Punctuation Marks: A Complete Guide

Generally speaking, ‘punctuation’ means marks that divide words and change a sentence’s meaning. Although there are many punctuation marks (14 precisely), some are more common. For instance, periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation marks are practically in every sentence.

This article is of massive help to students since academic writing requires a high level of punctuation expertise. Even informal writing calls for literacy!

Our expert essay writing service will list all punctuation marks with examples and common punctuation errors. Besides, Essayhub is always available for any academic task, no matter the complexity! 

What Is a Punctuation Mark?

A punctuation mark is a mark like a comma, period, bracket, etc., that separates two or more words or complete sentences. Right punctuation marks can enhance text readability and coherency and emphasize separate phrases. There are 14 different punctuation marks in English:

Terminal Points: Their Uses with Examples

Terminal points are the major category of punctuation marks in English. On the whole, they mean the full stop of a sentence. Such marks include:

• Period
• Question symbol
• Exclamation point

Further, we clarify the meaning of these punctuation marks that separate the first and second sentences.

Period

This punctuation mark looks like a tiny dot after sentence (.) on the bottom line. People use it to indicate finished thoughts by dividing two complete sentences. This way, a writer can separate the thought and the following sentences, avoiding confusion:

‘Mary had a little lamb.’

‘Our destination is on the left.’

Question Mark

A question mark looks like a curled line with a dot in the bottom (?) and finishes the indirect or direct question. Writers put such punctuation symbols after the complete sentences with an interrogative tone, like this:

‘Is there a doctor on the plane?’

‘How was yesterday's party?’

Exclamation Point

An exclamation point looks like a straight line with a bottom dot (!). It helps to complete sentences, too, but gives them a heightened emotional tone. So, an exclamation point is best for bringing attention:

‘Final sale ends today!’

‘Come to us, Jane!’

Pausing Points: Their Uses with Examples

To separate elements within a sentence, people invented pausing punctuation points. They mostly smoothen the flow by creating mental pauses between phrases. There are three known pausing points:

• Comma
• Semicolon
• Colon 

Now, we’ll figure out every punctuation mark’s meaning!

Comma

A comma looks like a dot with a small tail (,) that appears in between the sentence parts. To properly use it, think of the most logical places for punctuation pauses in a sentence. Thanks to commas, a reader sees the intended meaning and connection between words:

’Snow glistened with pink, blue, and gold sparkles.’

‘Our guests were Kathy, James, and Victoria.’

Semicolon

A semicolon has a period on top and a comma on the bottom (;). It resides inside the sentence, simultaneously dividing and connecting the independent clauses. It helps out when both ideas are too short for separate sentences:

‘All the kids were tired; they tried to stay awake.’

‘Most students applied to colleges; some took a gap year.’

Colon

The following punctuation mark looks quite similar but has two vertically placed dots instead (:), called colon. Again, it’s also inside the sentence, but it goes before lists or quotes:

‘They all looked closely related due to shared features: ginger hair, blue eyes, and freckles.’

‘My sister said: “I like your shoes”’

Hyphens and Dashes: Their Uses with Examples

Essentially, hyphens and dashes are different punctuations that look almost identical. Although they are easy to confuse, their functions are opposite. While hyphens connect compound words, dashes emphasize pauses. Let’s look at their types:

• Hyphen
• En Dash
• Em Dash

And what about them? Stay tuned to find the punctuation secrets below.

Hyphen

Most people have seen a short horizontal line like this ‘-‘ in text, but few know it's called a hyphen. This punctuation mark allows you to add prefixes and create compound words. Its purpose is to show that an author views several separate words as one:

‘Spray-painted walls can be quite stylish.’

‘My mom only buys sugar-free snacks.’

En Dash

What if someone took a hyphen and made it a bit longer, just enough to be the size of ‘N’? Then, it would become en dash (-). But, unlike hyphens, en dashes are necessary for compound modifiers:

‘Sabrina chose Marylin Monroe-style hair to become recognizable.’

‘Pre-Christian world was far different than we thought.’

Em Dash

The em dash (—) is the length of ‘M,’ hence the name. Despite the little difference, this punctuation symbol carries entirely different functions. In short, an em dash emphasizes the clarification and is more substantial than a comma but less significant than colons and semicolons:

‘Trevor’s wife — the woman in a blue sweater — brought homemade cookies.’

‘I checked the noise downstairs and found the reason — a raccoon.’

Quotations: Their Uses with Examples

Generally, writers use quotations to include information from other sources in their texts. By doing so, people avoid plagiarizing others, and such punctuation marks are helpful:

• Quotation Marks
• Ellipses
• Brackets

If they sound unfamiliar, scroll to the descriptions below!

Quotation Marks

Sometimes, texts contain pairs of apostrophe-like punctuation symbols called quotation marks. Most of the time, writers prefer double quotation marks (“ “). However, many websites like the version called single quotation marks (‘ ‘). They exist to separate quotes or direct speech from the rest of the text:

‘Josh said, “Dress warmer this time.”’

‘Our teacher reminded us, “Bring rulers tomorrow.”’

Ellipses

An author uses this punctuation mark whenever a sentence ends with mysterious three dots (…). This mark is there to show omission and invites readers to think further:

‘Today’s storm violently rattled the trees…’

‘A man went hiking and never returned…’

Brackets

Sometimes, news reports contain punctuation symbols that resemble two parts of a square ([ ]), called brackets. Editors use them to clarify info in a piece of original text:

‘The bystander said, ‘Poor thing [a cat] couldn’t climb off the tree.’

‘A fan exclaimed, ‘Her [singer’s] voice was mesmerizing!’

Other Punctuation Guide with Illustrations 

All the mentioned punctuation marks are relatively common in most texts. However, some less-known symbols are no less important and deserve attention. Let's study the uses of punctuation marks like these:

• Parentheses 
• Apostrophe 
• Slash
• Angle Brackets
• Braces

We’ll dissect them in the following paragraphs.

Parentheses 

A punctuation mark that reminds of rounded-up brackets is called parentheses. It looks like this ‘()’; inside it, authors put additional information on the topic. Due to this trick, a sentence seems natural and informative:

‘Theo (the most handsome boy in class) played guitar.’

‘Tuscany (a rural area in Italy) attracts numerous visitors.’

Apostrophe 

An apostrophe is a punctuation symbol that looks like one of the single quotation marks (‘). It has multiple uses, including showing singular or plural possession or shortening the words like ‘is’ or ‘has’:

‘Passengers’ luggage shouldn’t contain explosives.’

‘Children’s cartoons are dangerously addictive.’

Slash

A slash is a perfect solution when a writer wants to show a couple of alternatives without overloading the sentence. This small diagonal line (/) can divide words, almost like a comma:

‘Marie’s pronouns are they/them.’

‘Take a tablespoon of lime/lemon juice for this recipe.’

Angle Brackets

This type of punctuation mark is even rarer in the English language. It visually reminds us of two incomplete triangles, ‘< >,’ which contain a piece of text. Earlier, people used them to separate email addresses from the rest of the text. Today, angle brackets mostly mean foreign speech or author’s thoughts:

‘Local man: <I understood only his first word.>’

‘I always ask for a direct address. << I get lost anyway. >>’

Braces

The last punctuation mark, but not the least, is braces ({}). They look like brackets, except they are more common in sciences like maths. Braces help to group objects of the same category:

Equal choices: { pink, purple, blue }

Numbers: A = { 2, 7, 18, 31}

10 Golden Punctuation Tips

Wondering how to use punctuation marks more efficiently? Employ the following tips:

1. Use dictionaries or websites: Checking via a reputable source is better than doubting. 
2. Boost erudition: Read a lot to memorize proper punctuation.
3. Make pauses in your mind when talking: It trains the brain and helps improve punctuation skills.
4. The less, the better: The end of the sentence shouldn’t contain many punctuation marks.
5. Balance creativity and literacy: Punctuation is obligatory even for geniuses.
6. Be consistent: Use either single or double quotation marks in one text.
7. Make learning fun: Practice using cool online quizzes.
8. Reread texts: Always come back to the writing with a fresh look.
9. Cross-read: Ask the peers to exchange texts and edit for each other.
10. Observe: Look for mistakes in billboards and other advertising.

Related: Dispel some common myths about writing in this dedicated article.

5 Common Errors Related to Punctuation Marks

Become an even better writer by avoiding these punctuation mistakes:

1. Be careful with apostrophes: Too many people mix ‘its’ and ‘it’s.’
2. Oxford comma: Asking for ‘salad, juice and spaghetti’ may lead to juice in the spaghetti.
3. Size matters: Remember, hyphens and dashes are different things.
4. Order matters, too: It's a ‘question mark exclamation point’ (?!), instead of vice versa (!?).
5. Putting…ellipses…everywhere…: We’re writing an essay, not having a spiritual séance.

Final Recap

Based on the information above, the significant punctuation marks are:

• Period (ends the thought and the sentence)
• Question mark (finishes interrogative sentences)
• The exclamation point (gives words more emotion)
• Comma (separates words, creates steady flow)
• Colon and semicolon (start lists and separate clauses)

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