Punctuation Rules
Ever since the Online-Spellcheck Blog existed, we have provided information about all kinds of punctuation marks, the rules that go along with them, and the obligatory exceptions to the rules. Now that we have covered almost all punctuation marks, it’s time to give you a quick and clear overview of the ones we have covered and the grammar rules you should know by hard by now.
The Period
The End Of All Sentences – The Period
It is the most used and likewise most overlooked punctuation mark. Everyone knows when to use the period, right? Check your facts in this article and learn about the exceptions.
The Comma
The Comma might be the punctuation mark most frequently used in an incorrect way. Yet, it’s not that difficult to master at all. We have dedicated three whole articles to the usage of the comma, different comma rules and how you can tackle and master them:
Important Rules For Comma Usage
Always trouble with little nasty commas?
The Colon
All You Need To Know About The Colon
Rarely used in advanced fictional writing, the colon serves many purposes in scientific and formal writing. Check out when and when not to use a colon and other rules that apply when using a colon.
The Semicolon
The semicolon differs from both the colon and the comma in many regards. This article exploits these differences and gives a quick and example-rich overview of when and how to use a semicolon properly.
The Question Mark
What To Do With The Question Mark?
Question marks are easily used, yet there are some rules that you may not be aware of. Check out this article about the correct usage of the question mark and information about the inverted question mark as well.
The Exclamation Mark
How To Use The Exclamation Point
Exclamation points should be equally easy to handle as question marks, right? Well, that means that there are certain rules and exceptions as well. All of them are gathered in one spot in this article. Furthermore, learn about the inverted exclamation point as well.
Quotation Marks
The “Secret” Of Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are used for a number of purposes, not only for indicating direct speech. Furthermore, there is a difference between using double quotation marks and single quotation marks. This article teaches you how to use both variants correctly.
Do Punctuation Marks Go Inside Or Outside Of Quotation Marks?
Knowing when and how to use which quotation mark is a start. But don’t stop there! This article is about the interaction between quotation marks and other punctuation marks.
The Apostrophe
How To Use Apostrophes Correctly
Unfortunately, apostrophes are incorrectly used very frequently to this day. Yet, the rules on using an apostrophe aren’t that complicated. Check out this overview with explanatory examples and other rules that apply when using an apostrophe.
The Hyphen
All You Need To Know About The Hyphen
Hyphens are used in between words, either to link them or to add affixes to a word stem. This article explores which words can and should be linked with a hyphen in the middle and in which instances it is not necessary to hyphenate.
The En & Em Dash
All You Need To Know About En Dash & Em Dash
Not to be confused with the hyphen, the en dash and em dash serve completely different functions. Check out what separates those dashes from the hyphen and when they are, individually, used. Of course we also tell you an easy way to type both en and em dashes with your keyboard.
Brackets
Brackets – What’s The Difference Between Them All?
There are many different kinds of brackets.
- Parentheses or round brackets: ( )
- Crotchets or square brackets: [ ]
- Braces or curly brackets: { }
- Chevrons or angle brackets: < >
This article will show you how each of them is used in daily writing but also in other forms of life, like in mathematics, programming and more.
The Ellipsis
Whats An Ellipsis And How Do I Use It?
What’s better than one period? Three of them! Jokes aside, this article has a closer look at how to properly use an ellipsis in fictional, creative but also every day writing.
The Slash
What You Need To Know About The Slash
The slash is a punctuation mark that goes rather unnoticed in everyday writing. And yet, it is ever so present. Learn how and when to use the slash properly and not to confuse it with other punctuation marks’ purpose like brackets or dashes.
