The man arrived . He sat down .

1. Theperiod • Use a full stop (period) at theend of a sentence: • Themanarrived. He satdown. • 2. Use full stopswithabbreviations (in anabbreviationthelastletter of theword and of theabbreviation are notthesame): • Co. (Company) • etc. (et cetera) • M.P. (Member of Parliament) • 3. Do not use full stopswithcontractions (in a contractionthelastletter of theword and of thecontraction are thesame): • Ltd (Limited) • Dr (Doctor) • St (Saint)

2. Thesemi-colon ; We sometimes use a semi-colon instead of a full stop or period. This is to separate sentences that are grammatically independent but that have closely connected meaning. Josef likes coffee; Mary likes tea. Tara is a good speaker; she speaks very clearly.You did your best; now let's hope you pass the exam.Ram wants to go out; Anthony wants to stay home. Note that in the above examples it is not correct to use a comma instead of the semi-colon.

3. The colon : The colon is a widely misused but very useful piece of punctuation. Use it correctly and it can add precision to your written work as well as impressing your tutors and future employers. There are not many people around who are able to use colons correctly. The colon has a number of functions: To introduce an idea. it is used to introduce an idea that is an explanation or continuation of the one that comes before the colon. The colon can be considered as a gateway inviting the reader to go on. You are left with only one option: Press on until you have mastered it. There is one thing you need to know about coleslaw: it looks and tastes like slurry. It is important to note that the clause that comes before the colon can stand alone and make complete sense on its own.

4. To introduce a list. The second main use of the colon is to introduce a list. You need to take care; many people assume that a colon always precedes a list. The potion contained some exotic ingredients: snails' eyes, bats' tongues and garlic. The magic potion contained sesame seeds, bran flakes and beans. What’s the difference? Why do we use a colon in the first and a comma in the second?

5. Style. Having mastered the correct use of the colon, it is useful to make it work for you in your writing. Using a colon can add emphasis to an idea. For example, consider the following two sentences: The one thing mankind cannot live without is hope. There is one thing that mankind cannot live without: hope. Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the second makes the point a little more forcefully. Now we are in the realms of style, it is important to emphasize that you, as the writer, have to decide how to make your newfound expertise with punctuation work for you. Do not be tempted to overuse colons. They are powerful but should be used with precision and care.

6. Which of these is correct? a) The potion contained: fruit, biscuits and glue. b) The potion contained fruit, biscuits and glue. c) The potion: contained fruit, biscuits and glue. Which of these is correct? a) You have only one choice: Leave now while you can. b) You have only one choice leave now while you can. c) You have only one choice. Leave now while you can. Which of these is correct? a) I can see only one thing: the old lighthouse. b) I can see only one thing the old lighthouse. c) I can see: only one thing the old lighthouse.

7. The comma The comma is a much misused and often over used piece of punctuation. The complexity of its usage stems primarily from the fact that there are several different situations in which the comma is the correct piece of punctuation to use. The trick is to identify those situations so as not to use the comma in places where it really should not be. 1. To separate the elements in a list of three or more items. The potion included gobstoppers, chewing gum, bran flakes and sugar. 2. Before certain conjunctions. A comma should be used before these conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so to separate two independent clauses. They are called co-ordinating conjunctions. She was a fantastic cook, but she would never be as good as her mother in law. He hated his neighbors, so he never invited them to his place.

8. 3. To separate introductory elements in a sentence. Use a comma to separate introductory elements in a sentence from the main part of that sentence. Given the appalling weather conditions, Michael was lucky to survive the storm. Having mastered the use of the colon, it is important to make it work for you in your writing. 4. To separate parenthetical elements in a sentence. A comma is used to set off parenthetical elements in a sentence. The parenthetical element (also known as an aside) is part of the sentence that can be removed without changing the essential meaning of the sentence. Sarah, the most intelligent pupil in the class, was always late for school. The pyramids, one of the wonders of the ancient world, lie just outside Cairo.

9. Select the correctly punctuated sentences. a) After a fantastic night out, we all went to the chip shop. • My wife a wonderful woman makes a delicious curry. c) John, my brother, is the world's worst piano player. d) Walking back from the hotel we saw the robbery with our own eyes.

10. 5. To separate direct speech or quoted elements from the rest of the sentence. Commas are used to separate direct speech or quoted elements from the rest of a sentence. Use a comma to separate the quoted material from the rest of the sentence. "That house there," he whispered, "is where I grew up." "Give me the money," he snarled, "unless you want to meet your maker." Note that a comma is not always needed in direct speech if another punctuation mark serves to separate the quoted element from the rest of the sentence. Look at the following example: "Give me the money!" he snarled.

11. 6. Commas are used to separate elements in a sentence that express contrast. He was first attracted by her money, not her stunning looks. She is intelligent, not pretty. He thought the building was enormous, but ugly. 7. Commas are used for typographical reasons to separate dates and years, towns and counties etc. His home was in Streatham, East London. My father was born on March 13, 1949.

12. Use commas to punctuate these sentences. • After a hard day at the office I like to relax with a large gin. • The recipe needed jam flour sugar fruit eggs ketchup and baking powder. • "Look at this" he whispered. • Paulina his wife of many years had decided to go and live in Greece. • As the sun began to sink over the sea Karen got ready to go out. • She was intelligent not especially practical. • The thief was wearing impractical high heels so she could not run fast. • We go to Blackpool for the cuisine not the weather. • Steven his head still spinning walked out of the office for the last time. • "I advise you" said the teacher "not to cross me again today."