Punctuation EXPLAINED with EXAMPLES!

Punctuation Explained with Examples!

Punctuation is essential for making your sentences make sense, can to cause an emotional impact on the reader reading the piece of writing. There are many types of punctuation all having different uses, so make sure you are making notes about when to use the correct one.

( ' ) Apostrophes

Apostrophes can be tricky, it is sometimes difficult to decide when we need an apostrophe in what type of word. Apostrophes are often used to show possession of something, a few sentence examples are:

Singular

• A dog's toy
• The cat's house
• The boy's dog
• The girl's fish

Plural

• The dogs' toy.
• The cats' house       
• The boys' dog
• The girls' fish

That's the singular version. If the word was plural e.g. 'girls' then the apostrophe would go on the outside of the 's' to become girls. In the sentence The girls' fish would show the reader that more than one girl owns a fish.

( : ) Colons

Colons are easy to get the hang of once you revise it and try to make your own sentences using it. Colons can often be used to extend a sentence and expand on something that was  previously written in the sentence. We use Colons in times, if you look in the corner of your computer/laptop's screen or at any other device featuring the time you will realise that it has the two dots in between the digits. That's a colon. You can use colons with your quotes  such as Sheila said: ''Blah blah''. Colons can also be used to list things, for example, I went to the shops, with a shopping list, on it read: Milk, cheese and butter.

( , ) Commas

Commas are quite easy, they are often used to break up a long sentence, it can also be used to replace a connective such as 'and'. But don't use commas continuously as it won't have the same impact and in some cases may not work.

(-) Hyphens

Hyphens are one of the fanciest pieces of punctuation, they are used to join words in a compound adjective, and noun. Such as: mind-boggling or paper-clip

( ( ) ) Parentheses

Parentheses, commonly referred to as brackets are usually used to add extra information that hasn't been mentioned previously. it can also be used to present a plural option to a singular word such as food(s),

( . ) Full Stop

A full stop is self explanatory, you use a full stop when you have finished writing your sentence. When considering on where to place a full stop, check:

• Does the sentence read clearly when I read aloud - If it does then try add a full stop. However you can use a full stop for a one word sentence, such as ''BANG'' to get you readers attention.
• Do you notice your 'sentence' dragging on as you read it, maybe your gasping for breath. If this is the case then it is time to add a full stop before you turn blue.
• About to start a new paragraph? If you are about to move on to a new paragraph. Stop. Then double check whether you have put a full stop on your last sentence, before you begin your next paragraph.

( ; ) Semi Colons

Semi colons can be used in replace of a conjunction or before a conjunction. Example: The weather was hot; I wasn't sweating.

( '' '' ) Quotation Marks

Quotations marks are often used to show that the phrase or sentence you used is not your own. Such as taking a sentence or word from a book, it allows people marking your work to  realise that you are referencing a book and using evidence to support your answer. Which is a good thing, and gets you good grades, as long as you don't quote the whole book/piece of word. Little snippets, and an analysis would be great.

If you find a few pieces of punctuation hard, then don't worry, keep practicing use some of these examples. and your notes to practice. If you keep practicing and checking whether it is correct then you are more likely to succeed in your work, and in your future it will be easy to use the piece as you practiced so much.