Punctuation is a set of specific marks or symbols that we used to express the meaning of our sentences clearly and to make the flow of the text smooth. It shows us where we need to pause, it separates ...

Which punctuation mark is the hardest to use correctly? The ellipsis sounds a little intimidating, and people frequently misuse apostrophes. Perhaps you’re thinking it’s one of those. It’s not. The ...

A few years back I set out to write a comprehensive punctuation book — one that laid out the rules for proper punctuation in every situation imaginable. How naïve I was. You don’t have to spend a lot ...

While we all slip up from time to time, there are some basic punctuation mistakes you should never make in formal writing. For example, don't confuse "it's" and "its," don't use an apostrophe to ...

Just like the vocabulary we use when we write, the full stops, commas and dreaded semi-colons we punctuate with have also changed over time. Some once common punctuation marks have fallen out of ...

Whenever you write a description or story that contains spoken words, you must be careful to use correct punctuation in the speech. These are called speech or quotation marks, and the rules for using ...

Today is a special holiday! Happy National Punctuation Day. Punctuation can be both the great love and the occasional bane of a writer's existence, and it's not strange that a love affair may crop up ...

In a recent informal Twitter survey of which punctuation marks one would marry, kill, or you-know-what, we found a strong reaction in favor of keeping the em-dash alive. Others preferred the ...

This post is in partnership with History Today. The article below was originally published at History Today. We send each other millions of faces each day, hoping to press complex emotional tones into ...