Punctuation can be tough for numerous reasons, for one thing it’s not uniform, meaning that there isn’t one single situation where you use a punctuation mark, it varies by situation and interacts with the components of the sentence, so it can be tough to know when to use it. However, that’s what our free punctuation online checker is here for! www.punctuationchecker.org

1. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org

2. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Punctuation Cheat Sheet
o Using Proper Capitalization
o Using End-of-Sentence Punctuation Marks
o Using Commas
o Using Colons and Semicolons
o Using Hyphens and Dashes
o Using Apostrophes
o Using Slashes
o Using Miscellaneous Punctuation Marks
o Punctuation Cheat Sheet
o Using Proper Capitalization
o Using End-of-Sentence Punctuation Marks
o Using Commas
o Using Colons and Semicolons
o Using Hyphens and Dashes
o Using Apostrophes
o Using Slashes
o Using Miscellaneous Punctuation Marks
0909 PARTS OF PUNCTUATIONPARTS OF PUNCTUATION
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org

3. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
Add Your Title hereAdd Your Title here
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org

4. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Always start a sentence with a capital letter.
o Use capital letters to start proper nouns and titles.
o Use capital letters for acronyms.
Using Proper CapitalizationUsing Proper Capitalization
Examples:
o She invited her friend over after school.
o Genghis Khan quickly became the most powerful man in Asia.
o The CIA and the NSA are just two of the USA's many intelligence
agencies.
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org

5. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a period to end declarative sentences and statements.
o Use a question mark to end questions.
o Use an exclamation point to end exclamatory sentences.
Using End of Sentence Punctuation MarksUsing End of Sentence Punctuation Marks
Examples:
o The accessibility of the computer has increased tremendously
over the past several years.
o What has humanity done about the growing concern of global
warming?
o Eek! You scared me!
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org

6. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a comma to indicate a break or pause within a sentence.
o Use the comma when listing items in a series.
o Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives describing
a noun.
Using CommasUsing Commas
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating system known
as Windows.
o The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges.
o The computer store was filled with video games, computer hardware and
other electronic paraphernalia.
o The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.

7. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
oUse a comma to separate one geographical area from another
that is located inside.
o Use a comma to separate an introductory phrase from the
rest of the sentence.
o Use the comma to separate two independent clauses.
Using CommasUsing Commas
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
oI am originally from Hola, Tana River County, Kenya.
oAfter the show, John and I went out to dinner.
oRyan went to the beach yesterday, but he forgot his sunscreen.

8. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a comma when making a direct address.
o Use a comma to separate direct quotations from the
sentence introducing them.
Using CommasUsing Commas
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
oAmber, could you come here for a moment?
o While I was at his house, John asked, "Do you want anything to
eat?“
o While I was at his house, John asked me if I wanted anything to
eat.

9. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a semicolon to separate two related but independent
clauses.
o Use a semicolon to separate a complex series of items.
o Use the colon to introduce a list.
Using Colons and SemicolonsUsing Colons and Semicolons
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o People continue to worry about the future; our failure to
conserve resources has put the world at risk.
o I went to the show with Jake, my close friend; his friend, Jane;
and her best friend, Jenna.
o The professor has given me three options: to retake the exam,
to accept the extra credit assignment, or to fail the class.

10. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a colon to introduce a new concept or example.
o Use a colon to separate parts of a title.
Using Colons and SemicolonsUsing Colons and Semicolons
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o There's only one person old enough to remember that wedding:
grandma.
o Fred's favorite movie was The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring, though Stacy preferred its sequel, The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers.

11. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to some words.
o Use hyphens when creating compound words from several
smaller words.
o Use a hyphen when writing numbers out as words.
Using Hyphens and DashesUsing Hyphens and Dashes
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o Cara is his ex-girlfriend.
o The up-to-date newspaper reporters were quick to jump on the
latest scandal.
o There are fifty-two playing cards in a deck.

12. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use a dash when making a brief interruption within a statement.
o Use a hyphen to split a word between two lines.
Using Hyphens and DashesUsing Hyphens and Dashes
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o An introductory clause is a brief phrase that comes — yes, you
guessed it — at the beginning of a sentence.
o This is the end of our sentence — or so we thought.
o No matter what else he tried, he just couldn't get the novel's
elect- -rifying surprise ending out of his head.

13. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use the apostrophe together with the letter s to indicate
possession.
o Use the single quotation mark within a regular quotation to
indicate a quotation within a quotation.
Using ApostrophesUsing Apostrophes
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o The hamster's water tube needs to be refilled.
o In the pet store, the hamsters' bedding needed to be changed.
o These children's test scores are the highest in the nation.
o Friends of hers explained that it's her idea, not theirs, to refill
the hamster's water tube and change its bedding.

14. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Don't use apostrophes with s to make a plural noun from a
singular.
Using ApostrophesUsing Apostrophes
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o Ali said, "Anna told me, 'I wasn't sure if you wanted to come!'“
o CORRECT - apple → apples
INCORRECT - apple → apple's

15. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use the slash to separate and and or, when appropriate.
o Use the slash when quoting lyrics and poetry to denote a line
break.
o Also use the slash to replace the word and to join two nouns.
Using SlashesUsing Slashes
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o To register, you will need your driver's license and/or your birth
certificate.
o Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream. / Merrily,
merrily, merrily, merrily, / Life is but a dream.
o"The student and part-time employee has very little free time." →
"The student/part-time employee has very little free time."

16. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use the double quotation mark ( " ) to enclose a direct
quotation, whether spoke by a person or taken from a written
source.
o Use parentheses to clarify.
Using Miscellaneous Punctuation MarksUsing Miscellaneous Punctuation Marks
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o "I can't wait to see him perform!" John exclaimed. According to
the article, the value of the dollar in developing nations is "strongly
influenced by its aesthetic value, rather than its face value.“
o Steve Case (AOL's former CEO) resigned from the Time-Warner
board of directors in 2005.

17. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use parentheses to denote an afterthought.
o Use parentheses for personal comments.
Using Miscellaneous Punctuation MarksUsing Miscellaneous Punctuation Marks
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don't forget the
batteries!).
o Most grammarians believe that parentheses and commas are
always interchangeable (I disagree).

18. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
o Use brackets to signify an editor's note in a regular piece of
writing.
o Use braces to denote a numeric set in mathematics.
Using Miscellaneous Punctuation MarksUsing Miscellaneous Punctuation Marks
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org
Examples:
o "[The blast] was absolutely devastating," said Susan Smith, a
local bystander at the scene of the incident.
o The set of numbers in this problem are: { 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 }
Choose your favorite utensil { fork, knife, spoon } and bring it to me.

19. CORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATIONCORRECT USE OF ENGLISH PUNCTUATION
http://www.punctuationchecker.orghttp://www.punctuationchecker.org