LEC052007. Anagha Nair. Mechanics of Writing.
The mechanics of writing include spelling, punctuation, capitalization and abbreviations. Any composition gets proper meaning only with the right mechanics in the right place. A punctuation is a sign or mark used in writing to divide sentences or phrases. Some of the commonly used punctuations are:
1. Full stop/Period (.)
A full stop is placed at the end of declarative sentences, statements, and sometimes after abbreviations like a.m., p.m.
2. Question mark (?)
A question mark indicates a direct question when placed at the end of a sentence.
3. Exclamation mark (!)
It is used when a person wants to express a sudden outcry or add emphasis.
4. Comma (,)
A comma indicates a natural pause in a sentence or is used to separate items in a list.
5. Semicolon (;)
A semicolon is used to connect independent clauses. It shows a closer relationship between the clauses than a period would show.
6. Colon (:)
It is used after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example or a series. It is used between independent clauses when the second statement explains the first. A colon is also used for emphasis.
7. Dash
A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of dashes i) En dash (_) used to indicate range, connection or differentiation. ii) Em dash (__) used to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence.
8. Hyphen (-)
It is used to join two or more words together into a compound term and is not separated by spaces.
9. Brackets [ ]
It is used for technical explanation or to clarify meaning.
10. Braces {}
It is used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are considered as a unit.
11. Parenthesis ()
It is used to add non-essential information to a sentence like further thoughts or qualifying remarks.
12. Apostrophe (‘)
It is used to show omission of a letter or letters from a word. It is also used to show possession.
13. Quotation mark (“ “)
They are primarily used to mark the beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word.
14. Ellipsis (…)
Ellipsis indicates an omission especially of letters or words.
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