Punctuation marks in English
Note that we only include the most common usage of the different punctuation marks, and that you may find additional uses if you research each type more closely.
| Punctuation mark | Symbol | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| period | . | A period indicates the end of a declarative sentence. | I have a nice home. |
| question mark | ? | A question mark indicates the end of an interrogative sentence. | Would you like to meet her? |
| exclamation mark | ! | An exclamation mark is used to show excitement or emphasis. | Watch out, it's hot! |
| comma | , | A comma is used to separate phrases or items in a list. | Anthony, James, Harriet, or Catherine will be there. |
| dash | – | A dash is used to separate parts of a sentence. It can be used instead of other punctuation marks, like a comma or colon, to create better flow in a sentence. A dash is also used to indicate a period of time, or a range of numbers. | He loves three things in life – his hair, his shoes, and his car. The maths teacher assigned pages 56–100 for tomorrow’s test. Mark Twain (1835–1910), was born in Missouri. |
| hyphen | - | A hyphen is used between parts of a compound word or name. It is also used to split a word by syllables to fit on a line of text. A hyphen is shorter than a dash. | This fourteen-year-old boy is a full-time DJ. |
| ellipsis | … | An ellipsis (three dots) indicates that part of the text has been intentionally been left out. If the omission comes after the end of a sentence there will be a total of four dots. | 1, 2,3, …, 100. We will fight them on the beaches …. We will never surrender! |
| apostrophe | ‘ | We use the apostrophe to indicate that letters have been left out, for example in contractions such as do not = don’t. We also use apostrophes to show that something belongs to someone (possessive case), as in Henry’s room. An apostrophe is used in the plural of letters, some numbers, and abbreviations. In the past, an apostrophe was also used for groups of years but that is no longer required. (1940s, or the 80s). | I can’t see Henry’s boat anywhere. You have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. |
| quotation marks | “ ” ‘’ | Quotation marks are used at the beginning and end of a phrase to show that something has been written exactly as it was originally said or written. Quotation marks are also used with titles of certain works, a style guide will tell you which works. When to use double quotation marks and when to use single quotation marks is not the same in British-English as in American-English so look up the guidelines for the variant you use. | Winston Churchill once said: “Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.”
The article “How to Win at Scrabble” was the most read in the magazine’s short-lived history. |
| parentheses | () | Parentheses are curved lines used to separate explanations or qualifying statements within a sentence. | He gave me a nice bonus ($500). |
| brackets | [ ] | Brackets are interruptions. They are added to the text by someone other than the author, for example an editor. | Sarah shook hands with her long-lost son on a beach in Burma [today the country is called Myanmar]. |
| braces | { } | Braces are used to mark pauses and represent choices. Braces are extensively used in mathematics to denote numerical sets of numbers | Choose your material {cloth, thread, needle, scissors} and move to step B. Odd numbers {1, 3, 5, 7, 9….} |