The Punctuation Marks

            

         Punctuation marks can make or mar the meaning of a sentence. Punctuation marks are a set of symbols, and are an integral part of written language. There are specific rules for the usage of each. Punctuation marks help put the spoken words into writing. Correct punctuation helps convey what is meant.

                 One of the most important and difficult things to teach to students learning English as a second language is punctuation. Punctuation Marks are a set of symbols with specific rules for the usage of each one.

                  Before proceeding further, let us understand why punctuation is required in a language. The complete meaning of a sentence depends on the punctuation that is used in a sentence. I would like to share a small story that we were told while being taught punctuation. 

          The story goes as –

          Once the Czar of Russia condemned a man to death. The Czar sent an order to the jailer ‘Pardon Impossible. To be executed.’ The Czarina, who had a soft corner for the prisoner, changed the place of the full stop from after the word impossible to before it and the order stood as ‘Pardon. Impossible to be executed.’ And the prisoner was saved from execution. This small story explains the importance of punctuation very well.

            Punctuation helps to put spoken words into writing. Punctuation helps to bring in the right kind of expression into writing for which voice intonation, volume, tone, pauses are used while speaking. Let us take another example: ‘Don’t Stop.’ means carry on, you are not required to stop. Rewriting the same words as ‘Don’t. Stop’ means stop what ever is being done with immediate effect. Definitely both the sentences would be spoken in a different manner.

              These days we tend to ignore punctuation. Appropriate use of punctuation shows that a person has good knowledge of grammar. A person likes to pay attention to what is being written and what is meant from the same. It helps create clarity of meaning.

The most common punctuation marks are given below with their usage:

Also known as fullstop. It is used to depict  • Completion of a sentence;
e.g. The activists have been arrested.
• In abbreviations;
e.g. Dear Ms. Muffet, ……

It is used as the shortest pause that is made while speaking. It can be used at many places in a sentence, but the most common usage of the comma is : • To separate a list of words in a sentence;
e.g. Reena, Sheena, Diven and Saksham are going to a movie.

Represents a pause of greater importance and length than a comma. It is used to separate closely related independent clauses;
e.g. He was a tall, gallant warrior; we all loved him.

A colon also represents a pause, more complete than a semi colon, but less a full stop. It is generally used before a list or an explanation. e.g. The teacher said: “ Reading is important if you want to learn a language.”

Also known as inverted commas. These are used to depict quoted or spoken language. They are used when the words are repeated as they were said. e.g. The Principal said: “All teachers are required to be present for the staff meeting.”

The exclamation mark is used after sentences used to express emotion or a wish, and interjections;
e.g. O Father! In heaven ….

A question mark is the sign of the interrogative and is used after direct questions; e.g. Would you like to have a cup of tea?

 

The Easiest Ways To Improve Your English

I’ve just thought up of some simple ways for anyone who is interested in improving their English. I myself am trying to improve in this language each day. There’s always so much to learn and it can be really fun! You just need to have the passion and enthusiasm to better yourself.
 

1. This is what most people would advise: read. Read anything and everything in English. You can read story books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, comics, English textbooks, instructions and ingredients on food packages, advertisements, etc. For story books, don’t force yourself to read something too difficult or something you know you won’t enjoy. Make reading fun! Read books that you ENJOY reading. I hate to read books that bore me too.
           
2. Watch English movies with subtitles. This would be my favourite way of learning English. Not only do I get to have a fun time watching the movie, I’d be learning new words at the same time and knowing how to pronounce them! Usually, you can get movies with English subtitles on DVDs.
                              
3. Listen to English songs. Read the lyrics as you listen to the songs. Listen to your favourite songs and sing along to them.
             
4. Start a blog in English. This is one way for you to practice your writing. Blog on something that you love. If you are a fan of movies, start a blog and write about your favourite movies, your favourite characters, what you think could be improved in the movie, what new movies to expect next year, etc.Besides blogging, try joining online forums, engage in online chatting and more.                                                                                                                                
5. If you don’t want to maintain a blog, why not write to a pen pal? It’d be even more fun to have a pen pal from a different country! If you don’t want to spend too much money on stamps, then get a local pen pal.                                                                                                                               
   
6. Write in your diary/journal in English. This is where you can write anything in it. But if you do write something you wouldn’t want others to read, make sure you hide it somewhere safe! Or try not to write anything offensive at all in case someone does find it. You can also write about neutral stuff like the places you went that day, what you ate, who you met, what you did, etc.
                        
7. Be best friends with a good English dictionary. You can use Oxford, Collins, Cambridge, etc. Buy a dictionary that you’re comfortable with and USE it at all times. Keep it next to you when you’re reading. I always put my favourite Oxford dictionary by my side when I’m reading. So when I stumble upon a word I don’t know, I don’t have to get up and look around for it. It’s right there by my side. Thus, I have no excuse for not looking the word up!
                                                                                                                                            
8. Speak the language whenever you can. Speak it with friends and family. You can also sing along to English songs! Try karaoke! Don’t be shy to try speaking the language. Don’t be afraid that others will tease you. In fact, they’ll admire you for your courage and confidence.
                                                 
9. Learn a new word a day. Keep your own vocabulary notebook and write a new word and its meaning in it every day. Refer to it as often as possible so that the new words will stick in your head.
                                                 
10. You can also learn new phrases, idioms or proverbs a day. A kick in the teeth, sit on the fence, make a clean sweep, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, a man’s home is his castle, etc. When you come across a saying that you like, write it down and its meaning in your notebook! 

                                                                      
Actually, there are many more ways for you to improve your English. If you have extra money to spend, you can even sign up for English courses, English camps and so on. But why throw away your money when you can learn the language in cheaper ways?

Learn at your own pace. There’s no need to hurry when learning something especially a language. Make learning English fun. Don’t give up too soon or get discouraged. Don’t get stressed out when it becomes a little difficult.

If you have your own wacky or unique way of learning the language, please share it with me and the other readers. Other ways of learning English?... http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/70-ways-to-improve-your-english.html