English Punctuation: Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Marks

Series index: English Punctuation Overview.

 

End marks are the punctuation marks used to end sentences, keeping thoughts separate and easy to read. More on using end marks with quotation marks later.

Periods

The period, also known as the full stop, ends declarative and imperative sentences. It’s also used in abbreviations and ellipses.

Question Marks

The question mark ends interrogative sentences, as well as any other sentences or sentence fragments posed as questions.

Exclamation Marks

The exclamation mark or exclamation point ends exclamatory sentences and strong interjections.