Punctuation

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What is punctuation?

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Punctuation refers to the marks used in writing that help clarify meaning and separate linguistic units. Common punctuation marks include periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points.

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What is the purpose of a period?

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A period (.) is used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence.

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What is the purpose of a comma?

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A comma (,) is used to separate items in a list, to set off introductory elements, and to separate clauses in a sentence.

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What is the purpose of a question mark?

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A question mark (?) is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that it is a question.

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What is the purpose of an exclamation point?

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An exclamation point (!) is used to express strong emotion or emphasis.

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How do you use commas in a list?

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Commas are used to separate items in a list, for example: 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

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What is a compound sentence?

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A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction, often using a comma before the conjunction.

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What is direct speech?

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Direct speech is when the exact words spoken by a person are quoted, usually enclosed in quotation marks.

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How do you punctuate direct speech?

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Direct speech is punctuated with quotation marks around the spoken words, and a comma is used before the opening quotation if the speech is preceded by a dialogue tag.

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What is an example of a correctly punctuated question?

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An example is: 'What time is it?'.