Punctuation marks make words and sentences easier to understand.
| PERIOD | EXAMPLES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use a period: | |||||||
| • at the end of a statement or a polite command | Georgia read the paper to her mom. Tell me if there are any interesting articles. | ||||||
| • after an abbreviation | There’s a new restaurant on Stone St. near our house. It opens at 10 a. m. today. But: Do not use a period in an acronym: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Do not use a period in the abbreviation of a state name written in a mailing address:
| ||||||
| • after an initial | The owner of J. J. Malone. | ||||||
| • to separate dollars and cents. The period is the decimal point. | The article says lunch today costs only $1. 50. | ||||||
| • in an Internet address. The period is called a dot. | The restaurant has a Web site at www.jjmalone.org. | ||||||
| QUESTION MARK | EXAMPLES | ||||||
| Use a question mark: | |||||||
| • at the end of a question | What kind of food do they serve? | ||||||
| • after a question that comes at the end of a statement | The food is good, isn’t it? But: Use a period after an indirect question. In an indirect question, you tell about a question you asked. I asked how good the food could be for only $1.50. |