Introduction to Writing
Course Introduction
Capitalization, Abbreviations, and Indentation
Punctuation
Prewriting
Quiz: Introduction to Writing
Writing a Sentence
Eventos semanales de English Academy
Parts of speech
Types of Sentences
Combining Sentences
Connectors
Parallel structure
Quiz: Writing a Sentence
Writing a Paragraph
Paragraph Structure
Topic Sentence
Supporting Sentences
Concluding Sentence
Quiz: Writing a Paragraph
Writing a Text
Personal Profile
Describing
A Day in My Life
Quiz: Writing a Text
Writing an Email
Informal Email
Formal Email
Quiz: Writing an Email
Other Types of Writing
Review
Biography
Closing
End of the course
It is crucial to understand the correct use of punctuation if you want to write more clearly. Also, to create sense and stress in sentences and to organize your writing. At least one of the punctuation marks has to appear in every sentence.
It is easier to understand the importance of punctuation when reading a paragraph without any punctuation marks.
Every morning I wake up at 8 am the first thing I do is brush my teeth and right after that I take a shower next I dress up and I put on some makeup then I go to the kitchen and I prepare my breakfast breakfast is my favorite meal because I love pancakes waffles scrambled eggs toast with jam coffee and orange juice after I eat I brush my teeth again and I leave for work I always read a book on the bus right now I am reading The Great Gatsby and it is better than the movie usually I work until 6 pm and I go home after that
Now read the same paragraph with the correct use of punctuation and notice the difference:
Every morning I wake up at 8 am. The first thing I do is brush my teeth, and right after that, I take a shower. Next, I dress up, and I put on some makeup. Then, I go to the kitchen, and I prepare my breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal because I love pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, toast with jam, coffee, and orange juice. After I eat, I brush my teeth again, and I leave for work. I always read a book on the bus. Right now, I am reading âThe Great Gatsbyâ (and it is better than the movie!). Usually, I work until 6 pm, and I go home after that.
SYMBOL | NAME | USE | EXAMPLE |
---|---|---|---|
. | Period or Full-stop | Placed at the end of a sentence and many abbreviations. | I study English. He is Mr. Perez. |
? | Question mark | Indicates a question. | Are you hungry? Where do you live? |
! | Exclamation point | Adds emphasis and expresses surprise. | Help! Thatâs amazing! |
, | Comma | Shows separation of ideas, lists of elements, and sentences. | I want to eat pizza, hotdogs, and ice cream. |
, | Comma | Indicates a direct address. | John, can you come here? |
, | Comma | Used to enclose details. | My friend, Marie, is French. |
; | Semicolon | Connects independent clauses. | He likes you; you are a good person. |
; | Semicolon | Separates items in lists that contain commas. | Last year I visited Salvador, Brazil; Lima, Peru; and Cancun, Mexico. |
: | Colon | Introduces a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series. | They play different styles: jazz, blues, R&B, and pop. |
: | Colon | Between independent clauses, when the second explains the first. | I am moving to Japan: I was offered a job there. |
: | Colon | For emphasis. | You have one option: do it. |
â or â | Dash em dash â en dash â | Can be used in place of a comma, parentheses, colon, or brackets (em dash) | My friend â Marie â is French. |
â or â | Dash em dash â en dash â | Indicates a range or connections (en dash). | I played basketball there from January â March. |
- | Hyphen | Joins two or more words together into a compound term. | Tomorrow Iâll meet my brother-in-law. |
- | Hyphen | Cannot be separated by spaces. | There are twenty-two students here. |
[ ] | Brackets or Square Brackets | To clarify meaning. | Her cousin [Laura] worked with me. |
[ ] | Brackets or Square Brackets | To add an editorial comment or missing words or letters. | He hate[s] cleaning the house. |
[ ] | Brackets or Square Brackets | To add information. | Next month I am visiting two cities in Spain [Madrid and Barcelona]. |
{ } | Braces or Curly Brackets | To contain two or more listed items that are considered as a unit. Not common in writing. | Iâm going to the supermarket to buy cereal, eggs, and fruits {bananas, apples, oranges}. |
( ) | Parentheses or Round Brackets | To contain further thoughts or remarks. | I was watching Friends (my favorite TV show). |
( ) | Parentheses or Round Brackets | To exemplify or clarify. | My friend (Marie) is French. |
( ) | Parentheses or Round Brackets | To define abbreviations. | MBA (Master of Business Administration). |
( ) | Parentheses or Round Brackets | To indicate plural and singular. | Please write the name(s) of your guest(s). |
â | Apostrophe | Indicates omission of a letter or letters from a word (contractions). | âCause heâs tired. |
â | Apostrophe | Possessive case. | We are going to our motherâs house. |
â | Apostrophe | Plural of lowercase letters. | My keyboard is broken, I cannot type any oâs. |
â â or â â | Quotation mark | Marks the beginning and end of a passage, when repeated word by word. | âDonât go there!â, he said. |
â â or â â | Quotation mark | Indicates meaning and the unusual (or dubious) status of a word. | What do you mean by âcrazyâ? |
â â or â â | Quotation mark | To cite titles or bibliographic references. | I read âRomeo and Julietâ for my literature class. |
â â or â â | Quotation mark | Single quotation marks are used for quotes within quotes. | She told me, âI read âRomeo and Julietâ for my literature class.â |
⊠| Ellipsis | Indicates an omission of letters or words. | Letâs count to ten: one, two, three⊠|
/ | Slash, Forward Slash, Virgule, or Oblique | Shows alternatives. | Please press your browserâs Refresh/Reload button. |
/ | Slash, Forward Slash, Virgule, or Oblique | Replaces the word âperâ. | 100 km/hour |
/ | Slash, Forward Slash, Virgule, or Oblique | Fractions. | œ pound |
/ | Slash, Forward Slash, Virgule, or Oblique | Separates lines in a song or poem. | Twinkle, twinkle, little star, / How I wonder what you are. |
/ | Slash, Forward Slash, Virgule, or Oblique | Internet websites or computer programs. | https://platzi.com/ |
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