Punctuation

Punctuation is as important are the words we use, we are more understood when using convenient punctuation marks, without which meaning would be misleading. So what is punctuation?

Punctuation is the use of punctuation marks to end a sentence, divide a text to sentences and sentence to clauses, and to have a well punctuated paragraph . For that we can use commas, full stops, exclamation marks, colons, semicolons, and interrogative marks and capitalization.

              Commas ( , ) : we generally use commas to separate list or series, to make meaning of sentences clear by dividing them into clauses, and where we feel like we need to stop.

             
            Examples:

• To separate a  list or series:  -Daddy bought apples, strawberries, and bananas.

                                                       -Her brother is smart, friendly,  and a hard-working student.

• To divide sentence into clauses:  -When you meet Sara, tell her about the next week meeting.

                                                               -Since next Monday is a holiday, the exam will be postponed.

         Full stops/periods ( . )  : they are small dots that  are used at the end of  a declarative/ informative sentence and for abbreviation

        Examples:

• To end a declarative sentence:  -I Love studying English.

                                                            -John and Mery are good friends.

• To use in abbreviations:  -Mr. Smith is the school director.

                                                   -My friend travels to the U.S.A every summer.

           

          Exclamation marks ( ! ) : they are used at the end of an exclamatory sentence in which we express an excitement or when addressing to someone.

             Examples:

• when we want to express an excitement : what a beautiful landscape!
• when we want to address to someone in general or give an order in particular: - Be careful!

                                                                                                                                - Open the window!

Semi-colons ( ; ) : we use a semicolon to link two sentences and that indicates a sort of relationship between them.

          Examples: - He played much; so, his clothes became dirty.

                            - You didn't come to my birthday; so I was really angry.

Colons ( : ) : a colon is double dot that is used before a definition, an explanation or a description

        
                   Examples 

• Before a definition:  A car is a wheeled, self-powered motor vehicule which is  used for transportation.
• Before an explanation: My friend is a very smart girl: she always gets A+ in maths exams. 
• Before a description: I have a sister and a brother : Mary and John.

Interrogative marks ( ? ): They are used at the end of an interrogative sentence

               Example:  Can I borrow your pen ?

                                 When will you return from Germany?

Capitalization ( a-A) : it's the use of capital big letters at the beginning of each sentence or for proper nouns.

                                      Examples:

• To begin any sentence: My sister is 7 years old.

                                                You can leave the classroom.

•  For proper nouns : Paris is the capital of France.

                                          Facebook is a very famous social network