English Punctuation Guide - English Writing Lesson

In this lesson, you can learn about English punctuation.You’ll see the most common punctuation marks in English, what they’re called, and how to use them.
Using punctuation correctly is critical for your English writing. Punctuation problems can make a bad impression or lead to misunderstandings.

Contents:
1. Period 0:58
2. Comma 3:38
3. Colon 5:34
4. Semicolon 6:37
5. Apostrophe 8:09
6. Hyphen 9:57
7. Dash 12:13
8. Quotation Mark 14:19
9. Parentheses 17:06
10. Question and Exclamation Marks 18:53

This lesson will help you:
- Get a better understanding for all punctuation marks in English so you can improve your English writing and comprehension.
- Use our English punctuation guide to get real examples of using each punctuation mark correctly.
- See common mistakes students make when using English punctuation.
- Go through ten different parts of the English punctuation guide to better understand each punctuation mark.

[jacobofraiz]

Love the video, love Kasia. Very helpful. Even in my own native language I don’t know how to use properly puntuactions marks and signs. Thanks a lot.

[justinlabrador]

Personally, the most difficult punctuation is 'comma'. I find it very confusing and at the same time it is hard for me to identify which part of the sentence should have a comma. However, because of your ideas, I'm quite confident to use 'comma' every time I will write an academic paper or anything. Thank you!

[maryg.]

0:59 PART ONE Full Stop (Period)
3:39 PART TWO Commas
5:35 PART THREE Colons
6:37 PART FOUR Semicolons
8:09 PART FIVE Apostrophes
9:58 PART SIX Hyphens
12:13 PART SEVEN Dashes
14:20 PART EIGHT Speech Marks
17:07 PART NINE Parenthesis
18:52 PART TEN Question Marks and Exclamation Marks

[achuilajang]

Very interesting lesson! The most confusing punctuation marks for me: are semicolons, and colons.

[moaathalabdouli]

Wow! I wasn't expecting this to be so clear! Can I take a moment to thank all of those who participated in making this video :)

[flapjackocto]

THE most detailed video I've watched so far on the topic. Ample examples and explanations. Very professionally and eloquently narrated and presented by both the instructors- loved listening to them. Thank you for making this video. Incredibly helpful!

[abdiel_hd]

I feel like my English level has increased from 1000 to 5000 with this explanation. Thank you!

[imflightmode]

I have been looking for so long for a video like this. It explains everything properly that I wanted.

[mohamedkritel]

The most difficult punctuation mark is comma.

[jennygibbons]

After decades of study, this video is an outstanding aid. Congratulations! I am looking forward to learning more about my native language. Thanks.

[piercetheathlete]

The semicolon is the most confusing for me! After watching it for 3 times, I could handled it. Thank you a lot!

[negotseraphin]

Hello everyone!
I’m Négot SERAPHIN from Haiti. Indeed I’m a crazy fan of English. To be more specific, I always found semi-colons and dashes (en/ ‘em) confusing. However, after watching this video for two hours, I’m now able to distinguish between dashes and also know when to use semi-colons.


Thanks to the whole Oxford staff for sharing such resourceful videos.

[Suunn_shine]

0:59 1. Full Stop
3:38 2, Commas
5:35 3: Colons
6:38 4; Semicolons
8:11 5' Apostrophes
9:57 6- Hyphens
12:14 7 - Dashes
14:20 8 “Speech Marks”
17:08 9 (Parentheses)
18:54 10 Question Marks ? and Exclamation Marks !

[xeudege]

This lesson is a great help to me. I've been grappling with the topic for a long time. Thank you for breaking it down into manageable chunks to understand it. Now, I've been able to piece it all together for myself, and I feel a lot more confident in punctuating my writing. Many thanks!!!

[salonimishra]

Topic 1: Full stop (.) or Period (in American English)

*used after finishing a sentence.
*there should be a space after using "."
*Dr. Mr. Mrs. a.m. p.m. (British English)
*Dr Mr Mrs AM PM (American English)

Topic 2: Comma (, )

*used to differentiate lists of item.
*used to seperate two sentences.
*used to add an essential sentence in between.
*used before a conjunction (e.g. I was upset, but wasn't annoyed.)

Topic 3: Colon (:)

*used to write explanation, examples, and details.

Topic 4: Semi colon (;)

*connects 2 sentences.
*better than a full-stop when two sentences concey similar ideas.
*no need to use conjunction after semi-colon.
*however, there are few exceptions. (e.g. ; however, continue the sentence.)

Topic 5: Hyphen (-)

*used for compounding two different words.
*used to connect numbers. (e.g. twenty-two, three-years-old)
*can be used after an adverb or before a period. (e.g. anti-capitalism, post-1950)

Topic 6: Dash (–)

*there are two types: en dash (space-space), em dash (–)
*both are widely used.
*used to add an essential sentence in between, just like comma.
*using dash is advisable, as comma has several other functions and dash has only this one.
*if the sentence used after dash is removed, the sentence will still make sense.

Topic 7: Parentheses ()

*used to add extra, non-essential information in a sentence.

Topic 8: Speech marks (" ", ' ')

*used to quote someone.
*used while describing a word. (E.g. do you think 'encapsulate' is a beautiful word?)
*used to present irony, sarcasm, or skepticism in a sentence.

[anwarhossain]

I am an English teacher. I am about 15 years in this field. This will be very helpful.I am from Bangladesh. Thanks.

[alanavila]

Outstanding review from all the punctuation marks!

[masood]

Loved the explanation: my english level has increased with this tutorial. Thank you!

[eleonorangeles]

I totally love this lesson. I always thought putting a comma before a speech is the correct one.

[rainmeng]

double quotation marks and single quotation marks were so confusing, but not any more. Thank you so much.