Punctuation Basics
Helping You to Communicate More Effectively

Punctuation Shortcuts: 
Comma: tells the reader when to pause.
Period: indicates the end of a sentence.
Question Mark: asks the reader for a response.
Exclamation Mark: expresses shock, surprise or anger.

What Is Punctuation?
Punctuation enables your reader to understand what you're saying.

When you forget to use punctuation, or you use it incorrectly, the reader can get the wrong idea.

For example, what's wrong with this sentence?

"I like cooking my family and my cat."

Adding commas to the list tells the reader when to pause, and makes your meaning clear.

I like cooking, my family, and my cat.

A period or full-stop indicates a longer pause. It tells the reader that the sentence has ended, and that the next one will likely introduce a new idea.

A question mark asks the reader for a response.

But some questions don't need an answer, so they don't need a question mark.

An exclamation mark indicates surprise, shock, anger, or emphasis.

But using too many can make you seem less serious, especially in business writing.


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