{"id":1073,"date":"2011-02-22T07:24:18","date_gmt":"2011-02-22T07:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vappingo.com\/word-blog\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2024-01-16T09:41:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T09:41:04","slug":"14-punctuation-marks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vappingo.com\/word-blog\/14-punctuation-marks\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Punctuation Marks Everyone Needs to Master"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are 14 punctuation marks<\/strong> in English grammar. Master them all and… well, you’ve mastered punctuation!<\/p>\n

In this guide to punctuation, we take a look at common punctuation marks and how they are used. We also provide some great examples of how you can use punctuation marks in your writing and when proofreading and editing<\/a> your work. We’re also offering a free punctuation poster to boot!<\/p>\n

1. The Semi-Colon<\/h3>\n

\"Punctuation<\/p>\n

The semi-colon is an immensely useful punctuation mark for those who are looking to slam two slightly related clauses together into a single triumphant sentence.<\/p>\n

Semi-colons are most commonly used to merge two independent clauses. For example:<\/p>\n

There’s a crocodile in the toilet. He has a lot of hair growing out of his ears.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At present, the two sentences are separated by a full stop\/period. If you were to read them aloud, they would sound like this:<\/p>\n

There’s a crocodile in the toilet. *Pause*
\nHe has hair growing out of his ears.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you were to insert a semi-colon in place of the full stop\/period, the pause would be much shorter, and the sentence would look like this:<\/p>\n

There’s a crocodile in the toilet; he has a lot of hair growing out of his ears.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The semi-colon serves to eliminate the pause between the two independent clauses and is therefore used instead of a conjunction, such as and, yet, but, or, nor, for, and so<\/em>.<\/p>\n

OR<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A semi-colon can also be used as a super-comma, to separate items in a long list. For example:<\/p>\n

At the chocolate factory, I scoffed acid balls, they were super sour; everlasting gob stoppers, I spat mine out after an hour; curly toffees, rather yummy; and iced fancies, they made me sick.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

2. The Comma<\/h3>\n

\"Punctuation<\/p>\n

Everyone loves the comma. The problem is that quite a lot of people love it TOO MUCH. Commas are great for inserting pauses into sentences and breaking them up into manageable chunks. However, quite often, a lot of people, like us, tend to overuse them, placing them throughout a sentence, at regular intervals, until the text turns into a comma-strewn shadow of what it could have been. Did we just do that?<\/p>\n

There are a large number of complicated rules governing comma usage (oh joy), but luckily for you, we have already covered them in great detail in our super free comma guide<\/a>. There’s efficiency for you.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

3. The Full Stop \/ Period<\/h3>\n

\"Punctuation<\/p>\n

The period, or full stop as the British call it, is never going to set any hearts on fire, but it’s pretty much one of the most important punctuation marks we have. It tells you when the sentence is complete and you can take a breath. Period usage is second nature for most people, and our brains don’t really even register them most of the time. We do tend to notice if they’re missing though<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

4. The Colon<\/h3>\n

\"Punctuation<\/p>\n

There are plenty of jokes that can be made regarding the name of this punctuation mark, but we’re far too sophisticated for that (you’ve no idea how much restraint that took). The colon is most commonly used to introduce <\/em>and can be used to introduce anything:\u00a0words, phrases, lists, names or quotations. For example:<\/p>\n