EXCLAMATION POINT ( !)

1. To show the occurrence of strong emotion/sudden feeling.

**you are wonderful**the building is on fire

scamper for safety

**You are wonderful!**The building is on fire!

Scamper for safety!

2. To be used after an interjection/after a strong exclamation emphasis for a substantive in direct or indirect address.

**alas everything like smoke faded in the air**oh how exciting to see the circus

**Alas! Everything, like smoke, faded in the air!**Oh! How exciting to see the circus!

3. To mark imperative statements which call for immediate action as in an emergency.

**don’t wait act now**go, right away

**Don’t wait!Act now!**Go, right away!

ASTERISK (*)

--an asterisk is used in writing or in printing as a reference mark on any word, which calls for a footnote on the same page.

ELLIPSIS ( . . . )

1. To indicate the omission of one or more words in a sentence.

** Among the dissidents, there are mighty women…called amazons.

2. To indicate halting speech or an unfinished sentence in a dialogue.

** I really like to… That is… if you don’t mind… I shall…

3. To extend the length of the line or verse in a piece of poetry.

** It profits not for an idle king…** To be… or not to be… is the question.

COMMA ( , )

1. To separate words in a series** nueva ecija pruduces rice corn sugar

fruits and vegatables.** luz carmen flor and obel attended the js

prom.

** Nueva Ecija pruduces rice, corn, sugar, fruits, and vegatables.

** Luz, Carmen, Flor, and Obel attended the JS Prom.

2. To separate the clauses of a compound or a compound-complex sentence joined by a coordinating conjunction. (The comma preceeds the conjunction. In shorter compound sentences, comma may be ommitted.)

** my nephew plays the guitar and his sister plays the piano well.

** study your lesson otherwise i will fail you.

3. To be used after the salutation of an informal note/letter.4. To be used after the complimentary closing of a letter.5. To set off introductory phrases and clauses.**at the beginning it was very dark.**when i knocked at the door nobody answered.

**At the beginning, it was very dark.**When I knocked at the door, nobody answered.

6. To set off parenthetical expressions.

**my mother-in-law to tell you the truth is very kind.**mrs. de guzman who sat behind me at the meeting appeared sad.

**My mother-in-law, to tell you the truth, is very kind.**Mrs. De Guzman, who sat behind me at the meeting, appeared sad.

7. To separate an apposition or an appositive.

**dr. jose rizal the national hero was born on june 19, 1861.**rodolfo bernardez my uncle invited me to his oathtaking rite.

**Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero, was born on june 19, 1861.**Rodolfo Bernardez, my uncle, invited me to his oathtaking rite.

8. To set off YES and NO from the rest of the sentence.9. To set off the main clause before the coordinating conjunction.**i could not even begin my project for my friends were constantly inviting me to parties.** he knew the place by heart for he resided there for 10 years.**I could not even begin my project, for my friends were constantly inviting me to parties.** He knew the place by heart, for he resided there for 10 years.

10. To use comma before an after a dependent clause in the middle of the sentence.(non-restrictive & non-essential)

**the guavas although they were just picked this morning were all rotten.**the spectators when the policemen arrived were forcibly driven away.

**The guavas, although they were just picked this morning, were all rotten.**The spectators, when the policemen arrived, were forcibly driven away.

11. To set off direct quotation.**he said look at me**thank you we responded **He said, “Look at me.”**”Thank you”, we responded.

12. To set off the barangay, the town, the province, and the country.

13. To separate thousands in numbers of four or more digits.14. To separate inverted names.

15. To separate a person’s position, title or degree earned.**edisteo b bernardez ph.d.**rolan c esteban president araullo university**Edisteo B. Bernardez, Ph.D.**Rolan C. Esteban, President, Araullo University16.To separate tag question from the rest of the sentence.**It is a fine day, is it not?

17. To set off contrasting/opposing expressions within the sentence.**The book costs P120.00,not P210.00.**He change his style, not his character.

PERIOD ( . )1. To mark the end of a declarative

sentence. 2. To mark the end of a imperative

sentence. 3. To mark the end of an indirect question.**Your teacher is asking if you could lend

her the book on punctuation.

4. To mark abbreviations nad initials.5. To mark the end of a courteous request.6. Use four periods when the omission

comes at the end of the quoted passage.**”My love for you is as deep as the sea

that flows forever. If you will ask me when wil it end, I’ll tell you….”

QUESTION MARK ( ? )

QUOTATION MARK ( “ . . . . “ ) SINGLE ( ‘ . . . . ‘ )DOUBLE ( “ . . . . “ )

1. To mark the exact words of a speaker.** try to learn from your experience my

father reiterate** “Try to learn from your experience,” my

father reiterate.2. To enclose the titles of articles, quoted

titles of chapters. In printed matter, the tiles of books, magazines, and of other periodicals are emboldened.

3. To set off dialectic or slang expressions introduced in formal writing or to set off familiar technical terms.

**Rizal used “Dimasalang” as his pen name.

**”Chibugan” means eating spree in the Philippines.

4. If the quotation is composedof more than one paragraphs, use only open quotation at the beginning of each quoted paragraph and close quotation at the end of the last paragraph.

5. The comma and the period must be set inside the closing quotation marks.

** “I am sorry,” Jose said,”I could not join you on Sunday.”

6. The colon and the semi-colon should be set outside the quotation marks.

**I have not read his article: “On Love, Courtship and Marriage”; in fact, I have never seen it.

7. The question mark and the exclamation point should be set inside the quotation marks if they apply to the statement quoted;they should be set outside if they apply to the whole sentence.

Single and Double Quotation:1. To enclose a quotation within a quotation. **The witness said, “I distinctly heard him say, ‘Don’t be late’, and then I heard the door closed.”

**She asked, “Am I going with the Dean?”**Did she say, “Am I going with the Dean”?

SEMI-COLON ( ; )

1. To take the place of a comma between independent clauses that are usually long.

** These illustrious Filipinos--- Rizal, Del Pilar, Luna, Ponce, and many others,---I certainly admire; and I wish my nephews, Jaime and Jose, would learn to cherish the memory of these hereos.

2. To link main clauses not joined by coordinating conjunction.

**Some people have the ability to speak well; others, to write.

3. To set off main clauses joined by conjunctive adverbs.

**He drove speedily; consequently,he met an accident.

**You have to come on time; otherwise, we shall leave you.

4. To take place of any coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses.

**Today, women have opportunities for higher education; they can even compete with men in any profession.

1. Anybody game one opportunity

APOSTROPHE ( ‘ )

2. ramirez poem santos house

3. students project ladies bag

4. **my mother and my father wedding**kris tonio and paula house **My mother and father’s wedding.**Kris, Tonio, and paula’s house.

5. **my father and mother wedding rings**kris toji and paula bags6.Okayed okaying

7. ** my father-in-law car is new** yours is as good as anyone-else opinion7. ** My father-in-law’s car is new.** Yours is as good as anyone-else’ opinion.

6.** Ok’d ** ok’ing

8. **jose dela rosa jr birthday this year falls on sunday ** the president of the philippines son could not come8. **Jose delaRrosa Jr.’s birthday this year falls on Sunday.** The President-of-the-Philippines’ son could not come.

9.**its four in the afternoon according to the clock** i am sorry maria i can not go with you9.**It’s four o’clock in the afternoon.** I’m sorry Maria. I can’t go with you.

10. 4P’s 3R’s 11. Class 1996 Batch 199711. Class ‘96 Batch ‘97

1.The President was born in Batac, Ilocos norte [Guess how old he is now]. 2.“I shall never forget,” says Don Juan,[My agonies, my diappointments…]3. Acute anterior poliomyelitis [also called polio] is an inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal sord.

BRACKET [ ]

COLON ( : )

Dear Madam: Sir:Genesis 5:28Encyclopedia 30:170010:45 a.m. 12:30namely: as follows:

PARENTHESIS ( )

Parenthesis, like brackets and dashes, are used to set off sudden change of ideas in a sentence.

More formal than dashes,parentheses are used to set off important explanatory matter/apparently detached information.

Letters/numbers of reference--(1) (a)

Mathematical expression--(3+2)²=25

Arabic numerals which confirm a written number in text--one thousant three pesos (P1003.00)

Abbreviations--Commission on Audit (COA)--BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue)

Cross-references--(see Appendix A)

Used to enclosed:

Give it a try!

APPLY THE APPROPRIATE PUNCTUATIONS AND

CAPITALIZATION