What is punctuation? The rules of punctuation. Punctuation check

For more than one century, the values of each of the punctuation marks were formed, and the notion of what punctuation was. All the unsuccessful examples were eliminated, and the best options were firmly fixed in artistic prose.

What is punctuation , and what are its basic rules?

Everyone met this concept in the school days. But can someone today clearly answer the question about what is punctuation? For an average person, it's enough to know that these are the rules for placing punctuation marks. Let's consider the main of them, so as to refresh the school lessons in memory, and replenish the knowledge bag.

Everyone was taught at school that the point at the end of the sentence expresses the completeness of the thought. But there are exceptions. For example, consider the following sentence: "He noticed an envelope in his friend's hands. White. Rectangular. Incomprehensible".

If you judge by structure, then this is one sentence, and all points (except the last) can be replaced with commas. Why did the author decide to put the dots here? But if you put it more precisely, the point is put not only where the idea of the sentence ends, but also in the case when the author believes that he said everything he wanted. Despite this, according to the regulations the point is put one, at the end of the sentence. If the author puts points in the middle of the sentence, then it's just his freedom. When quoting, however, you can not distort the text, no matter what the punctuation check shows. Let's consider other rules.

Ellipses and punctuation

A certain antonym of the point is the ellipsis. This punctuation mark is placed if the sentence is not completed or torn. In this case, you can come up with your own continuation of the unsaid. "How to explain you more clearly, madam ..."

This punctuation mark has one more meaning, when not all is said and, perhaps, after thinking, the author will add something else. "In the department ... but it's better not to name in which department." (N.V. Gogol)

Both ellipsis values - incompleteness and uncertainty can be used both together and separately. Another ellipsis indicates the omission of text in sentences.

Interrogative and exclamation marks

If you stop on the question mark, then the rules of punctuation suggest that it is also quite the opposite of the value of the point, but slightly differently. If the point indicates the end of the thought, then the question mark also requires an answer. In Russian, oral speech in accordance with this punctuation mark has a certain intonation and interrogative words. For example, as in the following case: "What's going on with her? How does she feel? How does she feel? Does she want to test me, or really can not forgive?" She can not say everything that she thinks and feels or does not want? Did she soften She, or embittered? "

If the author at the end of the sentence does not put a point, but an exclamation point, then this indicates that this statement is very concerned. Therefore, the use of the exclamation mark, as the punctuation rules say, differs radically from the use of a dot, dots and a question mark: "Farewell, my happiness, my short happiness!"

Comma

Putting a comma in the sentence, the author says that it is not yet completed, and there will be a continuation. The comma is opposed to the point, and the ellipsis, because the sentence is not finished, and deliberately did not interrupt. With the help of commas, parts of the sentence, invented by the author, are linked together. So this punctuation mark not so much separates or separates, how many words in the text unite in meaning.

In addition, punctuation in circulation is impossible without commas, for example: "Well, you master, your cylinder is not at all funny."

Semicolon

The next punctuation mark we'll look at is the semicolon. It to some extent is synonymous with a point, a comma, and in another measure is the opposite of each of them. The use of a semicolon indicates that the author has completed the bulk of his thought, and the reader has much to think about, but this is not the final, and there will be a sequel. Here's how the Russian poet AS Pushkin uses the semicolon:

The prince sobbed
And he went to an empty place,
To the beautiful bride
To look at least once more.
Here comes; And rose
Before him the mountain is steep;
Around her country is empty;
Under the mountain there is a dark entrance.

Also, a semicolon is often used instead of a comma, if the parts of the sentence that it connects are too large and complex in structure.

Such examples often appear in the texts of world classics: "In the Victorian era, it is said, morality was above all, but, given how many children were in Queen Victoria, it seems to us that someone is cunning."

Colon

This author uses the sign in those cases when he intends to explain the message made earlier. In particular, before several homogeneous members of the sentence after the generalized word: "The whole morning attire of the queen: a veil, shoes and a robe" was presented in the museum. When a proposal does not contain unions, then before the second part it is recommended to put a colon in the event that it complements the first part of it or explains something. Also the colon is used before the direct speech after the words of the author. For example: Finally, I told her: "Do you want to go for a walk on the rampart?"

Which of the signs creates the greatest difficulties?

Dash is the most polysemantic punctuation mark. It is used in the case when words are missing in the sentence or not complete, that is, when the verb-bundle "is", "be" and the like is omitted. For example: "A fairy tale is a genre of folklore, in which magic characters are involved, and magical events occur," or: "A lotus is a flower of rare beauty," or: "A dash is a punctuation mark." That is, this punctuation mark stands between the subject and the predicate, which are expressed by nouns. Dash is put before a generalizing word, which sums up the preceding enumeration by using homogeneous terms. "Lotus, saffron, rose are all the flowers that were considered sacred and very revered in ancient cultures in all corners of our planet." This punctuation mark is also placed if the subject-noun stands in the nominative case, and the predicate-verb is used in an indefinite form: "Real heroism is to go and tell the truth to the person's eyes."

It is possible and necessary to put dashes, if both the subject and the predicate are expressed by the verbs in an indefinite form: "It is right and without fault to write - to respect the one who will read your letter."

Many authors like to use a dash, namely its polysemy in their work, turning this punctuation mark into the main means of punctuation.

But what about quotes and brackets?

Quotations are most often used in the design of direct speech. They separate the author's words from direct speech or quotation. Also, in this way separate words that do not fit in the style of speech or are not very accurately selected are singled out. See for yourself: "The head of the party reported that the state" moans "under the oppression of criminals and" corrupt rulers! " Quotes can be emphasized indirect meaning of words or manifested irony: "These" saviors of the Fatherland "without much difficulty will bring our country to disaster!"

Pronouncements stand out with brackets, which carry not basic but secondary information: "The rose (planted by me) will remind you of those happy times." Thus, punctuation in a sentence depends not only on strict rules, but also to some extent on the desire and intention of the author.

Unusual punctuation

Sometimes writers use unusual punctuation marks, for example, a pair of commas, to which a certain part of the sentence is allocated. By the same principle, you can use a dash. In their meaning, the pair of commas and dashes here act as brackets. And if you can mark out the construction of a sentence with commas, then by means of a dash they denote a part of the sentence, which, in sense, completely gets out of the general text. Checking the punctuation in this case will help not to be mistaken and correctly interpret the meaning of the text as a whole.

If we talk about punctuation in general (not only in the sentence), then the paragraph (§), which is more often used in headings, frames and selected elements in headings, subitems and names in the text, can claim this place. Taking into account all the above rules, it can be understood that checking spelling and punctuation is something that you can spare no time in writing any text. It's just a sign of your education. We hope that in the article we answered the question about what punctuation is.