There are 14 punctuation marks that are commonly used in English grammar. They are the full stop (period in American English), question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis. Following their correct usage will make your writing easier to read and more fun to read.

Sentence Endings

Three of the fourteen punctuation marks are appropriate for use as sentence endings. They are the full stop (period), question mark, and exclamation mark.

The period (.) is placed at the end of sentences, statements thought to be complete and after many abbreviations.

• As a sentence ender: Pietie and Sannie went to school.
• After an abbreviation: Junior – Jr.                                 Professor – Prof.

Use a question mark (?) to indicate a direct question when placed at the end of a sentence.

• When did Sannie leave for school?

The exclamation mark(!) is used when a person wants to express a sudden outcry or add emphasis.

• Within dialogue: “Holy cow!” screamed Sannie.
• To emphasise a point: My teacher’s rants make me furious!

Comma, Semicolon, and Colon

The comma, semicolon, and colon are often misused because they all can indicate a pause in a list of things or a sentence.

The comma is used to show a separation of ideas or things within a sentence. Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation (greeting) and closing (ending).

• Direct address: Thanks for all your help, John.
• Separation of two complete sentences: We went to the movies, and then we went out to lunch.
• Separating lists or elements within sentences: Sannie wanted the black, green, and blue dress.

{Some people believe we have to add a comma before the conjunction.  I want you to only put a comma before the conjunction if the sentence becomes too long} 

The semicolon (;) is used to connect independent clauses. It shows a closer relationship between the clauses than a period would show.

• John was hurt; he knew she only said it to upset him.

A colon (:) has three main uses. The first is after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series.

• He was studing four subjects: Afrikaans, English, Mathematics, and Arts.

The second is between independent clauses when the second explains the first, similar to a semicolon:

• I didn’t have time to get changed: I was already late.

The third use of a colon is for emphasis:

• There was one thing she loved more than any other: her dog.

A colon also has non-grammatical uses in time, ratio, business correspondence and references.

• The school closes at 14:00.