Periods, commas, and question marks are all types of punctuation.
This category also includes exclamation marks and less common punctuation like em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens. Sometimes, people refer to all of these as punctuation marks.
A hyphen (-) is shorter than an en dash and is used to connect words in compound adjectives (e.g., “fast-paced,” “old-fashioned”) or compound nouns (e.g., “seven-year-olds,” “jack-of-all-trades”).
An en dash (–) is slightly longer and can be used for several purposes:
In many everyday writing situations, the hyphen is used in place of the en dash because it is easier to type. However, it is important to know the difference for academic and professional writing contexts.
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Here are a couple examples of a semicolon in a sentence:
Semicolons join two closely related independent clauses.
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No, the word that follows a semicolon should not be capitalized unless it is a proper noun. For example:
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The word for question mark in Spanish is “signo de interrogación.” To refer to the upside-down (inverted) question mark (¿) that comes at the beginning of Spanish questions, you would say “signo de interrogación invertido.”
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Spanish uses question marks in pairs: an upside-down (or inverted) question mark (¿) at the beginning of the sentence and a regular question mark at the end. For example: “¿De dónde eres?” [Where are you from?]
To type an inverted question mark, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts:
| Microsoft Word | Mac |
|---|---|
| ctrl + alt + shift + ? | shift + option + ? |
When using a program other than Word on a PC, there is no one shortcut that works consistently. It may be best to pull up the special character menu by pressing the Windows key + the period key.
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A question mark goes inside quotation marks if the quoted material itself is a question. Otherwise, the question mark goes outside of the quotation marks.
Who said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”?
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When writing in Spanish, you can use either regular quotation marks (“ ”), known as comillas inglesas, or angular quotation marks (« »), known as comillas angulares or comillas latinas.
You should consult your style guide for which format is preferred and be consistent throughout your document.
To type angular quotation marks, use the following keyboard shortcuts:
| Windows | Mac | |
| Opening angular quotation mark («) | Ctrl + Alt + [ | Option + \ |
| Closing angular quotation mark (») | Ctrl + Alt + ] | Option + Shift + \ |
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In American English, single quotation marks (‘ ’) are used to indicate quotes within quotes.
In British English, single quotation marks are typically used in the ways double quotation marks are in American English. So, quotes within quotes are indicated with double quotation marks.
Try not to use the word ‘really’ in academic writing.
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Typically, a period goes before the ending quotation marks in American English.
She told me, “If I leave, I’m never coming back.”
However, in British English, the period only goes inside the quotation marks if the quotation itself is a full sentence. Otherwise, it goes outside. Additionally, British English typically uses single quotation marks instead of double.
She told me, ‘If I leave, I’m never coming back.’
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French uses guillemets (« ») instead of quotation marks (e.g., The sign said: « Allumez vos feux »). Note that there is always a space after the opening guillemet and before the closing guillemet.
To type guillemets, use the following keyboard shortcuts:
| Windows | Mac | |
| Opening guillemet («) | Ctrl + Alt + [ | Option + \ |
| Closing guillemet (») | Ctrl + Alt + ] | Option + Shift + \ |
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Yes, commas typically go inside quotation marks in a sentence in American English.
“Don’t go without me,” Brett said.
Note, though, that when there’s an introductory phrase before a quotation, the comma goes before the opening quotation marks.
Brett said, “Don’t go without me.”
In British English, commas typically go outside of quotation marks (and single quotation marks are often used in place of double).
‘Don’t go without me’, Brett said.
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Words that refer to family relationships (e.g., “mom,” “dad,” “grandma,” “uncle”) are not capitalized unless they are used in place of a name.
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There are no words that are never capitalized in English because any word that begins a sentence should be capitalized. Additionally, words that are part of titles (except for articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions) are generally capitalized.
When not used in titles or as the first word of a sentence, words other than proper nouns and the first-person pronoun “I” are generally lowercased in English.
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The term “n dash” is a misspelling of en dash, which is the dash that is used in number ranges (e.g., “pp. 207–221”), among other uses.
The en dash is longer than a hyphen (-) but shorter than an em dash (—).
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There are several ways to type an en dash (–) in Microsoft Word:
A hyphen (-) looks like a very short line. It is shorter than an en dash (–) and an em dash (—). It is also different from an underscore ( _ ).
On a computer keyboard, it is to the right of the zero (0) key. On a phone keypad, it is in the number menu, just underneath the “1” key.
Hyphens are used to connect words or parts of words (e.g., “self-reliant,” “semi-independent”).
Hyphens are used in sentences in many ways. They connect words (or parts of words) that act together as a unit.
| Type of word | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| compound adjective | He is a well-known actor. |
| compound noun | My sister-in-law is an engineer. |
| number | There are twenty-five students in my class |
There are many rules about when hyphens should and should not be used. QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you use hyphens correctly in your writing.
Typically, there is no space around an em dash (e.g., “The flight—which had already been delayed three times—was canceled”).
One notable exception is that Associated Press (AP) style requires spaces around an em dash, so you may see this in news articles (e.g., “The flight — which had already been delayed three times — was canceled”).
Consult your style guide to see what is preferred. All of the major academic style guides (APA, MLA, and Chicago) recommend not putting spaces around em dashes.
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An en dash (–) is shorter and is used to indicate number ranges (e.g., “1958–1985”) or as a substitute for the word “to” in phrases like “the Albuquerque–Los Angeles flight.”
An em dash (—) is longer and is used like parentheses or commas to set off extra information or like a colon or semicolon to indicate a break in a sentence. For example: “My brother—well, technically my half-brother—is coming to visit this weekend.”
In British English, en dashes are used like em dashes. In this case, they have a space on either side. For example: “My brother – well, technically my half-brother – is coming to visit this weekend.”
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In Microsoft Word, there are several ways to type an em dash (—):
The first-person pronoun “I” is always capitalized in English. This includes its use in contractions (e.g., “I’m,” “I’ve,” “I’ll,” and “I’d”).
This rule is sometimes broken in poetry or in very casual text messages. But, in all other types of writing, “I” should always be capitalized.
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