Semicolon represents a pause of greater importance as compared to comma.
Used to separate the clauses of compound statements when they contain comma.
For example-: he was intelligent, strong; and we all loved him.
Used to separate a loosely connected clauses.
For example-: Today we love what tomorrow we hate; today we seek what tomorrow we shun; today we desire what tomorrow we fear.
COLON
Colon marks a more complete pause when compared to semi colon. It is used after dash sometimes.
Colon is used to introduce quotation.
For example-: she says:-“ reading is a good habit”.
Colon is used after enumerations, examples, etc;
For example-: the principal parts of verb are : the present tense, the past tense and the past participle.
Colon is also used within sentences which are closely connected but are independent.
For example-: study to acquire a habit of thinking: no study is more important.
QUESTION MARK
Question mark is used after a direct question,
For example-: Where have you been?
EXCLAMATION MARK
Exclamation mark is used after interjection or phrases or sentences showing sudden emotions.
For example-: what a terrible day this is!
INVERTED COMMAS
Inverted commas are used to enclose the exact words of a person.
For example-: Rama said,” You must work hard.”
DASH
Dash is used to indicate an abrupt stop or change of thought.
For example-: I wish we were together- but why lament the past?
Dash is also used to resume a scattered subject.
For example-: teachers, friends and enemies- all present here.
THE HYPHEN
Hyphen is a shorter line than dash and is used to connect parts of compound words.
For example-: man-of-war, jack-of-all-trades
PARENTHESES
Parentheses is used to put a particular phrase that may not grammatically fit in the sentence but is added because it adds more information.
For example-: She got the admissions( it was all she wished) in Harvard business school.
APOSTROPHE
It is used to show the omission of letters,
For example-: don’t do not
It is used to form the plurals of letters and figures.
For example-: they make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s.
