Punctuation
Definition
Punctuation is the use of spacing, conventional signs and certain typographical devices as aids to the understanding and correct reading of written text whether read silently or aloud.
Punctuation primarily helps to indicate the pauses and the emphasis on certain ideas or thoughts that are discussed in the text.
♦ Kinds of Punctuations Marks
1. Comma ( , )
2. Full stop ( . )
3. Sign of Exclamation (!)
4. Apostrophe ( ‘ )
5. Colon ( : )
6. Semi-colon ( ; )
7. Hyphen ( - )
8. Sign of Interrogation ( ? )
9. Dash ( – )
10. Quotation marks (“ “)
♦ Use of Capital letters
1. A sentence always begins with a capital letter:
Examples:
● Go and find out what is happening.
● Why are you disturbing me?
● The boys are shouting.
● This book is not useful.
● What a nice car you have.
● Mr. Sharma is teaching in his class.
● Why do you need my help?
2. Every line of a poem begins with a capital letter:
Example:
· “The woods are lovely, dark and deep;
But I have some promises to keep;”
What is this life is full of care
We have no time to stand and stare.
3. The first letter of the Reported speech is always capital:
Examples:
● She said to him, “Get out of here.”
● They asked, “Why do you need my help?”
● Ravi said, “Don’t disturb me.”
● Mukesh said to Mohan, “Please call Radha.”
● “This plain speaking”, said Socrates, “is the cause of my suffering.”
4. Proper nouns have their first letter capital:
Examples:
● The Red Fort, The Jama Masjid, The Times of India, Suresh, Khushboo etc.
● I live in Delhi.
● She likes Mohit.
● Delhi is the capital of India.
5. The pronoun ‘I’ and Interjection ‘O’ are always capital:
Examples:
● It was I who discovered it.
● O for a car!
● She is taller than I.
● O for a cup of steaming tea!
6. The first letter of the name of God and pronouns which are used for them always written in capital letter:
Examples:
● May God bless you!
● I am totally depended upon His blessings.
● I have trust on goddess Mahakali Maa.
● I worship god Mahadev.
7. When an inanimate thing is personified and addressed to, the first letter of the personified object is capital:
Examples:
● O Liberty! Where do we find you?
● O Death! Doth thou Doth spare anyone?
● O Solitude! Where is thy charm?
● O Liberty! What crimes are committed on thy name?
8. In Abbreviations and Initials:
Examples:
● M.L.A.
● M.P.
● A.D.M.
● R.A.S.
● M.B.A.
● S.D.O.
● S.P.
● U.S.A. etc.
9. The main words of the title and heading have their first letters capital:
Examples:
● The History of the Freedom Movement
● The Night of the Scorpion
● The Greedy Dog
● The Train to Pakistan
● The Wings of fire
10. The names of days, months and language have their first letter capital:
Sunday, Wednesday, March, May, June, The Independence Day, Gujarati, Marathi, Sindhi, English, Hindi etc.
Examples:
● The school will reopen in July.
● I shall return by Monday.
● I know five languages: English, Gujarati, Marathi, Sindhi and Hindi.
11. The first letter of the name of the subjects and festivals is always capital letter:
Examples:
● I Like Sanskrit.
● We celebrated Holi.
● I don’t like Science.
● English and History are my favourite subjects.
12. The first letter of the main historical events is always capital letter:
Examples:
● The Glorious Revolution
● The Second World War
● The First Battle of Panipat
13. The first letter of the name of the civilian awards (Titles) and political parties is always capital letter:
Examples:
● Padam Bhushan
● Padam Shri
● Bharat Ratna
● Congress
● Janata Dal
● Bhartiya Janta Party
14. The first letter of the name of the public organizations, buildings, rivers, deserts, mountain ranges etc. is always capital letter:
Examples:
● The Ummaid Bhawan
● The Yamuna
● The Aravali
● The Thar
● The Himalayas
15. The first letter of the name of the castes, religious books, newspapers etc. is always capital letter:
Examples:
● People of India called Hindus.
● The Ramayana
● The Hindustan Times
(1) Use of Comma ( , )
(i) To separate items in a list:
Examples:
● He had everything: money, strength and popularity.
● Meena, Usha and Rekha are real sisters.
● You, he and I cannot study together.
● To make this, you’ll need eggs, flour and sugar.
(ii) You can put commas with certain conjunctions: and, but, so, for etc.
Examples:
● You can go there, but I don’t think you will find him there.
● I can’t come, so don’t wait for me.
(iii) After an adverbial phrase in the beginning of a sentence:
Examples:
● In fact, you are working hard.
● Apparently, she is not well.
● Obviously, you have done well.
● Of course, you are right.
(iv) To add non-essential information to a sentence:
Examples:
● Jaipur, which is the capital of Rajasthan is called the pink city of India.
● Mr. Verma, Ram’s father, is a doctor.
● She is, after all, my sister.
● Hari, to tell you the truth, is a fine gentleman.
(v) To separate a vocative noun:
Examples:
● Ravi, finish your homework.
● Gentlemen, may I have your attention.
● Give me a hand, Ravi.
● Reena, look at me.
● Hari, go there.
(vi) To separate a case in apposition:
Examples:
● Mr. Modi, our Prime Minister, has announced it.
● Jawahar Lal Nehru, the late Prime Minister of India, was a lover of peace.
● Here comes Mr. Bachchan, the greatest of all actors.
(vii) To separate the Reporting verb and the Reported speech:
Examples:
● He said, “What is your name?”
● Raju said to Gayatri, “I like you.”
(viii) To show omission of a verb:
Example:
● To err is human, to forgive, divine.
(ix) To separate a participle or absolute phrase from the main sentence:
Examples:
● It being Sunday, you need not go to school.
● Being strong, you can lift it.
● Seeing a snake, the girl cried.
● Having cleaned the room, he went out.
(x) After an adverb clause which is used before a main/principal clause:
Examples:
● If you work hard, You will succeed.
● As he saw the lion, he ran away.
● As soon as he saw me, he hid behind a tree.
(xi) We often use a comma after words, like ‘Yes, No, Well, Sir, Madam etc.
Examples:
● Yes, It is true.
● No, he was not there.
● Sir, where have you been all these days?
● Well, I can understand it.
● Wait here, please.
(2) Use of Full Stop (.)
(i) The full stop is used to make the end of two kinds of sentences:
(a) Assertive/Declarative sentences
(b) Imperative sentences
Examples:
● She went out.
● The sun rises in the east.
● No one can do it.
● What we need is money.
● Call him now.
● Kindly tell me what to do.
(ii) In abbreviations: (संक्षिप्त रूप)
Examples:
● Mr., Mrs., M.L.A., S.P., M.P. etc.
● a.m. (British) AM (American)
● p.m. (British) PM (American)
(3) Use of Mark of Exclamation (!)
(i) To express strong emotions:
Examples:
● I am really excited about the new! (special feeling)
● If you repeat it, you will be punished! (anger)
● Ravi, don’t play with your food! (strict command)
(ii) Before Interjections:
Examples:
● Wow! What a beautiful garden.
● Ouch! You have cut my finger.
● Hurrah! We have done it.
● Alas! She is no more.
(iii) To make the end of an Exclamatory Sentence:
Examples:
● What a nice man you are!
● How well he played!
● Alas! My friend is no more.
● Ah! It is painful to get deceived from family members.
● What an idea it was!
(iv) To make the end of an optative sentence:
Examples:
● May you live long!
● Go to hell!
● May you be blessed with a baby girl!
● May you get success soon!
● Good evening!
● Good bye!
● Good morning, sir!
● May God bless you!
● May you achieve success!
(4) Use of Apostrophe (‘)
(i) To make the possessive case of a noun:
Examples:
● It is Ravi’s jacket.
● Her mother’s cousin’s son won the Noble prize.
● Mohan’s student Sanjana is very clever.
● She lives in a girl’s hostel.
(ii) To make contraction:
Examples:
● I am – I’m
● You are – You’re
● We are – We’re
● They are – They’re
● Do not – Don’t
● Have not – Haven’t
● Will not – Won’t
● Did not – Didn’t
● It is – It’s
(5) Use of Colon (:)
(i) To introduce things:
Example:
● I had everything in my bag: a pen, a pencil, a notebook and a geometry box.
(ii) To introduce a quotation or sentence:
● Hemlet said it best: “To be or not to be”.
● Shakespeare says: “Sweets are the uses of adversity”.
(iii) To separate two contrasted clauses:
Examples:
● To err is human: to forgive is divine.
● God proposes: man disposes.
(iv) To say something very specific:
Examples:
● My mother taught me the most important thing: forgiveness.
● Rapid urbanization had led to multiple problems: congestion, air-pollution and shortage of affordable housing for families.
(v) I can assure you of one thing: You won’t be disappointed:
Examples:
● He loves only one thing in the world: his cat.
(vi) To separate the second statement that explains the first statement:
Examples:
● I will not eat this bread: it is stale.
● Our Principal is a man of letters: every member of staff respect him.
(6) Use of Semi Colon (;)
(i) To show connection between two independent clauses:
Examples:
● Summers are so hot here; temperature can reach up to 50 degrees.
● I love cows; however, I hate the way they smell.
(ii) To separate the co-ordinate clause made up of whereas, for, but, only, therefore, otherwise:
Examples:
● Work hard; otherwise you will get low marks.
● She came late; therefore she was punished.
(iii) Before co-ordinate clause that is not joined by a conjunction but has its own subject:
Examples:
● We weep; we laugh; we pass away.
● Do not commit any crime; God is watching you.
(iv) To clarify confusing information in a list:
(to separate items in a list)
Examples:
● The winners of the scholarship are Raj Mishra from Jaipur, Rajasthan; Surbhi Patel from Mehsana, Gujrat; and Raghav Sharma from Pune, Maharastra.
● There are basically two ways to write: with a pen or pencil, which is inexpensive and easily accessible; or by a computer and printer, which is more expensive but quick and neat.
(7) Use of Hyphen (-)
¹ A hyphen is punctuation mark that is used to join words or part of words.
(i) We use a hyphen in a compound modifier when the modifier is used before the word it modifies:
Examples:
● This is a one-way street.
● It seems to be an up-to-date report.
● A ten-year-old boy.
● I have an English-speaking.
(ii) To join the parts of compound words:
Examples:
● Brother-in-law
● Step-mother
● Passer-by
● Touch-me-not
● Land-lord
(iii) To separate fractional parts:
Examples:
● Two-fifth
● Three-seventh
(iv) After the prefix coordinator:
Examples:
● Vice-president
● Sub-inspector
● Co-operation
Note: We don’t use hyphen before adverb-adjective combination-
Examples:
● 
● It is a very nice shirt.
● A very good-looking boy.
(8) Use of Interrogation/Question Mark (?)
(i) We use sign of Interrogation in Direct questions:
Examples:
● Where are you going?
● What are you doing, Rohit?
● Do you like cricket?
● Why did you call me?
● Suresh likes milk, doesn’t he?
Note: The question of the second part of indirect speech will not be sign of interrogation.
Examples:
● She asked me why I was late.
● I asked him where he had gone the previous day.
● He asked me that what I was doing at that time.
(9) Use of Dash (–) and Parentheses ()
● ‘Dash’ is used in a sentence to mark an abrupt end to indicate that the words within a dash do not belong there.
● Sometimes they are parenthetical expressions. Double dashes are also known as ‘parenthesis’.
Examples:
● They are – you know – crooks.
● My friend – I am sure – is very sincere.
● The other players – Gambhir and Raina are also part of Indian team.
(i) To use as a pause:
Examples:
● I wrote her a message – a message of peace and love.
● He narrated a story – a story that amused everyone.
(ii) To use to indicate a missing word:
Examples:
● MS – is very shrewd lady.
● Please refer to page 20 – 25.
(10) Use of Quotation marks (Inverted Commas (“ “)
(i) To repeat the words of the speaker as they were spoken:
Examples:
● Radha said to Krishna, “I feel enchanted at the music of your flute.”
● I have bought, “Tales from Shakespeare.”
● Have you studied, “Ode to Nightingale?”
(ii) The names of Books, Magazines, Ships, Poems etc.
Examples:
● I have read Nehru’s, “The Discovery of India.”
● “My Native Land” is an inspiring poem.
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