Knowra Punctuation Punctuation Punctuation is the system of written marks that organizes text, signals grammatical relationships, and helps distinguish meanings and speech-like effects.
Comma : A punctuation mark used to separate elements, set off clauses, and signal certain grammatical boundaries. Commas show how one mark can separate sentence parts without ending the sentence.
Grammatical clause : A unit of grammar containing a predicate and, typically, a subject. Clause boundaries determine where many commas, semicolons, and periods can appear.
Ancient Greek punctuation : The marks and spacing practices used to organize written Greek in antiquity. Early Greek scribes used devices such as spacing and points to guide reading.
English orthography : The conventional spelling and writing practices used for English. English punctuation is part of a broader system of written conventions that differs across varieties.
Whitespace : Empty space between written characters, words, or lines that helps organize text. Spacing can separate words and clauses without using punctuation marks.
Period : A punctuation mark that usually ends a declarative sentence or marks an abbreviation. The period is the clearest standard signal that a sentence has ended.
Run-on sentence : A sentence in which independent clauses are joined without appropriate punctuation or a conjunction. It shows what happens when punctuation fails to mark boundaries between complete clauses.
Aristophanes of Byzantium : A Hellenistic Greek scholar and librarian associated with an early system of editorial marks and reading signs. His system of points is an early recorded attempt to guide phrasing through marks.
Chinese punctuation : The punctuation conventions used in modern written Chinese, including full-width forms of many marks. Its marks share functions with English punctuation but have distinct forms and conventions.
Diacritic : A mark added to a letter to alter its pronunciation, distinguish it, or indicate a grammatical feature. Diacritics modify letters, whereas punctuation primarily structures or qualifies stretches of text.
Show all 27