Aqeel Ahmad (B.

S English IUB)
Superior Group of Colleges Bahawalpur
USE OF PUNCTUATIONS

Use of Full Stop (.)

1. At the end of a sentence.
We reached our destination in time.
2. With Abbreviation pronounced in Alphabet not with acronyms (pronounced as words,
WAPDA. SAARC. NATO, UNESCO, )
M.A M.P.A B.A F.A Mr. Mrs. Prof. Dr. U.N.O Ph.D
Use of Comma (,).
1) In the list of more than two things. But In last two things, comma is not used.
Aslam, Akram and Arslan are brothers.
I purchased books, pencils and sharpener from stationery shop.
2) For temporary pause in speech, to make it clear, to put stress, to avoid confusion.
Listen to me, I want to talk to you.
3) To separate adjectives and verbs in series of sequence.
He is a strong, healthy man.
Mr. Arshad is an honest, nice fellow.
4) Vocative Noun.
Will you, Abdul Rehman, accompany me to station? (Will you accompany me to station?)
Yes, teacher, I have done my home work.
Ali, go there
This is the way, Jess
5) With date and year separation.
My brother left this house on December 15, 1923.
6) Separate address from city name/ state name.
Mr. Arthur and Mrs. Arthur, 37-street, Newyork, Newyork 10016.
34 Mohallah Islamabad, Railway Road, Near Siddique Palza, Shakargarh, Narowal,
Punjab, Pakistan.
7) Insert expression that stop normal sequence of sentence.
I am, as you say, not so intelligent.
Mr. Umar, as far as I know, is the friend of Ali.
He is, however, not a nice fellow.
8) Sentence starting with weak clause (subordinate clause, if, before, after, unless, until, etc).
If you could help me, I would be an engineer.
Unless you come, he will not be available here.
9) Sentence starting with adverbial phrases.
With a lot of work, he got success in life. (adverb of manner)
On 23rd March, we shall celebrate the day. (adverb of time)
10) Non essential description of a Proper noun.
Mr. Inzmam, who is the student of KBL Academy, is the topper of October Test. (Inzmam
is already named, so description is not required, means it is non-essential)
The boy who has got high marks should be rewarded. (The boy is unknown, description
is not required..comma is not necessary)
11) In Direct and Indirect Speech.
He said, “please, help me.”
“We don’t love our neighbors”, Ahmed said to me.

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“Don’t worry”, Ali said to me, “I shall help you as far as I could.”
12) With nouns in apposition (the descriptive of nouns).
Akbar, the great, was a Mongol King.
The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
13) Connecting two independent clauses
Use a comma + a coordinate conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so)
"He hit the ball well, but he ran toward third base."
It is a really good camera, but I cannot afford it.
Afshan was tired, and her feet were hurting.
He thought quickly but still (?)did not answer correctly (comma is not required because
second clause has no subject)
14) Use a comma to set off introductory elements (Added information), as in
"Running toward third base, he suddenly realized how stupid he looked."
AKBAR, lives in Rashid Pura, is my friend.
Asma, his wife of thirty years, suddenly decided to open her own business.
Ahmad's ambition, to become a business man, is within his reach.
15) Use commas to set off phrases that express contrast (opposite ideas in a sentence).
1. Some say the world will end in ice, not fire.
2. That is my money, not yours.
3. It was her money, not her charm or personality that first attracted him.
16) Some times to separate off an adverb or a adverbial phrase
Ahmad, unfortunately, met an accident.
Often, they go to bazaar.
17) To separate coordinate adjectives (which could be joined by and, but, so, as etc).
1. He is a tall, distinguished man
2. I live in a very old, run-down house
18) Sentence starting with speech controller/ discourse marker(well, yes, ok, right, Moreover,
In addition to it, Additionally, Besides this, However, On the other hand, In contrast to it,
Although; Even though; Despite the fact that; In spite of the fact that; Regardless of the fact
that. Therefore; consequently; In consequence; As a result; On the contrary; As a matter of
fact; In fact; indeed).
1. Yes, I know how to drive a taxi.
2. Despite this fact, I have collected a lot of information about this matter.
19) To separate a statement from its question tag.
I can go, can’t I?
He completed his assignment, haven’t you?
Use of Semi-Colon (;)

1) Between two separate statements/independent clauses which can be linked by coordinate

conjucntions.
1. Arslan is a very kind person; (so, )he visits Perveen in hospital daily.
2. My grandmother seldom goes to bed this early; (because) she's afraid she'll miss out on
something.
2) Between two separate units having commas. (complex units)
1. We had four professors on our committee: Malik, Professor of Mathematics; Liaqat,
Professor of English; Afshan, Professor of Economics; and Gulzar, Professor of Urdu.
2. This conference has people who have come from Kot Nainan, Shkargarh; Sehawra,
Zafarwal; Jassar, Narowal.

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3) Use either a semicolon or a comma before introductory words such as namely, however,
therefore, that is, i.e., for example, e.g., or for instance when they introduce a list following a
complete sentence.
1. You will want to bring many backpacking items; for example,sleeping bags, pans, and
warm clothing.
4) To join two clauses having opposite or similar ideas.
Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil. (similar,
closely related ideas)
5) To join clauses in compounds sentences (to avoid confusion)
But however they choose to write, people are allowed to make their own decisions; as a
result, many people swear by their writing methods.
Use of Colon (:)

1) Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items

1. You may be required to bring many items: sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing.
2. I want the following items: butter, sugar, and flour.
3. There are a few examples given in the following: (detail)
2) Before explanation or long list
1. There was not much in fridge: a couple of mangoes, some butter, half a bottle of juice.
2. We had four professors on our committee: Malik, Professor of Mathematics; Liaqat,
Professor of English; Afshan, Professor of Economics; and Gulzar, Professor of Urdu.
3. There are three ways a waitress can make a good impression onher boss and her
customers:
(a) Dress appropriately.
(b) Calculate the bill carefully.
(c) Be courteous to customers.
3) Use after salutation and subject in a letter and application
Dear sir, / Dear Sir:
Subject: Application for leave
Re: Response your position
4) Use a colon instead of a semicolon between two strong clauses (sentences) when the second
clause explains or illustrates the first clause
1. I enjoy reading: novels by Nasim Hijazi are among my favorites.
2. Garlic is used in Pakistani cooking: It greatly enhances the flavor of fried dishes.
5) To introduce a quotation
Mr. Ali often uses his favorite quotation from Shakespeare's Tempest: "We are such stuff
as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
Use of Exclamation mark (!)

1) Use an exclamation mark at the end of an emphatic declaration, interjection, or command.

"No!" he yelled. "Do it now!"
What on earth are you doing! Stop!
What a beautiful scene!
Use of Hyphen (-) small dash

1) To form compound words.

Pick-me-up, mother-in-law, good-hearted, computer-aided, good-looking, sugar-free,
power-driven, One-third, Horse-driven carriage, friendly-looking man.
2) With pre-fix

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 Aqeel Ahmad (B.S English IUB)
Ex-wife, de-composition, semi-conductor, self-respect,
3) Explain some idea or thing
The package was lying by the front door-a cube shaped carton. (Explanation of package)
He was standing at the edge of sea- ready to wade in and be drowned (condition of Harry)
Use of Dash (---) long dash

1) Sudden break in conversation. (interruption by others or pause by self)

Norma, we---
When? She said angrily. (Interrupted conversation)
2) Explaining something (old use)

All four of them—Akram.Aslam.Asghar.Akbar—did well in college.

Use of Quotation Mark (“--------------”)/ Inverted Commas

1) To enclose an utterance.
‘‘When will you be here?’’ he asked.
2) To enclose quotation.
Everyone agrees, “The earth moves around the sun”
Shakespeare says, “This world is a stage and we are mere players”
Use of Question Mark (?)

1) With direct questions. (starting with helping verb, modal, linking verb, wh’s)
Where do you live?
Is he helping you in this case?
2) Statement uttered in a question style
This is a book. (a statement) This is a book? (a question)
3) With question tags
You do care, don’t you?
Pakistan has overcome energy crises. Has your country?
4) With permissions
May I come in sir?
Would you help me?
Use of Apostrophe (‘)
1. TO CREATE CONTRACTIONS

I am = I'm you are = you're she is = she's it is = it's

do not = don't
she would = she'd he would have = he would've
Does not=doesn’t

let us = let's who is = who's she will = she'll they had = they'd
has not=hasn’t What is=what’s He will=He’ll would not=won’t

2. TO CREATE POSSESSIONS
He entered the men's room with an armload of children's clothing
3. TO SHOW DECADE
He wrote several novels during the 1930s. (1930-1939, ten years)
4. TO MAKE PLURAL
There are fifteen PhDs on our faculty. (many PhD)
Mr. Shahzad respects his in law’s very much. (all in laws)

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