Punctuation Marks and Their Usage
Punctuation marks indicate mandatory breaks, delimiting phrases and paragraphs, and establishing the syntactic hierarchy of propositions. They structure text, prioritize ideas, and remove ambiguities.
Accurate placement is crucial; misplaced punctuation can alter the intended meaning.
Punctuation styles vary, but certain standards and common errors apply across styles. Understanding these rules is essential for effective writing.
The period (.) marks the end of sentences in Spanish and most languages using the Latin alphabet. It’s written without a preceding space but followed by one, unless the next character is closing punctuation. There are three types:
- Period and Followed: Separates sentences within a paragraph. The following sentence begins with a capital letter. Example: “History of Spain. The discovery of America.” The term period and followed is more logical than period followed.
- Paragraph: Separates paragraphs with different content. The next paragraph begins on a new line, typically indented. This is also called a full stop, or in some parts of America, a separate item.
- Full Stop: Concludes a text or utterance. The term final point is incorrect, created by analogy with period and followed and paragraph.1
Periods also indicate abbreviations. Write the abbreviation followed by a period and continue writing. This doesn’t apply to abbreviations like cardinal points, acronyms, or measurements, which are considered symbols.
The Comma
The comma (,) indicates a brief pause. It separates items in a list, except those preceded by conjunctions like and, e, o, u, or nor. Examples:
– I have dogs, cats, rabbits, and mice.
– Mary came home, did homework, ate dinner, and went to bed.
– My house has furniture, tables, and four beds.
Some styles use commas to separate independent clauses, with or without a conjunction, if they are truly independent:
– The soldiers saluted, the people applauded, and the children sang.
Commas also set off clarifications or subparagraphs:
– Nacho, my cousin, just got his first job.
Conjunctive or adverbial phrases, regardless of position, are enclosed in commas. Examples: in effect, that is, in short, therefore, however.
The Semicolon
The semicolon (;) joins two related sentences into one (juxtaposition):
– Mary was sorry for the exam; she will have to study more.
– It’s raining a lot; we cannot walk.
These can often be replaced by constructions like:
– Mary was sorry for the exam and will have to study more.
– We cannot walk because it is raining heavily.
Semicolons also separate list items containing commas:
– We had to stay in touch with nature, let in the sky, the sea, and wind; sleep on planks on the floor; and sit on half-broken chairs.
They’re used before conjunctions or phrases like thus, but, rather, though, however, and therefore when both parts of the sentence are long:
– We believe in creativity and breaking old rules as a way of life; however, we are aware of the need to maintain a minimum of tradition.
Quotation Marks
Quotation marks (“”, “” , ”) enclose citations, examples, or words for emphasis, irony, vulgarity, or foreign language terms. While English quotation marks (“”) are widespread, angular or Spanish («») quotation marks are preferred, followed by double (“”), and lastly, single (”) for nested quotations. Examples:
- Quoting: “I said, ‘Supposedly they come today.'”
- Words used in a different sense than normal.
- Ironic or sarcastic use of a word.
- Indicating something about a word or expression.
- Presenting the meaning of a word or expression.
- Highlighting foreign words, nicknames, or pseudonyms.
Spanish uses three types:
- Castilian, Latin, Spanish, angular, or guillemets («»)
- Double English quotation marks (“”)
- Single quotation marks (”)
There are opening (“, «, ‘) and closing (“, », ‘) quotation marks.
Each type has its use. Generally, guillemets are used first. For nested quotations, English double quotes are preferred, then single quotes as a last resort. The order is typically: «…”…’…'”…»
Single quotes mark examples where italics aren’t appropriate and present word meanings:
“The author said: ‘The quotation marks (punctuation marks used to mark different levels in a sentence) are used extensively in my work.'”
Standard punctuation follows closing quotation marks unless the quoted text is a standalone sentence.
In Spanish, there’s no space between quotation marks and content. Each language has its own rules.
Parentheses
Parentheses (singular parenthesis) enclose text for removal, insertion, or clarification. Types:
- Parentheses ()
- Brackets []
- Braces {}
To distinguish, we say:
- Open parenthesis or left parenthesis (
- Close parenthesis or right parenthesis )
For nested use: (…[…{…}…]…)
Question Marks
The question mark (?) denotes a question. It originates from the Latin “questio” (to ask), abbreviated as “Qo.” Spanish uses an inverted opening question mark (¿) and a closing question mark (?). Adoption of the opening mark was slow, with some 19th-century books omitting it. English’s influence is leading to the use of only the closing question mark online, especially in informal settings.
Exclamation Points
Always use both opening (¡) and closing (!) exclamation points, regardless of the phrase length. They mark exclamations, hortatory or mandatory sentences, and interjections:
- – Sit!
- – How beautiful you are!
- – Beware of the dog!
Ellipses
Ellipses (…) are three points indicating omission or suspense. Using more than three is incorrect.
Dashes
A dash (—) is longer than a hyphen (-) or underscore (_). It inserts clauses, identifies dialogue speakers, and marks narrator comments and subsections. Use two dashes—one to open and one to close—unless the dialogue ends, in which case replace the closing dash with a period. Dashes can replace commas for stronger separation or parentheses for sub-clauses.2
basic rules of punctuation.