Punctuation Marks

Common Punctuation Marks

Here are some of the most commonly used punctuation marks in English:

• Period (.)
  • Used to end a sentence.
  • Used after abbreviations (e.g., Dr., Mr., Mrs.).
  • Used in decimals (e.g., 3.14).
• Comma (,)
  • Used to separate items in a list.
  • Used after introductory clauses.
  • Used to set off parenthetical expressions.
  • Used to indicate a pause in a sentence.
• Question Mark (?)
  • Used to end a direct question.
• Exclamation Mark (!)
  • Used to express strong emotion or surprise.
• Semicolon (;)
  • Used to connect two independent clauses that are closely related.
  • Used to separate items in a list that contain commas.
• Colon (:)
  • Used to introduce a list or explanation.
  • Used to separate the hour and minute in time.
• Apostrophe (”)
  • Used to show possession.
  • Used to form contractions.
• Quotation Marks (“”)
  • Used to enclose direct quotes.
• Parentheses ()
  • Used to enclose additional information.
• Dash (-)
  • Used to indicate a sudden break in thought.
  • Used to emphasize a word or phrase.
• Ellipsis (…)
  • Used to indicate omitted words or sentences.