The Fourteen Punctuation Marks in English Grammar

Term
1. Period
2. Question mark
3. Exclamation point
4. Comma
5. Semicolon
6. Colon
7. Dash
8. Hyphen
9. Parentheses
10. Brackets
11. Braces
12. Apostrophe
13. Quotation Marks
14. Ellipsis

Symbol
.
?
!
,
;
:
()
[]
{}

The Comma, Semicolon and Colon

The comma, semicolon and colon are often misused because they all can indicate a
pause in a series.
The semicolon is used to connect independent clauses and indicate a closer
relationship between clauses than a period.
For example: John was hurt; he knew she only said it to upset him.
A colon has two main uses. The first is after a word introducing a quotation, an
explanation, an example, or a series; and often after the salutation of a business letter.
The second is within time expressions. Within time, it is used to separate the hour and
minute: 12:15 p.m.
The Dash and the Hyphen
A dash is a symbol used in writing or printing to connect continuing or inclusive
numbers, or to connect elements of a compound adjective when either of the elements
is an open compound, as 1880 - 1945 or Princeton - New York trains.
A hyphen is the same symbol as the dash, but has slightly different usage rules. Use a
hyphen between the parts of a compound word or name or between the syllables of a
word, especially when divided at the end of a line of text. Examples of this in use
include:
Between a compound name: Mrs. Smith - Reynolds
Within a compound word: back - to - back

Brackets, Braces, and Parentheses

Brackets, braces, and parentheses are symbols used to contain words that provide
further explanation or are considered as a group.
Parentheses are used to contain further thoughts or qualifying remarks. In most cases
commas can replace parentheses without changing the meaning.
For example: John and Jane (who were actually half brother and sister) both have red
hair.
Brackets are the squared off notations used for technical explanations.
Braces are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they
are considered as a unit. They are not commonplace in most writing, but can be seen
in computer programming to show what should be contained within the same lines.
The Ellipsis
The ellipsis is generally represented by three periods. The ellipsis should be used in
writing or printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or words. Ellipses are
frequently used within quotations to jump from one phrase to another, omitting
unnecessary words that do not interfere with the meaning. Students writing research
papers or newspapers that quote parts of speeches will often employ ellipses to avoid
copying lengthy text that is not needed.