Writing Skill : The Punctuation (Part II)

Hello again. This post is going to be the next part of my last post. Still about the punctuation, we're going to see in what situations these punctuation signs could be used. In case you still haven't seen the first part, click here to go there. Read more!



So, in case you forgot (hopefully not :v) about the signs that we are discussing, I'm gonna give you the list one more time.

The Basic Signs of Punctuation

The comma ,
the full stop .
the exclamation mark !
the question mark ?
the semi-colon ;
the colon :
the apostrophe '
quotation marks “   ”
the hyphen -
brackets (  )  or [   ]
the slash /


So, I've explained the comma, the full stop, the exclamation mark, the question mark, the semi-colon, and the colon. Now, let's move on to the rest of the list; the apostrophe, quotation marks, the hyphen, brackets, and the slash.

The apostrophe

The apostrophe can be used:
a. to indicate possession or ownership (e.g. Her house's color is light blue.).
b. to indicate where a letter is omitted, usually in contractions (e.g. we're, isn't, you're, etc.).

Quotation (speech) marks

Quotation or speech marks can be used:
a. to mark out speech (e.g. "Calm down, mate! It's gonna be fine." said Andy.).
b. when quoting someone else's speech (e.g. My mom always says "Stop being too picky!" everytime I ask her to buy me something.).

The hyphen

The hyphen can be used:
a. to link words together (e.g. She is studying non-verbal language.).
b. to indicate the word that is split between two lines.

The brackets

The brackets ( ) (also called parentheses) can be used:
a. to make an aside, or a point which is not part of the main flow of a sentence (e.g. The strategy (or strategies) chosen to meet the objectives may need to change as the intervention continues.).
b. to denote an afterthought or additional information (e.g. You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don't forget the batteries!).
c. to give personal comment(s) (e.g. She thinks that he's a jerk (I don't think so).).

The square brackets [ ] can be used:
a. to abbreviate lengthy quotations in an essay or report (e.g. "The major classes that exist in Western societies are an upper class […]; a middle class […] and a working class […].”
(Giddens, 1997, p.243)).
b.  to signify an editor's note in a regular piece of writing (e.g. "[The blast] was absolutely devastating," said Susan Smith, a local bystander at the scene of the incident.).

The slash

The slash can be used:
a. to replace the word "and" and "or", and join two nouns. (e.g. students/teachers (students and teachers), his/her (his or her)).
b. to separate "and" and "or", when appropriate (e.g. To register, you will need your driver's license and/or your birth certificate.)
c. when quoting lyrics and poetry to denote a line break (e.g. London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down / London bridge is falling down / My fair lady.).

That's it. Fwaaah, so many punctuation signs and their functions. Well, the more you read and write, the better your understanding about the punctuation will be. So, keep practicing, and keep exploring, as usual. Maybe there are some points that I left behind, and maybe you would find some more information about this topic.

See you later~


sources:
http://www.writers-edge.info/uploaded_images/Punctuation-717548.gif
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/punctuation1.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly