You’ve spent hours learning powerful English vocabulary words, and are confident that you know the right words for every situation. You’re a master of description and definition, and your spot-on pronunciation of each word ensures that you’ll always be understood. Or will you? If you only know words but not how to put them together effectively, your communication skills won’t be as good as they could be. Grammar is one important aspect of vocabulary building, because you need to know the right way to assemble words into phrases, and phrases into sentences. You’ll also need a good grasp of proper punctuation, so that your grammatically-correct sentences aren’t just long strings of words. Here’s an overview of basic punctuation marks that will help you clarify and add nuance to your phrasing:

.   The period is used to end a sentence.

,   The comma is used to indicate a pause, or to put a break between phrases to keep their meaning clear. Don’t be afraid to add commas to your sentences – as you can see by the example below, they’re quite useful!

I really like barbecuing my dog and working in my garden.
I really like barbecuing, my dog, and working in my garden.

!   Use an exclamation point to add emphasis!

?   Do you think anyone will forget how to use a question mark?

:   A colon is used before a list, an explanation, or a quote.

;   The semicolon is probably the most misused punctuation mark; it should generally only be used to separate two independent clauses. As you can see from the previous sentence, “independent clause” means each phrase could also stand alone. Semicolons are also sometimes used to separate groups of items in a list following a colon.

There are many other punctuation marks, but they’re much less common. You probably won’t see an interrobang or an asterism in any text you read, though they’re both valid marks. We recently came across an article recommending the creation of new punctuation marks, including the andorpersand and the superellipsis. Who knows? Perhaps in a few years they’ll be a common part of the English language, too.

If you’re really into punctuation marks, mark September 24th on your calendar, and get ready to celebrate National Punctuation Day! And even though punctuation marks are designed for written use, as Victor Borge famously noted, phonetic punctuation might be useful in conversation as well. Add rhythm and interest to your writing and your speech, and learn how punctuation can add value to your vocabulary study.