Meaning & use
punctuation
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Meanings
noununcountable
The marks such as commas, periods and question marks that are used in writing to separate words and show how a sentence should be read.
Grammar: No plural and no a: correct punctuation, not a punctuation.
Patterns
- punctuation in something
- check the punctuation
Her essay was clear, but the punctuation needed some work.
Without punctuation, the long sentence was hard to follow.
The editor corrected the spelling and punctuation.
noununcountable
The act or system of using such marks when writing.
Grammar: Often subject of a lesson or rule: punctuation is taught in primary school.
Patterns
- rules of punctuation
Punctuation is taught alongside grammar in primary school.
He has a very relaxed approach to punctuation in texts.
The rules of punctuation differ slightly between languages.
Common combinations
- punctuation mark
- A comma is a common punctuation mark.
- correct punctuation
- Correct punctuation makes your writing easier to read.
- punctuation rules
- The punctuation rules for quotations vary by country.
- check punctuation
- Please check your punctuation before you submit.
- spelling and punctuation
- Marks are given for spelling and punctuation.
- poor punctuation
- Poor punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stops
- Stops is an old-fashioned word mostly for periods, whereas punctuation covers all marks.
- marks
- Marks is short for punctuation marks but needs context.
- pointing
- Pointing is rare and dated, used for marking phrases in scripture or poetry.
Word family
- punctuate verb
- to add marks to writing, or to interrupt at intervals
- punctuated adjective
- marked with punctuation or interrupted
- punctuator noun
- someone or something that punctuates
- unpunctuated adjective
- lacking punctuation marks
Commonly confused: punctuation or punctuality? punctuation or puncture?
punctuation vs punctuality
Punctuality means arriving on time, while punctuation is about writing marks.
punctuation vs puncture
A puncture is a small hole, as in a tire.
Practice
A comma, a period and a question mark are all examples of ____.
Choose one answer.
These are written marks, so punctuation fits. Punctuality means being on time, which only sounds similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “punctuation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.