; however, I need more information first. Separate items in a series that contains commas ◦ At the zoo, we visited the big cats, including lions, tigers, and pumas; the simians like baboons, chimps, and marmosets; and the aviary with parrots, cockatoos, and African grays.

Colon Introduces information like a list, an important item, a salutation in a business letter We looked at houses in three neighborhoods: Chestnut Hill, Hyde Park, and William Heights. That restaurant serves my favorite dish: lobster pizza. Dear Sirs and Madams: Trick: use the colon if you could replace it with the word “namely. ”

Brackets and Ellipses show that information has been removed from quoted material. ◦ “It was the best of times. . . it was the winter of despair. ” Brackets show that information has been added or changed in quoted material. ◦ According to the legend, “The author [Charles Dickens] penned those famous lines while drinking wine. ”

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