A.
When we speak, we do not go on speaking simultaneously
and in the same tone. We pause while speaking. Even our pauses are not of the
same duration. Some of them are short while some of them are pretty long. And
sometimes we raise over voice while at others we lower it. We lend a particular
quality of voice to the same words to convey a particular meaning. Marks of
punctuation perform the same function as pauses and stresses perform in speech.
Look at these four words: he has gone away.
Try speaking these words in different ways. Try to make a
simple statement. Next try to ask a question. Still next, try to turn them into
an exclamation, that is, try to give them a strong feeling, that of regret or
surprise. You will notice that you have spoken these words in different ways.
How do we convey this in writing? We use different punctuation marks:
He has gone away. (full stop for a simple statement)
He has gone away? (question mark, for a question)
He has gone away. (mark of exclamation, for an exclamation –
for regret or surprise)
The example taken above should also suggest that a wrong
mark of punctuation or the absence of a punctuation mark where there should
have been one would convey a wrong meaning. Take these examples:
1.
When are we going to eat mother?
2.
I hope you like her, Father because she is my best
friend.
Do these sentences convey any meaning? Are we going to
eat mother? In sentence 2, have we used she for her father? Let us now put some
commas:
1.
When are we going to eat, mother?
2.
I hope you like her, Father, because she is my best
friend.
Now these sentences look meaningful.
B. The main marks of punctuation are:
1.
Full stop (.)
2.
Comma (,)
3.
Semicolon (;)
4.
Colon (:)
5.
Mark of interrogation (?)
6.
Mark of exclamation (!)
7.
Apostrophe (’)
8.
Quotation marks or inverted commas (“ ’’)
C. The full stop (.)
1.
We use a full stop to close a statement or a command:
Eggs are rich in protein. (Statement)
Bring a dozen eggs from the market. (Command)
2.
We use a full stop after initials or abbreviations:
Mr. S.K. Verma : Mister Surendra Kumar verma
P.M. : Prime Minister
In modern English, full stops are often omitted in abbreviations. U.S.A.
and USA are both acceptable.
In Mr, Mrs, Dr, full stops can be omitted.
3.
We use a full stop to indicate a decimal fraction.
56.2, 22.9
D. The comma (,)
The comma is the shortest pause. It is used
1.
To separate words in series:
Our new teacher is competent, experienced and sincere.
The
food they served was delicious, nourishing and cheap.
*Note that before the last word,
which is preceded by and, we have not used a comma.
2. to separate phrases in series:
Standing or sitting, eating or drinking, sleeping or walking, he is
always thinking of his past.
3. to separate short clauses in
series:
I
do not know who he is, how he got in, or why he is here.
4.
To set off a noun of address:
Mother, may I have something to eat?
May I have something to eat, Mother?
5.
To separate the parts of a date from one another or any
words following the date:
October 19, 2007
On November 4, 2010, we shifted to our new house.
6.
To separate the parts of an address:
Ram Chand & Sons
9 – Miller Ganj, Ludhiana.
7.
In a letter after the salutation and after the
complimentary close:
Dear Megha,
Yours sincerely,
8.
To separate expressions like ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘oh’ and
well:
Yes, I will certainly come.
Oh, I have not got that letter.
Well, I’ll see what I can do for you.
9.
To separate expressions that are in apposition:
Shri S.D. Rastogi, the Chief Secretary, was the chief guest.
Mrs. Mukherji, the new manager, is a very gentle lady.
10. To
separate a question tag from a statement:
This news is true, isn’t it?
You weren’t, were you?
11. To
separate a reported speech from the rest of the sentence:
He said, “We should learn from our mistakes.”
12. Whenever
a brief pause is needed to give greater clarity to our writing:
To prove my point, I produced a certificate.
She is, as far as I know, a very reliable person.
E. The semicolon (;)
The semicolon is stronger than a comma but
weaker than a full stop.
1.
It is used between independent clauses not connected by
a conjunction:
Rosy is quiet and hardworking; Ruchi is jovial and active.
2.
It is used before such expressions as ‘however’,
‘then’, ‘moreover’, ‘nevertheless’, ‘hence’, ‘thus’, ‘for instance’,
‘consequently’, ‘that is’, ‘therefore’, if they come between independent
clauses not connected by a conjunction:
Our Principal insists on strict discipline; therefore I try to be very
punctual.
You have already taken three days’ leave; hence, you cannot be on leave
tomorrow.
3.
It is used to separate clauses, particularly if the
clauses have internal commas:
The family is going on a picnic; father carries the rugs; mother, the
food; and the children, the rest of the things.
F. The colon (:)
The colon is used after a statement which
introduces examples:
India has several large cities: Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai.
My subjects this year are the following:
English, Hindi, Mathematics, General Science and Social Studies
G. The mark of interrogation (?)
The mark of interrogation is placed at the
end of an interrogative sentence:
Are you sure this news is true?
How old is he?
H. The mark of exclamation (!)
The mark of exclamation is placed at the
end of an exclamatory sentence:
How stupid!
What an excellent idea!
Alas! Gambling has ruined him.
I. The apostrophe (’)
1.
To form the possessive of any singular noun, we add an
apostrophe and ‘s’ to the noun:
The girl’s dress, Sonali’s books
2.
To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in ‘s’,
we add only an apostrophe:
The boys’ school, a ladies’ tailor
3.
To form the possessive of a plural noun that does not
end in ‘s’, we add an apostrophe and ‘s’:
Children’s programmes, men’s clothes, women’s colleges
4.
We use an apostrophe with expressions of time, space
and money:
Two weeks’ holidays, a stone’s throw
5.
We use an apostrophe to make short forms:
I’ll (I will), it’s (it is), he doesn’t
6.
We use an apostrophe to form the plurals of letters,
figures etc.:
Two 5’s, three M.A.’s, two a’s
7.
We don’t use the apostrophe with these words:
Ours, yours, its, hers, theirs, whose
J. The quotation marks or inverted commas (“
’’)
The quotation marks are used to set off the
actual words used by a speaker:
Gopal said, “ I want to become a lawyer
when I grow him.”
The speaker said, “ It is our duty to
defend our country.”
K. Capital letters
1.
Capital letters with proper nouns
(a)
Capitalize the names of persons:
Subodh Kant, Sushmita Seth
(b)
Capitalize the names of the days of the week and of the
months (but not the names of the seasons):
Monday, the third Tuesday in June, the August
(c)
Capitalize the names of religions and other words used
with them:
Islam, the Bible, Id-ul-fitr, the Buddhists
(d)
Capitalize the names of countries, nationalities,
races, languages and all adjectives derived from them:
India, Indian, Tamil, the Germans
(e)
Capitalize the names of schools, colleges, business
houses, political parties:
Delhi Public School, Hans Raj College, Vardhman Silk Mills, Indian
National Congress
(f)
Capitalize the names of buildings, the names of trains
and ships, brand names:
The Red Fort, the Rajdhani Express, Hero Honda
(g)
Capitalize the names of special days, special events,
etc.:
the Republic Day, Quit India Movement
2.
Capitalize the first word of every sentence.
3.
The first word of each line of a poem ofter begins with
a capital letter:
The sweetest thing that ever grew
Beside a human door!
4.
The first word of a direct quotation is capitalized:
She said,‘‘All my demands have been met.”
5.
While writing the titles of stories, essays etc., we
capitalize the first word, all the other words except articles, prepositions
and conjunctions:
The Advantages of Rising Early
6.
We capitalize the official names of government
departments, the titles of high-ranking officials etc.:
The Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance
7.
We capitalize the pronoun I and all the words standing
for God.
the Almighty, the blessings of
God.
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