Punctuation creates meaning by helping your reader understand where one thought ends and another begins, what's quoted or possessed, when a list follows, and a host of other things. Use these grammar quick tips for correct punctuation:
Comma
To set apart the name of a person being addressed
To separate items in a list
After an introductory expression
To separate extra, nonessential statements from the rest of the sentence
Semicolon
To join two complete sentences without using and, but, and similar words
To separate items in a list when at least one item contains a comma
Colon
Following the Dear Sir or Madam line in a business letter
To introduce a long quotation or a list
Dash
To separate and emphasize an extra comment in a sentence
To show a range
Apostrophe
To show possession (Herman's hermit, the girls' gym class)
To substitute for missing numerals ('07)
To substitute for missing letters in contractions (isn't, what's, and he's)
Hyphen
To divide words or syllables at the end of a line
To link two words, creating one description (second-string quarterback)
To attach prefixes to capitalized words (anti-Communist)
