Punctuation marks tell your reader where a sentence ends, where to pause, and how the parts of a text belong together. This overview sums up what each main punctuation mark does and links to a full guide with its rules and exceptions.
This blog has a guide for almost every punctuation mark, with the rules that go with it and the usual exceptions to those rules. Here they are in one place, with the basics you should know by heart.
The period
The period (called the full stop in British English) ends a sentence that makes a statement. It is the most used punctuation mark and, at the same time, the most overlooked one. Everyone knows when to use a period, right? The guide to the period lets you check your facts and explains the exceptions, such as abbreviations.
The comma
The comma may be the punctuation mark that is most often used incorrectly. Yet it is not that difficult to master. It separates the items of a list, sets off introductory words and extra information, and joins two main clauses together with a word such as and or but. Joining two main clauses with a comma alone is a mistake called a comma splice. Three articles cover the comma rules and how to master them:
The colon
The colon introduces what follows it: a list, an explanation, an example, or a quotation. It is more common in formal, academic, and scientific writing than in fiction. How to use a colon explains when to use a colon, when not to, and the other rules that apply.
The semicolon
The semicolon differs from both the colon and the comma in many ways. It links two closely related main clauses, and it separates the items of a list when the items already contain commas. How to use a semicolon explores these differences and gives a quick overview with many examples.
The question mark
The question mark ends a direct question. It is easy to use, yet there are some rules that you may not be aware of. The guide to the question mark explains how to use it correctly and also covers the inverted question mark (¿) that opens a question in Spanish.
The exclamation point
The exclamation point, or exclamation mark, ends a sentence that expresses a strong feeling or a forceful command. It should be as easy to handle as the question mark, but it has its own rules and exceptions too. How to use the exclamation point gathers them all in one place and also explains the inverted exclamation point (¡).
Quotation marks
Quotation marks do more than show direct speech: they also mark the titles of short works and words used in a special sense. In addition, double and single quotation marks have different jobs. The secret of quotation marks teaches you how to use both correctly.
Knowing when to use which quotation mark is a start, but do not stop there. Do punctuation marks go inside or outside quotation marks? is about how quotation marks work together with periods, commas, and the other marks.
The apostrophe
The apostrophe shows possession (Anna's book) and marks the letters left out of a contraction (don't). It is still used incorrectly very often, yet its rules are not complicated. How to use apostrophes correctly gives an overview with examples and the other rules that apply.
The hyphen
The hyphen goes between words or parts of words. It links words into a compound (well-known) and joins some prefixes to a word stem (self-aware). All you need to know about the hyphen explains which words can and should be linked with a hyphen, and when you do not need one.
The en dash and the em dash
Do not confuse the hyphen with the dashes. The en dash and the em dash are longer, and they do completely different jobs: the en dash shows a range, such as a span of pages or years, and the em dash sets off a break in a sentence. All you need to know about the en dash and em dash explains what sets them apart from the hyphen, when to use each one, and an easy way to type both on your keyboard.
Brackets
There are four main kinds of brackets:
- parentheses or round brackets: ( )
- square brackets: [ ]
- braces or curly brackets: { }
- chevrons or angle brackets: < >
Brackets: what's the difference between them all? shows how each kind is used in everyday writing, and also in other fields, such as mathematics and programming.
The ellipsis
What is better than one period? Three of them, of course. Jokes aside, the ellipsis marks words left out of a quotation or a sentence that trails off. What's an ellipsis and how do I use it? takes a closer look at how to use it properly in fiction, in creative writing, and in everyday writing.
The slash
The slash goes rather unnoticed in everyday writing, and yet it is everywhere: in and/or, in dates, and in web addresses. What you need to know about the slash explains how and when to use it, and how not to confuse it with marks that do a similar job, such as brackets and dashes.
Once your text is written, the Spell Checker marks punctuation mistakes along with spelling and grammar mistakes, and explains each one.