Aria Delta Institute & Consulting Group

English Language Department

4-Month Academic English

Academic Writing
 Aria Delta Institute & Consulting Group
English Language Department
4-Month Academic English

Introduction to Punctuation
 Punctuation

Is the art of Writing-Signs placement for a better, easy-picked,

right and impressing text or message.

The biggest and significant importance of punctuation is that it

prevents Miscommunication or Misunderstanding.
 Punctuation Marks

Period Exclamation Mark

Question Mark Quotations

Comma Colons & Semi Colons

Parenthesis & Brackets

 Period & Question Mark

Period

Question Mark
 Period

At the end of a sentence, when the sentence is a statement

  Example:
Academic English enhances your skills at academic
settings.
I understand that the students are studying really well.
 Period

Use a period after most abbreviations.

 Examples:

I.R.C. U.S.A. U.K

 Period

Use a period after an initial.

Example:

John F. Kennedy
John W. Smith
 Period

If a sentence concludes with an abbreviation that ends with a

period, a second period should NOT be used
 
Example:
This matter will now be referred to the I.R.S.
Did you enjoy living in Washington, D.C.?
Wow, this is the spirit of Dr.!
 Period

Acronyms (abbreviations [usually made up of the first letter from a series

of words] which we pronounce as words, not a series of letters) usually do
not require periods:
Example:

NATO, NOW, VISTA, LASER, SCUBA, RADAR.

Abbreviations we pronounce by spelling out the letters may or may not use
periods and you will have to use a dictionary to be sure: FBI, NAACP,
NCAA, U.S.A., etc.
 Period

Use a period after each Roman numeral, letter, or number in an

outline.

Example:
A.
B.
2.
4.
 Period

Use a period to separate dollars and cents.

Example:
The book cost $4.95.
 Question Mark

Question mark is an end stop punctuation mark used when we ask a

question or query.

We will study question mark in the following points:

Direct Question
Indirect Question
Polite Requests
Uncertain Information
Inside and outside question marks
 Direct Question

A question mark is used after a direct question. A direct question is one

that is quoted word for word or is addressed directly to the reader.

Examples:

Has anybody seen Kelly?

Whom would you like to invite for dinner?
Can you find your way by yourself?
Do you know where I live?
 Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical Question is a kind of direct question for which no

answer is expected.

Example:
In the war against Russians, could you talk to the soldiers? Were
there any restrictions? So you have to think about all these
things.
 Intonation Question

Intonation Question is one that we use our intonation or

voice to make a direct question from a declarative sentence.

Example:
There is a bird in the garden.
There is a bird in the garden?
 Indirect Question

A question that is not quoted verbatim or is not directly

addressed to the reader. They are used as the subordinate
elements of a sentence. No question mark used.

Examples:
They asked me whether I could help their son find a job.
The detective asked me about where I was on the night of the
crime.
 Request

A question mark is not used when asking someone to do something or to

make requests. We do not use the question mark when we are merely making
a request or when we expect no answer because in request the people are
requested to comply rather than reply.
Examples of requests in question form:

Would you please send us a duplicate copy of that invoice.

Will you please read the transcript back to me.
Can I please look at that book.
 Uncertain Information

When a writer is not sure of the information being written then

the writer puts a question mark next to the information in
parentheses (?) which means it is not certain.
Examples:
Ahmad Shah Baba born in 1855(?) was amazing leader.

Note: if the certain item is placed inside the parentheses the

question mark is not enclosed in its own parentheses.
Ahmad Shah Baba born in (1855?) was amazing leader.
 Some More Points

In very informal writing (personal letter or email), people

sometimes use a question mark to turn a statement into a
question.
Example:
See you at 9pm?
In the same situation, they may use two or three question
marks together to show that they are not sure about something:
I think you said it would cost $10???
Any Question?
Thank You!