Punctuation - Academic Mode

Definition of punctuation
Punctuation is a set of marks that regulates and clarifies the meanings of different texts. The term "punctuation" originated from the medieval Latin word "pūnctuātiōn", which means marks or signs.

The purpose of punctuation is to clarify the meanings of texts by linking or separating words, phrases or clauses. For example, in the sentence “Yesterday, rain-fog; today, icy fog. But how fascinating each one ”(At the Turn of the Year, by Fiona Macleod), hyphens are used to separate compound words, while commas are used to separate sentences.

Punctuation types
There are fifteen basic punctuation marks in English grammar. These include a period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, colon, semicolon, bullet, hyphen, hyphen, parentheses, bracket, brace, ellipsis, quotation marks, and apostrophe. Here are some examples of these markings being used in a sentence

Brackets and ellipses
“Mr. Bumble said 'a donkey' not 'a donkey' in Oliver Twist. ... [In one quote, one] option could have been, "The law is a donkey," although that would have had the condescending tone of a sic flag, which means we are smarter than Dickens. “(Quibbling Over Quotes, by Blair Shewchuk)

In this example you can see the use of square brackets ([]) and an ellipse (“… ”). The author has used the brackets to explain the technical description and the ellipse to show the omission of words.

Dashes and brackets
“The whys and whys of the Scorpio - how he got on board and chose his room and not the pantry (which was a dark place and more that a scorpion could offer), and how on earth drowned himself in the inkwell of his desk - had trained him immensely. “(The Secret Sharer, by Joseph Conrad)

Here Conrad used hyphens to provide a brief summary of the main clause. He has also used parentheses or curved notations to further explain the idea.

Bullet Points
“The idea is easy to finish. This is helpful and not by default. One of the following methods will help:

Track potentially dramatic conclusion materials in your notes.
Allow room for a developed ending.
Connect to a conclusion that is worthy of the play.
Avoid the tendency towards a cliché ending.
(Spunk & Bite, by Arthur Plotnik)

Here, the author has used bullets to show his list of ideas.

Apostrophes and quotation marks molding the boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men. '… ”
“ No sir, I have not contacted them ”.

(The Catcher in the Rye, by J.Salinger)

In this excerpt, Salinger has used an apostrophe, which allows the removal of letters from a word so that the word still makes sense. Also use a pair of quotation marks around the sentence to quote another character's declaration.

Colones and semicolons
“The city is termite territory: thousands of workers with their heads down serving an unrecognized queen, an engine of fear buried in the heart of the place ”.
(Lights out for the territory, by Iain Sinclair)

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there ”.
(The Go-Between, by L. Hartley)

Here, two dots appear in the first example. It is used to introduce the main clause explanation. In the second example, a semicolon connects the two independent sentences.

Questions and exclamation marks
LAVINIA - (frightened - excited)
“Father? No Yes! He's doing - something about his face - that must be why I had the strange feeling that I had known him before ... Oh! I will not believe it! You must be wrong, Seth! ... "
(Grief becomes Electra, by Eugene O'Neil)

In these lines, an exclamation mark"! "Indicates a sudden expression of emotion, while a question mark"? "Used to pose a question.

Periods
ESTRAGON:
" I remember the maps of the Holy Land. They were colored. Very nice. The Dead Sea was pale blue. His mere appearance made me thirsty. "
(Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett)

Beckett has used five periods in the previous sentences. The use of a period indicates the end of a thought. A period can also be used as a pause. after a thought

Function
Punctuation serves as a pause within a sentence, which is often necessary to emphasize certain phrases or words in order to help readers and listeners better understand what the writer or speaker is saying is trying to transmit. Hence, the basic function of punctuation is to emphasize certain sections of a sentence.

Punctuation marks are also used to break text down into words and phrases if necessary, to better clarify the meaning of those words or phrases, and incorrect punctuation can have a completely different meaning of a sentence than the one originally intended.