PUNCTUATION
Punctuations are like traffic lights for sentences. It controls the flow and the meaning of a sentence. Punctuations are used to bring forth emotions and used in writing to separate sentences and clarify meaning.

Punctuation can serve as elixirs that bring vibrance to sentences. Punctuation is an essential part in writing; it allows one to have control over the flow of the sentence. It also gives the reader indications on when to pause or slow down. It marks the beginning, the pause and the ending of a sentence. Punctuation helps to organise the sentence structure, providing greater ease in reading.

There are no specific rules in governing the usage of punctuations; just guidelines.
Below are some of the examples of the more commonly used punctuation marks.




1) Comma
• Mainly used to separate independent clauses in a sentence.
e.g. The game was over, but the crowd still refused to leave the stadium
• Separate a list of items.



2) Full-stop:

• Used to mark the end of a sentence.

3) Colon:
• Used to direct attention to a matter such as a list and an explanation
e.g. You will require the followings: paper, pen, etc.

4) Semi-colon:
• Used to separate two independent clauses that are similar
e.g. He loves studying; he can’t get enough of school.

5) Question mark:
• It is used at the end of the sentence to indicate a question
e.g. I wonder what has he been up to?

6) Exclamation mark:
• It is used at the end of sentence to indicate strong or forceful feelings
e.g. Get out of my sight!

7) Apostrophe:
• It is used to form possessives nouns, show the omission of letters and to indicate certain plurals of lowercase letters
e.g. He’ll go = He will go, Don't = Do not

8) Quote marks:
• Used to quote another person’s words exactly, spoken or written and to start a dialogue
e.g. John said, “Let’s go shopping.”

COMMON MISUSES OF PUNCTUATION MARKSFull stop (period):
One common misuse of the full stop is when the writer uses it when the correct punctuation is meant to be a comma.

For example:

He meant to take a cab, but he took the bus instead. √

He meant to take a cab. But he took the bus instead. X

Comma:

The comma though easily used, is still commonly misused when placed wrongly in a sentence. When placed wrongly, the reader will misinterpret the meaning of the sentence.

For example:

Call me tomorrow, I will give you my answer then.

Call me, tomorrow I will give you my answer then.


Semi-colon:

People tend to misuse semi-colon in sentences that include at least one dependent clause in a sentence.

For example:

Although Mr. Tan holds a Masters degree; he is renowned for his fluent usage in the English language.

Using ‘although’ will make the clause dependent; however the other clause is independent. Therefore, the semi-colon used in the given example is wrongly used.

Apostrophe:

The apostrophe is frequently misused by writers to form a new meaning.

For example:

The bird has escaped from it’s cage. X

The bird has escaped from its cage. √