1. Full Stop (Period) .
- Used to mark the end of a sentence.
- Can also be used in abbreviations (e.g., Dr., U.S.A.).
2. Comma ,
- Used to separate items in a list: "I bought apples, oranges, and bananas."
- Used to separate clauses in a sentence: "The cat sat on the mat, and the dog barked."
- Used after introductory phrases or clauses: "After dinner, we watched a movie."
- Used to set off nonessential information: "The book, which was very long, was still interesting."
3. Question Mark ?
- Used at the end of a question: "Where is the remote?"
4. Exclamation Mark !
- Used to indicate strong emotion or emphasis: "Wow! That's amazing!"
5. Colon :
- Used to introduce a list: "We need to buy the following: milk, eggs, bread, and cheese."
- Used to introduce a quotation: "The teacher said: 'Please open your books.'"
- Used to separate two related clauses where the second clause explains or elaborates on the first: "The game was over: the score was 10-0."
6. Semicolon ;
- Used to connect two closely related independent clauses: "The storm raged outside; the house creaked and groaned."
- Used to separate items in a list that already contain commas: "We visited London, England; Paris, France; and Rome, Italy."
7. Apostrophe '
- Used to show possession: "The dog's bone," "The children's toys"
- Used in contractions (shortened forms of words): "can't," "don't," "it's"
- Used to indicate omitted letters: "I'm" for "I am," "we'll" for "we will"
8. Hyphen -
- Used to connect words to form compound words: "well-being," "mother-in-law"
- Used to join prefixes to words: "pre-existing," "non-profit"
- Used to avoid ambiguity in a sentence: "re-cover" (to cover again) vs. "recover" (to get better)
9. Dash —
- Used to set off an abrupt change in thought: "I was going to go to the party—but then I realized I had to work."
- Used to add emphasis or afterthought: "The food was delicious—the best I've ever had."
- Used to introduce a list: "There were three things I needed—a pencil, a ruler, and a calculator."
10. Parentheses ()
- Used to enclose nonessential information or an explanation: "The capital of France (Paris) is a beautiful city."
- Used to indicate a number or letter in a list: "(1) Write your name."
- Used to enclose abbreviations or acronyms: "The United Nations (UN) has its headquarters in New York."
11. Brackets []
- Used to insert editorial comments into a quoted text: "He said, 'I love [eating] pizza.'"
- Used to enclose a word or phrase that clarifies a word or phrase: "He had a [red] car."
- Used to enclose material that is not part of the original text: "This sentence is not part of the original text [but it was added later]."
12. Quotation Marks ""
- Used to enclose direct speech: "Hello," she said.
- Used to enclose titles of books, songs, poems, articles, etc.: "I read the book 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'"
- Used to indicate a word or phrase used in a special way: "The word 'love' has many meanings."
13. Ellipsis ...
- Used to indicate omitted words or phrases in a quotation: "I love... to eat pizza."
- Used to indicate a pause or hesitation in speech: "I don't know... maybe."
- Used to create a sense of suspense or mystery: "The door creaked open... and there she was."
14. Slash /
- Used to separate alternatives: "Yes/no"
- Used to indicate a division or a break: "He lived in New York/London."
- Used to represent a fraction: 1/2
- Used in URLs and file paths: https://www.example.com/
15. Asterisk *
- Used to mark a footnote or an endnote.
- Used to mark a point or emphasis.
- Used to indicate a missing letter or word in a text.
This list is not exhaustive, as there are other punctuation marks used in specialized contexts, such as the dagger (†), the section sign (§), or the pilcrow (¶). However, these are the most common punctuation marks used in English grammar.