by nasim khan arman hr-director (mashal university)

1Tutor(Nasim Khan Arman) Copy Right Reserved- 2014

By

Nasim Khan Arman

HR-Director (Mashal University)


PunctuationDefinition

Punctuation is the system that divides what we write intoSeparate Parts in order to make our meaning clearer. Without punctuation our writing would be a stream of words that would be almost impossible to understand.

How to punctuate in speech:Naturally, in speech we have in-built punctuation. When we are speaking to someone, we should pause (poz) or change our voice slightly between phrases or sentences. If we speak in a monotone and without pauses, the listeners will never comprehend our speech.


What is punctuation for?Service to readers

Help readers comprehend meaning easily

Read without stumbling (bumbling, unsteadily, faltering, tripping up)

Prevents misunderstanding between the sender and receiver

Facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge to others.


Marks of Punctuation1. Capitalization (A----a)2. Full stop or period (.)3. Question mark (?)4. Exclamation mark(!)5. Comma (,)6. Colon (:)7. Quotation mark (“-----”)8. The Semicolon ( ; )9. The Apostrophe (‘)10.Ellipsis (….)11.Slash (/)


Capital Letters-1All sentences begin with capital letters.

1. We enjoyed reading the book.2. Those girls finished cleaning the counter.3. Infuriated people set on fire many shops

and houses during riots after murder of two persons by armed men in a land dispute in, Parwan 2, Chaharrahi-e-Baraki an area of Kabul.


Capital Letters-2Proper nouns begin with capital letters.

1.Mrs. Clark asked if Ahmad would help.2.Uncle Rob took us to Texas last month.3.Infuriated people set on fire many shops and

houses during riots after murder of two persons by armed men in a land dispute in Parwan 2, Chaharrahi-e-Baraki, an area of Kabul.


Capital Letters-3The pronoun I is always capitalized.

1.I don’t need your help.2.My aunt and I picked up the papers from

the rubbish (trash , scrap, trumpery)heap.3.The day before yesterday I rumbled early

in the morning to inhale fresh air.


Capital Letters-4A capital letter begins the first, last, and any important word in the title of a book, magazine, song, movie, poem, or other work.

1.She read the last chapter of Tom Jones written by Fielding.

2.She watched Snow White movie when she was five years old.

3.I always like listening Akely Tanha Jiya Na Jaya when I am all alone.

4.In the history of English literature Lucy Gray is a romantic poem written by Wordsworth.


Period-AmE (full stop-BrE)-1A complete sentence that makes a statement ends with a period.

1. It’s your birthday. 2. You blow out the candle.3. She knocked the door. 4. Part-1 of this report published on Sunday revealed the generosity of

the ruling Saudi royalty but that does not by any means suggest that it was the end of former president Ahmad’s official gifts binge (Any act of immoderate indulgence) .But the dilemma here is what gifts to list and what to ignore due to space constraints because some items tell us of the criminal undervaluing of valuable national property while there are others that reveal the paucity (insufficient number) of character of our self-proclaimed statesmen. An attempt, therefore, has been made to identify a few of both categories, which have one characteristic in common: they expose the pettiness of those involved in national plunder.


Period-2Most abbreviations end with a period but they are often omitted in modern style.

Example:1. Abobakar Hussan lives on Oak Rd. near St. Mary’s

Hospital.2. A. M, P.M, U.N.O

3. For decimal signs and after tabulated numbers

Example:15.2%, 45.75


Question Mark-1A question ends with a question mark or to ask a direct question. But all periods and commas go inside the question marks

1. When will you be finished?2. Have you researched the problem?3. Is Usman at home now?4. Why is she playing the game late at night?

But the Question Mark is not used after an indirect question; as

1. He asked me whether I had written my exercise.2. We asked the teacher if he would come the next Sunday.


Exclamation Mark(sign of exclamation)A statement, expression of strong feelings, emotions and excitement ends with an exclamation mark.

1. What a beautiful day it is!2. Oh! She got first position3. Alas ! Oh dear !4. What a terrible fire this is!5. O, what a fall was there, my countrymen !6. Long live the King !

Note : When the interjection O is placed before the Nominative of Address, the Exclamation Mark, if employed at all, comes after the noun; or it may be placed at the end of the sentence; as,

1.O father! I hear the sound of guns.2.O Hamlet, speak no more ! 14

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Comma-1 Joining independent sentences with

conjunctions (and, or, but...)

Example:

1.The feedback improved, and the module had a stronger output.

2.We won the game, but the opponent gave tough winning position.


Comma-2

Joining an independent clause and a dependent clause

Example:1.If you keep calm, I will explain it easily.2.Although I had difficulty, I still prevailed. 3.By the time she comes, we will have completed

the task.16


Comma-3A comma separates things in a series.

I ate pizza, a burger, a bread and ice cream.He lost lands, money, reputation and friends.It was a long, dull and wearisome journey.


Comma-4

A comma separates a clause or phrase that gives additional, but not essential, information about the noun it follows.

Example:1.The Paghman Hills, which are very popular

with walkers, are situated in Afghanistan.2.Mr. Walker, our teacher, was happy.3.Nabeel, student of A-1 , got first position in

the class.4.Milton, the great English poet, was blind


Comma-5

A comma separates quoted words from the rest of the sentence.

Example: 1.“I wanted to go”, she remarked.2.The students said, “Where did you watch the

movie”.3.He said, “When she is going to call me”


Comma-6

comma is used to mark off words used in addressing people

Example: 1.Come into the garden, Farooq.2.How are you , Usman.3.Lord of universe, shield us and guide us.


Comma-7It is used to separate a tag question from the

rest of the sentence:

Example:

It’s quite expensive, isn’t it?You live in Bristol, don’t you?Can you speak English, can’t you?


Comma-8Comma is used to indicate the omission of words, especially a verb; as ,

Mohammad received a fountain pen; Ali, a watch.He was a Christian; she, a Muslim .He will succeed ; you, never.


Exercise:

Insert commas and capitalization where necessary, in the following Sentences;-

In the old persian stories turan the land of darkness is opposed to iran the land of light. history has been said is the essence of innumerable biographies.attention application accuracy method punctuality and dispatch are the principal qualities required for the efficient conduct of business of any sort. when I was in delhi I visited the red fort, qurtab minar and chandni chock. a high-bred man never forgets himself controls his temper does nothing in excess is courteous dignified and that even to persons whom he is wishing far away.


Colon-1( : )A colon shows the reader that a list or explanation of nay thing is followed.

1. I will need the following items: pens, paper, glue, and paint.2. She will send the given materials: mobile, T.V and camera.

Henry's mother believes three things: (1)that every situation, no matter how grim, will be happily resolved;

(2)that no one knows more about human nature than her; and(3) that Henry, who is thirty-five years old, will never be able to do his own laundry.

It is used for time.

I will meet you tomorrow at 03:15.

Call me, at 07:00. She is going to delineate the poem in the coming session at 09:00 AM. 24Tutor(Nasim Khan Arman) Copy Right Reserved- 2014

Punctuation: Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are used to identify the exact words of a speaker . (direct speech)

1.President Bush said, “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.”


The Semicolon-1 ( ; ) for conjunctionsmore formal than the comma, the semicolon is a half comma,half period.

A longer pause1. Joining independent clauses, with or without

a subordinating conjunction (‘however , when, although, on the other hand...’)

Example:1.The sample was tainted; it had no effect.2.The sample was tainted; on the hand, it had no effect.3.We completed the circuit; however, the light would

not turn on.4.We completed the circuit; the light would not turn on


The Semicolon: 2Separating items in a series that contain commas

Example:Henry's mother believes three things: that every

situation, no matter how grim, will be happily resolved; that no

one knows more about human nature than she; and that

Henry, who is thirty-five years old, will never be able to do his

own laundry.


The Apostrophe: 1

Used in contractions(omit figures) of letter or number)

Generally, contractions are inappropriate in academic writing

Example:1. Temperature didn’t affect the reaction.2. Temperature did not affect the reaction.3. It’ s earthquake of 1995.4. It is earthquake of 1995.


The Apostrophe: 2

Indicates possession that a thing or person belongs to

Example: Freud’s argument states that he was the real culprit. Examples:

1. The boy’s room (one boy)2. The boys’ room (two boys)3. John's dog used to be Rex’sIt is also used to form the plural of a letter, a

figure or an abbreviation:1. During the 1990’s, I was a brilliant student.


Dots/Ellipsis (….)

It is used to alert the reader that something has been removed (omitted) from the quoted material(information), that the speaker has hesitated.

Example:There are many good sports, such as football, swimming, jogging,………. That help your nervous system.


Slash- Oblique (/)It is known as virgule or slant line. It is often used to separate words to show alternative. It is the oldest punctuation, indicating a short stop(/) or a longer stop (//). It mostly used in informal writing.

Single/married/widowed/divorced

To separate words.Ms. Jennifer/2256 Rosemary.

To indicate numbers.3/4 indicating fractions or 10/2/ 1999 indicating

dates (informal) 31Tutor(Nasim Khan Arman) Copy Right Reserved- 2014

THE HYPHEN-12MARK OF SEPARATION USED BETWEEN PARTS OF A WORD.

USE A HYPHEN:1) TO SEPARATE (JOIN) THE PARTS OF COMPOUND

WORDS:e.g. fast-moving; sister-in-law; half-asleep; X-ray; know-it-all; forty-

seven; three-fourths

2) TO INDICATE THE DIVISION OF A WORD BROKEN AT THE END OF A LINE:

e.g. knowl-edge, ste-nog-ra-phera) Never divide a monosyllable: e.g. strength, laughedb) Do not divide on a syllable with a silent vowel: e.g. climbed,

yelledc) Do not divide a word with only 4 letters: e.g. also, only, opend) Divide two consonants standing between vowels: e.g. struc-

ture, alter-native, exis-ten-tialisme) Do not divide sums of moneyf) Do not divide initials in a name or in proper namesg) Do not divide units of time 32


Bracket (BrE)- Parentheses(AmE)To separate extra information or a

comment form the rest of sentence:1.Mount Robson( 12 972 feet) is the highest

mountain in the Canadian Rockies.

To enclose cross-references:1.This moral ambiguity is a feature of

Shakespeare’s later works (see Chapter Eight)Around numbers or letters in text:1.Our objectives are (1) to increase output, (2)

to improve quality and (3) to maximize profits.


34

Exercise: insert proper punctuation in the given sentences:

afghanistan officially Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan republic in southwestern asia bounded on the north by turkmenistan uzbekistan and tajikistan; on the east by china and the part of the disputed territory of jammu and kashmīr controlled by pakistan; on the south by pakistan; and on the west by iran Afghanistan lies across ancient trade and invasion routes from central asia into india This position has been the greatest influence on its history because the invaders often settled there. Today the population includes many different ethnic groups Most of the present borders of the country were drawn up in the 19th century, when afghanistan became a buffer state, or neutral zone, between russia and british india. kābul is the capital and largest city.


Insert punctuation where it is necessary in the given sentencesHoney I wish that you hadn't eaten the chocolate cakeHey Will you bake a chocolate cakeI went to the store yesterday and I bought strawberry ice cream to go with the chocolate cake I baked I baked I ate I sleptBecause I could not bake today he kindly baked for me While you were out I baked a chocolate cake While you were out I baked a chocolate cake, and I bought ice cream Her reply I don't care for chocolate cake was unexpectedBecause you were not home I baked a chocolate cake

If you are not home soon I will bake a chocolate cake However you haven't tasted my chocolate cakeHe asked Do you really love chocolate cake that much I love chocolate ice cream and I really love chocolate cake I love chocolate ice cream however I really love chocolate cake I love chocolate cake I love you


by nasim khan arman hr-director (mashal university)

Documents

tutornasim khan arman

capital letters

question mark

exclamation mark

land dispute

armed men

quotation mark

infuriated people