Terminal Punctuations
                     TERMINAL 
PUNCTUATIONS 
Terminal 
Punctuations • Every phrase in English begins with a capital letter and 
concludes with a terminal punctuation mark. The period, 
question mark, and exclamation point are the three most 
popular terminal punctuation marks :  
                        Statement: The experiment failed.  
                        Question: The experiment failed?  
                        Exclamation: The experiment failed!  
• As this trio demonstrates, terminal punctuation marks not only 
signify the end of a phrase but also contribute to its meaning.
contd..
.
For example, ' A conversation phrase may also conclude with an em dash (to signify an interruption) or 
a sequence of ellipsis points (to indicate a trailing thought): 
"We cannot allow—" Then the phone went dead. 
His voice was weak. "I have only one regret ..." 
Pitfall: Sentence fragments. Fragments should be used sparingly and to achieve particular emphasis:  
• Do customers have to accept this unjust ruling? No, not always. 
• If the proposal is authorized, traffic congestion will rise by 20%. 
• What does the legislature's recurring failure to enact a budget before the fiscal year ends entail for 
the people of the state?  
• There is only one remedy for kleptocracy, and that is expensive and terrible headaches. More 
democracy is needed. 
contd..
.
Fragments that result from carelessness should be rewritten:  
• Many farmers were on the edge of bankruptcy in the 1980s because 
wheat exports had fallen.  
• As wheat exports fell, many farmers were on the edge of bankruptcy 
in the 1980s.  
Moderate growth is often beneficial to the stock market. K The rationale 
for this is that low inflation and stable interest rates create ideal 
circumstances for increasing earnings. Moderate growth is typically 
excellent for the stock market since low inflation and regular interest 
rates create favourable conditions for enormous profitability. 
The gifted copyeditor knows spelling, punctuation, grammar, diction, 
and use and has an ear for idioms. A skilled copyeditor should know 
spelling, punctuation, grammar, pronunciation, and use and an ear for 
phrases. 
contd..
.
Pitfall: Misuse of the terminal question mark. A question mark indicates that the sentence is a direct 
question.  
Is the project worth funding? Should this initiative be supported was a matter of discussion. Is this report 
going to be finished by Friday? Indirect query requests are worded as questions, and one-word interrogatives 
require a period. 
Indirect question: The question is whether the project should be funded.  
Request: Would you please complete your report by Friday?  
One-word interrogative: Employees should not second-guess company policy by asking why. 
Pitfall: For sentences within parentheses, use a terminal punctuation mark. When a parenthetical statement 
stands on its own, the closing parenthesis contains the terminal punctuation mark. Popular fiction accounted 
for half of all books purchased last year. (The second most popular category was business and self-help 
books.) Three mice were dead. (They would not eat) 
contd..
.
When a parenthetical statement is wrapped inside another sentence, it does 
not receive a final punctuation point. Popular fiction accounted for half of all 
books purchased last year (business and self-help books were the second 
largest category). Three mice died from refusing to eat, while two others lost 
one-third of their total weight. A tucked-in parenthetical comment may 
include two phrases. In that situation, the first phrase has a period in the 
end, while the second does not: 
The terse instructions ("Place tab A into slot B. Secure tab A") were not 
helpful.  
Pitfall: For quotes, use a terminal punctuation mark. The terminal 
punctuation mark is put within the dosing quotation mark after a quote. 
Jones stated that the manufacturing schedule was "entirely unrealistic."  
• Jones screamed, "I quit!"  
• Jones asked, "Where is everyone?"  
contd..
.
A question mark or exclamation point added as an editorial comment (i.e., an emphasis supplied by the writer) is 
placed outside the dosing quotation mark.  
Jones, of all people, said, 'The manufacturing schedule is entirely unrealistic"! 
To find all instances of "Judge" but not "judge," check the case-sensitive option and type "Judge." For example, to 
find all models of "Judge" but not "judge", check the case-sensitive option and type "Judge".  
The first statement raises the question: are we looking for all instances of the term Judge or simply instances of 
Judge followed by a comma? Should we type the term Judge or Judge followed by a period? This confusion is 
avoided by placing the punctuation outside the enclosing quotation marks. Citing the convergence principle
—"the benefits of having a prevalent style, beneficial in the worldwide field of science"—the CBE advises that 
publishers of scientific publications and journals follow the British style for punctuation placement with 
appropriate quote marks. 
Contact Us
UNITED KINGDOM
+44 1618186353
INDIA
+91-9884350006
EMAIL
[email protected]