PUNCTUATION

(a) Full Stop (.), Question Mark (?) and Exclamation (!)
A sentence ends with one of these punctuation marks.
Full stop :
1.Its cold today.
2.The office was closed.
Question mark :
1.Whos that?
2. Did you see the show?
Exclamation mark:
1.Oh! I dont believe it!
2.The Americans call the full stop a period

(b) Semi colon (;)

We can use a semi-colon between two separate statements which are
linked in meaning.
1.Melanie is a very kind person; she visits David in hospital every day.

(c) Colon (:)

We can use a colon before an explanation or a list.
1.Vicky felt nervous: she hated the dark.
2. There wasnt much in the fridge: a couple of sausages, some butter,
half a bottle of milk.

(d) Dash (-)

A dash is rather informal. It is sometimes used instead of a colon or a
semi-colon.
1. Im having a great time-theres lots to do here.
2. Vicky felt nervous- she hated the dark.

(e) Comma (,)

A comma is often used when we link two statements with and , but or or.
1. Daniel was tired, and his feet were hurting.
2. Its a really good camera, but I cant afford it.
This usage is possible only when one subject is not there, but two
Separate subjects are there.
A comma is also used in a sentence which has linking words like when or
although.
When the office is busy, Sarah has to work late.
Sometimes a comma can separate off an adverb or a phrase.
1. Sarah, unfortunately, has to work late.
2. On busy days, Sarah has to work late.
A comma is also used in a list of more than two; the last two are linked
by and, often without a comma.
1. I went out with Rachel, Vicky, Emma and Mathew.
The rules about commas are not exacting they are generalizations, and
commas are more likely to occurs in longer phrases, than in short
phrases. It is also less usual to separate off something at the end of a
sentence. We also do not use a comma before to expressing purpose.
1. She stayed late to get the work done.
2. Sarah has work late when the office is busy.

(f) Quotation marks ()

Direct speech uses quotation marks and a comma is used to separate the
direct speech from the rest of the sentence.
1. Laura said, You havent put those shelves up yet.
2. I havent had time, replied Trevor.
The comma comes before the quotation mark. Quotation marks are also
called quotes or inverted commas. Double or single quotations, both
are used. We also use quotation marks around titles, or when we want to
emphasize a word or a phrase , in a sentence.
1. Do you watch that American comedy series called Roseanne?
2. What does punctuation mean?
3. Rap music is also called hip-hop.

(g) Hyphen (-)

A hyphen is used in these structures
Compound noun : eating ice-cream.
Compound expression before a noun : an oven-ready meal.
Noun formed from a phrasal verb: ready for take off.
Noun+ing form : interested in rock-climbing.
Before the last word of a compound number : a hundred and twenty six
After some prefixes : anti-aircraft guns.
Letter+noun : sending an e-mail
Hyphens follow generalizations and not rules, so you may see a
compound written as : phonecard, phone-card or phone card. Hyphens
are not very frequent in British English, and they are used even less in
 American English. If you are unsure, it is usually safer to write two
separate words.

(h) Apostrophe ()
We use an apostrophe in short forms, when there is a missing letter or
to form the possessive of a noun, e.g.,
1. Today were going for a drive in the country.
2. Everyone is looking at Nicks car.

(i) Capital letters

We use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and for the word
I e.g.,
1. The boss said I could leave early today.
Capital letters are also used for beginning names of people, places,
companies, books, films, magazines, etc. i.e., all important words.
Mark and Sarah/ New York/General Motors/The spy who Loved
Me/Nothing Hill/Newsweek/The Tribune
Capital letters are also used for days of the week, months of the year,
holidays and festivals, historical times, nationalities & most
abbreviations e.g., Friday/July/Christmas/Diwali/Italian wine/the
UN /the Revolt of 1847.