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.
the act of punctuating.
punctuation marks.
Biology. the sudden or accelerated extinction of some species and emergence of others, occurring only in isolated periods, as set forth in the theory of punctuated equilibrium.
Origin of punctuation
First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin pūnctuātiōn- (stem of pūnctuātiō ) “a marking, pointing”; see punctuate, -ion
Completed in 1953 and composed with standard line breaks and punctuation, the book was completely ignored upon submission.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“And to see great fashion,” he added half-heartedly, in monotone and with no punctuation.
Justin Bieber's Abs Cannot Save Him|Tim Teeman|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You might say that this is part of my side of the story… Please excuse my handwriting, punctuation, and spelling.
Life as an Undocumented Immigrant|Jose Antonio Vargas|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was more like punctuation, a real life comma that emphasizes the constant pressures of our daily schedule.
Why Men Shouldn’t Wait To Have Kids|Conor P. Williams|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rise to infamy of the “SarcMark”® is unparalleled in the history of punctuation.
The Rise and Fall of the Infamous SarcMark|Keith Houston|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Inconsistent hyphenation, punctuation, printing and spelling errors have been corrected silently.
A Fair Mystery|Bertha M. Clay
In the use of punctuation marks; first of terminal marks, then of the marks within a sentence.
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 10|Charles Herbert Sylvester
Obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have been corrected.
Wagner as I Knew Him|Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger
Punctuation has been standardised, and obvious typographical errors have been repaired.
Curious Facts in the History of Insects; Including Spiders and Scorpions.|Frank Cowan
Spelling, punctuation and inconcistencies in the original book have been retained.
Customs and Fashions in Old New England|Alice Morse Earle
British Dictionary definitions for punctuation
punctuation
/ (ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃən) /
noun
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
How To Use Punctuation In Text MessagesText messaging just might be the Wild West of communication. So saddle up! We're going over the understood rules of punctuation and emojis in text messages.
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Punctuation Marks You Should Consider UsingTired of the same old punctuation marks? These recent marks might not be standardized (yet), but they will surely add more flavor and oomph to your writing.