Writing Skill : The Punctuation (Part I)

Hey everyone, here we go again. We're back with our lovely topic: the writing skill. Now, I'd like to explain the basic signs punctuation. What is punctuation? How does it contribute to your writing?
Well, click read more to find out!



Firstly, let's start off with the definition. What is punctuation?

Punctuation is the system of signs or symbols given to a reader to show how a sentence is constructed and how it should be read. A writing consists of blocks of sentences, and punctuation shows how they should be read and makes the meaning clear.

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 /


Now, today i'll explain half of the signs that are listed above. That means, I'm going to explain the comma, the full stop, the exclamation mark, the question mark, the semi-colon, and the colon. The rest will be continued in the next post. So, let's start!

The comma

The comma can be used:
a. to indicate a break or pause in a sentence (e.g. Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating system known as Windows.).
b. to list items in a series (e.g. The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges.).
c. to describe two or more adjectives (e.g. The cute, little hamster jumped out the box.).
d. to separate one geographical area from another that is located inside (e.g. I am originally from Hola, Tana River County, Kenya.).
e. to separate an introductory phrase from the rest of the sentence (e.g. Soon after reaching her house, she immediately took a bath and went to sleep.).
f. to separate two independent clauses (e.g. I went to the store, but I forgot my wallet.).
g. when making a direct address (e.g. Dad, could you pick me at 7 p.m. later?)
h. to separate direct quotations from the sentence introducing them (e.g. While I was at his house, John asked, "Do you want anything to eat?").

The full stop

The full stop can be used to end a declarative sentence or a statement (e.g. I have already eaten.).

 The exlamation mark

The exclamation mark can be used to end an exclamatory sentence (e.g. I can't believe how difficult the exam was!)

The question mark

The question mark can be used to end a question (e.g. Do you know where my cellphone is?)

The semi-colon

The semi-colon can be used to separate two related but independent clauses (e.g. We set out at dawn; the weather looked promising.).

The colon

The colon can be used:
a. to list several things (e.g. Things to buy: milk, sugar, onion, blueberries, and potato chips.).
b. to separate parts of title (e.g. Human Resources Management: Guidelines for Telephone Advisers).


So, that's all the punctuation signs that I wanted to explain for now. I won't put all of the together, because if I do, it will be a very long post. Click here for the next part of this topic.
See you soon~!






sources:
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/punctuation1.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly
http://maglomaniac.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/punctuation-marks1.jpg