Role of Punctuation in Academic Writing

Academic Writing

Punctuation helps you in properly conveying your idea. Punctuation plays an important role to ensure the smoothness and accuracy of a sentence. Wrong punctuation leads you toward a lame sentence. To make your sentence speak louder, make sure of the accuracy of punctuation in your writing.

Academic writing is of no use without punctuation. The clarity in a sentence is only possible with the use of punctuation. The use of punctuation is not for aesthetic purposes. It acts like guidance signs that guide you for where to stop, and where to be fluent in speaking. Also, where to slow down your speed and where to get speed. It breaks your sentence into different parts. It helps you gain an idea about the tone of the sentence. It shows the pronunciation of the writer. Suppose you want to have command of the English language. You have to learn about punctuation. Without punctuation, you cannot be fluent in English.

The director of coursework writing services firm said that read books with the title of punctuation. Also, you can go through a different online website that helps you correct your punctuation. If you want to start your career as a writer, go through punctuation guidelines when you feel that you now have command of it. Then start your writing career. Comma, semi-colon, colon, full stop, quotation marks, ellipses, question mark, exclamation mark, a hyphen, bracket, braces, and the apostrophe are used in punctuation. All of them are used for different purposes. One sentence can have more than one punctuation sign.

1. The comma (,)

The purpose of using a comma in a sentence is to break sentences into different parts. If you explain the condition with if and then, you separate your sentence using a comma. If you end your if condition, use another sentence for the condition. It would not make sense. But if you use a comma within a sentence, it breaks the sentence. As well as make sense of the sentence. It shows a real place to stop for the reader. It can also be used where a sentence contains more than one idea. Both of the ideas can be explained in one single sentence by using a comma. If you have to mention three to four or more words in your sentence, then you can use a comma for sure. Also, you can use a comma when you have to mention the input of anything and then it’s outcome. The comma makes a sensible link between parts of the sentence reasonably.
 

2. Semi-colon (;)

Semi-colons have one comma and one full stop in them. It cannot be used in the case of dependent clauses. Instead, use a semi-colon where you want to break down two independent clauses. When you want to link two sentences that are related to each other, then use a semi-colon. Here if you use the comma, it would not make sense in the sentence. Same as use of full stop would not make your sentence fluent in speaking. So, whenever you link two clauses, then use a semi-colon. Also, a semi-colon is used to explain sentences that are in resistance to each other. It is the most common use of a semi-colon. One more use of the semicolon is when you have some pieces or objects to discuss. Separate them by using a semi colon.

3. Colon (:)

There are many uses of the colon in writing. The most common use of the colon is while listing anything. In the presence of a colon, the reader gets to know that something is just coming in relation to the current sentence. In simple words, a colon plays the role of connection between two sentences. Also, when you want to conclude your topic, there you use the colon in the sentence.

4. Question mark (?)

When you want to ask a question straightforwardly, you use a question mark at the end of the sentence.

5. The full stop (.)

Use a full stop at the end of all sentences. It shows the completion of a sentence.
 

6. Exclamation Mark (!)

When you want to show some kind of expression, add an exclamatory mark at the end of the sentence.
 

7. Dash and Hyphen (–)

Both have different uses although they are the same in appearance. But dash is used between words when they are unrelated to each other. At the same time, the hyphen is used when both words are interlinked.

8. Apostrophe (‘)

According to experts of a PhD dissertation writing service, there are two primary uses of apostrophe. The first one is to show a missing letter in the word. Secondly, when you have to show that you have held on to something, you use an apostrophe.

In case of contraction, it includes I'm, you'll, they'd, isn’t, and I'll. There are many more words that come under the category of contraction. Here, you have to take special care. The use of contraction in academic writing is considered a bad practice. It is only suitable for informal writing. If we talk about the holding on to anything, it shows a person's ownership of something. Like;
  • The boy’s book. It shows the ownership of the boy for his book.
  • It is Hamid’s house. Here the house is Hamid’s property.
  • Here is Alina's car. It shows possession of Alina regarding a car.
Academic Writing 1
Now an important point to ensure the use of the apostrophe is its location. Check out if it is used before or after the word. Both uses have different meanings. Also, it changes the pronunciation of the word. In the first case, when you use an apostrophe before, you have to pronounce the letter after the apostrophe—for example, Ali’s friend. Here you pronounce the letter after the apostrophe. Now, if we talk about apostrophe after the word, here you do not pronounce anything extra—for example, Socrates’ book.

When you discuss pronouns, then do not use an apostrophe. However, when it is not pronounced, then use an apostrophe. You can understand this with the example of its, and it’s. However, when you use it as a pronoun, then you do not use an apostrophe. For example, the dog licked its tail.

On the other hand, if we discuss it, it’s an awesome view. So here you take it as “it is”.

Albert Barkley

Hello, my name is Albert Barkley. I am working as education consultant with a UK based firm after completion of my PhD. I like to write on different social, tech and education trends.

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