Punctuation

Question 1

Period

Answer 1

Appear at the end of a declarative or imperative sentence, as well as in abbreviations.
EX: I am going to the store.

Question 2

Exclamation Mark

Answer 2

Appear at the end of exclamatory sentences or after interjections.
EX: This is the best day ever!

Question 3

Question Mark

Answer 3

Appear at the end of interrogative sentences.

EX: Will you go to prom with me?

Question 4

Comma

Answer 4

Used to separate words, phrases, or clauses, and provide clarity within sentences.

Question 5

Semicolon

Answer 5

Used to combine connected independent clauses or to separate punctuated items in a list.
EX: I went to the shopping center to spend lots of money; I came home with nothing.

Question 6

Colon

Answer 6

Used to introduce a quotation, example, list, or for emphasis, or in numerical uses.
EX: Henry couldn’t decide which subject was his favorite: English, math, or science.

Question 7

Dash

Answer 7

To indicate a range in time or connection between things, or in place of a comma, colon, or parenthesis.
EX: 1992-1996 were my best years.
The Cubs-White Sox rivalry creates a lot of drama in Chicago.

Question 8

Hyphen

Answer 8

Used to create hyphenated words.

EX: Pre-revolutionary era dishware is hard to come by.

Question 9

Parenthesis

Answer 9

Used to set off parenthetical expressions or additional information. Usually, this information can also be separated from the sentence with commas.
EX: The young child (only 8 years old) has an exceptional grasp of mathematical concepts.

Question 10

Brackets

Answer 10

Used for clarifying information that can be removed from the sentence.
EX: He [William Shakespeare] was a great Elizabethan playwright.

Question 11

Braces

Answer 11

{} Used infrequently in writing, and more commonly in mathematical expression. Used to group text together.

Question 12

Apostrophe

Answer 12

Used to show possession, in contractions, or plurals of letters. Apostrophes are often improperly used in plural words and numbers.
Possession: 1990’s fashion trends were hilarious.
Contradictions: We would’ve gone to the game, but it started to rain. = We would have gone to the game, but it started to rain.
Plurals: When Jeff drew his Scrabble letters at the start of the game, he drew all the e’s and w’s.

Question 13

Quotation Mark

Answer 13

Used to separate a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence. They may appear as double (“) or single (‘) marks depending on the exact quotation being used.

Question 14

Ellipsis

Answer 14

Used to omit words from a quotation. (…)