Punctuation has a definite role to play in communicating
clearly through the written mode.
Full stop (.)
Comma (,)
Semicolon (;)
Colon (:)
Exclamation (!)
Interrogation (?)
Quotation mark (‘')
Sample Usage
Full stop (.)
The full stop is used for the longest pause (at the end of a sentence)
and for abbreviations and initials.
Ex : A technician is a technical person.
B.E., B.Sc., A.P.J.Abdul Kalam
Comma (,)
The comma is used for a short pause and to separate words or phrases.
Ex : The child, pale with fatigue, waited for her mother
Organizational functions include design, planning, production, distribution
and service.
Semicolon (;)
The semicolon is used as a longer pause than the comma.
Ex : Our teacher was a simple, modest, unassuming person; we all respected him.
Colon (:)
The colon is used when two sentences are interlinked; to present a list of items; and to introduce a quotation.
Ex : We must understand the various elements of management behaviour: role models, quality tools, effective communication, feedback and support.
Exclamation (!)
Exclamatory sentences are normally heavily stressed sentences. Interjections that convey intense feeling also fall under exclamations.
Ex : Oh, What a pity!
What a crisis!
Interrogation (?)
The interrogation mark or question mark is used in direct question.
Ex : Have you read the lesson?
Quotation mark (‘')
Quotation marks or inverted commas are used to denote the words of a speaker, and to indicate expressions taken from a source, spoken and written.
Ex : 'Wait a minute', the girl said.
'Silence is golden
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