Punctuation plays a great role in English. Thus, along with other basic grammatical aspects like gerund, preposition, articles, tense, etc., you should also take care of the punctuation while writing anything. Punctuation gives the reader a better understanding of the meaning of the text and they can also get the ideas that are revealed by the author. That is why it is highly essential to use a proper punctuation tool to write a logical and readable text. In Engish language, even a single comma can greatly change the meaning of the sentence. Some of the common punctuations are – full stop (.), an exclamation mark (!), question mark (?), comma (,), colon (:), semicolon (;), apostrophe (‘), quotation marks (“ ”), hyphen (-), etc. You must know the rules of punctuation before you write any article or blog or an essay in English.
But the best thing about the tools is that even if you do not know the rules of punctuation exactly or make any mistakes in punctuation then it can detect it and make your articles error-free. That is the reason why you must get a punctuation check with a tool like grammarlookup.com.
Rules of punctuation that you must implement before publishing
The following are some rules of punctuation that must know and implement before you write anything:
- Full Stop (.): At the end of any type of affirmative sentence you need to put a full stop (.). For completing a sentence or a thought you need to use a full stop and when it is used in the sentence the reader can understand that the sentence is completed. One main rule of using full stop is that you should not use any space before it but must put a space after it. For example, I am going to the office. Again full stop is also used in an abbreviation such as p.m, a.m, etc.
- Comma (,): Comma is used when a short pause is required to put in a complex sentence. Apart from that, it is used for splitting a long sentence. It is also used for showing discontinuity and fragmentation. For example, there are a lot of people in the hall including workers, managers, CEOs, etc.
- Apostrophe (‘): The apostrophe (‘) is used either before or after the letter (s) for showing possession. For example, can you please give me Arjun’s ball? or I am invited to Kamals’ house. Apart from that, you can also use it for showing omission in formal writing. For example, I’d liked to eat eggs and bread for the breakfast.
- Colon (:): Colon is used before the list, explanation, or example. The colon can also be used in between two main clauses especially if the second clause explains the first clause. The company has a clear aim: quality goes first. Colon is also used for enumeration. For example, the price of the room includes the following: complimentary breakfast, Wi-Fi, etc.
- Hyphen (-): Hyphen is mainly used for connecting the words or for separating a word into pieces. For example, my mother-in-law is going to visit the doctor. The hyphen can also be used in compound sentences.
- Question mark (?): Whenever you write any interrogative sentence it is necessary to use a question mark at the end of the sentence. For example, when you will go to the office?
- Exclamation mark (!): The exclamation mark is used for showing the expression like shock, joy, pleasure, surprise, horror, etc. For example, Thank you so much for our kind help! Hence this mark is mainly used to express exclamation.
- Semicolon (;): Semicolon is mainly used for separating two sentences that could be otherwise connected with the help of conjunctions like and, if, or, but, because, as, etc. For example, I can’t wait any longer; I am sure she will come to see me.
- Quotation mark (“ ”): The quotation mark is mainly used for indicating direct speech. For example, the doctor said, “Take the pills twice a day”.
This is how you should use punctuation correctly in your article or blogs or essay or any other documents that you write. The way you put the punctuation in your writing shows the level of your intelligence. Hence, you should never neglect to put punctuation in your writing and must check with the punctuation checker tool before submitting your writing.
