Punctuation
Punctuation is one of the most difficult aspects of writing properly. There are so many different punctuation marks and there are many rules governing their use. If you are unsure of how to use them the right way, stick to the basics until you gain the knowledge and confidence to expand your writing.
The absolute minimum for decent writing is the ability to use periods, commas, semicolons, question marks, apostrophes and quotation marks in the correct way and in the correct places. There is no getting around this. Study the lists and memorize the rules and practice, practice, practice.
I will write a separate section for each punctuation mark; rules and explanations will be in regular type while examples will be in italics.
I will separate this section so that every punctuation mark has its own chapter for easier reference.
Periods or Full stops (.)
Always use a period at the end of a sentence.
The dog ran away.
Use a period at the end of an abbreviation but if the abbreviation is the final word in a sentence only use one period.
The boy's name was Roger Stephen, Jr.
Hank William, Sr. was a very popular country singer.
Americans commonly use periods in acronyms such as U.S.A. but in Britain it is fine to leave them out.
See how easy that is.
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The Complete Guide to Writing in English
RandomThis is a guide for people who want to make their writing technically correct, or who want to know what to look for while proofreading.
