While writing assignments, essays, or any other kind of writing, the first criterion is to write perfect grammar. So, you must use an online grammar checker for that. Students often make grammatical mistakes by using wrong punctuation, so you must be very careful about it. Punctuations are small signs, but they mean everything to express your ideas and thoughts. Without punctuation marks, your write-up will look like a ship without a radar. So, you must know the right use of punctuation.
What Is Punctuation?
Punctuation marks are a set of symbols used to clarify the meaning of the sentences. These symbols tell readers where to stop. Also, they can tell how long you must take a pause, how to clarify certain parts more, etc. Once you use the right punctuation, you can present a grammatically correct write-up.
The Right Usage of Punctuations
Different types of punctuation help you read the write-up properly. You must know those to avoid grammatical mistakes in your writing. Read on to know more-
Comma
As experts say, this is one of English grammar’s most misused punctuation symbols. Usually, a comma is used to take a soft pause in between sentences. A comma separates words, clauses, and ideas within a sentence.
Full Stop
A full stop is the most commonly used punctuation mark in English sentences. It denotes the end of a sentence. However, it is sometimes used to denote the abbreviation of certain long words. So, in English sentences, a full stop has two functions. First, it ends a sentence. Second, it denotes the omission of certain letters from a word, like, et al., etc.
Colon
This punctuation mark introduces some kind of information or explanation to the readers. It also connects two parts of sentences that are closely related. You can write the matter that you must explain on one side. Then, put the colon and explain the matter. The colon will make you pause and carefully review the explanation to understand the matter.
Ellipsis
The use of ellipses has significantly increased today. However, students often misuse it by putting it anywhere. Ellipsis means three dots that represent a sudden pause. It also suggests you have kept things untold. Authors use ellipses a lot to provide silence. Thus, readers can think about what they want to say. In formal writing, the ellipsis is used between quotes to show that the editor didn’t mention everything the original speaker has said.
Semi Colon
You can use a semicolon to join two corresponding clauses without using conjunctions. It is also a great alternative to commas. If you are listing the names of cities or states, you can use a semicolon. The use of a semicolon is quite tricky. Remember, a semicolon is stronger than a comma but not as wholesome as a full stop!
Apostrophe
The use of apostrophes is also quite tricky. You must learn it well to avoid grammatical mistakes in your writing. First, it is used for contractions. When you want to omit certain letters from a word, you can use apostrophes, like ‘I’ve’ instead of ‘I have’. Second, you can use it while writing possessive nouns like ‘My Brother’s Pen’.
Hyphen
Students can use hyphens to connect words. Usually, you can use it in between compound modifiers, like, ‘You must submit a well-written article’. Here, it would help if you put a hyphen between ‘well’ and ‘written’ to explain the quality of the writing. Also, you can use hyphens to write certain compound words, like ‘mother-in-law’, ‘five-year-old’, etc. You can also read about Driscoll’s reflective model.
Quotation Marks
The use of quotation marks is quite simple. Students must use them when referring to quotes or dialogues. Be very careful when using these punctuation marks. If you miss them while presenting quotes, your write-up will be plagiarized. Besides using quotations and dialogues, you can also use this symbol to present the names of books by authors, like ‘Gitanjali’ by Rabindranath Tagore.
Dash
First of all, a dash is not a hyphen. It is a little longer than a hyphen. Students can use it in the middle of a line to indicate a pause. There is a main difference between a dash and a hyphen. A hyphen separates parts of words. However, a dash separates a group of words.
Question Marks
The use of question marks is simple. When you want to ask anything, you use question marks. You can use any direct question with a question mark. Also, people use question marks to represent certain quotations. Students know the use of these punctuation marks in their write-ups.
So, these are some of the most used punctuation marks. Students must know the right use of these symbols to increase the quality of their write-up. Also, you must know that you can be grammatically correct if you use punctuation marks in the right place. For any confusion, you can use an online grammar checker.
