Top Secret Punctuation Tips

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH
PUNCTUATION
http://www.punctuationchecker.org

PUNCTUATION
09
PARTS OF PUNCTUATION
Punctuation Cheat
Cheat Sheet
Sheet
oo Punctuation
oo
oo
oo
oo
oo
oo
oo
oo
Using Proper
Proper Capitalization
Capitalization
Using
Using End-of-Sentence
End-of-Sentence Punctuation
Punctuation
Using
Marks
Marks
Using Commas
Commas
Using
Using Colons
Colons and
and Semicolons
Semicolons
Using
Using Hyphens
Hyphens and
and Dashes
Dashes
Using
Using Apostrophes
Apostrophes
Using
Using Slashes
Slashes
Using
Using Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous Punctuation
Punctuation
Using
Marks
Marks

PUNCTUATION
AddYour
YourTitle
Titlehere
here
Add

PUNCTUATION
Using Proper
Always start a sentence
with a capital letter.
Capitalization
Use capital letters to start proper nouns and titles.
Use capital letters for acronyms.

Examples:
o She invited her friend over after school.
o Genghis Khan quickly became the most powerful
man in Asia.
o The CIA and the NSA are just two of the USA's
many intelligence agencies.

PUNCTUATION
Using End of Sentence Punctuation
o
Use a period to end

declarative sentences and
Marks
statements.
Use a question mark to end questions.
Use an exclamation point to end exclamatory

Examples:
sentences.
o The accessibility of the computer has increased
tremendously over the past several years.
o
What has humanity done about the growing
concern of global warming?
o Eek! You scared me!

PUNCTUATION
Using Commas
Use a comma to indicate a break or pause within a

sentence.
Use the comma when listing items in a series.
Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives

Examples:
describing a noun.
o
o
Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating
system known as Windows.
o
The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges.
o
The computer store was filled with video games, computer
hardware and other electronic paraphernalia.
o
The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.


PUNCTUATION
Using Commas
Use a comma to separate one geographical area

from another that is located inside.
o
Use a comma to separate an introductory

phrase from the rest of the sentence.
o
Use the comma to separate two independent

clauses.
Examples:
o
oI am originally from Hola, Tana River County, Kenya.

oAfter the show, John and I went out to dinner.
oRyan went to the beach yesterday, but he forgot his
sunscreen.

PUNCTUATION
Using Commas
o
o
Use a comma when making a direct address.

Use a comma to separate direct quotations from
the sentence introducing them.
Examples:
oAmber, could you come here for a moment?
o While I was at his house, John asked, "Do you want
anything to eat?
o While I was at his house, John asked me if I wanted
anything to eat.

PUNCTUATION
Using Colons and Semicolons
Use a semicolon to separate two related but

independent clauses.
Use a semicolon to separate a complex series of
items.
Examples:
Use the colon to introduce a list.
o
o
People continue to worry about the future; our
failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
o
I went to the show with Jake, my close friend; his
friend, Jane; and her best friend, Jenna.
o The professor has given me three options: to retake
the exam, to accept the extra credit assignment, or to
fail the class.

PUNCTUATION
Using Colons and Semicolons

o
Use a colon to introduce a new concept or example.
Use a colon to separate parts of a title.
Examples:
o
There's only one person old enough to remember
that wedding: grandma.
o
Fred's favorite movie was The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring, though Stacy preferred its
sequel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

PUNCTUATION
Using Hyphens and Dashes

o
Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to some words.
Use hyphens when creating compound words from

several smaller words.
Use a hyphen when writing numbers out as words.
Examples:
o
Cara is his ex-girlfriend.
o
The up-to-date newspaper reporters were quick to
jump on the latest scandal.
o There are fifty-two playing cards in a deck.

PUNCTUATION
Using Hyphens and Dashes

o
Use a dash when making a brief interruption within

a statement.
Use a hyphen to split a word between two lines.
Examples:
o An introductory clause is a brief phrase that comes

yes, you guessed it at the beginning of a
sentence.
o This is the end of our sentence or so we thought.
o
No matter what else he tried, he just couldn't get
the novel's elect- -rifying surprise ending out of his
head.

PUNCTUATION
Using Apostrophes
Using Apostrophes
Use the apostrophe together with the letter s to

indicate possession.
Use the single quotation mark within a regular

quotation to indicate a quotation within a quotation.
Examples:
o
The hamster's water tube needs to be refilled.
o
In the pet store, the hamsters' bedding needed to
be changed.
o
These children's test scores are the highest in the
nation.
o
Friends of hers explained that it's her idea, not
theirs, to refill the hamster's water tube and change its
bedding.

PUNCTUATION
Using Apostrophes
Using Apostrophes
Don't use apostrophes with s to make a plural noun

from a singular.
Examples:
o Ali said, "Anna told me, 'I wasn't sure if you wanted
to come!'
o
CORRECT - apple apples

INCORRECT - apple apple's

PUNCTUATION
Using Slashes
Using Slashes
Use the slash to separate and and or, when

appropriate.
Use the slash when quoting lyrics and poetry to

denote a line break.
o
Examples:
Also use the slash to replace the word and to join
o twoTonouns.
register, you will need your driver's license
and/or your birth certificate.
o
Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the
stream. / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, / Life is but a
dream.
o"The student and part-time employee has very little
free time."
"The student/part-time
employee has very little free

PUNCTUATION
Using Miscellaneous Punctuation
o

Use the double quotation mark ( " ) to enclose a
Marks
direct quotation, whether spoke by a person or
taken from a written source.
Use parentheses to clarify.
Examples:
o
"I can't wait to see him perform!" John exclaimed.
According to the article, the value of the dollar in
developing nations is "strongly influenced by its
aesthetic value, rather than its face value.
o
Steve Case (AOL's former CEO) resigned from the
Time-Warner board of directors in 2005.

PUNCTUATION
o
o

Marks
Use parentheses to denote an afterthought.
Use parentheses for personal comments.
Examples:
o You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don't
forget the batteries!).
o
Most grammarians believe that parentheses and
commas are always interchangeable (I disagree).

PUNCTUATION
o

Use brackets to signify
an editor's note in a regular
Marks
piece of writing.
Use braces to denote a numeric set in mathematics.
Examples:
o
"[The blast] was absolutely devastating," said
Susan Smith, a local bystander at the scene of the
incident.
o
The set of numbers in this problem are: { 1, 2, 5,
10, 20 }
Choose your favorite utensil { fork, knife, spoon } and
bring it to me.

PUNCTUATION

Top Secret Punctuation Tips

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CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use capital letters to start proper nouns and titles.

Use capital letters for acronyms.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use a period to end

Use an exclamation point to end exclamatory

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use a comma to indicate a break or pause within a

Use the comma when listing items in a series.

Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives

The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges.

The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use a comma to separate one geographical area

Use a comma to separate an introductory

Use the comma to separate two independent

oI am originally from Hola, Tana River County, Kenya.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use a comma when making a direct address.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Colons and Semicolons

Use a semicolon to separate two related but

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Colons and Semicolons

Use a colon to introduce a new concept or example.

Use a colon to separate parts of a title.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Hyphens and Dashes

Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to some words.

Use hyphens when creating compound words from

Use a hyphen when writing numbers out as words.

Cara is his ex-girlfriend.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Hyphens and Dashes

Use a dash when making a brief interruption within

Use a hyphen to split a word between two lines.

o An introductory clause is a brief phrase that comes

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use the apostrophe together with the letter s to

Use the single quotation mark within a regular

The hamster's water tube needs to be refilled.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Don't use apostrophes with s to make a plural noun

CORRECT - apple apples

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Use the slash to separate and and or, when

Use the slash when quoting lyrics and poetry to

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Miscellaneous Punctuation

Use parentheses to clarify.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Miscellaneous Punctuation

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

Using Miscellaneous Punctuation

Use braces to denote a numeric set in mathematics.

CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH

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