period: Ends a statement or command
question mark: Ends a question
exclamation point: Shows strong feeling or a shout
comma in a list: Separate three or more items: red, blue, and green
comma after introductory words: After words that begin a sentence: First, wash your hands
comma before a conjunction: Join two complete sentences: I ran, and she walked
comma in direct address: Separate a name: Maya, come here
comma in dates: Between day and year: July 4, 1776
comma in addresses: Between city and state: Austin, Texas
comma in a letter greeting: After Dear Sam
comma after yes or no: Yes, I will
comma with quotations: Separate a speaker from the quote: She said, "Hello"
comma with appositive: Sets off a renaming phrase: My dog, Rex, barks
semicolon: Joins two closely related complete sentences
semicolon in a list: Separates items that already contain commas
colon before a list: After a full statement: You need three things: a pen, paper and time
colon in time: Separates hours and minutes: 3:30
colon after a business greeting: Dear Sir or Madam:
apostrophe in a contraction: Shows missing letters: can't
apostrophe for possession: Shows ownership: Tom's hat
apostrophe never in plurals: Plural of dog is dogs, not dog's
quotation marks: Show a speaker's exact words
quotation marks for titles: Short works: poems, songs, articles
italics or underline: Titles of long works: books, movies, magazines
hyphen: Joins words: well-known, twenty-one
hyphen at line end: Splits a word between syllables
en dash: Shows a range: pages 10-20
em dash: A strong break or interruption in a sentence
parentheses: Enclose extra information
brackets: Enclose added words inside a quote
ellipsis: Three dots showing omitted words or a pause
slash: Shows alternatives: and/or
Capital at start: Every sentence begins with a capital letter
Period in abbreviation: Mr., Dr., St.
Comma splice: Do not join two sentences with only a comma
Quotation ending: Periods and commas go inside the closing quotation mark
Question inside quotation: Question mark inside if the quote is the question
Dialogue paragraphs: Start a new paragraph when a new person speaks
Colon vs. semicolon: Colon introduces; semicolon joins
Oxford comma: The comma before and in a list: apples, pears, and plums
Comma between adjectives: Use when you can swap the order or put and between: a tall, strong tree
Comma before a tag question: You are coming, aren't you?
Commas with nonessential phrases: Set off extra information: My sister, who is ten, swims
Run-on fix: Use a period, semicolon or conjunction
Exclamation overuse: Use sparingly so it keeps its power
Possessive of plural nouns: Add an apostrophe after the s: the dogs' bowls
Possessive of names ending in s: Add 's or just an apostrophe: James's or James'

Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/la-punctuation-rules