Punctuation Marks

Uses & Examples

Full stop ( . )

Used at the end of a sentence.

(a) We are going to the beach this weekend.

Comma ( , )

Used to show a short pause.

Used to mark off a series of words.

(a) Oh dear, we need to help that old lady.

(b) I bought some oranges, apples, grapes, and bananas from the market.

Question mark ( ? )

Used after a question.

(a) Where are you going?

Exclamation mark ( ! )

Used to show sudden emotion or surprise.

(a) Wow! That performance was great. 

Apostrophe ( ‘ )

Used to show possession.

Used to show the short form of certain words.

(a) This is Ally’s handbag.

(b) I’d (I would) like to have a glass of orange juice.

Quotation marks ( “….” )

Used in direct speech to show the actual words of a speaker.

Used to show the names of books, shows, etc.

(a) Mary asked, “Can you share the reference book with me?”

(b) I read ‘Cinderella’ when I was six years old.