14 Key Punctuation Marks & Their Uses:
1. Period (.): Ends a declarative sentence.
2. Question Mark (?): Ends a direct question.
3. Exclamation Point (!): Shows strong emotion or emphasis.
4. Comma (,): Separates items in a list, clauses, or direct address.
5. Semicolon (;): Links two closely related independent clauses or separates complex list items.
6. Colon (:): Introduces a list, explanation, or quotation.
7. Apostrophe ('): Shows possession or forms contractions (e.g., it's).
8. Quotation Marks (" "): Enclose direct speech or titles of short works.
9. Hyphen (-): Joins words to form compound words (e.g., state-of-the-art).
10. Dash (—): Sets off phrases for emphasis or clarity, often indicating a break in thought.
11. Parentheses (( )): Contain extra, non-essential information or clarification. Parentheses are for
extra detail (author-added).
12. Brackets ([ ]): These square brackets are primarily used within direct quotes to insert editorial,
clarifying or missing information not in the original text. Brackets are for editorial changes/added
information (inserted by someone other than the original author).
13. Ellipsis (...): Indicates omitted text, a pause, or a trailing thought.
14. Slash (/): Shows alternatives (e.g., and/or) or fractions.
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