Use this tag for questions about the correct use of punctuation marks, or about using a punctuation mark instead of another one.
Questions tagged [punctuation]
917 questions
27
votes
4 answers
Is "hello" followed by "!" or "."?
Is "hello" followed by an exclamation mark or a full-stop? How about "Have a nice day"?
I normally type "Hello!" However, I got corrected to be "Hello."
Which punctuation mark should I use?
ํYingwor
- 271
- 1
- 3
- 3
13
votes
4 answers
How serious is the comma rule between coordinate adjectives?
I find the commas between coordinate adjectives unnecessary.
For example, the followings seem to be both fine to me.
It’s a bulky, heavy box.
It’s a bulky heavy box.
Is that so?
Sasan
- 2,068
- 5
- 31
- 54
10
votes
1 answer
No need for a question mark here?
Here is the letter from Pope Pius XII to Hitler:
To the illustrious, Herr Adolf Hitler, Führer and Chancellor of the German Reich!
Here at the beginning of our pontificate we wish to assure you that we remain devoted to the spiritual welfare of the…
A.K.
- 596
- 1
- 5
- 15
10
votes
2 answers
Should there be a space before punctuation?
I often see questions, exclamations, or sentences written with a space before punctuation marks (specifically ,, :, ?, and !), but I usually see these without the space. Which is correct? Are both correct? If not, what's wrong with the incorrect…
yoozer8
- 1,718
- 2
- 18
- 38
8
votes
3 answers
What is the " - " character on my keyboard?
There are 2 places I can type this character from my keyboard, and I don't know if they are the same character. These are the characters: - and -
I would like to know which one of these options this character (if they are the same) is. The choices…
holydragon
- 1,271
- 2
- 12
- 22
7
votes
1 answer
Why are commas instead of periods used in this sentence from the Economist?
When reading The Economist, I came across this sentence below in bold. According to grammar, we know a sentence must end up with a full stop, instead of a comma. But in this case, "Mr Trump is the president" and "47% of Americans trust him more than…
sdasd tont
- 589
- 4
- 10
6
votes
2 answers
Is it wrong to put exclamation mark (!) after 'Thanks'?
Is the following approach wrong?
Thanks! for the LIC receipt. I am good. How are you?
Is it ok to put an exclamation mark after 'Thanks'?
dexterous
- 1,494
- 15
- 30
- 38
4
votes
1 answer
Punctuation when there is a list in the sentence
There are many kinds of fruits: apples, oranges, pears, but, perhaps, most popular of all are grapes.
Is the punctuation in this sentence correct? If not, how should this sentence be punctuated?
ginsengpills
- 135
- 1
- 1
- 6
4
votes
3 answers
Should I hyphenate in this expression?
How can I use the hyphen (or something else) to make this sentence less confusing:
This algorithm achieves a fraction of 0.5 of the full and instantaneous information system region.
Here we have a system for which the information is full and…
din
- 1,013
- 5
- 20
- 26
4
votes
2 answers
How do we punctuate an abbreviation followed by a colon?
When making bullet points of details about something, do we punctuate the abbreviation?
Is it this way?
The details of the Vehicle are given below:
Vehicle Chassis No.: [dot and colon with no space]
Vehicle Chassis No. [dot only]
Vehicle Chassis…
user25493
4
votes
1 answer
What does "[b]ilingual" mean?
I came across the word "[b]ilingual" when reading this online article from Medical News Today.com.
Prof. Marian explains in the paper that "[b]ilinguals' ability to
seamlessly switch between two distinct communication systems masks the
considerable…
Takashi
- 987
- 10
- 26
4
votes
1 answer
Can a comma follow an em dash?
I have seen people put a comma right after an em dash. Is this practice correct? I guess it is not, since the em dash takes the place of the comma.
adipro
- 379
- 3
- 8
- 16
4
votes
1 answer
Should there be a space after “No.”, “p. (=page)” before numbers and after “a./p.” before “m.”
Should there be a space
after “No.”, “p. (=page)” before numbers
and after “a./p.” before “m.”
user10871523
- 159
- 1
- 3
- 10
4
votes
1 answer
although so far as horror-film narratives in that vein go
There’s more than one way to die in the woods, although so far as horror-film narratives in that vein go, “The Blair Witch Project” has cast a bit too pervasive a shadow for nearly two decades now.
Source:…
bart-leby
- 8,673
- 15
- 64
- 114
4
votes
2 answers
I don't understand punctuation inside quotes
I have troubles understanding how punctuation works with quotes, it feels illogical and counter-intuitive.
I was reading an article about documentation and I came across this sentence during the part about grammar:
You need to understand the…
Teleporting Goat
- 1,466
- 6
- 20
- 34