Punctuation Lessons

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List of Punctuation Lessons

Using punctuation correctly is essential to add clarity and precision to writing. More specifically, punctuation controls how information is grouped, how it flows, and how it is emphasized. In other words, it controls how readers absorb the text presented.

Main Punctuation Lessons

Here is a list of the main punctuation lessons. These lessons summarize the main points for each type of punctuation.

Summary of All Punctuation

Here is a handy summary of all the punctuation:

Detailed Lessons for the Main Types of Punctuation

More about Apostrophes

Here are more lessons about apostrophes with a focus on:

• Apostrophes for possession
• Apostrophe placement rules
• Apostrophe after s
• Apostrophe after z
• Apostrophe before s
• Apostrophes for awkward plurals
• Apostrophes after acronyms and abbreviations
• Apostrophes in contractions
• Apostrophes in expressions like 2 years' pay and a day's notice
• Apostrophes used incorrectly for plurals
• Apostrophe exercises
• Apostrophes in names
• Apostrophe misuse
• Apostrophes in contractions

Other pages relating to apostrophes:

• Apostrophe help
• Overview of apostrophes
• Apostrophes for ownership

More about Brackets and Parentheses

Here are more lessons about brackets with a focus on:

• Square brackets
• Round brackets
• Brackets and punctuation placement
• Choice of parenthetical punctuation

More about Commas

Here are more lessons about commas with a focus on:

• Commas with Dear, Hello, and Hi
• Commas after a dependent clause
• Commas after words like however and consequently
• Commas after interjections
• Commas before words like and, or, and but
• Commas for parenthesis
• Commas in lists
• The comma run-on error
• The Oxford Comma
• Commas with long subjects
• Commas in numbers
• Commas with quotation marks
• Commas with direct address
• Commas and however

More about Colons

Here are more lessons about colons with a focus on:

• Colons before long quotations
• Colons with bullet points
• Colons for introductions
• Colons in references
• Colons to expand on something previously mentioned in a sentence
• Colons before lists
• Colons versus semicolons
• Capital letters after colons

More about Hyphens

Here are more lessons about hyphens with a focus on:

• Hyphens in prefixes
• Hyphens in compound nouns
• Hyphens in compound adjectives
• Alternatives to hyphens in compound adjectives
• Hyphens between numbers
• Hyphens between words
• Hyphens in ages

More about Dashes

Here are more lessons about dashes with a focus on:

• Dashes between dates
• Hyphens versus dashes
• Dashes as parenthetical punctuation

More about Semicolons

Here are more lessons about semicolons with a focus on:

• Semicolons for a smoother break than a full stop /period
• Semicolons in lists
• Semicolons before words like however and consequently
• Semicolons before words like and, or, and but

More about Quotation Marks

Here are more lessons about quotation marks with a focus on:

• Quotation marks within quotation marks
• Quotations marks for the names of ships, plays, etc.
• Quotation marks and punctuation placement
• Quotation marks meaning alleged or so-called
• Quotation marks and ellipsis
• Quotations marks and punctuation before a quote
• Quotation marks with multiple paragraphs

Printable Test

Take a different punctuation test.