English Grammar

*#English_Grammar#*
*PUNCTUATION*

*Punctuation* (derived from the Latin punctum, a point) meas the right use of putting in points or stops in writing.

The following are the principal stops:

1) Full Stop or period ( . )
2) Comma ( , )
3) Colon  (  : )
4) Question Mark  ( ? )
5) Exclamation Mark ( ! )

Other marks in common use are the
★ Dash       ( _ )
★ Parentheses  ( )
★ Inverted Commas and Quotation Mark

1.
🔵 *#Full_Stop#*  ( . )
The full stop represents the greatest pause and separation. It is used to mark the end of a declarative or an Iimperative sentence; as,

▶ For Example :

★ Dear, patient, gentle,  Nell was dead.

The full stop can be used in abbreviations, but they are often omitted in modern style.

★ M.A or MA
★ M.P or MP
★ U.N.O or UNO

2-
*#Comma#*
The comma represents the shortest pause, and is used:

1) To separate a series of words in the same construction; as,

▶ For Example:

★ England, France and Italy formed an alliance.

★ He lost lands, money, reputation and friends.

★ It was a long, dull and wearisome journey.
A Comma is generally not placed before the word preceded by and ; as,

2) To separate each pairs of words connected by and ; as,

▶ For Example:

★ We should be devout and humble,  cheerful and serene.

★ High and low, rich and poor, wise and foolish,  must all die.

3) After a Nominative absolute ; as,

★ This done, she returned to the old man with a lovely smile on her face.

★ The wind being favourable, the squadron sailed.

4) To mark off a Noun or phrase in Apposition ; as,

★ Paul, the apostle, was beheaded in the reign of Nero

★ Milton, the great English poet, was blind.
) To mark off words used in addressing people

★ Come into the garden, Maud

★ How are you, Mohan?

But when the words  are emphatic, we ought to use the note of Exclamation;  as,  
★ Monster ! By thee my child's devoured !

6)  To mark off two or more adverbs or adverbial phrases coming together ; as,

★ Then, at length , tardy justice was done to the memory of Oliver.

7) Before and after a participial phrase,  provided that the phrase might be expanded into a sentence, and is not used in a merely qualifying sense; as,

★ Caeser, having  conquered his enemies, returned to.  Rome.

8) Before and after words phrases or clauses, let into the body of a sentence; as,

★ it is mind, after all, which does the work of the world.

★ His behavior, to say the least, was very rude.

★ He didn't , however, gain his object.

9) To indicate the omission of a word, especially a verb ; as,

★ He will succeed ; you, never.

★He was a Brahmin ; She, a Rajput.) To separate short co-ordinate clauses of a compound sentence ; as,

★ I came, I saw, I conquered.

★ The way was long, the wind was cold.

★ Men may come  and men may go, but I go on forever.

Where there is a conjunction the comma is  sometimes omitted ; as,

★ He Came and saw me.

11) To mark off a direct quotation form the rest of the sentence;  as,

★ "Exactly so, " said Alice.

★ He said to his disciples, " Watch and pray".

★ "Go then, " said the ant, "and  dance winter away."

12) Before certain co-ordinate conjunctions ; as,

★ The act thus is t wisdom,  but folly.

13) To separate from the verb a long subject opening a sentence ; as,

★ The injustice of the sentence pronounced upon that great scientist and discoverer, is now evident to us all.

14) To separate a Noun clause- whether subject or object-preceding the verb ; as,

★ Whatever is, is right.

★How we are ever to get there, is the question.

15) To separate a clause that is not restrictive in meaning, but is co-ordinate with the principal clause; as,

★ Sailors, who are generally superstitious, say it is unlucky to embark on a Friday.

16) To separate an adverbial clause from its principal clause ; as,

★ When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself.

★ If thou would not be happy, seek to please.

★★★★★★◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

3.
*#Semicolon#*
The semicolon represents a pause of greater importance than that shown by the comma. It is used :

1) To separate the clauses of compound sentence, when they contain a comma; as,

★ He was a brave, large-hearted man, and we all honoured him.

2) To separate a series of loosely related causes; as,

★ Her court was pure ; her life serene;

★ God gave her peace ; her land reposed.

4.
*#Colon#*  (  : )
The colon marks a still more complete pause than that expressed by the semi-colon. It is used ( Something with a dash after it)

1) To introduce a quotation ; as,

★ Bacon says : "Reading makes a full man, writing an exact man, speaking a ready man."

2) Before enumeration, example,  etc ; as,

★ The principal parts of a verb in English are  : the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle.

3) Between sentences grammatically independent but closely connected in sense;

★ Study to acquire a habit of thinking : no study is more important.

5.
*#Question_Mark#*  ( ? )
The Question mark is used, instead of the full stop, after a direct question ; as,

★ Have you written your exercise?

★ If you prick us, do we not bleed?

★ And if you wrong us, shall we not have revenge?

★ If you trickle us, do we not laugh?

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

★ He asked me whether I had written my exercise.

6.
*#Exclamation_Mark#* ( ! )
The Exclamation mark is used after interjection and after phrases and sentences expressing sudden emotion or wish ; as,

★ Alas! Oh dear !

★ What a terrible fire this is!

★ O, what a fall was there, my countryman ! Long live the king !

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,

★ O father ! I hear the sound of guns.

★ O Hamlet, speak no more!

7.
*#Inverted_Commas#*  ( " " )
Inverted commas are used to enclose the exact words of a speaker,  or a quotation; as,

★ " I would rather die, " he exclaimed, " than join the oppressors of my country. "

★ Babar is said by Elphinstone to have been " the most admirable prince that ever reigned in Asia."

If a quotation occurs within a quotation, it is marked by single inverted Commas; as,

★ " You might as well say," added the March Hare, "that 'I like what I get is the same thing as I get what I like."

8.
*#Dash#* ( _ )
The Dash is used:

1) To indicate an abrupt stop or change of thought ; as,

★ If my husband were alive_but why lament the past?

2) To resume a scattered subject; as,

★ Friends,  Companions, relatives_All deserved him.

9.
*#Hyphen#*
The Hyphen - a shorter line than the Dash - is used to connect the parts of a compound words ; as,

★ Passer-by
★ man-of-war
★ Jack-of-all-trades.

It is also used to connect parts of a word divided at the end of a line.

*Hyphen End*

10.
*#Parentheses#* (  )
Parentheses or Double Dashes are used to separate from the main parts of the sentence a phrase or clause which doesn't grammatically belong to it; as,

11.
*#Apostrophe#* (  ' )
The Apostrophe is used:

1) To show the omission of a letter or letters; as,

★Don't,  e'er , I've.

2) In the Genitive Case of Nouns.

3) To form the plural of letters and figures.

★ Dot your i's and cross your t's.

★ Add two 5's and four 2's. Copied.

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