ADEKUNLE AJASIN UNIVERSITY

TACCOED CAMPUS

COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH
GST 111

WITH ADEQUATE EXAMPLES, EXPLAIN THE

FUNCTIONS OF PUNCTUATION MARKS

BAMGBOSE ADERINSOLA
IFJ/200701059

LECTURER: MR CHUKWUKA ODO

 INTRODUCTION
Punctuation is the use of spacing, conventional signs (called punctuation
marks), and certain typographical devices as aids to the understanding and
correct reading of written text, whether read silently or aloud. Another
description is, "It is the practice, action, or system of inserting points or
other small marks into texts in order to aid interpretation; division of text
into sentences, clauses, etc., by means of such marks."
In written English, punctuation is vital to disambiguate the meaning
of sentences. For example: "woman, without her man, is nothing"
(emphasizing the importance of men to women), and "woman: without
her, man is nothing" (emphasizing the importance of women to men) have
very different meanings; as do "eats shoots and leaves" (which means the
subject consumes plant growths) and "eats, shoots, and leaves" (which
means the subject eats first, then fires a weapon, and then leaves the
scene).[3] The sharp differences in meaning are produced by the simple
differences in punctuation within the example pairs, especially the latter.
Punctuation adds to the cadence and emphasis to the sentences that we
write. However, most native English-speaking people and people getting
used to English as an additional language are not confident about
punctuation marks.

Functions and Rules Of Punctuations

The rules of punctuation vary with language, location, register,

and time and are constantly evolving.

 Period ( . )

The period serves two purposes in grammar. When it appears at the end of
a declarative sentence, it ends the sentence. The period can also indicate
that a word is an abbreviation.

 As a sentence ender - Jane and Jack went to the market.

 After an abbreviation - John Jones Jr. was born on Dec. 6, 2008.

 Question Mark ( ? )

Question marks ask direct questions, which are also known as interrogative
sentences. They can also express confusion.

 Interrogative sentence - When did Jane leave for the market?

 Expressing confusion - Why do we have so much homework?

 Exclamation Point ( ! )

Exclamation points show a sudden outcry in writing. They also emphasize a

point more strongly than a period.

 Sudden outcry - "Holy cow!" screamed Jane.

 To emphasize a point - My mother-in-law's rants make me furious!

 Comma ( , )

Commas separate ideas or elements within the structure of a sentence.

They also appear in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation
and closing.

 Direct address - Thanks for all your help, John.

 Separating two complete sentences - We went to the movies, and
then we went out to lunch.
 Separating elements in a list - Suzi wanted the black, green, and blue
dress.

Tip: The final comma in a list, known as an Oxford or serial comma, is

optional. Some style guides prefer it, while others consider it unnecessary.
An Oxford comma is always necessary when the sentence is confusing
without it.

 Semicolon ( ; )

Semicolons connect independent clauses to show a closer relationship

between the clauses than a period would. They can also separate items in
a list that already include commas.
  Connecting independent clauses - John was hurt; he knew she only
said it to upset him.
 Items in a list - I’ve visited Cleveland, Ohio; Los Angeles, California;
and St. Louis, Missouri.

 Colon ( : )

Colons introduce a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series.

They can also clarify information or emphasize an important word or
phrase.

 Introducing a series - He was planning to study four subjects:

politics, philosophy, sociology, and economics.
 Clarifying information - I didn't have time to get changed: I was
already late.
 Emphasizing an important phrase - There was one thing she loved
more than any other: her dog.

 Dash

Em Dash ( — )

Em dashes set off information from the rest of the sentence. They can also
show emphasis to a word or phrase. You can add spaces to either side of
an em dash, depending on your style guide.

 Setting off information - My best friend — whom I’ve known since I

was a kid — is moving away.
 Showing emphasis - The house was beautiful — but haunted.

En Dash ( – )

En dashes are shorter than em dashes, and they indicate a range or

connection between numbers or words. You don’t need to use spaces on
either side of an en dash.

 Indicating range - The Civil War (1861–1865) made a lasting impact

in the United States.
 Indicating connection - When does the Denver–Dallas flight arrive?
 Hyphen ( - )

Hyphens are even shorter than en dashes. They join two or more words
together to make compound nouns, compound adjectives, and compound
numbers.

 Compound noun - My sister-in-law works as a pastry chef.

 Compound adjective - The well-known author signed autographs for
his fans.
 Compound number - Cory can count all the way to ninety-nine.

 Parentheses ( )

Parentheses add further thoughts or qualifying remarks to a sentence.

They separate these phrases from the rest of the sentence.

 Further thought - John and Jane (who are brother and sister) both
have red hair.
 Qualifying remarks - Add any special skills (typing, organization,
training, and so on) to your resume.

 Brackets [ ]

Brackets clarify meaning in a quote by adding words or the phrase sic.

They also form parenthetical statements inside larger parenthetical
statements (called nesting parentheses).

 Adding words to a quote - “He [Mr. Jones] was the last person seen
at the house,” reported the detective.
 Adding sic to a quote - “Our team issues no further statments [sic] at
this time.”
 Nesting parentheses - We decided to go to the Grand Canyon (my
[childhood] dream) this summer.

 Braces { }

Braces contain sets of numerical or specialized information to show that

they are considered as a unit. You won’t often see braces in writing, but
you’ll see them around groups of numbers and mathematical expressions.
  Grouping numbers - The teacher wrote a set of numbers {6, 9, 12}
on the board.
 Mathematical expression - (2{1+[23-3]}=x)

 Apostrophe ( ‘ )

Apostrophes indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word. They

form contractions, show the possessive case, or create plurals of lowercase
letters.

 Contractions - I've seen that movie several times.

 Possessive case - Sara’s dog bit the neighbor.
 Plural for lowercase letters - Mind your p's and q's.

 Double Quotation Marks (“ ”)

Quotation marks indicate the beginning and end of a quoted passage. They
can also show dialogue in fiction.

 Quoted passage - Nathan Hale’s last words were, “I regret that I

have but one life to live for my country.”
 Dialogue - "Don't go outside," Katie said.

 Single Quotation Marks (‘ ’)

Single quotation marks show quotes within a quotation, and they set off
quotes in headlines.

 Quotes within quotations - Marie told the teacher, "Marc said to me

'Bill started the fight,' and I believed him."
 Quotes in headlines - President Declares, ‘War Is Over’

Ellipsis (...)

An ellipsis indicates an omission of words or sentences. Students writing

research papers or newspapers quoting parts of speeches will often employ
ellipsis to avoid copying lengthy text that is not needed.

 Omission of words - She began to count, "One, two, three, four…"

until she got to 10, then went to find him.
  Within a quotation - When Newton stated, "An object at rest stays at
rest and an object in motion stays in motion..." he developed the law
of motion.

SUMMARY

Only writing will never carry a message that you want to convey to the
reader. Punctuation marks in the correct place of the sentence will make it
more interesting for the readers. It gives weightage to the sentences and
words. If you wish readers to prefer you as a writer, become aware of the
proper usage of punctuation marks in your writing skills.

REFERENCES

1. Stephen Wilbers. "Frequently asked questions concerning

punctuation" (web site). [1]
2. ↑ Jump up to:5.0 5.1 Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for
Authors, Editors and Publishers (PDF). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge
University Press. 2002. ISBN 9780521471541. Retrieved 2015-09-
04. In the British style (OUP 1983), all signs of punctuation used with
words and quotation marks must be placed according to the sense.
3. ↑ Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. 2003-07-07. pp. 6.8–6.10. ISBN 0226104036.
4. ↑ The Associated Press Stylebook, p. 337; The Chicago Manual of
Style, 15th ed., ch. 6.9, pp. 242–
243, http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/Punctuation/Pu
nctuation50.html; Strunk, William Jr., and White, E. B. ,The Elements
of Style, Pearson Education Company, 4th ed., p. 36; McFarlane and
Warren Clements. The Globe and Mail Style Book, 9th ed., p. 237;
Brinck, Tom, et al., Usability for the Web, Morgan Kaufmann, 2002,
p. 277.
5. ↑ The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition; Hart's Rules for
Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford; Merriam-
Webster's Guide to Punctuation and Style, second edition.
6. ^ See for example: Harrison, Kim (21 February 2015). "Bringing a
headline to a full stop". CuttingEdgePR.com. Perth, Western
Australia: Cutting Edge Insights Pty. Archived from the original on 17
January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
7. ^ Cook, Vivian J. (2013). "Frequencies for English Punctuation
Marks" – via VivianCook.uk. Excerpt from Cook, Vivian J. (2013).
"Standard punctuation and the punctuation of the street". In Pawlak,
M.; Aronin, L. (eds.). Essential Topics in Applied Linguistics and
Multilingualism. Springer International. pp. 267–290..
8. ^ Truss, Lynne (2003). Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance
Approach to Punctuation. Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-612-7.
9. ^ Irwin Feigenbaum The Grammar Handbook 1985 p303 "... period
after initials in a name and after other abbreviations. (103) Dwight
D. Eisenhower's home in Gettysburg, Pa. was not very far from
Washington, D.C. In a direct quotation, 3 periods are used to show
that a word or words have been
10. ^ "Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies" (PDF). University of
Aberdeen, Scotland: Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies.
2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 9
September 2015. Punctuation marks are placed inside the quotation
marks only if the sense of the punctuation is part of the quotation;
this system is referred to as logical quotation.
11. ^ Nichol, Mark (6 June 2011). "Logical Punctuation Isn't the Logical
Choice". Daily Writing Tips. Retrieved 4 September 2015.