Punctuation
The periodis a commonly used signal that a sentence has ended. It
is used after two types of sentences: (1) the declarative sentence, which
is a statement about something, and (2) the imperative sentence,
which is a request or command:
Statement:I have five dollars in my pocket.Command:Give me the five dollars that you have in your pocket.The period is also used after an abbreviation. Some abbreviations
are titles: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Rev. Others are short versions of spe-
cific expressions: A.M., P. M., etc. If you end a sentence with one of
these abbreviations, do not add a second period. For example:
Phillip arrived at exactly 8:00 P.M.The question markat the end of a sentence signals that the sen-
tence is asking a question. You already know how to position verbs
to form a question. Some examples:
Statement QuestionCarlotta is at home. Is Carlotta at home?
You have a problem. Do you have a problem?
They were in Rome. Were they in Rome?The exclamation pointat the end of a sentence signals that the
information in the sentence is stated strongly or with emotion.
Some ordinary statements and exclamations look identical. But if
the sentence ends in an exclamation point, it is expressed with
emotion:
Ordinary Statement Strong StatementJason is sick. Jason is sick!
I saw a stranger there. I saw a stranger there!
It has started to snow. It has started to snow!
He didn’t leave. He didn’t leave!68Unit 12
04 (062-076) Units 10-13 11/3/04 1:41 PM Page 68
Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use.