14 Punctuation Marks, Definition, Usage and Example Sentences
| Punctuation Mark ( Symbol ) | Name | Usage | Example |
| . | Full Stop (in British English) or Period | It is used at the end of a sentence or at the end of the short form of a word. | I like football. |
| , | Comma | It is used to separate parts of a sentence showing a slight pause, or to separate the single things in a list. | I want to eat meat, bread and tomatoes. |
| ; | Semi-colon | It is used between two parts of a sentence, usually when each of the two parts could form grammatical sentences on their own. | John drives a Ferrari; Mary drives a Peugeot. |
| : | Colon | It is used especially to introduce a list of things or a sentence or phrase taken from somewhere else. | We have two choices: work hard or fail. |
| ? | Question mark | It is used at the end of a phrase or sentence to show that it is a question. | Where is the bank? |
| ! | Exclamation mark | It is used immediately after an exclamation. | What an exceptional child this is! |
| … | Ellipsis mark | It is used in writting to show where one or more words have been intentionally left out. | You went to the restaurant. And…? |
| ” “ | Quotation marks | It is used to indicate a word or phrase to show that someone else has written or said it. | ‘‘ I want to do it,’’ she said. |
| ‘ | Apostrophe | It is used to show when a letter or a number has been left out, as in I’m (= I am), or that is used before or after s to show possession, as in Sarah’s house. | This is Steven’s car. We‘re ready |
| / | Slash | It is used in writing to separate letters, numbers, or words. | and/or ,
05/10 ( October 5 ) , 2/3 = two-thirds |
| ( ) | Round Brackets ( in British English ) or Parentheses | It is used to add extra information to a sentence. | Lisa (8 years-old) is a little girl. |
| [ ] | Square Brackets | It is used to enclose words added by someone other than the original writer or speaker, typically in order to clarify the situation. | “It [electricity] is really just organized lightning.” |
| English | Underline | It is used to especially emphasize. | The meeting will be start at 10:00 am. |
| _ | Underscore | It is used to draw a line under. | d_k@yah.com |
| – | Hypen | It is used to join words together to indicate that they have a combined meaning or to show that a word has been divided into parts. | well–to–do , rock–forming minerals,pick–me–up |
| — | Dash | It is used to separate parts of a sentence. | We saw two movies at the theater today—I didn’t really like either of them. |
