LEC052006. AMRUTHA T.A. MECHANICS OF WRITING.

             The mechanics of writing refers to the established rules and conventions that must be followed in composition. The proper usage of these rules enables proper conveyance of thoughts to the readers. The mechanics of writing comprises spelling,  capitalization and punctuation. These components are inevitable in academic writing since they can make the writing precise, systematic and error - free. Punctuation marks are symbols that are used in writing to divide the sentences and convey the intended meaning. The commonly used punctuation marks are full stop or period, question mark or the note of interrogation, exclamation mark, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, brackets, braces, parentheses, apostrophe, quotation marks and ellipsis. 

1) Full stop/ Period ( . )

A full stop or period is used to mark the end of a declarative sentence or phrase.

e.g. John went to the restaurant. 

It is also used in abbreviations like A.D. (Anno Domini), B.C. ( Before Christ) and M.A. (Master of Arts).

2) Question mark ( ? )

A question mark is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that a sentence is a question.

e.g. Who are you?

3) Exclamation mark ( ! )

An exclamation mark is used after words or sentences which express sudden, strong emotion or surprise. 

e.g. What a wonderful surprise

4) Comma ( , )

A comma represents a very short pause between parts of a sentence. It is used to separate items in a list and to separate independent clauses when they are joined by co-ordinating conjunctions such as for, or, nor, so, and, but. 

 e.g. Red, white, pink and yellow flowers filled the vase.

Mary wanted to go to the party, but her mother refused.

5) Semicolon ( ; )

A semicolon represents a longer pause than is marked by a comma. It is used to connect independent clauses. It is chiefly used to separate the constituent parts of a compound sentence,when these parts are not joined by co-ordinating conjunctions. 

e.g. My frock is white; my sister's is green.

6) Colon ( : )

A colon is chiefly used to indicate that the clause or clauses that follow are in explanation or confirmation of the statement that precedes it. It is also used for emphasis. 

e.g. Two things are necessary for success in life : hardwork and perseverance. 

7) Dash ( -- )

A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two types of dashes. They are en dash and em dash. The en dash is shorter and is used to mark ranges. The em dash is longer and is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a      sentence. 

e.g. Parents, brothers, sisters, friends,relatives -- all abandoned him.

8) Hyphen ( - )

A hyphen is shorter than a dash. It is used to join words together to form compound words.

e.g. The man - eaters of Kumaon.

9) Brackets ( [] )

Brackets are used for technical explanations or to clarify the original text by an editor. 

She [ Mary ] is a great friend of us.

10) Braces ( {} )

Braces are used to mark pauses and represent choices.

e.g. Choose a colour { black, brown, green, blue } to paint the wall

11) Parentheses ( () )

It is used to set aside information that is not deemed to be essential to a sentence. 

e.g. Anna (10 years - old) is a beautiful girl.

12) Apostrophe ( ' )

An apostrophe is used to indicate that some letter, or letter, have been omitted from a word. It is also used to form the possessive case.

e.g. I've written a letter to him.

Jane's parents invited us.

13) Quotation marks ( " " )

Quotation marks are used with titles of  certain works, with direct quotes, to imply alternate meaning and to write words as words. Quotation marks are also used to express someone else's words in a sentence. 

e.g. Ann said, " Mother was knitting a scarf." 

14) Ellipsis (. . .) 

An ellipsis is a set of three periods used to indicate an omission. 

e.g. I don't know . . . I am not sure.

              Punctuation marks should be used correctly to aid the clarity of written language. The correct usage of punctuation marks in appropriate places enables the readers to understand the intended meaning. Like punctuation,  capitalization also helps to convey information. Proper adherence to these rules and conventions marks the successful writing. Hence the mechanics of writing must be followed strictly to make writing systematic,  clear, error- free and precise.

Source

Learner's English Teacher, Prof. E . J . Carri

www.grammarbook.com

      

                


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