Punctuation Guide

Explanation: Used to mark the end of a complete sentence that is a statement.

Example: The sun is shining today.

Explanation: Used to separate items in a list, separate clauses, or set off introductory phrases.

Example: I need to buy apples, bananas, and carrots.

Explanation: Used at the end of a sentence to show that it is a direct question.

Example: What time is the meeting?

Explanation: Used at the end of a sentence to show strong feeling, surprise, or excitement.

Example: We won the game!

Explanation: Used to show that you are quoting someone’s exact words.

Example: “Let’s go to the park,“ she said.

Explanation: Used to show possession (ownership) or to indicate a contraction (omitted letters).

Example: That is the dog‘s toy. It‘s a beautiful day.

Explanation: Used to introduce a list, a quotation, or an explanation.

Example: There are three colors on the flag: red, white, and blue.

Explanation: Used to connect two closely related independent clauses.

Example: She is a talented musician; she plays the piano beautifully.

Explanation: Used to add extra, non-essential information to a sentence.

Example: The winner (a student from our school) was very fast.

Explanation: Used to insert explanatory words or comments into a direct quotation.

Example: The author wrote, “It [the house] was brand new.”

Explanation: Commonly used in mathematics and computer programming to group items or statements.

Example: In CSS, a style rule is defined with braces: h1 { color: blue; }

Explanation: Primarily used in email addresses to separate the username from the domain, and on social media to tag users.

Example: Please email me at student@example.com.

Explanation: Used before a number (as in #1) or, more commonly, to create hashtags on social media.

Example: The winning ticket was #54. Follow the event with #SchoolFunRun.

Explanation: Used with a number to indicate a percentage, or a fraction of 100.

Example: I scored 95% on the final exam.

Explanation: A symbol meaning “and,” typically used in company names or official titles.

Example: The law firm is called Smith & Jones.

Explanation: Used to point to a footnote or to indicate that some letters are missing from a word.

Example: Read the terms and conditions* for more details.

Explanation: Often used in computer file names and email addresses to represent a space.

Example: Please save the file as my_document.pdf.