PUNCTUATION MARKS

Punctuation marks guide the reader regarding intonation and pauses in speech. They are of
great importance to resolve ambiguities of meaning or the very intentionality of the message,
which oral language resolves with intonation. It is not the same as saying: It's okay now or Is
it okay now? or That's it!, That's it. Good!, etc.

Punctuation also serves to indicate the organization of ideas, as happens with the separation
into paragraphs by means of the full stop, or to mark the voices of different speakers, or the
different planes that are inserted in the same linguistic discourse, as in the case of texts with
quotes from other authors.

The main punctuation marks are:

Eat (,)
Spot (.)
Two points (:)
Ellipsis (…)
Brackets ([ ])
Quotation marks (" ")
Script (-)
Stripe (_)
Parentheses (( ))
Question (?)
Exclamation (!)

Of these signs, some serve to qualify different types of pauses and, to a lesser extent, to
mark variations in intonation; for example, the comma, the semicolon, the period, the colon
and the ellipsis. Others, however, are basically intonation signals; for example, question
marks, exclamation marks and parentheses. As for quotation marks, they are used to insert
quotes, word meanings, etc. Other signs of dimensioning are parentheses and brackets.
Dashes or long dashes are used to introduce dialogues or paragraphs. The short dash, for its
part, serves to join or separate depending on the case.

In short, thanks to this type of signs we obtain, through writing, a somewhat clearer reflection
of oral language than if they did not exist.

Another question is that of style. In the same way that there are different ways of speaking,
there are also characteristic forms of each in written expression. Furthermore, in countries
with advanced civilizations, most of the texts that are written were never oral nor were they
intended to be read aloud. Therefore, the writing style has a visual component and rhythms
that are completely autonomous with respect to orality. Punctuation is the main style
resource in writing. Some authors prefer short sentences, which give a syncopated rhythm of
thought. In short, while the spelling of letters has mandatory rules, punctuation has a
subjective component that does not allow for such strict regulation. The important thing is that
the punctuation contributes to clearly expressing the thought.

POINT
The period is a sign that serves to indicate the end of a syntactic period or grammatical
sentence. It represents a longer or shorter phonic pause depending on the emphasis that the
reader wants to give it. The important thing is that it marks a slight drop in pitch, unlike the
comma which marks a slight rise. After a period, a capital letter is always written.

Use of the point

1. The period indicates the pause with which the statement ends. After the period a
capital letter is always written.
2. There are three types of point: the full stop, the full stop, and the full stop .
3. The full stop separates statements that make up a paragraph. After the full stop,
continue writing on the same line. If the period is at the end of the line, it starts on the
next one without leaving an indent.
4. The full stop separates two different paragraphs. After a full stop it is written on a
different line. The first line must leave an indentation, or interior space.
5. The final period is the one that closes a text.
6. As a general rule, the period is also used after abbreviations.
1. Mr., Ex., etc. However, there are numerous exceptions; For example, the symbols of
the chemical elements and the units of weight and measurement are written without a
period: kg, Na; Nor do the cardinal points N (North), S (South), etc. carry this sign.
7. When the period is combined with parentheses or quotation marks, the period is
always placed after these signs. Example: We already wrote these Martian words:
"Honor, honor."
8. Do not write a period at the end of titles and subtitles of books, articles, chapters,
works of art, etc., when they appear isolated.

COMMA
This sign indicates small pauses in which the pitch is slightly raised and after which the same
previous pitch is maintained, unlike the point that indicates a drop in pitch. Other times it
marks the beginning and end of a section that is made in a lower tone throughout; in this
case, after the second comma that closes the period, we return to the previous tone.

Use of the comma

The comma indicates a brief pause that occurs within the sentence. It is used for:
1. Isolate the vocative from the rest of the sentence. Example: Friend, you will soon see the
results.
2. Separate the members of an enumeration, except those that are preceded by any of the
conjunctions y, e, o, u . Example: He brought books,
notebooks, notebooks and all kinds of cards.
3. Separate grammatically equivalent members within the same statement, except if they are
preceded by the conjunctions y, e, nor, o, u. However, a comma is placed in front of the
conjunction when the leading sequence expresses content other than the element or
elements.
previous. Examples: He studied the life of José Martí, his literary production and his
political writings. They painted the walls of the room, rearranged the furniture, and were
delighted.
4. Point out that the verb has been omitted because it has been previously mentioned or
because it is understood. Example: She prefers the piano; she
guitar.
5. Separate the inverted terms of a person's full name or those of a phrase that make up a
list (bibliography, index...). Example: Beautiful,
Andrés: Grammar of the Spanish language intended for use by Americans.
6. Statements that clarify or expand what is said in a sentence are written
between commas. In this case, they are found: explanatory appositions, explanatory
adjective propositions, any comment, explanation or precision of something said, the
mention of a cited author or work. Examples: Juan, his schoolmate, will help him. Good
books, which feed the mind and the heart, are company for life. He explained to us, after
many detours, his decision.
7. It is usual to place a comma before a conjunction or conjunctive phrase that joins the
propositions of a compound sentence, as in the cases
following:
a) In coordinated adversative sentences introduced by conjunctions such as but, but,
although, but . Example: You can record in my papers, but keep them as they were.
b) In front of consecutive sentences introduced by with that, so that, so that ... Example:
You said that you had understood everything, with that
Be prepared to answer the questions.
c) Before logical and explanatory causal sentences. Example: They are in the house,
because they have the light on.
8. Commas are placed when using phrases like this is , that is, that is, in short,
lastly, consequently, therefore, instead, firstly . Also shapes adverbials such as
generally, possibly, actually, finally, In short, as a general rule, perhaps . Example:
Therefore, we must make you study enough.
9. If these expressions come at the beginning of the sentence, they are separated from the
rest by a comma. But if they go in the middle of the sentence, they are written between
commas. Example: These two words are synonymous, that is, they mean the same thing.

10. Commas are also placed at the head of the letters, between the place and the date.
Example: Havana, January 28, 2002

SEMICOLON
This sign indicates a pause that is more intense than the comma but less than the full
stop. It can separate grammatically autonomous sentences, but closely related by
meaning, and has a spatial utility for separating lists of complex phrases or phrases.
Nowadays it is little used.

Use of semicolons
The semicolon (;) indicates a pause greater than that indicated by the comma and less
than that indicated by the period. The semicolon is used:
1. To separate the elements of an enumeration when dealing with complex expressions
that include commas in their writing. Example: Brought
books, all full of beautiful illustrations; notebooks, some really voluminous.
2. To separate juxtaposed sentences, if they are very long or have commas in their writing.
Example: The visitors arrived very happy and willing from the exhibition; some already
want to return.
3. Sometimes, full stops can be used instead of semicolons.
The choice may depend on the meaning link between the sentences. If this link is weak,
the semicolon is preferred: if it is stronger, the semicolon is preferable. It is also correct, in
these cases, to use a colon.
4. A semicolon is usually placed, instead of a comma, in front of conjunctions or
conjunctive phrases such as but, but and although, as well as however, therefore,
therefore, in the end , etc., when the periods are very long or They have a comma in their
writing. If the length is extremely long, it is preferable to use the point and followed.
Example: The exercises were long and complicated; However, they all answered them
without difficulty.

BOTH POINTS
This sign represents an emphasis and creates an expectation about what follows, the
intonation is like that of the period: it falls on the syllable that precedes it. After a colon, a
capital or lowercase letter is written without distinction, although the lowercase letter is
preferred when the text continues on the same line (unless a different voice enters) and
the capital letter is preferred when it continues separately on another line.

Use of the colon

The colon stops speech to draw attention to what follows. They are used:
1. After announcing an enumeration. Example: We will visit the following
provinces: Pinar del Río, Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Holguín.
2. To close an enumeration, before the anaphoric that replaces them.
Example: Natural, healthy and balanced: this is what a good diet should be like.
3. Before a verbatim quote. Example: From José Martí is the following phrase: "Homeland
is Humanity."
4. After greeting formulas in letters and documents. Example:
Dear friend:
I have gladly received your letter...
5. To signify the connection of meaning between related sentences, without the need to
use grammatical connection; These relationships can be:
a) Cause-effect. Example: Your parents are very sick: you cannot leave them
alone.
b) Conclusion or summary of the previous sentence. Example: Before the cyclone hit, the
neighbors secured their homes: there were no accidents.
c) Verification or explanation of the previous sentence, which usually has a meaning
more general. Example: Writing a letter does not present difficulties:
It includes a heading, a body or central part and a closing.
6. Colons are also used to separate the exemplification from the rest of the sentence.
Example: You can research the special things of
accentuation: the diacritic accent, for example.
7. In legal and administrative texts, a colon is placed after the verb, written with all capital
letters, which presents the fundamental objective of the document. The first word of the
text that follows this verb is always written with a capital letter, and the text forms a
different paragraph.

SUSPENSIVES POINTS
Ellipses (...) are made up of three consecutive points and are used with the aim of
suspending or interrupting what, at a certain point in the text, is said.

Use of ellipses
Ellipses (...) represent an interruption of the sentence or an imprecise ending. Ellipses are
used:
1. At the end of open or incomplete enumerations, with the same value as the word
etcetera . Example: Read what you like most: stories, novels, essays...
2. When you want to express that before what is going to follow there has been a moment
of doubt, fear or hesitation. Example: Maybe...I don't know... Have
to think about it more.
3. Sometimes, the interruption of the statement serves to surprise the reader with the
unexpectedness of the output. Example: Your answer did not surprise me... I
left speechless.
4. To leave a statement incomplete and in suspense. Example: I would tell him but...
5. When a verbatim quote, sentence or saying is reproduced, omitting a
part. Example: There is an old saying that says: Praying to God...
6. Three points are written within parentheses (...) or square brackets [...] when when
literally transcribing a text a part of it is omitted. Example: The royal palm (…) deserved its
inclusion in our national coat of arms for its graceful beauty, its slenderness, its abundance
and its Cubanness. (The Latin term Roystonea regia was removed.)

A period is never written after ellipses. However, other punctuation marks can be used,
such as commas, semicolons, and colons. Question or exclamation marks are written
before or after the ellipsis, depending on whether the statement they contain is complete
or incomplete. These signs will be written without leaving a space between them, but
rather after each other.

THE QUESTION MARKS

Question marks are orthographic signs that are responsible for enclosing interrogative
statements , so these are immediately transformed into questions.

Use of question and exclamation marks

They are used to delimit direct interrogative or exclamatory statements, and interjections.
The rules for the use of these signs are:
1. Two will be used: one to indicate the opening ( ?! ) and another to indicate the closing (
?! ); These signs will be placed at the beginning and at the end of the interrogative and
exclamatory statement respectively. Examples: What time is it?
How much progress we have made!
2. After the signs that indicate the closure of a question or exclamation point, do not write
a period.
3. Vocatives and subordinate clauses, when they occupy the first place in the statement,
are written outside the question or exclamation. However, if they are placed at the end,
they are considered within them. Examples: Carlos, have you advanced in your studies?
Have you advanced in your
studies?, Carlos.
4. When several questions or exclamations are written in a row and they are brief, you can
choose to consider them independent sentences, with their corresponding opening and
closing signs, and with a capital letter at the beginning of each of them.
5. However, it is also possible to consider the set of questions or exclamations as a single
statement. In this case they must be separated by commas or semicolons, and only in the
first one will the initial word be written with a capital letter. Examples: Has he returned yet?
Will you leave early? Already
Is he back? Will he leave early? Can you tell him that I want to see him?
THE PARENTHESIS
The parenthesis is a double orthographic sign (opening and closing) in the shape of a
curved line drawing a semi-concave figure ().

Parentheses act as a delimiting sign, as they allow you to isolate and frame
linguistic units , such as words, syntactic groups, sentences and even entire paragraphs.

Some uses of parentheses

Parentheses ( ) are used to enclose incidental or explanatory elements that are inserted
into a statement. They are used when:
1. The meaning of the speech is interrupted with a clarification or incidental element,
especially if it is long or has little relation to what came before or after. Example: The
attendees (by the way, all from Pinar del Río) became
quickly agree.
2. Some information is inserted (dates, places, meaning of acronyms, the author or work
cited, etc. Example: José Martí (1853 - 1895) is our Hero
National.
3. You want to introduce some alternative in the text. An entire word or just one of its
segments can be enclosed in parentheses. Example: In
The report is cleared on the day(s) you have been sick.
4. Three points are enclosed to record that a fragment of the text that is transcribed is
omitted from the quote.
5. Subsections headed by letters or numbers are written. Usually only the closing
parenthesis is written after these characters.
If the statement placed between parentheses is interrogative or exclamatory, the signs
corresponding to these are placed within the parentheses .

THE LINK OR LONG DASH

The dash, also known as an em dash, is a delimiting punctuation mark used to frame
certain paragraphs in a speech .

The line is graphically represented by a horizontal line (—)

Use of the dash or dash

The dash ( – ) is used:
1. To contain clarifications that interrupt the speech. In this case, an opening line and a
closing line are always placed at the end. The lines can be replaced by parentheses or
commas, depending on how the writer perceives the degree of connection between the
elements. Example: All my life - and I have already lived quite a bit - it has been like this.
2. To indicate each of the interventions in a dialogue, without mentioning the name of the
person or character to which it corresponds. To introduce or enclose the narrator's
comments or clarifications to the characters' interventions, a single line is placed in front of
the narrator's comment, without the need to close it with another, when the character's
words do not continue immediately after the comment.
3. Two lines are written, one opening and one closing, when the narrator's words interrupt
the character's intervention and it continues afterwards.
If it is necessary to place a punctuation mark after the narrator's intervention, it will be
placed after his words and after the closing line (if there is one).
4. In some lists, such as alphabetical indexes or bibliographies, the dash serves to
indicate that a word is omitted in that line, whether it is a previously mentioned concept or
the name of an author that is repeated.

THE QUOTATION MARKS

They are typographical signs used to mark different levels in a sentence. They are
generally used: To quote verbatim something that takes up less than three or four lines.
There are different types of quotes: angular quotes, also called Latin or Spanish (""),
English ("") and simple quotes ( ' ' ). In general, the use of one or another type of double
quotes is indistinct; but they usually alternate when quotation marks have to be used
within a text already enclosed in quotation marks.

Use of quotes
There are different types of quotation marks, which are used interchangeably, but they
alternate when they must be used in a text already enclosed in quotation marks. Quotation
marks are used:
1. To reproduce textual quotes.
2. To avoid repeating a text.
3. To indicate that a word or expression is improper, or from another language, or that it is
used ironically or with a special meaning.
4. To cite titles of articles, poems, paintings, etc.

THE SCRIPT
The hyphen is a sign that is written at the end of a line that ends with part of a word that
does not fit in it or that is used to join the two parts of a compound word.

Using the script

Shorter than the dash, it is basically used to make divisions within a word, and also:
1. To separate the elements that make up a compound word. Example:
theoretical-practical.
2. To divide a word at the end of a line if it does not fit completely.
3. When the hyphen is placed before a part of a word (syllable, morpheme, etc.), it
indicates that it is in final position. Examples: -illo, -idad, -ar . When the script is postponed
to that same part, it indicates that it is in the initial position. Examples: post-, re-, cant- . If
the element in question is placed between hyphens, it is understood that it is inside a
word.
4. The hyphen is also used to join words with a linking value similar to that of a preposition
or a conjunction. Examples: the port-transport-domestic economy chain .

LEXICAL ACQUISITION

Punctuation marks delimit sentences and paragraphs and establish the syntactic hierarchy
of propositions, thus managing to structure the text , order ideas and prioritize them into
main and secondary ones, and eliminate ambiguities. Punctuation varies depending on
writing style; However, differences in style that may arise do not exempt anyone from
complying with certain minimum standards and avoiding errors generally considered
unacceptable. Hence the importance of knowing and applying the basic rules of
punctuation.
However, it must be noted that beyond any established norm, punctuation marks also
make up the architecture of written thought. In this sense, and as has been the case in
poetry for more than a century, there are no exact rules to regulate the correct use of signs
in scores, both narrative and poetic. In terms of principles and parameters, punctuation
marks would become part of the parameters of the language, and consequently they are in
a process of constant evolution and are variables that may depend on other factors.

If the ultimate goal is communication, it could be paradoxical to find ourselves with spelling
licenses that do not respect the conventional way of writing and that, however, perfectly
express the concepts and internal rhythms, invisible in any other way. An example of a
variable "at the extreme" would be the changes in the forms of writing that are being
imposed by the new media, chat , blog, SMS... which, rather than attacking the old
structures of the language, make a specific use of it, appropriate to the speed and other
characteristics of the medium in question; even though the correct thing is to respect the
use of punctuation marks and avoid the degradation of the Spanish language due to
idioms.