Punctuation: Basics

Michael is writing a text to Lina. hello Lina do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow the things I like in life are being with you eating rabbits and nature so why not have lunch in the park together see you Michael Michael... have you forgotten something? Huh? Full stops, commas, and so on?

But those are just tiny dots. Are they important? Yes, they can actually be very important. When people are speaking, we mostly hear which words belong together, depending on how those words are said, and on which words are stressed: intonation. In text, this can be harder to know.

So there are small signs, for example commas and full stops: punctuation marks. Punctuation helps us understand which words belong together, where a sentence starts and ends, or whether it’s a question. Michael is asking a question. For this, you usually add a question mark at the end. Do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?

The question mark shows that this is a question. At the end of a sentence that isn’t a question, there’s almost always a full stop. It shows the reader that the sentence is finished. After a full stop, the next sentence starts with a capital letter, so that the reader understands that a new sentence is beginning. A comma shows which parts of a sentence do belong together, and which do not belong together.

You could say that commas show where there’s a slight pause, such as between two clauses: If you like, I’ll bring some soda. They can separate the different items in a list: I’ll bring lemonade, sandwiches, cheese, and fruit. They can also be used to add brief descriptions or information: I love Fluffy, my pet rabbit. Or after a name, when addressing someone, or after words like yes or no: Lina, would you like to eat with me? Yes, I would love to!

There are more ways of using commas. It’s our most common punctuation mark. A colon can be used to introduce an example: Here’s an example: this one. or sometimes, what someone says: Lina said: “But what if it rains?” A colon can also introduce a list: Bring: picnic basket, blanket, knife, and sunscreen. There is a slightly unusual sign that you can use when neither comma, nor full stop feels right: a semicolon.

Semicolons are used between clauses that could be independent sentences, but belong together: Lina really wanted to see Michael; she was looking forward to Sunday. Like commas, semicolons can also be used to separate items on a list. So… now we’ve learnt some punctuation marks. Let’s punctuate Michael’s message: commas… colon… full stop… question marks… Let’s read it again! Hello Lina, do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?

The things I like in life are: being with you, eating rabbits, and nature. So why not have lunch in the park together? See you! Michael Er, oh... Sometimes a missing comma can make a sentence mean something completely different.

The reader could misunderstand. eating rabbits, and nature. Eating rabbits? But... Michael is vegetarian!

Oops... that was a fairly important comma. eating, rabbits, and nature. There. There are more punctuation marks.

One is used instead of a full stop, for extra power, for example after an order, or an exclamation. Exclamation mark. Do you want to have lunch with Michael, Lina? Yes