Basic English Language Skills Basic English Language Skills
Have a look at the table below to see the most important 
punctuation rules:
PUNCTUATION
RULES: EXAMPLES:
. Full stop A full stop is used to end a sentence. Mary is writing an exam on Monday. If she passes the 
exam, she will be able to apply for her dream job.
? Question mark
A question mark replaces a full stop at 
the end of a sentence if the sentence is 
phrased as a question.
Will you please close the door?
! Exclamation mark
An exclamation mark is used instead of 
a full stop to indicate strong emotion 
in a sentence. Exclamation marks 
should be used sparingly, especially in 
academic work.
He made me so angry! Hurry up!
; Semicolon
A semicolon is used to link two related 
clauses, or to separate items in a list 
(where the list already contains com-
mas).
Linking related clauses: Your report was helpful; it ex-
plained the reasons for the committee’s decision.
Separating items in a list: Switzerland, Germany, and 
Austria are in Europe; Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina are 
in America; and Japan, Korea, and China are in Asia.
, Comma
Commas are used:
To separate items in a list.She bought bread, milk, and eggs at the shop.
To separate clauses in a sentence. My friend, who is also an athlete, gave me a pair of run-
ning shoes for my birthday.
To separate quotations from the rest of 
a sentence.
He asked, “How far do we still have to go?”
Before co-ordinating conjunctions when 
they join two independent clauses. 
It was raining outside, but they decided to go swimming 
anyway.
After a dependent clause at the begin-
ning of a sentence
When I arrived at work, I realised that I had left my office 
key at home.
When addressing someone or some-
thing directly.
“John, will you please print this document before the 
meeting?”
: Colon
A colon is used to introduce the second 
part of a sentence when the second 
part explains or expands upon the first 
part.
There is only one way to fix this: we have to start over.
The following items must be included with your CV: a 
cover letter, a copy of your ID, and a copy of your Matric 
certificate
’ Apostrophe
An apostrophe is used to indicate pos-
session, or to indicate that letters have 
been omitted from a word.
Possession: The director’s office was locked.
Omission: He wasn’t there. (“was not” becomes “wasn’t”)
“ Inverted commas
Inverted commas, or quotation marks, 
are used to indicate direct speech, or 
to indicate that text is being quoted 
from another source.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
- Hyphen
A hyphen is used to join words, or to 
join words and letters/numbers.
Forming compound adjectives: rose-coloured, prize-win-
ner, hand- picked
Adding prefixes: pre-release, pre- production, pre-qualify, 
non-verbal Joining words with letters/numbers: pre-2014, 
X-ray, C-section.
- En dash En dashes are used to replace the 
words “to” or “through”.
The company’s financial year runs from March – February.
— Em dash
An em dash is used to emphasise the 
clause that follows it, to separate a 
phrase from the rest of a sentence, or 
to indicate an interruption or change in 
thought.
Emphasising a clause: I’m the serious one — you have all 
the fun.
Separating a phrase: He was the one — the only one — 
who was brave enough to enter the building.
Indicating a change/interruption: “I really need a new — 
oh, never mind, I found the old one.”