Definition:
Set of marks used to regulate texts and clarify their meanings, principally by separating or linking words, phrases, and clauses. See also:
- Rules of Punctuation
- Punctuation Day Special
- End Punctuation: Periods, Question Marks, & Exclamation Marks
- Guidelines for Using Commas Effectively
- Semicolons, Colons, & Dashes
- Guidelines for Using Apostrophes Correctly
- Guidelines for Using Quotation Marks Effectively
Etymology:
From Latin "making a point"Examples:
- Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Marks
"I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is 12? I think I'm in the wrong building."
(Charles Schulz, "Peanuts") - Commas
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Albert Einstein)
"If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend."
(Doug Larson)
"Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them."
(Joseph Heller) - Dashes and Parentheses
"The why and wherefore of the scorpion--how it had got on board and came to select his room rather than the pantry (which was a dark place and more what a scorpion would be partial to), and how on earth it managed to drown itself in the inkwell of his writing desk--had exercised him infinitely."
(Joseph Conrad, The Secret Sharer) - Colons & Semicolons
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
(Disraeli)
"Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it."
(Christopher Morley) - Apostrophes and Quotation Marks
"It's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens."
(Woody Allen)
"I am reminded of the professor who, in his declining hours, was asked by his devoted pupils for his final counsel. He replied, 'Verify your quotations.'"
(Winston Churchill)
Pronunciation: punk-chew-A-shun
