Punctuation facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Punctuation means the special marks we use in writing. These marks help us understand what we read and write clearly. They are like traffic signs for sentences!

Here are some common punctuation marks you'll see in English:

. is a period or full stop
, is a comma
? is a question mark
! is an exclamation mark
' is an apostrophe
" is a quotation mark
: is a colon
; is a semicolon
... is an ellipsis
- is a hyphen
– is an n-dash
— is an m-dash

Why We Use Punctuation

Punctuation makes writing easier to understand. It helps readers know where one thought ends and another begins. It also shows feelings or questions.

Think about these sentences:

He did not go to town because his father was absent. This means he did go to town, but not because his father was away.
He did not go to town, because his father was absent. This means he stayed home, and the reason was his father was away.

See how a small comma changes the whole meaning? Punctuation guides the reader. Sometimes, it's even better to rewrite the sentence to make the meaning super clear, like:

He went to town, but not because his father was away.
Because his father was away, he did not go to town.

Understanding the Period or Full Stop

A period or full stop

A period (used in the U.S.A.) or full stop (used in the U.K. and other countries) looks like this: .

We use a period to end a sentence. It tells you that a complete thought has finished. Adding a space after a period helps make writing easy to read. You don't always need a period in a list, because it's clear when each item ends.

Periods can also show numbers smaller than one. For example, with money, a period separates dollars from cents.

For example: "Elizabeth bought a soda for $1.25." This means she paid one dollar and twenty-five cents.

A period can also show that a word has been shortened. A shortened word with a period is called an abbreviation.

For example: "Dr. Smith" is a short way to write "Doctor Smith." "Mr. Banerjee" is short for "Mister Banerjee." However, many modern writers just use "Mr," "Mrs," or "Dr" without a period.

How to Use a Comma

A comma

A comma looks like this: ,

Commas have many uses. Here are some of them:

To separate items in a list: "cows, horses, pigs, and sheep." The comma before "and" in a list is called an Oxford comma. Some people don't use it: "cows, horses, pigs and sheep."
To join two sentences with a connecting word like "but" or "and": "Most birds have separate toes, but ducks' feet are webbed."
To separate parts of a sentence: "Mimi, hungry as she was, was shy to come forward."
To show a short pause in a sentence or question: "Hallie, did you remember to feed the cat?"
In some European countries, commas are used where we use a period for numbers. For example, €3,57 means three euros and fifty-seven cents. And €17.693 means seventeen thousand, six hundred ninety-three euros.

What is a Question Mark?

A question mark

A question mark looks like this: ?

We use question marks when we are asking something.

For example:

* "Hallie, have you done your homework?" * "Elizabeth said 'How are you?' to Hallie." * "Why is the sky blue?"

Using an Exclamation Mark

An exclamation mark

An exclamation mark looks like this: !

We use an exclamation mark to show strong feelings or when someone shouts. It makes a statement sound more powerful.

For example:

* "What a bad cat Mimi has!" * "Hallie, come here!" * "You did a good job!"

You can use an exclamation mark with a question mark to make a question sound more forceful.

For example: "'What did you do that for?!' she said angrily."

Understanding the Apostrophe

An apostrophe

An apostrophe looks like this: '

Apostrophes have two main uses:

Showing Ownership

An apostrophe can show that something belongs to someone or something else.

If there is one owner, we add s after the apostrophe:

* "It was the boy's dog." (The dog belongs to one boy.) * "We will go in Mimi's car." (The car belongs to Mimi.)

If there are many owners and the word already ends in s, we just add the apostrophe after the s:

* "Father put away the girls' clothes." (The clothes belong to several girls.) * Compare this to: "Father put away the girl's clothes." (The clothes belong to only one girl.)

Making Contractions

An apostrophe can join two small words together to make one shorter word. These are called contractions. We use contractions a lot when we speak because they are easier to say.

For example:

* Cannot becomes can't. * It is becomes it's, as in "It's a nice day today."

Common Mistakes with Apostrophes

Words like its, his, hers, and theirs (which show ownership) do not use an apostrophe.

For example:

* "The bird flapped its wings," not "The bird flapped it's wings." * "It is his bike," not "It is his's bike."

Words that mean more than one thing (plurals) do not need an apostrophe.

For example:

* "Apples for sale," not "Apple's for sale."

Using Quotation Marks

Left and ...

right quotation marks

Quotation marks (also called quote marks or quotes) are used around the exact words someone has said. They always come in pairs.

For example:

* Hallie said, "Mimi, please wash the dishes." * "Today," said our teacher, "is the first day of the rest of your lives."

Quotation marks are also used for titles of short works like songs or poems.

Example: "After recording 'Beat It', Michael Jackson went on to record several more hits."

Punctuation with Quotation Marks

When quotation marks are next to periods and commas, there are two main styles: American and British.

In both styles, question marks, exclamation marks, and semicolons go inside or outside the quotation marks depending on if they are part of the quoted words.

Did he say, "Good morning, Dave"? (The question mark is for the whole sentence, not just the quote.)
No, he said, "Where are you, Dave?" (The question mark is part of what he said.)

American Style

In the United States, commas and periods are almost always placed inside the closing quotation marks.

"Carefree," in general, means "free from care or anxiety."
The name of the song was "Gloria," which many already knew.
"Today," said Cinderella, "I feel free from care and anxiety."

British Style

In the United Kingdom, punctuation marks only go inside quotation marks if they were part of the original quoted material. Otherwise, they go outside.

"Carefree", in general, means "free from care or anxiety".
The name of the song was "Gloria", which many already knew.
"Today", said the Prime Minister, "I feel free from care and anxiety."

Ending a Sentence

In both styles, only one punctuation mark (period, question mark, or exclamation mark) should end a sentence.

"Hello, world," she said. (American style)
"Hello, world", she said. (British style)
She said, "Hello, world." (Both styles)
"Hello, world!" she exclaimed. (Both styles)
"Is anybody out there?" she asked into the void. (Both styles)

What is a Colon?

A colon

This is a colon: :

Colons are often used to introduce a list.

"This is a list of animals: birds, cats, insects, pigs, and sheep."

You usually don't put a space before a colon, but you put one space after it.

Using a Semicolon

A semicolon

A semicolon looks like this: ;

Semicolons have two main uses:

To connect two complete sentences that are closely related: "I could tell that it was getting late; it was growing darker by the second."
To separate items in a list when those items already contain commas: "The following crewmembers were on the bridge: James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise; Mr. Spock, first science officer; Mr. Sulu, helmsman; Mr. Scott, engineer; and Dr. McCoy, chief medical officer."

You can also use a semicolon with a connecting word like "consequently" or "however" to join two sentences.

For example: "The environment is the context in which all life exists; consequently, it is more than a political issue."

What is an Ellipsis?

An ellipsis

An ellipsis is a mark that looks like this: ...

It is used to show that some words have been left out of a quote. It can also show that someone paused or trailed off while speaking.

For example:

* ... one day all Americans will live peacefully throughout the world ... they will be at peace with all other world inhabitants ... (Words were removed from the middle.) * So much more could be said ... (The speaker stopped talking.)

Understanding the Hyphen

A hyphen looks like this: -. Hyphens have many uses in writing:

To change the meaning of some words. For example, re-form means "start again," but reform means "change."
To spell out some numbers: "thirty-two," "forty-nine."
To connect words that describe something, like "stainless-steel knife."
With some prefixes (letters added to the beginning of a word): "un-American," "anti-pollution," "non-proliferation."
When spelling out a word letter by letter: "H-Y-P-H-E-N."
To make words easier to read when they combine in a tricky way, like "shell-like" instead of "shelllike."
To show someone is having trouble speaking (stammering): "I reached for the w-w-w-watering can."
To connect words that already have a hyphen: "He was a two- or three-year-old dog."
To connect names, like "the Merriam-Webster dictionary" or "the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact."
For hyphenated last names, like "John Rees-Williams."
To break a long word at the end of a line in books or newspapers to save space. The word is split into two parts with a hyphen.

Good	Not so good
What was done was not good, not help- ful, nor was it very useful.	What was done was not good, not hel- pful, nor was it very useful.

Images for kids

An exclamation comma.