Punctuation Examples With Answers
Punctuation refers to the symbols we use in writing to separate sentences and their elements, clarify meaning, and indicate pauses or intonation.
Punctuation Examples
Apostrophe (')
Example: The cat's toy is on the floor.
Answer: Shows possession.
Brackets ([])
Example: He finally answered [after five minutes of thinking].
Answer: Adds explanatory information.
Colon (:)
Example: She brought three things: a book, a pen, and a notebook.
Answer: Introduces a list.
Comma (,)
Example: We bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
Answer: Separates items in a list.
Dash (—)
Example: She was happy—really happy—about the promotion.
Answer: Adds emphasis or an abrupt change.
Ellipsis (...)
Example: She hesitated... and then continued speaking.
Answer: Indicates omission or a pause.
Em Dash (—)
Example: The meeting—originally scheduled for Monday—was postponed.
Answer: Adds a break in thought or additional information.
En Dash (–)
Example: The New York–London flight was delayed.
Answer: Indicates a range or connection.
Exclamation Mark (!)
Example: Wow! That was amazing!
Answer: Shows strong emotion.
Full Stop (.)
Example: She went to the store.
Answer: Ends a sentence.
Hyphen (-)
Example: He is a well-known author.
Answer: Joins words or parts of words.
Parentheses (())
Example: He finally answered (after five minutes of thinking).
Answer: Adds additional information or clarification.
Period (.)
Example: This is a simple sentence.
Answer: Ends a declarative sentence.
Question Mark (?)
Example: Are you coming to the party?
Answer: Indicates a question.
Quotation Marks (" ")
Example: She said, "I'll be there soon."
Answer: Indicates spoken or quoted text.
Semicolon (;)
Example: She likes apples; he likes oranges.
Answer: Connects closely related independent clauses.
Slash (/)
Example: Please bring your notebook and/or a pen.
Answer: Indicates alternatives or a fraction.
Apostrophe for Contractions (')
Example: Don't worry about it.
Answer: Shortens words by omitting letters.
Asterisk (*)
Example: Terms and conditions apply*.
Answer: Indicates a footnote or annotation.
Bullet Points (•)
Example:
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Answer: Lists items.
Capitalization
Example: She went to Paris.
Answer: Indicates the beginning of a sentence or a proper noun.
Double Quotation Marks (" ")
Example: He said, "Let's go now."
Answer: Denotes spoken or quoted text.
Italics (_ _)
Example: The book Moby Dick is a classic.
Answer: Emphasizes a word or phrase.
Single Quotation Marks (' ')
Example: She said, 'Hello.'
Answer: Indicates a quote within a quote.
Square Brackets ([ ])
Example: She wrote, "He [the CEO] was not happy."
Answer: Adds editorial information.
Subscript
Example: Hâ‚‚O is water.
Answer: Denotes a lower position.
Superscript
Example: E=mc²
Answer: Denotes a higher position.
Underline (_ _)
Example: Please underline the title.
Answer: Emphasizes text.
Vertical Bar (|)
Example: Choose: apple | orange | banana.
Answer: Indicates alternatives.
Zero Width Space ()
Example: Use azero width space.
Answer: Adds an invisible space.