Basic Punctuation
* Period (.) Used at the end of a declarative sentence, abbreviations, and sometimes after initials.
* Comma (,) Used to separate items in a list, after introductory phrases, to clarify meaning, and in dates.
* Question Mark (?) Used at the end of a question.
* Exclamation Mark (!) Used to express strong emotion or surprise.
* Apostrophe (') Used to indicate possession, contractions, and sometimes to mark plurals of letters and numbers.
* Quotation Marks (" ") Used to enclose direct speech, titles of short works, and words used in a special sense.
* Colon (:) Used to introduce a list, explanation, or quotation.
* Semicolon (;) Used to separate independent clauses that are closely related in meaning.
* Hyphen (-) Used to join words, create compound words, and indicate a break in a word at the end of a line.
* Dash (—) Used to indicate a break in thought, a dramatic pause, or an abrupt change in tone.
* Parentheses ( ) Used to enclose information that is not essential to the main sentence.
* Brackets [ ] Used to enclose editorial comments or clarifications within a quotation.
* Slash (/) Used to separate items in a list, to indicate dates, and to show alternatives.
Other Punctuation Marks
* Ellipsis (...) Used to indicate omitted words or a pause in a sentence.
* Asterisk (*) Used to indicate a footnote or to replace a letter or word.
* Ampersand (&) Used as a substitute for "and".
Note: The use of punctuation can vary depending on style guides and personal preferences.