English Punctuation Guide - English Writing Lesson
Summary
TLDRIn this Oxford Online English lesson, Kasia teaches the importance of punctuation in English writing. She covers the use of full stops, commas, colons, semicolons, apostrophes, hyphens, dashes, speech marks, parentheses, question marks, and exclamation marks. Kasia explains their correct application, including in abbreviations and compound words, and how they can prevent misunderstandings. The lesson also touches on the differences between British and American English punctuation styles.
Takeaways
- đ The lesson focuses on English punctuation, teaching the names and uses of common punctuation marks.
- đ Correct punctuation is crucial for clear English writing and can prevent misunderstandings.
- đ The full stop (period) is used at the end of a complete sentence, with no space before and one after.
- đ« Avoid comma splices; use full stops or semicolons to separate independent clauses without conjunctions.
- đ Understanding sentence structure is key to using punctuation marks like full stops and semicolons correctly.
- đ· Abbreviations have different punctuation rules: some never have full stops (e.g., BBC), some always do (e.g., e.g.), and some vary (e.g., Dr., AM/PM).
- đ Commas serve to separate items in a list, join clauses with conjunctions, and set off non-essential information.
- đ Colons introduce examples, explanations, or details that follow a general statement.
- đ Semicolons connect closely related ideas within sentences without the need for conjunctions.
- đŁïž Apostrophes are used in contractions, to show possession, and to form plurals of letters or with certain proper nouns.
- đ Hyphens create compound words, especially compound adjectives, and are used with certain prefixes and in compound numbers/fractions.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the lesson presented by Kasia?
-The primary focus of the lesson is to teach English punctuation, including the names and uses of the most common punctuation marks.
Why is correct punctuation important in English writing?
-Correct punctuation is critical for English writing because it prevents misunderstandings and bad impressions, and it helps convey the intended meaning clearly.
What is the difference between a full stop and a period?
-A full stop and a period are the same punctuation mark, with 'full stop' being the British English term and 'period' being the American English term.
How should you use a full stop in a sentence?
-A full stop should be used at the end of a complete sentence. It is placed without a space before it and with one space after it.
What are the three types of abbreviations mentioned in the script, and how are full stops used with them?
-The three types of abbreviations are: 1) those that never have full stops (e.g., BBC, CIA, UN), 2) those that always have full stops (e.g., e.g., i.e., etc.), and 3) those that sometimes have full stops and sometimes don't (e.g., mister, doctor, AM, PM).
What is the main function of commas in English punctuation?
-Commas have three main functions: to separate items in a list, to follow certain conjunctions, and to set off non-essential information within a sentence.
How does the use of a colon differ from a full stop?
-Colons are used to introduce examples, explanations, or details that follow, whereas full stops are used to end complete sentences.
What is the purpose of semicolons in English punctuation?
-Semicolons are used to connect two related ideas within a sentence, indicating a closer relationship than a full stop but allowing for more separation than a comma.
How should you use an apostrophe in contractions?
-An apostrophe is used in contractions to replace the omitted letters, such as in 'doesn't' for 'does not' or 'you're' for 'you are'.
What are the two main uses of hyphens in English punctuation?
-Hyphens are used to create compound words, especially compound adjectives, and to connect certain prefixes with words, like 'ex-', 'self-', and 'non-'.
What is the difference between en dashes and em dashes, and how are they used?
-En dashes and em dashes are both used to add extra information to a sentence, but en dashes are slightly shorter and have spaces on either side, while em dashes are longer and join directly to the words around them.
How should speech marks be used when quoting someone?
-Double speech marks are recommended for quoting what someone said directly, while single speech marks can be used for other purposes, such as indicating irony or referring to words as words.
What is the recommended style for using question marks and exclamation marks?
-Question marks are added at the end of direct questions, and exclamation marks are used to add emphasis or emotion. It's recommended to use these minimally and consistently.
Outlines
đ Introduction to English Punctuation
Kasia introduces a lesson on English punctuation, emphasizing its importance in writing to avoid misunderstandings and make a good impression. The lesson is divided into sections, allowing viewers to focus on areas they need to improve. The necessity of correct punctuation is highlighted, and viewers are encouraged to visit Oxford Online English for additional free resources or professional lessons. The paragraph concludes with an introduction to the full stop, its American English equivalent 'period,' and its proper usage at the end of a sentence without a space before but with one after. Examples of both simple and complex sentences are provided, and the importance of sentence structure in punctuation is underscored. The paragraph also discusses the use of full stops in abbreviations, distinguishing between those that never, always, or sometimes use full stops, with specific examples provided for each category.
đ Commas, Colons, and Semicolons
This section delves into the usage of commas, highlighting their three primary functions: separating items in a list, accompanying certain conjunctions, and adding non-essential information to a sentence. Examples are given for each use, illustrating the correct placement of commas. The paragraph then moves on to colons, explaining their role in introducing examples, explanations, or details following a general statement. Several examples are provided to demonstrate this structure. Lastly, semicolons are introduced as a punctuation mark similar to a full stop but used to connect related ideas within a sentence. The paragraph suggests that while semicolons are not always necessary, they can be a useful tool for clear and efficient writing, and examples are given to show how they can replace conjunctions or be used with certain linking words.
đĄ Apostrophes and Hyphens
The paragraph discusses the multifaceted use of apostrophes in English, including their role in contractions, indicating possession, and connecting multiple nouns. It provides rules for using apostrophes with words that already end in 's', advising to add an 's' if it's pronounced, otherwise just an apostrophe. The paragraph also clarifies that apostrophes are not used to make most plurals, except in specific cases like letters. Hyphen usage is then explored, focusing on their function in compound words, particularly compound adjectives. It notes the inconsistency and evolving nature of hyphenation, with a tendency towards using fewer hyphens. However, certain cases, such as those involving numbers or specific prefixes, consistently require hyphens. The paragraph concludes with advice on when to use hyphens and when alternative punctuation might be more appropriate.
đŹ Dashes, Speech Marks, and Parentheses
This section explains the use of dashes, differentiating between en dashes and em dashes, and their role in adding extra information to a sentence. It suggests using dashes for clarity when the additional information does not fit well with the sentence's grammar or flow. Examples are provided to illustrate the use of dashes versus commas. The paragraph then discusses speech marks, recommending double marks for direct quotations and single marks for other uses, with examples demonstrating their application. It also touches on the use of speech marks to express irony or to refer to words as words. Parentheses are introduced as a way to add non-essential information, such as statistics or alternative interpretations, with examples showing their efficient use in writing. The paragraph concludes with advice on the appropriate use of parentheses and a caution against overusing them for lengthy additions.
â Question Marks and Exclamation Marks
The final paragraph covers the use of question marks and exclamation marks. It explains that question marks are added at the end of direct questions, regardless of their length or complexity, but not when reporting someone else's question. The paragraph advises minimal use of exclamation marks to maintain their impact, and notes that, like other final punctuation, no space is added before them, but one is added after. The lesson concludes with an invitation for viewers to share which punctuation they find most confusing in the comments.
đ Conclusion and Farewell
Kasia thanks the viewers for watching the lesson on English punctuation and expresses her hope to see them in the next session. This brief paragraph serves as a warm conclusion to the video, inviting continued engagement and learning.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄPunctuation
đĄFull Stop
đĄAbbreviation
đĄComma
đĄColon
đĄSemicolon
đĄApostrophe
đĄHyphen
đĄDash
đĄSpeech Marks
đĄParentheses
Highlights
Introduction to English punctuation and its importance in writing.
The necessity of correct punctuation to avoid misunderstandings and bad impressions.
How to use a full stop and its placement in American vs. British English.
The distinction between simple and complex sentences in punctuation usage.
Guidelines on using full stops with abbreviations, with examples of no full stop, always full stop, and conditional full stop usage.
The three main jobs of commas: separating list items, conjunctions, and adding non-essential information.
How colons introduce examples, explanations, or details in sentences.
The function of semicolons to connect closely related ideas within sentences.
Use of apostrophes in contractions and possession, with rules for words ending in 's'.
Hyphens used to create compound words and their correct application.
Differences between en dashes and em dashes and their usage in sentences.
The use of single and double speech marks for direct quotes and other purposes.
Parentheses for adding non-essential information, such as statistics or alternative readings.
The correct placement of question marks at the end of direct questions.
Exclamation marks for emphasis or emotion, with advice on their minimal use.
Invitation for viewers to share their most confusing punctuation in the comments.
Transcripts
Hi, Iâm Kasia.
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
In this lesson, you can learn about English punctuation.
Youâll see the most common punctuation marks in English, what theyâre called, and how
to use them.
This lesson has many sections.
If you want, you can just watch the sections you need.
Using punctuation correctly is critical for your English writing.
Punctuation problems can make a bad impression or lead to misunderstandings.
If you need to improve your English writing, check out our website: Oxford Online English
dot com.
There are many free lessons to help you with your writing, or you can take writing lessons
with one of our professional teachers.
But first, letâs look at one of the most basic English punctuation marks.
A full stop is also called a period in American English.
Use a full stop at the end of a full sentence.
Donât put a space before the full stop; put one after.
A full sentence could be short and simple, like this: âI got there early.â
A full sentence could also be longer and more complex, like this: âAlthough my train arrived
late, and I was sure I wouldnât make it on time, I actually got there slightly early.â
Be careful; the idea of a âfull sentenceâ is not flexible, and it depends on the grammatical
structure of the sentence.
For example, can you see the mistake in this sentence?
The first part, which ends with the word âthereâ, is a full sentence.
You canât choose to put a comma and continue; you need a full stop, or a semicolon, or you
need to add a conjunction.
Learning about sentence structure, and how to make clauses into longer sentences, is
important if you want to use English punctuation correctly.
Full stops are also used in some abbreviationsâwhen you make words shorter.
There are three kinds of abbreviation.
One: abbreviations which *never* have full stops, like âBBCâ, âCIAâ or âUNâ.
Two: abbreviations which *always* use full stops, like âe.g.â, âi.e.â or âetc.â
Three⊠wait, can you guess?
Some abbreviations are sometimes written with full stops, and sometimes without.
For example, mister, doctor, or AM and PM for talking about the time.
Titles, like âmisterâ, âMrsâ or âdoctorâ, are generally written without a full stop
in British English, and with one in American English.
In British English, itâs more common to write AM and PM in lower-case letters with
full stops.
In American English, itâs more common to use capital letters and no full stops.
However, both forms are commonly used and you can choose which you prefer.
Commas have three main jobs.
Two of them are very simple.
First, use a comma to separate items in a list, like this: âTheir house has two bedrooms,
a large living room, two bathrooms and a terrace.â
After each item in your list, put a comma.
Use the word âandâ between the last two items on your list: âTo make this, youâll
need eggs, flour and sugar.â
You can choose to put a comma before âandâ or not.
Both styles are possible!
You also need a comma with certain conjunctions, particularly âandâ, âbutâ, âsoâ
and âorâ.
For example: âYou can ask her, but I donât think sheâll agree.â
âI wonât be there till ten, so donât wait for me.â
The last way to use commas is also the most complicated.
Use a commaâor often two commas, in a pairâto add non-essential information to your sentence.
What does ânon-essentialâ mean?
It means that you could remove the information, and the sentence would still make sense and
have the same basic meaning.
This is common when you use an adverb or linking phrase at the start of a sentence.
For example: âApparently, heâs been suffering from depression for several years.â
Itâs also common when you add extra information in the middle of a sentence, like this: âYakutsk,
which is in northern Siberia, has the coldest winters of any city in the world.â
Colons have one main job: they introduce examples, explanations or details.
Look at one example: âRapid urbanisation has led to multiple problems: congestion,
air pollution and a shortage of affordable housing for families.â
Here, the sentence before the colon mentions a general ideaâmultiple problemsâand the
sentence after the colon explains what these problems are.
This is very common with colons; you mention something general before the colon, then you
explain it in more detail after the colon.
Letâs see two more examples of this: âI can promise you one thing: you wonât regret
your decision.â
âHe left all of his money to his best friend in the whole world: his cat.â
Semicolons are most similar to a full stop.
Theyâre used at the end of a full sentence.
So, whatâs the difference?
Using a semicolon shows that your ideas before and after the semicolon are connected.
For example: âHeâs so stubborn; itâs impossible to convince him to change his ideas
even a little.â
Here, you have two sentences, but theyâre both talking about the same idea: him and
his stubborn character.
The semicolon emphasises that the ideas are connected.
You never *need* to use a semicolon, but they can be very useful.
Using a semicolon is a very easy way to make connections between your ideas, which can
help you to write clearly and efficiently.
When you use a semicolon, you donât need to use any conjunctions or linking phrases.
For example: âCompanies wonât consider applications which look rushed; itâs better
to apply to fewer companies, but put more time into each application.â
However, there are some linking words which can be used with a semicolon, like âhoweverâ:
âI donât regret it; however, I would do things differently if I had another chance.â
Like commas, apostrophes have more than one job, which can make them more difficult to
use correctly.
Firstly, use an apostrophe in contractions to replace a missing letter.
For example: âShe doesnât eat cheese.â
âYouâre right about that.â
You also use an apostrophe to show that something belongs to a person: âWhy have you got Deanâs
jacket?â
You can even connect multiple nouns together like this: âHer motherâs cousinâs son
won a Nobel Prize.â
What if the word you want to use already ends with âsâ?
Hereâs the rule: if the âsâ after the apostrophe is pronounced, then you should
write it, too: âWe met at Borisâs barbecue.â
If you donât pronounce an extra âsâ, then donât write one; just add an apostrophe
to the end of the word, like this: âWe could stay at my parentsâ house for a couple of
days.â
Finally, you donât generally use an apostrophe to write plurals.
Even if youâre making a proper name plural, like: âThere were four Ambers in my groupâ,
you donât use an apostrophe for the plural.
However, thereâs one exception to this.
Do you know it?
If you need to make a letter plural, then you add an apostrophe, like this: âHow many
mâs are there in âaccommodationâ?â
Hyphens are used to make compound words, especially compound adjectives.
Compound words are words made of two or more other words.
For example: âItâs a six-hour flight to Mumbai.â
The adjective âsix-hourâ is made from the two words âsixâ and âhourâ, and
you use a hyphen to connect the two parts.
Hereâs another example: âIt was surprisingly tasty for a five-dollar meal.â
However, hyphen use in compound words is inconsistent and changing.
Generally, the trend is to use fewer hyphens, but there are some cases where you need to
use a hyphen every time.
Compound words made with numbers almost always have hyphens.
For example: âThey have a three-year-old daughter.â
The adjective âthree-year-oldâ is made with a number, and itâs always written with
hyphens.
You also need to use hyphens when you use certain prefixes, like âex-â or âself-â.
Words with the prefix ânon-â are also often hyphenated.
For example: âHis ex-wife was promoted and is now his direct manager.â
âNon-smokers generally need to pay much less for health insurance.â
âSelf-driving cars may become popular one day, but for now the technology is too underdeveloped.â
If you add a prefix to a proper noun or a number, you also need a hyphen, as in: âanti-Europeanâ
âpost-1950 politicsâ Finally, you also need to use a hyphen in
compound numbers and fractions.
For example: âthree-quarters of the populationâ
âtwenty-threeâ âtwenty-threeâ
If you're not sure whether to use a hyphen in a number or not, just write the number.
Dashes might look like hyphens, but they arenât the same.
First, there are two kinds of dashes, called en dashes and em dashes.
En dashes have a space on either side of the dash â like this.
Em dashes join onto the words before and afterâlike this.
You donât need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job.
Choose one and stick with it.
So, what do you use dashes for?
Dashes are used to add extra information to a sentence.
Remember that commas can also do this.
âExtraâ information means that you could remove the information from the sentence and
everything would still make sense.
Dashes are preferable when the extra information doesnât fit well with the grammar or flow
of the sentence.
For example: âHe had escapedâor so he thought.â
Whether something fits the âflowâ of your sentence or not is subjective.
That means you can often choose whether to use dashes or commas to add some extra information
to your sentence.
For example: âThe number of stars in the Milky Wayâincluding many which are undetectableâis
estimated to be over 400 billion.â
Here, you could replace the dashes with commas.
Both versions are correct.
However, we recommend choosing dashes when you can.
Thatâs because dashes only do one job, whereas commas can do multiple jobs.
Using dashes makes things clearer, because your reader doesnât have to think about
why the punctuation is there.
There are two kinds of speech marks: single and double.
Often, they do the same thing, and it doesnât matter which you use.
However, we recommend that you use double speech marks when youâre quoting what someone
said.
For example: He stood up and said âI wouldnât do it if you paid me a million dollars.â
âBeing lucky is more important than being talented,â were the first words of her speech.
Before the speech marks, you can put a comma, a colon, or nothing.
Using a comma is more common, but we recommend you use nothing, because itâs more efficient.
Whatever you choose, try to be consistent!
There are also different opinions about whether final punctuationâlike a full stop at the
end of a quoteâshould go inside or outside the speech marks.
Again, it doesnât really matter; the most important thing is to be consistent.
Speech marks can be used in other ways, too.
Look at two examples: Paying 100 euros for âluxury economyâ was not a good idea!
Many cities in the âspecial economic development zoneâ are practically ghost towns.
Speech marks can be used to express irony, sarcasm or scepticism.
For example, putting âluxury economyâ in speech marks shows that there was nothing
luxurious about the plane journey.
In the second example, you put âspecial economic development zoneâ in speech marks
to express irony; if many cities are ghost towns, then thereâs clearly not much economic
development there.
You also use speech marks when you refer to words as words.
What does that mean?
Look at two examples: âMillenniumâ is a difficult word to spell!
Why did you use âplethoraâ here?â
Here, the words âmillenniumâ and âplethoraâ are used indirectly, to refer to the words
themselves, rather than the ideas.
Generally, we recommend using double speech marks to quote what someone said, and single
speech marks for everything else.
However, you may see different styles.
Like commas and dashes, parentheses can be used to add some extra, non-essential information
to your sentence.
Often, the information in parentheses is a date, a name or a statistic.
For example: âVladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930) was one of the most famous poets of the revolution
era.â
âThe percentage of under-30s doing regular exercise was lower (45%) than that of people
over 45 (52%).â
Using parentheses to add statistics and figures is an efficient method to add numbers and
other supporting data to your writing.
You can also use parentheses to show that your reader can choose how to understand what
youâre saying.
For example: âWrite your suggestion(s) here.â
By adding âsâ in parentheses, you mean that you can write one suggestion, or more
than one, as you prefer.
Try to avoid using parentheses to add longer ideas to your sentence.
For example: âConsumption of processed meat (which has been linked to many diseases, including
colon cancer) is rising in many parts of the world.â
This is not a good example of using parentheses.
It would be better to add the additional information using commas or dashes instead.
In this case, commas would be best.
Question marks are simple to use; add them at the end of a direct question, like this:
âWhat time is it?â
âHow old are you?â
Direct questions can be longer, with more complex structure: âCould you tell me how
to get to the train station?â
However, if youâre reporting what someone else said, then itâs not a question, and
you shouldnât use a question mark: âShe asked me how to get to the train station.â
Exclamation marks add some emphasis or emotion to a sentence.
For example: âItâs so cold in here!â
âThereâs a snake!â
Unless youâre writing something very informal, itâs generally good style to use exclamation
marks minimally.
Overusing them will make them meaningless.
Like most final punctuation, you shouldnât put a space before a question mark or an exclamation
mark, but you do need a space afterwards.
OK, we have a question for you: which English punctuation do you find the most confusing?
Please let us know in the comments!
Thanks for watching!
See you next time!
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