Advanced Punctuation
What isPunctuation?
Punctuation - plays an important role in organising your written content. In the chapter on basic punctuation, you studied
about using the full stop, the exclamation mark, the question mark, the comma, quotation marks andcapitalisation.
In this chapter, we will study and understand the use of
• Brackets
• TheSemicolon
• TheColon
• TheApostrophe
Brackets ( ) [ ]
Round brackets ( )are used to include non-essential information in a sentence. They are also called parentheses.
• Mount Everest (8,848 m) is located in theHimalayas.
Round brackets are also used to enclose the comments of thewriter.
• Shivani threw tantrums (as a habit) at the launchparty.
Square brackets [ ]are used for clarification and addition of information.
• Born on an unusual day [29th February], Sumit had every reason to believe he was special.
• He [the Mayor] announced a reward for anyone who would track thethief.
Semicolon (;)
A semicolon marks a stronger pause than a comma but is weaker than a full stop.
A semicolon is used
Between independent clauses where coordinating conjunctions are omitted
• The senior classes are allowed to go to the canteen for lunch; the lower classes must eat intheir luncheoncube.
Between independent clauses set off by transitional elements
• Bad weather continues to affect the valley; consequently, all the roads leading to the highwayare blocked.
In lists with internal commas
• The new hospital will have a neonatal ICU on the first level; cafeteria, chemist, radiology and X- ray on the second floor;
dialysis department on third floor; and a library, restrooms and an open canteen on the thirdfloor.
In combination with a comma in elliptical constructions
• In 1972, Jayant had only a pair of clothes and 20 rupees with him; five years later, he became the owner of the largest
garment manufacturing unit in hisvillage.
• Some relatives brought food; others, clothing; yet others, merely an aura of disinterest.
Colon (:)
A colon is used
To introduce a list after an independent clause
• The restaurant specialises in three cuisines: Vietnamese, Chinese andJapanese.
Do not use a colon when the listed items are incorporated into a simple sentence.
• Correct: The therapist dealt with patients suffering from anxiety, depression and memoryloss.
• Incorrect: The therapist dealt with patients suffering from: anxiety, depression and memoryloss.
Between independent clauses when the second explains or illustrates the first
• Terrence has very little time to learn French: his new job starts nextweek.
• All three of her grandchildren are involved in philanthropy: Bernard heads an NGO, Jasmine donates 20% of her
annual income to UNICEF and William teaches blind children forfree.
To introduce a quotation after an independent clause
My father’s reaction after I told him that the bus school fees would be hiked next month: “Take away all my money!”
Apostrophe (’)
An apostrophe is used To show possession
• Sujata’s gift was delivered in themorning.
• The twins’ parents were worried about the children’shealth.
To show time period
• We will need a month’s time to renovate thehouse.
To show omission in contractions
• It is a wonderfullife.
• It’s a wonderfullife.
• He’d sit on the shore for hours watching his pet dog play with thewaves.
• He would sit on the shore for hours watching his pet dog play with thewaves.
• There’s a sale on new books in the store in the nextbuilding.
• There is a sale on new books in the store in the nextbuilding.
ATTENTION!
The word ‘it’s’ doesn’t refer to a possessive form. The possessive form is ‘its’ and it doesn’t take an apostrophe.
• The car wasn’t looking bright red anymore. Its colour had started to fade in thesunlight.
• This is my car. It’s an SUV. (it’s = itis)
Basic Punctuation
What isPunctuation?
Punctuation is a system of using certain marks to organise one’s writing.
Why Use Punctuation?
Read the following unpunctuated sentence:
1. samantha John and Maria ate sandwiches cakes and burgers at theparty Now read the punctuated sentencebelow:
2. Samantha, John and Maria ate sandwiches, cakes and burgers at theparty.
Sentence 2 is clearer in readability compared to sentence 1 as punctuation has been correctly used. Therefore, punctuation
is used to clearly communicate the meaning of a sentence.
Let us look at some basic punctuation marks.
Basic Punctuation
Let us examine and understand the use of
• Fullstop
• Capitalisation
• Questionmark
• Exclamationmark
• Quotationmarks
• Comma
Full stop (.)
• A full stop is primarily used to mark the end of asentence.
• I went to buy some grocery in themorning.
• My name is Rohit. I am astudent.
Exception: A full stop is not used to end exclamatory sentences and questions.
• The full stop is also used after abbreviations, titles, names and degrees. However, rules
regarding this usage vary with British and AmericanEnglish.
British English: Dr, St, Mr, Mrs, Ms, MA, PhD
American English: Dr., St., Mr., Mrs., Ms., M.A., Ph.D.
• The full stop is also used when writing time using the British Englishconvention.
British English: 10.30 a.m., 07.15 P.M.
American English: 10:30 am, 07:15 PM
Capitalisation
Writing a word with its first letter as a capital letter and the remaining in lower case is known as capitalisation.
Capitalise the first word of every sentence
• Prof. Diwan went to thelibrary.
• We all would like to wait for theguests.
Capitalise the first word of direct speech
• Sam asked mother, “How much more time for father to comehome?”
Capitalise the first word after a period
• I have three sisters and four brothers. They are older tome.
Capitalise proper nouns and proper adjectives
• The British ruled over India andAustralia.
• Marie Curie was a Polishphysicist.
Capitalise names of days and months
• We will meet Stanley at the café onTuesday.
• Geeta is flying to Paris inNovember.
Capitalise names of institutions
• Father sent his children to the OxfordUniversity.
• Ravi wanted to go to the National DefenceAcademy.
Capitalise names of historic buildings
• The Eiffel Tower is at the Champ de Mars in Paris,France.
• The Taj Mahal is the tomb of Shah Jahan’s favourite wife, MumtazMahal.
Capitalise names of books, magazines and newspapers
• My uncle works for TheHindu.
• Shalin is an editor in IndiaToday.
• Vikram Seth wrote A SuitableBoy.
Capitalise important historical events
• The Great Depression occurred in the1930s.
• The Holocaust was a genocide carried out by Hitler and his army during World WarII.
Capitalise the first letter of nationalities, religions, races of people and languages
• My uncle is a Turkish man who settled inIndia.
• Dhruv was a Muslim boy adopted by Hinduparents.
• My cousin speaks Spanish, Sanskrit and Portuguesefluently.
• The skeletal remains belonged to the Mongolianrace.
Capitalise the names of festivals
• Holi is a festival ofcolours.
• My friend made a beautiful crib forChristmas.
Question mark (?)
A question mark is added at the end of a direct question statement.
• Is that the famous QutabMinar?
• How much does this antique mirror framecost?
• Dorothy asked, “Why are we waitinghere?”
• Isn’t it true that pollution is responsible for globalwarming?
Do not use a question mark for indirect questions.
• Mother asked what I would eat for dinner.
• Daniel asked Susanne where they were going in theevening.
Exclamation mark (!)
Sentences which express strong outbursts of feelings and emotions end with an exclamation mark.
• This is such a beautifulvillage!
• Oh dear! Your injury looks verybad!
• What a prettysight!
• This is insane! (informal)
Quotation marks (“ ”) (‘ ’)
Use double quotation marks (“ ”) to
• Enclose directspeech
“I am going to the departmental store in the evening,” Farhan told Riya.
“William,” Jeremy called out from the library, “Your books are here on the table.”
Use single quotation marks (‘ ’) to
• Insert quotations withinquotations
They said, “Mom cried, ‘Don’t take away my babies.’”
• Enclose titles of films, books etc. when not using italics. The chapter ‘Refraction’ will be taught by Prof.Kumar.
Do you know who wrote ‘Gitanjali’?
Comma (,)
A comma is used within a sentence to introduce a pause. Use a comma to
Separate words and word groups in a series
• We bought carrots, potatoes, onions andbeetroots.
• The dying man nominated his son, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, brother and nephew as the inheritors of hisestate.
Separate words, phrases, clauses and pairs of words in a sentence
• Laurel and Hardy, Romeo and Juliet, and Charlie Chaplin’s movies are timelessclassics.
• The car rammed into the security cabin, broke the windshield, slid alongside the road, and finally stopped against an old building.
• Raghu likes to eat pasta, but his mother says it isunhealthy.
Separate the words like yes or no from the rest of the sentence
• Yes, I have finished doing myhomework.
• No, that is not how you play with yourpet.
Separate transitional words and phrases
• Life can be very demanding. However, there are ways to reduce stress. In fact, you can begin by leading a simplelife.
• Of course, you will have to pay a hefty price for last minutecancellation.
Separate the date and the year when written in the MMDDYY form
• I was born on June 4,1998.
Separate question tags.
• You are Hetal Diwan, aren’tyou?
• We don’t have to wait here until they arrive, dowe?