September Sampler: Ampersand, Asterisk, and Ellipsis: Punctuation Day Parlance, September 24

These punctuation terms are good to know, period. Learn what an apostrophe’s purpose is; find out what a semicolon is for. Are you confused about question marks? Probably not (although you may be mystified by parentheses). This list is sure to make you as excited as an exclamation point!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ampersand
    a punctuation mark (&) that represents the conjunction "and"
    If you have a personal Wi-Fi network, make sure that you password-protect access, and use long passwords that include special characters, such as ampersands and exclamation marks.
    – The Seattle Times
  2. apostrophe
    a mark used to indicate the omission of one or more letters
    Store awnings and windows, sides of trucks, even neon signs, are peppered with wayward apostrophes that either don’t belong at all or are in the wrong position. Woe Is I
  3. asterisk
    a star-shaped character used in printing
    A number of the authors’ names have been starred with penciled asterisks by previous readers, but there is no sign or mark by Nikolai Gogol’s name. The Namesake
  4. bracket
    either of two punctuation marks used to enclose text
    A degree in English language is not a prerequisite for caring about where a bracket is preferred to a dash, or a comma needs to be replaced by a semicolon. Eats, Shoots & Leaves
  5. colon
    a punctuation mark used after a word introducing a series
    If you listened closely it was possible to hear the dashes and commas in his speech, even the colons and semicolons. Middlesex: A Novel
  6. comma
    a punctuation mark (,) indicating the separation of elements
    I told her I thought she meant all the periods had to have tails and be called commas. Flowers for Algernon
  7. dash
    a punctuation mark used between words or to mark a break
    The dash is like a detour; it interrupts the sentence and inserts another thought. Woe Is I
  8. ellipsis
    a mark indicating that words have been omitted
    Throughout, Moss’s voice is conversational, punctuated with frequent ellipses and colloquialisms: “Oh well.”
    – The New York Times
  9. exclamation point
    a punctuation mark (!) used to indicate emotion
    In the script, the dialogue is written with some exclamation points, but Bobby has stopped playing it with bombast. Drama High
  10. hyphen
    a punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a word
    NOTE.—A hyphen is generally, though not always, placed between non- and the root. New Word-Analysis
  11. interrobang
    punctuation mark (‽) expressing an exclamation as a question
    And one might even get crazy and use the interrobang for variety’s sake, which is the Siamese twin of an exclamation mark and question mark.
    – Time
  12. parenthesis
    a punctuation mark used to enclose textual material
    The thing to know about parentheses is that they can enclose a whole sentence standing alone, or something within a sentence. Woe Is I
  13. period
    a punctuation mark that ends a declarative sentence
    Periods retain their traditional meaning in news articles, academic journals, books and other formal contexts where the full-stops are necessary for intelligibility.
    – The New York Times
  14. question mark
    a punctuation mark (?) at the end of a sentence that is asking something
    Each time Marie-Laure relays another rumor to her father, he repeats “Germany” with a question mark after it, as if saying it for the very first time. All the Light We Cannot See
  15. quotation mark
    a punctuation mark showing that words were said or written by someone else
    When one quotation appears within another, enclose the interior one in single quotation marks. Woe Is I
  16. semicolon
    a punctuation mark used to connect independent clauses
    A degree in English language is not a prerequisite for caring about where a bracket is preferred to a dash, or a comma needs to be replaced by a semicolon. Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Created on 一月 6, 2017 (updated 七月 27, 2023)

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