End Punctuation
Periods, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation marks
Periods
Periods are mostly used to end sentences.
Juan and Juanita were twins.
A Salisbury steak is a fancy hamburger.
However, periods are also used:
- To abbreviate titles: Mr., Dr., Rev.
- After individual initials, followed by a space: P. T. Barnum; F. Scott Fitzgerald
- With abbreviated, uncapitalized Latin phrases. Note that there is no space after the first period: e.g., i.e., a.m., p.m.
Periods are not used:
- When an entire name is abbreviated: JFK, MLK, USA
- For units of measurement and rates: kg, cm, mph, rpm
- When a sentence ends with an abbreviation that already ends with a period: I will arrive at 4 p.m.
Practice question
Crazy Lou Jones, known to his friends as CLJ, was born in the U. K. When he began driving, he routinely racked up tickets for exceeding London’s 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit.
Choose the correct answer:
a. NO CHANGE
b. Crazy Lou Jones, known to his friends as CLJ, was born in the UK. When he began driving, he routinely racked up tickets for exceeding London’s 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit.
c. Crazy Lou Jones, known to his friends as CLJ, was born in the UK. When he began driving, he routinely racked up tickets for exceeding London’s 20 mph (32 k.m.h.) speed limit.
d. Crazy Lou Jones, known to his friends as CLJ, was born in the UK. When he began driving, he routinely racked up tickets for exceeding London’s 20 m.p.h. (32 km/h) speed limit.
e. Crazy Lou Jones, known to his friends as C. L. J., was born in the UK. When he began driving, he routinely racked up tickets for exceeding London’s 20 mph (32 k.m.h.) speed limit.
Correct answer:
The correct answer is b. Crazy Lou Jones, known to his friends as CLJ, was born in the UK. When he began driving, he routinely racked up tickets for exceeding London’s 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit.
a. NO CHANGE is incorrect because U. K. should be written UK.
b. is correct. CLJ and UK refer to entire names, which are not written with periods. The units mph and km/h take no periods, so both speed limits are written correctly.
c. is incorrect because k.m.h. should be written km/h.
d. is incorrect because m.p.h. should be written mph.
e. is incorrect because C. L. J. should be written CLJ.
Semicolons
Semicolons have two uses.
First, like periods, they can separate two main clauses. It is a straight substitution, with no extra words needed.
It stopped raining; they left five minutes later.
Writers use semicolons to show that the two clauses they divide are closely related. Often, an adverb or transition word is used to begin the second clause.
Sebastian brought his tres leches cake to the party; as usual, none was left.
The music spilled out into the street; predictably, Mr. Crabtree called the police.
Second, semicolons separate the items in a list when the items themselves contain commas, or when they are long and full of ands, so that commas alone would be confusing:
The reading for the course includes Frankenstein, Mary Shelley; The Time Machine, H. G. Wells; Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury; Dune, Frank Herbert; He, She, and It, Marge Piercy; Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler; and The Peripheral, William Gibson.
The above sentence is a list of books by title and author. The titles are italicized, so it is easy to tell titles from authors, but it could be difficult to keep straight which author goes with which title. Semicolons come to the rescue, separating the units of title and author from one another so that the list is easy to read.
Practice question
Selena’s last dinner party included; curried red lentil soup with kale and sweet potatoes; cheese and herb corn muffins; and pesto vegetable lasagna with vegan sausage.
Choose the correct answer:
a. NO CHANGE
b. Selena’s last dinner party included curried red lentil soup with kale and sweet potatoes; cheese and herb; corn muffins; and pesto vegetable lasagna with vegan sausage.
c. Selena’s last dinner party included curried red lentil soup with kale and sweet potatoes; cheese and herb corn muffins; and pesto vegetable lasagna; with vegan sausage.
d. Selena’s last dinner party included curried red lentil soup with kale and sweet potatoes; cheese and herb corn muffins; and pesto vegetable lasagna with vegan sausage.
e. Selena’s last dinner party included curried red lentil soup with kale; and sweet potatoes; cheese and herb corn muffins; and pesto vegetable lasagna with vegan sausage.
Correct answer:
The correct answer is d. Selena’s last dinner party included curried red lentil soup with kale and sweet potatoes; cheese and herb corn muffins; and pesto vegetable lasagna with vegan sausage.
a. NO CHANGE is incorrect because there should not be a semicolon after included. Semicolons are never used to introduce lists.
b. is incorrect because cheese and herb corn muffins is one item.
c. is incorrect because there should not be a semicolon after lasagna.
d. is correct. The first two menu items each contain an and, so commas alone would blur where one item ends and the next begins; semicolons keep the three items clear.
e. is incorrect because red lentil soup with kale and sweet potatoes is one menu item.
Question marks
A question mark punctuates the end of a direct question.
What would you like for dinner tonight?
However, question marks are not used for questions that are asked indirectly.
He asked me what I would like for dinner tonight.
To distinguish a direct question from an indirect one, check the word order. A statement puts its subject before its verb. A direct question puts a verb, or a question word and a verb, before the subject.
Do you want to go to the movies?
I want to go to the movies.
A request worded as a question is a direct question, so it takes a question mark:
Would you mind stopping at the supermarket on the way home?
When the quoted words are a question, the question mark goes inside the quotation marks.
“Did you enjoy your walk?” asked Sara.
Sara asked, “Did you enjoy your walk?”
If the sentence in which the quote appears is a question, the question mark goes outside the quotation marks.
Did he promise to love you “forever and a day”?
Practice question
Grace wanted to know when the bus would arrive.
Choose the correct answer:
a. NO CHANGE
b. Grace wanted to know when the bus would arrive?
c. Grace wanted to know when would the bus arrive?
d. Grace wanted to know when would the bus arrive.
e. Grace asked when would the bus arrive?
Correct answer:
The correct answer is a. NO CHANGE
a. is correct. The sentence is declarative, so the period is correct.
b. is incorrect because the sentence is a statement, not a question.
c. is incorrect because the sentence is a statement and should not use question word order.
d. is incorrect because the second half is worded like a question.
e. is incorrect because the sentence is a statement, not a direct question.
Exclamation marks
Exclamation marks are substituted for periods to express strong emotions, surprise, and urgency. Use them sparingly. In formal writing they are rare and usually appear only in quoted speech.
When exclamation marks are used to end a quoted phrase, they replace the comma that would ordinarily go before the dialogue tag. When an exclamation belongs to the quoted words, the mark goes inside the quotation marks, just as a question mark does. When the whole sentence is the exclamation, it goes outside: I can’t believe he called that mess “art”!
Juliet screamed, “I won the lottery!”
“I won the lottery!” screamed Juliet.
Practice question
“I can’t believe what a beautiful day it is,!” exclaimed Mr. Spinolli. “Let’s have class outside.”
Choose the correct answer:
a. NO CHANGE
b. “I can’t believe what a beautiful day it is,” exclaimed Mr. Spinolli! “Let’s have class outside.”
c. “I can’t believe what a beautiful day it is!” exclaimed Mr. Spinolli. “Let’s have class outside!”
d. “I can’t believe what a beautiful day it is!” exclaimed Mr. Spinolli. “Let’s have class outside.”
e. “I can’t believe what a beautiful day it is.” exclaimed Mr. Spinolli. “Let’s have class outside.”
Correct answer:
The correct answer is d. “I can’t believe what a beautiful day it is!” exclaimed Mr. Spinolli. “Let’s have class outside.”
a. NO CHANGE is incorrect because it includes a comma before the exclamation mark.
b. is incorrect because the exclamation mark should appear after is, not after the dialogue tag.
c. is not the best choice: nothing in the second remark calls for an exclamation, and using two in a row weakens both.
d. is correct.
e. is incorrect because a period can never replace a comma before a dialogue tag.