Punctuation Flashcards
1
Q
Full stops
A
- END of a sentence.
2. Found after certain ABBREVIATIONS.
2
Q
Commas
A
- Separate words/ phrases in a LIST.
- Indicates where one phrase/ clause ends, and another begins.
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION placed between commas.
- Before and after words like HOWEVER AND NEVERTHELESS.
- INTRODUCTORY WORDS OR PHRASES separated from rest of sentence by a comma.
- COMMA SPLICE ERROR comma between two main clauses.
3
Q
Semi- colons (;)
A
- BALANCES two equally important, related or parallel ideas.
- Indicates OPPOSITE IDEAS.
- Joins 2 MAIN CLAUSES where there is no conjunction.
- Can be replaced by a FULL STOP or by the conjunctions: AND, BUT, SO , FAR, ALTHOUGH
4
Q
Colons (:)
A
- Indicates a LIST, EXPLANATION or IDEA is following.
- Introduces a QUOTE
- In DIALOGUES ( follows the speaker)
5
Q
Question marks(?)
A
- Occurs at the end of a QUESTION.
2. RHETORICAL QUESTIONS end in question marks.
6
Q
Exclamation marks (!)
A
- Follows EXCLAMATIONS or INTERJECTIONS (ouch!)
- Accentuate and strengthen the TONE of a statement.
- Used after sentences/ phrases containing EMOTIONS such as ANGER, FEAR, HAPPINESS, ANXIETY, SHOCK and MISERY.
7
Q
Quotation marks (“ “)
A
- Indicate DIRECT SPEECH.
- QUOTE someone else’s words.
- Single QUOTATION MARKS used to indicate TITLE, can also be UNDERLINED.
- To excuse oneself for using SLANG OR FOREIGN WORDS.
- indicates METAPHORIC USAGE
8
Q
Parenthesis brackets ( )
A
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
2. Can use COMMAS or DASHES instead of brackets.
9
Q
Capital Letter
A
- Sentences always START with capital letters.
- PROPER NOUNS and PROPER ADJECTIVES need capital letters.
- The main words in TITLES.
- First word in DIRECT SPEECH.
10
Q
Hyphen (-)
A
- LINKS prefixes to words, or links two words together to form COMPOUND WORDS
- It helps to DIFFERENTIATE MEANINGS
- In order to facilitate SPELLINGS and PRONUNCIATION (if a prefix ends in a vowel and the word after it begins with the same vowel).
- Words which cannot be completed in one line are LINKED with a hyphen.
11
Q
Dash (—)
[Longer line than hyphen]
A
- Same purpose as comma— separates parts of a sentence and forces us to pause.
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION can be given by the dash in the same way as commas or brackets.
- It separates a COMMENT or AFTERTHOUGHT from the rest of the sentence.
- Creates a dramatic pause, leading to the CLIMAX or ANTI-CLIMAX
12
Q
Bullets (•)
A
- MODERN COMMUNICATION, word processors, email and Internet has lead to the popular use of bullet formats.
13
Q
Ellipses (…)
A
- 3 ellipses dots indicate that a sentence is INCOMPLETE or that something has been omitted.
- Can GUESS the meaning from the context of the sentence.
14
Q
Italics (sloped writing)
A
- Used to HIGHLIGHT and emphasize certain words or phrases such as TITLES or FOREIGN WORDS.
- Italics is popular in COMPUTER EDITING.
