How To Use English Punctuation Correctly With Pictures

Here is an example of proper capitalization at the beginning of a sentence: She invited her friend over after school.

Titles and proper nouns consisting of more than one word should have every word capitalized, except for small words and articles like “the,” “an,” “and,” etc. The first word of a title should always be capitalized (with the above “brand name” exception). [2] X Research source Here are a few examples of capital letters being used for proper nouns and titles: Genghis Khan quickly became the most powerful man in Asia, if not the world. In her opinion, Queen Roberta’s favorite museum in the world is the Smithsonian, which she visited during her trip to Washington, D. C. , last year.

Here is an example of acronyms made from capital letters: The CIA and the NSA are just two of the USA’s many intelligence agencies.

Here is an example of a period (full stop) being used correctly at the end of a sentence:The accessibility of the computer has increased tremendously over the past several years.

Here is an example of a question mark being used correctly at the end of a sentence:What has humanity done about the growing concern regarding global warming?

Here are two examples of an exclamation point being used correctly at the end of a sentence:I can’t believe how difficult the exam was! Eek! You scared me!

Here is an example of commas being used to create a break in a sentence:Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating system known as Windows.

However, many writers omit the comma before the conjunction (called a serial comma or “Oxford comma”),[5] X Research source as conjunctions like “and” will signal the end of the list even without the final comma. Here are two examples of commas used in listed series – one with an Oxford Comma and one without. The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges. The computer store was filled with video games, computer hardware and other electronic paraphernalia.

Here are examples of correct and incorrect comma usage when it comes to separating adjectives: CORRECT: The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention. INCORRECT: The powerful, resonating, sound caught our attention.

Here are two examples of correct comma usage when it comes to naming geographical areas:I am originally from Hola, Tana River County, Kenya. Los Angeles, California, is one of the largest cities in the United States.

Here are two examples of sentences with introductory phrases separated from the rest of the sentence by commas:After the show, John and I went out to dinner. On the back of my couch, my cat’s claws have slowly been carving a large hole.

Here are two examples of sentences containing independent clauses:Ryan went to the beach yesterday, but he forgot his sunscreen. Water bills usually rise during the summer, as people are thirstier during hot and humid days.

Here is an example of a direct address:Amber, could you come here for a moment?

Here is an example of a direct quotation that requires a comma:While I was at his house, John asked, “Do you want anything to eat?” Here is an example of an indirect quotation that does not require a comma:While I was at his house, John asked me if I wanted anything to eat. Here is an example of a partial direct quotation, which, due to its brevity and its use within the sentence, does not require a comma: According to the client, the lawyer was “lazy and incompetent. "

Here’s an example of a semicolon being used correctly:People continue to worry about the future; our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk. A semicolon takes the place of a period, and it is used in parallel construction. For instance, if you write I love bananas, and I love apples, instead of having an and, you can write I love bananas; I love apples. Parallel construction means you have the same thing on both sides of that semicolon, subject, verb, subject, verb.

Here’s an example of semicolons being used correctly in a list whose meaning might otherwise be ambiguous:I went to the show with Jake, my close friend; his friend, Jane; and her best friend, Jenna.

Here’s an example of a colon being used correctly in this fashion: The professor has given me three options: to retake the exam, to accept the extra credit assignment, or to fail the class. Here, on the other hand, is an incorrect example: The Easter basket contained: Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits, and other candy. In this case you would simply omit the colon.

Here’s an example of a colon being used properly in this way:There’s only one person old enough to remember that wedding: grandma.

Here’s an example of colons being used in this way to subdivide lengthy titles: 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.

Here’s an example of good hyphen usage:Cara is his ex-girlfriend.

Here’s an example of a hyphen used to build a compound word:The up-to-date newspaper reporters were quick to jump on the latest scandal.

Don’t use “and” when writing numbers, as in “The amount is one hundred and eighty. " This is a common error in the US and Canada, where the “and” is usually omitted. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, however, the “and” can be included. Here are two examples of hyphens being used in numbers below and above one hundred, respectively:There are fifty-two playing cards in a deck. The packaging advertised one thousand two hundred twenty-four firecrackers, but it contained only one thousand.

To judge whether a dash is appropriate, try to remove the words between the dashes. If the sentence appears disjointed or does not make sense, you may need to revise it instead of using the dashes. There should be spaces before and after a dash in British English. Here are two examples of proper dash usage: An introductory clause is a brief phrase that comes — yes, you guessed it — at the beginning of a sentence. This is the end of our sentence — or so we thought.

Here’s an example of a hyphen being used to split a word that’s cut into two pieces by a line break: No matter what he tried, he just couldn’t get the novel’s elec-trifying surprise ending out of his head.

Be mindful of nouns that are always considered to be plural, such as children and people. Here you should use ’s even though the nouns are plural. Also be aware of pronouns that are already possessive and do not require apostrophes, such as hers and its. (It’s means it is or it has). Their is possessive without apostrophe or s, except as a predicate adjective, where it becomes theirs. Here is an example of an apostrophe used to show possession with a singular noun:The hamster’s water tube needs to be refilled. Here is an example of an apostrophe used for showing possession with a plural noun:In the pet store, the hamsters’ bedding needed to be changed. Here is an example of an apostrophe used for showing possession with a plural noun that doesn’t end with “s”:These children’s test scores are the highest in the nation.

Be sure to use the possessive pronoun your and the contraction you’re appropriately. It is a common mistake to interchange them. Here is an example of apostrophes used for a contraction of it is and a singular noun with possession, while correctly being omitted for possessive pronouns (hers, theirs, its):Friends of hers explained that it’s her idea, not theirs, to refill the hamster’s water tube and change its bedding.

Here is an example of a quote-within-a-quote:Ali said, “Anna told me, ‘I wasn’t sure if you wanted to come!’”

Here are examples of correct and incorrect apostrophe usage:CORRECT - apple → apples INCORRECT - apple → apple’s

Here is an example of good “and/or” usage:To register, you will need your driver’s license and/or your birth certificate.

Here is an example of slashes used to mark line breaks in a song:Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream. / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, / Life is but a dream.

Here are examples of how to use and how not to use a slash in this way:CORRECT:“The student and part-time employee has very little free time. " →"The student/part-time employee has very little free time. " INCORRECT: “Do you want to go to the grocery store, or would you prefer to go to the mall?” →"Do you want to go to the grocery store / would you prefer to go to the mall?”

Below are two examples of quotation mark usage:“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. "

Here is an example of parentheses used for clarification:Steve Case (AOL’s former CEO) resigned from the Time-Warner board of directors in 2005.

Here is an example of parentheses used for an afterthought. Note that the period (full stop) follows the last parenthesis — not before the first. Also note that replacing the parentheses with a comma may not be entirely suitable here, while a period or a semicolon may work: You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don’t forget the batteries!).

Here is an example of parentheses used for a personal comment:Most grammarians believe that parentheses and commas are always interchangeable (I disagree).

Here is an example of brackets used for clarity in a direct quote. (Note that the original quote was, “It was absolutely devastating!”) “’[The blast] was absolutely devastating!’ said Susan Smith, a local bystander at the scene of the incident.

Here are two examples of brace usage. Note that the second is exceedingly rare:The set of numbers in this problem is: { 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 } Choose your favorite utensil { fork, knife, spoon } and bring it to me.