punctuation

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Related to punctuation: Punctuation marks

punctuation

Punctuation refers to the specific markings, signs and symbols that are used in and around sentences to give them structure and to allow for correct understanding and comprehension.

punc·tu·a·tion

(pŭngk′cho͞o-ā′shən)

a. The use of standard marks and signs in writing and printing to separate words into sentences, clauses, and phrases in order to clarify meaning.

b. The marks so used.

2. The act or an instance of punctuating.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

punctuation

(ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃən)

1. (Linguistics) the use of symbols not belonging to the alphabet of a writing system to indicate aspects of the intonation and meaning not otherwise conveyed in the written language

2. (Linguistics) the symbols used for this purpose

3. (Linguistics) the act or an instance of punctuating

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

punc•tu•a•tion

(ˌpʌŋk tʃuˈeɪ ʃən)

n.

1. the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses.

2. punctuation marks.

3. the act of punctuating.

[1530–40; < Medieval Latin pūnctuātiō marking, pointing]

punctuation

em dash, en dash - The em dash is the long dash used in punctuation whose length is based on the width of the letter M; the en dash is shorter (the width of an N) and the hyphen is even shorter.
punctual - From Latin punctum, "point," it can mean "pertaining to punctuation," or "of or relating to a point in space."
square brackets, parentheses, braces - Square brackets were formerly called crotchets, round brackets are commonly called parentheses, and curly brackets are called braces; the punctuation called brackets derives from the bookshelf type, implying that, in writing, these marks "lift up" a section of a sentence.
stigmeology - The art of punctuation.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	punctuation - something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions break, interruption - some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"
	2.	punctuation - the marks used to clarify meaning by indicating separation of words into sentences and clauses and phrases punctuation mark orthography, writing system - a method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols mark - a written or printed symbol (as for punctuation); "his answer was just a punctuation mark" ampersand - a punctuation mark (&) used to represent conjunction (and) apostrophe - the mark (') used to indicate the omission of one or more letters from a printed word brace - either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material square bracket, bracket - either of two punctuation marks ([ or ]) used to enclose textual material angle bracket, bracket - either of two punctuation marks (`<' or="" `="">') used in computer programming and sometimes used to enclose textual material comma - a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate the separation of elements within the grammatical structure of a sentence exclamation mark, exclamation point - a punctuation mark (!) used after an exclamation hyphen, dash - a punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text parenthesis - either of two punctuation marks (or) used to enclose textual material full point, full stop, period, stop, point - a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations; "in England they call a period a stop" interrogation point, question mark - a punctuation mark (?) placed at the end of a sentence to indicate a question inverted comma, quotation mark, quote - a punctuation mark used to attribute the enclosed text to someone else semicolon - a punctuation mark (`;') used to connect independent clauses; indicates a closer relation than does a period separatrix, virgule, solidus, slash, diagonal, stroke - a punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of information swung dash - a punctuation mark used in text to indicate the omission of a word
	3.	punctuation - the use of certain marks to clarify meaning of written material by grouping words grammatically into sentences and clauses and phrases hyphenation - connecting syllables and words by hyphens grouping - the activity of putting things together in groups orthography, writing system - a method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols

Translations

إسْتِعمال علامات الوَقْف والفَواصِلوَضْعُ عَلامَاتُ التَّرْقِيم

interpunkcerozčlenění na části

tegnsætning

Interpunktion Zeichensetzung

στίξη

puntuación

välimerkkivälimerkkien käyttö

ponctuation

interpunkcijapunktuacijarazgodak

írásjelek kitevéseközpontozás

greinarmerkjasetning

punteggiatura

句読

구두법

interpunkcia

postavljanje ločil

interpunktion

เครื่องหมายวรรคตอน

noktalamanoktalama işaretlerini koymanoktalama işaretlerinin kullanımı

dấu chấm phẩy

标点标点法标点符号

punctuation

[ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃən]

A. N (Ling) → puntuación f

B. CPD punctuation mark N → signo m de puntuación

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

punctuation

[ˌpʌŋktʃʊˈeɪʃ^ən] n → ponctuation fpunctuation mark n → signe m de ponctuation

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

punctuation

n → Zeichensetzung f, → Interpunktion f; punctuation mark → Satzzeichen nt, → Interpunktionszeichen nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

punctuation

[ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃ/ən] n (Gram) → punteggiatura, interpunzione f

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

punctuate

(ˈpaŋktʃueit) verb

to divide up sentences etc by commas, full stops, colons etc.

punctuation noun

1. the act of punctuating.

2. the use of punctuation marks.

punctuation mark

any of the symbols used for punctuating, eg comma, full stop, question mark etc.

punctuation

→ وَضْعُ عَلامَاتُ التَّرْقِيم interpunkce tegnsætning Zeichensetzung στίξη puntuación välimerkkien käyttö ponctuation interpunkcija punteggiatura 句読 구두법 interpunctie tegnsetting interpunkcja pontuação пунктуация interpunktion เครื่องหมายวรรคตอน noktalama dấu chấm phẩy 标点符号

References in classic literature ?

Wharton made extensive stylistic, punctuation, and spelling changes and revisions between the serial and book publication, and more than thirty subsequent changes were made after the second impression of the book edition had been run off.

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The prototype of punctuation. It is observed by Garvinus that the systems of punctuation in use by the various literary nations depended originally upon the social habits and general diet of the flies infesting the several countries.

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Or again, the question may be solved by punctuation, as in Empedocles,--

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Spelling and punctuation have been largely brought into conformity with modern British usage.

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Across the paper was scrawled in pencil, without capital letters, misspelled, and without punctuation: "Unsoundly constructed because resembles an imitation of the French military code and from the Articles of War needlessly deviating."

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(tied with dainty ribbon), and proceeded to read, with labored attention to "expression" and punctuation. The themes were the same that had been illuminated upon similar occasions by their mothers before them, their grandmothers, and doubtless all their ancestors in the female line clear back to the Crusades.

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Hilbery sat editing his review, or placing together documents by means of which it could be proved that Shelley had written "of" instead of "and," or that the inn in which Byron had slept was called the "Nag's Head" and not the "Turkish Knight," or that the Christian name of Keats's uncle had been John rather than Richard, for he knew more minute details about these poets than any man in England, probably, and was preparing an edition of Shelley which scrupulously observed the poet's system of punctuation. He saw the humor of these researches, but that did not prevent him from carrying them out with the utmost scrupulosity.

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The labor of writing and spelling, with the added difficulties of punctuation and capitals, interfered sadly with the free expression of ideas.

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It was all written in one paragraph, without any attempt at punctuation, thus: "To the three Indian men living with the lady called Macann at Frizinghall in Yorkshire." The Hindoo characters followed; and the English translation appeared at the end, expressed in these mysterious words:

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All this time, the man in the spectacles was hard at work, swearing the clerks; the oath being invariably administered, without any effort at punctuation, and usually in the following terms:--

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Assuming an attitude, she began, "La Ligue des Rats: fable de La Fontaine." She then declaimed the little piece with an attention to punctuation and emphasis, a flexibility of voice and an appropriateness of gesture, very unusual indeed at her age, and which proved she had been carefully trained.

View in context

His arguments were pointed with specie, we doing the punctuation, and with a little bargaining he told us what he knew.