Brief Overview of Punctuation: Semicolon, Colon,Parenthesis, Dash, Quotation Marks, and Italics

Period

Use a period to end a complete sentence. A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and predicate. In British English a period is called a 'full stop'.

Examples:

He went to Detroit last week.
They are going to visit.

Comma

There are a number of different uses for commas in English. Commas are used to:


Separate a list of items. This is one of the most common uses of a comma. Notice that a comma is included before the conjunction 'and' which comes before the final element of a list.
Examples:

I like reading, listening to music, taking long walks, and visiting with my friends.
They would like books, magazines, DVDs, video cassettes, and other learning materials for their library.


Separate phrases (clauses). This is especially true after a beginning dependent clause or a long prepositional phrase.
Examples:

In order to qualify for your certificate, you will need to take the TOEFL exam.
Although he wanted to come, he wasn't able to attend the course.


Separate two independent clauses that are connected by a conjunction such as 'but'.
Examples:

They wanted to purchase a new car, but their financial situation would not allow it.
I'd really enjoy seeing a film this evening, and I'd like to go out for a drink.


Introduce a direct quote (as opposed to indirect speech i.e. He said he wanted to come ...).
Examples:

The boy said, "My father is often away during the week on business trips."
His doctor replied, "If you don't stop smoking, you run the risk of a heart attack."


Separate appositives (a noun, or noun phrase) or non-defining relative clauses.
Examples:

Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, comes from Seattle.
My only sister, who is a fantastic tennis player, is in great shape.


Question Mark

The question mark is used at the end of a question.

Examples:

Where do you live?
How long have they been studying?

Exclamation Point

The exclamation point is used at the end of a sentence to indicate great surprise. It is also used for emphasis when making a point. Be careful not to use an exclamation point too often.

Examples:

That ride was fantastic!
I can't believe he is going to marry her!

Semicolon

There are two uses for a semicolon:


To separate two independent clauses. One or both of the clauses are short and the ideas expressed are usually very similar.
Examples:

He loves studying; He can't get enough of school.
What an incredible situation; it must make you nervous.


To separate groups of words that are themselves separated by commas.
Examples:

I took a holiday and played golf, which I love; read a lot, which I needed to do; and slept late, which I hadn't done for quite a while.
They plan to study German, for their travels; chemistry, for their work; and literature, for their own enjoyment.


Colon

A colon can be used for two purposes:


To provide additional details and explanation.
Examples:

He had many reasons for joining the club: to get in shape, to make new friends, to lose some weight, and to get out of the house.
She gave notice for the following reasons: bad pay, horrible hours, poor relations with colleagues, and her boss.


To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used in this situation).
Examples:

He announced to his friends: "I'm getting married!"
She cried out: "I never want to see you again!"

Underlining and Italics
Underlining and italics are not really punctuation, but they are significant textual effects used conventionally in a variety of situations. Before computerized word-processing was widely available, writers would underline certain terms in handwritten or manually typed pages, and the underlining would be replaced by italics in the published version. Since word processing today allows many options for font faces and textual effects, it is generally recommended that you choose either underlining or italics and use it consistently throughout a given document as needed. Because academic papers are manuscripts and not final publications and because italics are not always easily recognized with some fonts, many instructors prefer underlining over italics for course papers. Whichever you choose, italics or underlining should be used . . .

for example:

to indicate titles of complete or major works such as magazines, books, newspapers, academic journals, films, television programs, long poems, plays of three or more acts

Faulkner's last novel was The Reivers.

The Simpsons offers hilarious parodies of American culture and family life.