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English Assignment

The document provides an overview of various punctuation marks, their definitions, and uses in writing, coding, and mathematics. It covers symbols such as square brackets, underscores, angle brackets, quotation marks, apostrophes, parentheses, hyphens, slashes, ellipses, exclamation marks, colons, tildes, semicolons, asterisks, and curly brackets. Each punctuation mark is explained with examples to illustrate its specific roles in organizing and conveying information effectively.

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9 views6 pages

English Assignment

The document provides an overview of various punctuation marks, their definitions, and uses in writing, coding, and mathematics. It covers symbols such as square brackets, underscores, angle brackets, quotation marks, apostrophes, parentheses, hyphens, slashes, ellipses, exclamation marks, colons, tildes, semicolons, asterisks, and curly brackets. Each punctuation mark is explained with examples to illustrate its specific roles in organizing and conveying information effectively.

Uploaded by

mesfinmaedot
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Punctuation Marks

P unctuation Mark is a symbol used in writing to clarify meaning and indicate pauses or
intonation in sentences. Common punctuation marks include periods, commas, question
marks, exclamation points, and quotation marks, each serving specific roles in organizing and
conveying information effectively.

[Square Brackets]
 Square brackets are typically used to add explanatory information, corrections, or
clarifications within a quoted text. They can also be used for indicating optional
elements in instructions, or for technical language in coding. Usage:

1. Clarifying a quote:
-Example:
Original quote: “He said he would be back soon.”
Modified with clarification: “He said [yesterday] he would be back soon.”

2. Adding context:
-Example: She was known for her ‘beautiful [singing] voice.

Under_score
 The underscore is mainly used in coding, URLs, and filenames as a substitute for
spaces. In text, it’s sometimes used for emphasis in informal settings, or to represent
blanks in certain types of word puzzles. Usage:

1. Coding: for variables or file names: file_name or user_data.


2. URLs or usernames:
-Example: Instagram username: @user_name
Text emphasis (informal):
-Examples: To create a variable in Python, use user_name = “John”.

<Angle Brackets>
 Angle brackets are used in several contexts, mainly in technical writing or
programming, HTML, and math. They also represent placeholders or unknown
elements. Usage:

1. HTML/Coding: <html>, <title>, <body>


-Examples: In HTML, write: <h1> Hello World! </h1>.
2. Representing placeholders:
-Example: <username> or <password>
3. In Mathematics: to show inequality expressions.
-Example: a < b (a is less than b), x > y (x is greater than y)

“Quotation marks”
 They are punctuation marks used to show the exact words someone has said or
written.
 Quotation marks help to show what is being quoted or said clearly. We use them
when:

1.Direct Speech: To show what someone is saying.


-Example: She said, “I will come.”
2. Quoting Text: To copy someone else’s words or writing.
-Example: The book says, “Friendship is important.”
3. Titles of Short Works: To name short stories, poems, or songs.
-Example: I love the song “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
4. Irony or Sarcasm: To show that a word is being used in a special way, often not serious.
-Example: He is such a “genius” for forgetting his keys.

Apostrophe’s
 Apostrophes help clarify meaning in sentences by showing ownership and making
writing more concise. They are punctuation marks used primarily for two purposes:

1. Possession: To show that something belongs to someone or something.


-Example: The dog’s leash (the leash of the dog).
2. Contractions: To indicate the omission of letters in a word or words when two words are
combined.
-Example: Can’t (cannot), it’s (it is), and they’re (they are).

(Parentheses)
 They are punctuation marks that are used to enclose additional information or
clarifying details within a sentence. They can be used in the following ways:

1. Supplementary Information: To add extra information that is not essential to the main
point but provides context or clarification.
-Example: The meeting (which was scheduled for 3 PM) has been moved to 4 PM.
2. Clarification: To explain or define a term or acronym when it is first introduced.
-Example: The United Nations (UN) plays a vital role in global diplomacy.

Hy-phen
 Hyphens are short horizontal lines (-) used to connect words or parts of words to
indicate compound words,prefixes,suffixes and etc.They can be used for different
purposes.Some of their uses are :

1. Compound Word: can join two words together to form one idea.
-Example: Long-term plans require careful consideration.
2. Prefixes & Suffixes: When adding affixes, a hyphen is necessary to avoid ambiguity.
-Example: Neo-classical architecture fascinated him.
3. Ranges of numbers or dates: Hyphens help to clarify sequences involving numbers or
dates.
-Example: Page 75-80 have relevant information.

S/lash
 It is called a separator or dividing line.It is commonly used to divide two alternatives,
connect related items or indicate hierarchy information:

1. Alternatives:
-Example: You can choose between cake/chocolate for desert.
2. Related items:
-Example: On my trip to Europe I visited Pairs/France first,followed Barcenola/Spain
next and finally ended in Rome/Italy.
3. Ratios:
-Example: The ticket cost $10/person
4. Indicate hierarchy:
-Example: The international expansion plan covers USA/California,UK/London and
Canada/Vancouver.

Ellipsis…
 An ellipsis is a series of 3 dots(...) that's used to indicate:

1. Omission Indicate: a missing content from original source, especially quoting others.
-Example: Katherine Jonson once said,” ...we needed to be sure that every figure was
right.”
2. Pause: Represent pause in speech during dialogue in fiction,suggesting hesitation or
changes in tone.
-Example: “There's no easy way to say this”,the doctor began hesitantly...”you have a
cancer”.
3. At the end of a sentence: to represent the word “e.t.c.”, indicating there are more ideas
related to the subject.
-Example: My favourite fruits include apples, bananas, pears...

Exclamation Mark!
 The exclamation point is basically a signal to a reader that a sentence is trying to
express strong emotion or intensity. Related to this, exclamation points are also often
used to end interjections. Uses:

A. Expressing Strong Emotion: An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence to


convey strong feelings, excitement, or emphasis.
-Example: Watch out for that car!
B. Commands or Urgent Requests: It can also be used to indicate a strong command or
urgent request.
-Example: Stop right there!
C. Interjections: Exclamation marks are often used after interjections or exclamatory
phrases.
-Example: Wow! That’s amazing!

Co:lon
 A colon is a punctuation mark that’s used to connect sentences, put emphasis on a
word or phrase, or introduce a quote or explanation. Uses:

A) Introducing a List: It helps to list same kind of items.


-Example: You need to buy the following groceries: apples, bread, and milk.
B) Before an Explanation or Clarification: It is used before explanation and after main
idea in order to emphasize it.
-Example: She had one goal: to finish the marathon.
C) Before a Quote: It helps to differentiate the speech from the sentence.
-Example: The teacher said: “Please submit your assignments by Friday.”
D) In Time Notation: It is used to separate the minute from an hour.
-Example: The meeting starts at 3:00 PM.
E) In Ratios: It is placed between the numbers in order to apart the reduced ratios.
-Example: The recipe calls for a ratio of sugar to flour of 1:2.

~Tilde
 The tilde symbol, also known as the squiggly line, is quite versatile and can be used
for a variety of purposes in English. It is most commonly seen in mathematics, where
it is used to indicate approximate value, and in coding systems to indicate special
characters.
Uses
A) Indicating Approximation: It helps to write big numbers in easy way by rounding it to
nearer number and express it approximately.
-Example: The population of the city is ~1 million.

-Example: such as x ∼ y (meaning x is similar to y.)


B) In Mathematics: The symbol can denote equivalence.

C) In Programming (e.g., in Unix/Linux): The tilde often represents the home directory.
-Example: cd ~/Documents.
D) In Linguistics: In phonetics, a tilde over a letter can indicate nasalization
-Example: "mañana."
E) In URLs: A user directory can be represented using this punctuation mark.
-Example: http://example.com/~username.

Semi;colon
 The semicolon is a punctuation mark that serves as a middle ground between a
comma and a period. It provides a pause that is stronger than a comma but less
definitive than a period, often indicating a connection between two closely related
thoughts.

1. Connecting Independent Clauses: semicolon can link two independent clauses that are
thematically related but could stand alone as separate sentences.
-Example: She loves reading historical novels; he prefers science fiction.
2. Before Conjunctive Adverbs: when using conjunctive adverbs (e.g., however, therefore,
moreover), a semicolon precedes the adverb when it connects two independent clauses.
-Example: I wanted to go for a walk; however, it started to rain.*
3. Complex Lists: in lists where items contain commas, semicolons can be used to separate
these items to avoid confusion.
-Example: The conference included speakers from Paris, France; Berlin, Germany;
and Tokyo, Japan.
4. Clarifying Relationships: semicolons can indicate a stronger relationship than a period
would convey, suggesting that the ideas are interconnected.
-Example: He didn’t see the stop sign; he was too distracted by his phone.

Aste*risk
 The asterisk is a typographical symbol that resembles a star shape. Its use spans
various fields, including writing, mathematics, and computer programming.

1. Footnotes and Annotations: in written texts, an asterisk indicates a footnote or additional


commentary that provides further information without disrupting the flow of the main text.
-Example: *The results were inconclusive.*¹
2. Wildcard Character in Computing: in computing, the asterisk serves as a wildcard
symbol, representing any sequence of characters in search queries or programming.
-Example: In a file search, `report*` might match files named `report1`, `report_final`,
or `report_summary.docx`.
3. Mathematical Operations: in mathematics and programming, an asterisk denotes
multiplication.
-Example: *5 * 3 = 15*
4. Markdown Formatting: in markdown and certain text-based formats, asterisks are used
to emphasize text. Single asterisks create italics, while double asterisks create bold text.
-Example:
- *Italic*: `*This text is italic*` renders as *This text is italic*.
- **Bold**: `**This text is bold**` renders as **This text is bold**.
5. Censorship: asterisks are sometimes used to censor letters in offensive words.
- Example: He is such a s*** h*ad.

{Curly Brackets}
 Curly brackets, also known as braces, are punctuation marks primarily used in
programming and mathematical contexts. They group statements or define sets.

1. In Programming: curly brackets are widely used in programming languages like Java, C,
and JavaScript to define the beginning and end of code blocks, such as functions, loops, and
conditional statements.
-Example:
```javascript
function greet() {
console.log("Hello, World!");
}
```
2. Mathematical Sets: in mathematics, curly brackets denote sets, which are collections of
distinct objects or numbers.
-Example: The set of even numbers can be represented as {2, 4, 6, 8, ...}.
3. Grouping in Expressions: curly brackets can also be used in expressions to group terms
for clarity, particularly in algebraic or logical expressions.
-Example: {x | x > 0} represents the set of all x such that x is greater than zero.

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