Punctuation norm. The meaning of punctuation in Russian

Punctuation is a branch of the science of language that studies the norms of use of punctuation marks. Punctuation marks gradually developed in the history of the Russian language and acquired modern look only by the nineteenth century. Ancient writings also used punctuation marks, but they were very different from modern ones. For example, a period was used in the middle of a line. The period corresponded to the modern comma. The quarter dot, or “imaginary cross,” corresponded to the dot. Moreover, in ancient times texts were written together, letter by letter. Since the 15th century, it has been increasingly observed separate writing, a punctuation mark appears that we also use, but for us it is an “empty space,” that is, a space. Ancient scribes characterized it as follows: “Ice is moving apart, or parting, or breaking through. And it is placed in the Divine Scriptures in the lines between the words (words), the hollow space is moved apart, so that the words do not become intertwined.” The punctuation also included a sign of transference, or end-transfer; according to Meletiy Smotritsky - “unit”, which goes “from line to line”, not dividing, but connecting the word. In Church Slavonic, punctuation marks are very similar to modern ones. The only difference from modern punctuation marks is question mark. In Church Slavonic graphics it is a punctuational Greekism.

In modern linguistics, punctuation is a science, a linguistic discipline about punctuation marks, their composition, meanings and rules for their use. Punctuation is also understood as a set of punctuation marks. Term punctuation from Latin word"punctum", which means "point". Punctuation, therefore, literally means “the science of dots.” The word punctuation as part of the term punctuation marks is of original Russian origin. Outside of this term, it means “obstacle.” Comma and punctuation are words of the same root. The main and most significant difference between punctuation marks and other writing signs is functional: punctuation marks do not indicate speech sounds and are not part of “written” words. In relation to words, writing signs are generally divided into three main groups: 1) intra-word - letters 2) “word” signs - numbers 3) inter-word - these are precisely punctuation marks.

How many punctuation marks are there in Russian? The ten punctuation marks are as follows: periods, commas, colons, ellipses, semicolons, ellipses, dashes, question marks, exclamation marks, parentheses, and quotation marks. The following signs are added to them: a single bracket: for example: 1)... 2)... or a)... b)... etc.) ; a footnote sign, usually in the form of an asterisk (*) (this sign is also called an asterix, from the Greek Aster - “star”). Following the paragraph, other signs of division of the text are sometimes included in punctuation marks: chapters, various kinds of spaces, etc., but this is not yet widely accepted. Separately, it is necessary to say about the hyphen. First of all, it must be strictly distinguished from a dash: they differ in style (the hyphen is 2-3 times shorter: (-), (--) and functionally: the dash is exclusively a punctuation sign, and the hyphen has 2 or 3 different functions. Main the function of the hyphen is orthographic: it forms a semi-continuous spelling of some words: in our opinion, in an adult way, someone, someone, someone, firstly, secondly, etc., within the limits of spelling the hyphen; is used as a sign for transferring words from one line to another: se-stra, sister-tra or sister-ra. But a hyphen can also be a punctuation sign - it can stand between the defined noun and a single application: Masha-rezvushka, Anika-warrior, Western cheat. , old fisherman, old mother, spring beauty, Ossetian cab driver, etc.

IN lately in some scientific texts, a single oblique line—a fractional bar—has been used quite often in the meaning of the conjunction or, in particular when dividing the conjunctions and, or: and/or, i.e. Next comes the text, which can either be attached to the previous text, or be in a divisive relationship with it. The fractional line in this meaning is also a punctuation mark. This function also uses parentheses. Let's give an example of such brackets: Chapters and paragraphs in books have, as a rule, “an independent number and (or) title” (according to the Dictionary of Publishing Terms). Instead of parentheses, you can use a slash here; “independent number and/or title.” The fractional slash is listed in the Morse code symbol system. In general, the following “alphabet” of punctuation marks is obtained (pay attention to the order in which they are listed):

dot (.),
colon (:),
ellipses (….),
semicolon (;),
comma (,),
commas (,),
quotation marks: a) paws (“,”) b) Christmas trees (“”),
question mark (?),
exclamation mark (!),
hyphen or dash (in punctuation role) (--),
dash (--),
double dash (---),
slash (/),
bracket ()),
brackets: (),
footnotes (*),
paragraph, or indentation.

General information

In Russian 10 punctuation marks. They play an important role, allow you to correctly understand written speech, provide the writer and reader with an unambiguous understanding of the meaning of the statement and the emotional shades of the sentence. In general, without punctuation, the text would be a collection of words. They have a varied range of uses. At first glance, it is difficult to understand their production, but you can learn this, you just need to know the punctuation rules.

Functions of punctuation marks

1.Meaning-distinctive(help to correctly convey the meaning of a statement; without a punctuation mark, the phrase would remain incomprehensible; it gives an unambiguous meaning to the phrase; without them, the text would be equivalent to an unclear set of symbols; they help us make sure that we are understood unambiguously)

2.Intonation-expressive(punctuation at the end of a sentence indicates the purpose of the statement (message, question or encouragement to action) and the intonation of speech, since Z.P. also place emotional accents: admiration, dissatisfaction, joy, surprise, etc.).

Types of punctuation marks

1.Signs of completion(period, question mark and exclamation point, ellipsis, combination of characters: question mark with exclamation point; question mark with ellipsis; exclamation mark with ellipsis). The meaning of use: a) help to indicate completeness, completeness of a phrase or expression; b) clearly convey the meaning of the statement (a narration about something, a question addressed to someone, an incentive to action), i.e. indicate intonation, place emotional accents: admiration, dissatisfaction, joy, surprise, etc..

2.Division signs(comma, colon, semicolon, dash). Meaning of use: help to place semantic emphasis on a word or phrase in a sentence.

3.Selection marks(comma, quotation marks, parentheses, dash). Meaning of use: help to place semantic emphasis on a word or phrase in a sentence.

Punctuation marks	Use	Examples of wording in an essay
	Sign of completion. A period unambiguously indicates the end of a sentence that talks about something. It indicates the independence of the completed utterance.	Let me give you an example of sentence No. 3: “The forest became quiet.” This is a complete statement that talks about the onset of evening peace and quiet. The period marked the end of the sentence.
Ellipsis	Sign of completion. Firstly, it clearly indicates the end of a statement that could have been continued. Secondly, it denotes a certain thought, reflection of the author of the speech, and may indicate incomplete information, understatement, a desire to keep something silent, or the writer’s uncertainty. Thirdly, an ellipsis is also used when it is necessary to indicate an unexpected transition from one statement to another. Fourthly, an ellipsis indicates an omission in speech (for example, when quoting). In addition, an ellipsis is placed to indicate breaks in speech, hesitations caused by for various reasons(excitement, for example).	The ellipsis appears at the end of sentence No. 17: “How could I explain it more clearly to you...” This punctuation mark indicates the end of a completed statement. The ellipsis indicates that the author is thinking, trying to choose the right words to continue his speech.
		For example, sentences No. 23 and 24: “Dubrovsky was silent... Suddenly he raised his head, his eyes sparkled, he stamped his foot, pushed the secretary away...” At the end of both statements there is an ellipsis. On the one hand, this sign marks the end of a completed utterance and separates one thought from another. On the other hand, an ellipsis indicates an unexpected transition from one statement to another, a rapid change of events.
		Take, for example, sentence No. 14: “In the department... but it’s better not to say in which department.” Gogol did not put the ellipsis by chance. This punctuation mark indicates a break in speech, a hesitation by the author, apparently pondering whether to indicate the location of the action.
Exclamation- body sign	Sign of completion. Firstly, it unambiguously denotes autonomy, independence, the end of a statement in which something is narrated or someone is called (encouraged) to action. Secondly, they place an emotional emphasis, because With the help of an exclamation mark, we convey the feeling with which we would like to pronounce the phrase (delight, surprise, dissatisfaction, doubt, etc.). The sign indicates emotional tension, emotional coloring of speech.	“What a pity that the birds flew away!” This sentence (#4) is a complete thought. The author, being in the forest, notes with regret that it has become very quiet. His emotional state emphasizes the exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.
Question mark	Sign of completion. First, it clearly indicates the end of a statement containing a direct question. Secondly, it indicates the intonation with which the sentence should be pronounced (it is interrogative). May be placed in parentheses to express doubt or bewilderment of the writer.	Let's look at sentence number 16: "What time is it?" This is a direct question. The completed statement belongs to Pavel, the hero of the story, who is awaiting an answer.
Question mark		“The latest (?) models of domestic cars were presented at the exhibition.” Reading this sentence, we understand that the author of the statement doubts, is somewhat unsure of the fact cited.
	First, it is a sign of separation. Separates: a) homogeneous members of a sentence, while indicating their boundaries; this sign is placed when listing actions, objects, signs, etc.; b) simple sentences as part of a complex enumeration with a value, it delimits its parts. Secondly, it is a sign of selection. Commas are used to highlight isolated definitions and circumstances (including participial and adverbial phrases), introductory words and sentences, addresses, interjections, clarifying and explanatory parts of the sentence. Thus, a comma serves to indicate the boundaries of semantic segments that complicate a simple sentence.	The comma is used several times in the sentence: “Chamomiles, dandelions, buttercups, clovers are wildflowers.” (No. 13) Here are listed homogeneous members (subjects) connected non-union connection. The boundaries between them are indicated by commas.
		Two simple sentences as part of a complex non-union sentence (No. 18) are separated by a comma: “Thunder roared, lightning flashed.” The punctuation mark indicates the boundaries of the parts of a complex sentence, denotes their autonomy and independence.
		Here, for example, is sentence No. 2: “It was raining, slanting and shallow.” The comma was used here for a reason. It identifies homogeneous single definitions that figuratively depict autumn rain in the city.
Colon	Division sign. Firstly, it separates simple sentences as part of a complex one, with the second sentence indicating the reason for what is said in the first, explaining or explaining something. Secondly, it is used after a generalizing word before homogeneous members. In this case, the generalizing word includes the entire lexical meaning of the series homogeneous members, which specify it. Thirdly, the colon separates the words of the author and the actual direct speech.	Consider the sentence: “I am sad: I have no friend with me.” (No. 20) This is a complete statement. It is a non-union complex sentence. It has two parts, the second explaining the reason for what is said in the first. The boundary between two simple sentences is indicated by a colon.
		“Birds were chattering on the rocks: frigates, guillemots, skuas.” This simple sentence lists homogeneous members. These are the subjects that denote the names of birds. The generic word “birds” is used before them. To separate it from homogeneous members, a colon is inserted.
		The text contains sentence No. 15. It consists of the words of the author of the text (“He asked”) and direct speech (“What time is it?”), belonging to the hero of the story, Vladimir. A colon is placed between these statements to indicate their separation.
Semicolon	Division sign. A semicolon is placed between simple sentences as part of a complex non-union sentence with the meaning of enumeration, if one of the simple sentences already has a comma (i.e. parts of the sentence are already distributed by homogeneous or separate members, introductory words, appeals, clarifying members, etc. ).	The author uses a semicolon in the sentence: “Emerald frogs jump underfoot; between the roots, having raised its golden head, it lies and guards them.” (No. 16) The statement is a non-union complex sentence. It consists of two independent independent parts. The second simple sentence is complicated by an adverbial phrase, which is isolated. Therefore, a semicolon is placed between the parts of a complex sentence.
	Division sign. Firstly, it is placed in a non-union complex sentence in the following cases: a) the first part has the meaning of time or condition, b) the second part indicates a consequence, result, b) the content of the parts is opposed. Secondly, a dash separates direct speech from the words of the author (along with a comma, exclamation point or question mark), indicating the end of someone else's words and the beginning of a statement indicating who is their author. Thirdly, it can separate the explanatory members of a sentence. Fourthly, a dash is used at the place where the connective between the subject and the predicate is missing (incomplete information). Fifthly, this sign stands before the replica when transmitting dialogue. Sixth, after homogeneous members of the sentence, a dash is also placed before the generalizing word.	Before us is a non-union complex sentence: “When morning comes, we’ll hit the road.” It has two parts (simple sentences), the first of which indicates the time when the supposed events will occur. Therefore, inside a complex sentence, a dash is placed between relatively independent statements.
		The dash is used in sentence No. 17: “The smoky sun rises - it will be a hot day.” This is a non-union complex sentence consisting of two simple ones representing complete statements. The second part indicates the consequence (result). Therefore, a dash is placed between simple sentences.

	Firstly, quotation marks are used when quoting to indicate that a given statement (complete or part of it) belongs to a person or is an excerpt from some source. Secondly, quotation marks contain direct speech conveyed on behalf of its author. In these cases, quotation marks indicate a change in the author of the statement. Thirdly, words used in an unusual, conventional or ironic meaning are highlighted in quotation marks.	The author, analyzing the poems of the Russian poet, cites the following lines: “As Blok wrote, “and eternal battle, we only dream of peace.” (sentence No. 29) The quotation from the work is enclosed in quotation marks, thereby indicating a change in the author of the speech.
		For example, sentence No. 27 is a statement by the 19th century Russian critic V.G. Belinsky: “In literature we honor the “table of ranks” and are afraid to talk about “high-ranking persons.” In the words of the writer we hear irony, and therefore some of the words are enclosed in quotation marks.
	Selection sign. It is used when we want to clarify, clarify something, or add additional information to a statement.	“In the summer (most likely in July) we will go on a cruise on the Black Sea.” After reading this sentence, we see the circumstance of time “in the summer,” which is clarified by the words “most likely in July.” Clarifying members of the proposal introducing necessary information, are enclosed in parentheses.
Combination of an exclamation mark with an ellipsis	Combination of completion signs. Firstly, it (the combination) unambiguously indicates the end of the statement. Secondly, an emotional emphasis is placed, because using v.z. we also convey the feeling with which we pronounce the phrase, and with ellipses we indicate some kind of reflection, the reflection of the author of the speech; it may indicate understatement, a desire to keep something silent, or a quick transition from one statement to another (placed at the end of the paragraph).	Example sentence: Hardly!..
Combination of a question mark with an ellipsis	Combination of completion signs. Firstly, it (the combination) unambiguously indicates the end of the statement. Secondly, v.z. indicates the intonation with which a sentence should be pronounced (it is interrogative). Thirdly, the author, combining v.z. with an ellipsis, also indicates a certain thought, reflection, understatement.	Example sentence: What is his charm? In his mind?.. In his gaze?..

Essay sample

Full stop and ellipsis are important punctuation marks in writing.

The period and ellipsis are important signs of written speech. A period is one of the signs of completion; it indicates the intonation of the end of a statement and is placed at the end of a narrative sentence that expresses a complete thought. Without this sign, we would not pause between statements, and therefore would not understand where one thought ends and another begins. The dot indicates the ending intonation. An ellipsis can also complete a phrase, but the function of the punctuation mark is different. When arguing on any topic, talking about something, the author of the speech sometimes does not dare to express his thought in full and is silent about something. The ellipsis is needed to express this understatement and reflection. Moreover, it can be combined with both question marks and exclamation marks. In the first case, the author asks about something, in the second he expresses emotions (surprise, joy, etc.). In addition, it happens that this sign is also used inside a sentence when quoting
someone's statement is incomplete. We put ellipses in place of missing words.
Let's look at an excerpt from the text. Drawing his hero, the author describes his speech (sentence No. 24), paying especially much attention to his voice (sentence No. 25), and his manner of communicating with people. Having spoken, N. Heinze completes his thoughts, which are declarative sentences, so at the end we see periods. Talking about the impression Bersenyev made on those around him, the writer cites as an example the words of some of them: “How can I tell you... I don’t know... but he is charming.” The ellipsis here is no coincidence. With its help, it is emphasized how women think, try to understand what attracted the hero to themselves. And N. Heinze himself, immersed in his thoughts, wonders what Bersenyev’s charm is: “In his mind?.. In his gaze?.. Or in his voice?..” He asks himself these questions, reflecting, but I’m not immediately ready to answer them, and therefore here the ellipsis is combined with a question mark.
So, dots and ellipses are important signs of written speech.

Today we will talk about existing punctuation marks.
Let's find out which ones exist punctuation marks, what they serve and where they came from.
Let's start by forming a certain understanding of the purpose of punctuation marks. Why do we need these very signs?
Our speech is extremely diverse, not only in the content of words, but also in intonation features. We can ask something meaningfully, pause, exclaim, and bring the speech to its logical conclusion. Divide your story into parts. Quote someone, use many other techniques in speech.
To reflect these very intonation and semantic features in writing, punctuation marks come to our aid.
Let's list everything existing signs punctuation and give a brief description of each.
« » - Space serves to separate words from each other.

« . » - Dot allows us to divide text into sentences. A sentence is a kind of complete thought within a narrative. The dot is also used to shorten long words (example “kv. 97” - short for apartment 97).

« , » Comma allows us to place accents and separate words from each other within a sentence. Famous example: “Execute, cannot be pardoned.” and “You can’t execute, you can have mercy.” shows how important commas are in creating the meaning of a sentence.

« ? » Question mark allows us to make an offer to the “asker.”

« ! » Exclamation mark comes to our aid when we need to give a more pronounced emotional color to a proposal.

« … » Ellipsis(three dots) we use when we want to indicate a pause or understatement in the story. Ellipsis is also used for technical purposes to shorten text, usually in quotes.
Example.
In the lines of Gorky’s poem: “Over the gray plain of the sea... A petrel soars proudly.”, we can find a call for revolution.

« ”” » Quotes. As you may have noticed, they are used quite often in this article. With them we highlight quotes, direct speech, names, words in figurative meaning. They are a kind of word highlighters in a general context.

« - » Dash or hyphen. The scope of application of this punctuation mark is quite wide. It is used both as an en dash without spaces in words like “ever, someone, somehow”, and as an em dash in sentences. For example: “Teaching is light! " A dash serves as a kind of bridge between words or sentences, indicating their relationship. Let us give a few more examples so that you can grasp the essence and variety of uses of this sign.
The book is with me - my faithful assistant.

In forests, fields, seas and oceans - harmony is everywhere.

– How did you sleep today?
- Sleep is a miracle!

“Come to me!” – the owner said the command.

I will buy two buckets - one for home, the other for the dacha.

I'm very sorry for the East too.
I will fly from Moscow to Vladivostok.

« : » Colon we indicate that the subsequent part of the sentence belongs to the previous one. For example, when in a sentence we have a generalizing word, and after it comes a list of words related to it. Different animals live in the forest: wolf, fox, bear and others. A colon can separate two parts of a sentence if the second follows in meaning from the first. I am pleased: today the day was not in vain. The colon is also actively used in sentences with direct speech and quotations in cases where the words of the author come first. For example. Einstein said: “Everything is relative!”

« ; » Semicolon. We usually use this sign for the same purpose as a comma. It is worth saying that if a comma is a kind of intonation pause for the purpose of separation, then a semicolon is an intonation pause, but a little longer and more significant.
It is used in complex sentences, as well as list transfers.
Let's give a couple of examples.
Need to buy:
1) red apples;
2) pickled cucumbers;
3) tomatoes.
Vitya didn’t catch the fish; but, despite this, he spent the whole evening talking about how interesting the fishing was.

« () » In parentheses we separate out implied text that is inconsistent with other parts in the sentence. Usually the following are written in brackets: clarifications, some details and details. In speech, we usually denote such moments with the words: more precisely, in the sense, I mean, etc.
Examples:
In winter (end of December) I am going to go to Austria.
Punctuation marks are convenient tools for creating clearer and richer text.

« ’ » Apostrophe. This sign, as a rule, separates one part of a word from another in complex surnames (Joan of Arc, D’Artagnan) as well as in words with part of the word in Latin (I sometimes use E-mail and Skype). It's kind of upper comma, making us understand that when pronouncing we need to make a micro-pause at the place of the apostrophe.

« Paragraph" - a punctuation mark denoted by a paragraph is, in fact, a transition to new line. It is used for the purpose of semantic or intonation division of the text into parts. A new thought usually begins with a new line. Transitions are actively used when writing poems and dialogues.

We have listed and revealed all punctuation marks existing in the Russian language today. In conclusion, I would like to draw attention to several facts from history.
Did you know that until the end of the 15th century in Rus', words were written together without spaces?
The period appeared only in the 1480s, the comma in the 1520s. And the first paired sign (brackets) was in 1619.
Today we successfully use all of the listed signs, both for their intended purpose and for creating fancy emoticons from them.
That's all for now.
Good luck;)

Helps to structure written text. Their use is regulated by punctuation rules specific to each language. They are not always easy to learn, so a lot of errors occur in this section. So, when studying foreign languages, very few programs include punctuation. However, this section is no less important than grammar or spelling, although it is only needed in So what are the punctuation marks?

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The main punctuation units in any language are the period, comma, as well as question and exclamation marks. With their help, you can correctly express your thoughts, although not always with sufficient accuracy. In total, ten icons are used in modern Russian: in addition to those already mentioned, these are the dash and colon, which will be discussed separately. In addition, these are brackets and quotes having separation function. Also the ellipsis, which ends a thought, and the semicolon, which play the same role, but within the same sentence.

As you can see, the list is small, but each of the listed punctuation units has its own purpose. Sometimes they are interchangeable, but more often they are not.

Classification

There are several options for dividing punctuation units. Firstly, on the basis of pairing. That is, in the case of placing one punctuation mark, it is necessary to supplement it with a second one. The paired categories include brackets, quotation marks, as well as double commas and dashes.

According to the second classification, all punctuation marks can be divided into 3 categories. For example, these:

Selection marks. They are intended to indicate the boundaries of various syntactic constructions and isolation. It is this category that paired signs belong to. They allow you to clearly structure a sentence and see its significant parts.
Branch signs. They mark the boundary between independent sentences, including those within complex structures. In addition, they indicate the type. This includes everything that is not included in the first paragraph.
Sometimes the red line is highlighted separately. It denotes a change in topic or a new turn in a story or argument.

Functions

It may seem that in modern world punctuation is already an atavism. As a rule, even without periods it is possible to delimit sentences, and even without commas it is most often clear what is meant we're talking about. What can we say about other signs that are much less common? And yet, it is extremely difficult to do without them.

Firstly, they allow you to make mental pauses and differentiate phrases without turning the text into a meaningless set of letters and words. Secondly, they convey a huge number of different shades - uncertainty, half-assertion, etc. Without such a powerful tool as punctuation, this would be very difficult to achieve. In addition, in official documents, agreements and contracts without punctuation marks would be extremely difficult to understand. A misplaced comma can completely change the meaning of the entire sentence - and this is no joke.

So the role of punctuation marks is important, no matter how their opponents claim the opposite. After all, many linguists are of the opinion that any unnecessary introductions into the language simply do not take root, while the significant parts are retained in any case. And then, the famous “execution cannot be pardoned” is just one example, but in fact there are thousands of them. Any punctuation mark is an important part of the sentence that cannot be neglected.

History of origin and development

It's hard to imagine how you can do without punctuation, but current situation developed relatively recently, and perhaps the process of development of this language section is still ongoing. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to observe how the origin and development of punctuation occurred.

The oldest punctuation mark is the dot, which is found in ancient Russian writings. But its use was not regulated in any way, and the location on the line was different - not at the bottom, but in the middle. The rules for staging it became more similar to modern ones around the 16th century.

The comma became widespread around the 15th century. Its name comes from an obsolete verb meaning stop, delay. The root word in this case is “stammer.” And the most observant ones will notice one more thing. For example, the fact that “punctuation”, by etymology, goes back to the same root.

Most of the other signs were introduced into widespread use before the 18th century. Lomonosov, Karamzin and many other prominent scientists contributed to their popularization. Modern punctuation rules for the Russian language were adopted in 1956 and are still in effect.

Correct use of punctuation units

Punctuation isn't always easy. At the end of a sentence there are four options to choose from, and within a phrase... It is not surprising that so much time is devoted to the study of punctuation. It may be somewhat difficult to remember all the rules, but the basic ones are simply necessary.

Commas: correct use

Since this sign is the most common, it is not surprising that it accounts for greatest number problems. A comma is a sign that separates simple sentences within a complex sentence. It is also used in enumeration, for highlighting introductory constructions, applications, isolating participial, participial and comparative phrases and many other purposes. It is perhaps quite difficult to list them all, since this is a huge part school curriculum. However, it should be remembered that a comma also always distinguishes the address. Punctuation marks require careful attention, and neglecting the rules for their placement for a native speaker is, first of all, disrespect for one’s own person.

Direct speech and dialogue

It is this topic that causes the greatest difficulty for both schoolchildren and adults. And if there are fewer problems with the dialogue, because dashes are simply placed before each line, then punctuation marks in direct speech simply become a stumbling block, especially if introducing words are also used.

In order to correctly format this part of the text, you need to know that the replica itself, along with its own punctuation marks, is highlighted in quotation marks. If introducing words are used, then a comma is used instead of a period, which in this case is taken out of the statement. Interrogative and always saved. As for the formatting of the author’s words, it depends on the division of the replicas. If they are a single sentence, interrupted by an explanation, then it is written with a small letter and highlighted with a dash and colon. Only one pair of quotation marks is placed - at the beginning and at the end of direct speech. This probably sounds a little confusing in theory, but in practice it’s not difficult to figure out.

Using dash and colon

Grammar in the Russian language presupposes the existence and this means the demand for the above-mentioned punctuation marks. Their purpose is approximately the same, and they both can be replaced by a comma, which, however, will not convey the desired shades.

A colon is necessary if the subsequent part or even a whole simple sentence more fully reveals the meaning of the previous one, adds details, etc. A dash is in the opposite situation. Of course, they have other functions, but they are also a large enough part of the school curriculum that it deserves detailed consideration.

Differences in punctuation between Russian and European languages

When studying our native language, we do not always think about what punctuation marks exist in foreign dialects and whether they serve the same function. Of course, the rules of punctuation are also different, but we are not talking about them now.

A striking example is Spanish. Question and exclamation sentences are highlighted more prominently in it, because the corresponding marks are placed not only at the end, but also at the beginning of phrases, so that they are paired along with quotation marks or parentheses.

By the way, in English Often, instead of an ellipsis at the end of direct speech, you can find a dash. And the Greeks can put [;] instead of a question mark. It’s difficult to guess without knowing. So it’s not always worth thinking about the rules that the Russian language sets. Punctuation marks and ways of using them are different everywhere.

Eastern languages

Japanese and Chinese remain true to tradition, despite the influence of Europe. So, the dot looks like a circle and is sometimes placed in the center of the line, and sometimes just like a regular one. This was done to avoid confusion, since the European sign could be mistaken for part of the last hieroglyph.

There are also two types of commas: regular and teardrop. The first, for example, separates simple sentences as part of a complex one, and the second - homogeneous members.

Little-known punctuation marks

It may seem that the previously mentioned list is more than exhaustive. But, strangely enough, this is not so. So, what punctuation marks exist that few people know about and are practically never used? There are a little more than a dozen of the most famous:

Interrobang. This combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark in one unit looks exotic, but interesting. Of course, it is easier and more common to write “?!”, especially since the meaning will be the same, but supporters of the introduction of interrobang believe that it looks more representative in writing.
Rhetorical It was in use for about 20 years at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. In fact, it is a mirror image of a regular question mark.
Asterism. Previously, chapters or their parts were separated from each other precisely by this sign, which was three stars arranged in the form of a triangle. But quite a long time ago they were replaced by the same asterism, but located in the form of a straight segment.
Ironic sign. It may seem too similar to the rhetorical one, although it is smaller, located above the line and has a completely different function, as the name suggests. It was invented in the 19th century.
Love sign. Its function is also obvious from the name, and it itself is a combination of two interrogatives, mirrored to each other, with one dot.
Agreement sign. It is a combination of two exclamation marks with one period. Expresses a show of goodwill or greeting.
A sign of confidence. Serves the function of emphasizing a strong opinion regarding the statement made. It is an exclamation mark crossed out by a short horizontal line.
Question comma. Used to emphasize interrogative intonation within one sentence. By analogy, there is an exclamation comma.
Sarcastic sign. It is a kind of snail with a dot inside and is protected by copyright. It is used to specifically emphasize that the sentence behind which it is located contains sarcasm.
Snark sign. It can also be typed on a regular keyboard, since it is just a period followed by a tilde - [.~]. It is used to show that the sentence it follows is not to be taken literally and has a hidden meaning.

Quite an interesting set, but to many it seems redundant. And although the role of some of these signs seems necessary, language ultimately displaces inappropriate and unused things. This is probably what happened in this case.

Nevertheless, natural languages- is far from the only discipline in which there is the concept of punctuation. However, this topic requires separate consideration. It would be much more appropriate to consider the influence of modern trends on the placement of punctuation marks.

Punctuation and Netiquette

Since communication on the Internet initially most often implies informality, some simplification and disregard for the rules of the Russian (and not only) language is quite natural. There has even been a concept of netiquette, which includes the question of how to place punctuation marks.

For example, a period at the end of a long dialogue is a sign that the interlocutor wants to close the topic. In other cases it looks rude and cold. Large quantity exclamation marks means, depending on the context, violent negative or positive emotions. An ellipsis can show despair, thoughtfulness, melancholy and some other shades of mood that can hardly be called positive. The placement of commas in online communication is rarely the subject of serious thought, because the goal is to convey the essence to the interlocutor, and the presentation of thoughts in this case is secondary. However, you cannot neglect the placement of question marks - this is bad manners.

Although these rules are different from the general rules, they are not difficult to remember. And, of course, you need to take into account that they do not relate to business and official correspondence, which must be formatted correctly and competently. Punctuation is a powerful tool that must be used carefully.

FUNCTIONS OF PUNCTION MARKS

Punctuation - important tool formatting of written speech. Punctuation marks indicate semantic , structural and intonation division of speech. It is known that punctuation marks not only organize written text to facilitate its perception by the reader, but also directly convey part of the information contained in the text. In particular, sometimes punctuation, by eliminating ambiguity, serves as the only available means of choosing the correct interpretation of the text.

According to its functions First of all, the signs are different separating (dividing)(period; question mark, exclamation mark, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, ellipsis) and highlighting (two commas, two dashes, parentheses, quotation marks).

ellipses

An ellipsis can be a "pause" in the unfolding of a sentence and can end a sentence.

The ellipsis, along with the general separating function, has a number of specific, varied meanings, which most often reflect the emotional coloring of speech.

The ellipsis conveys understatement, reticence, interruption of thought, and often its difficulty caused by great emotional stress.

An ellipsis can convey the significance of what was said, indicate subtext, hidden meaning.

With the help of ellipsis, the author, as it were, signals the reader about his feelings, impressions, asks to pay attention to the next word or the previous one, to what is written (to an unexpected or especially important information), conveys the hero’s excitement, etc.

Ellipsis is a punctuation mark in the form of three dots placed next to each other. In most cases it indicates an unfinished thought or pause.

Morphology is a branch of grammar that studies parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.) and their forms. You can’t do without knowing the parts of speech in the Russian language.

Firstly, a person’s written literacy depends on knowledge of parts of speech, because many spelling rules are based on the ability to determine the part of speech of a specific word. For example, using soft sign at the end of a word after sibilants depends primarily on what part of speech it is given word. If this is a noun of the 3rd declension, then “b” is written at the end (daughter, luxury, etc.), and if it is, say, short adjective, then “b” is not written (mighty, dense). Or the noun “burn” is written with the vowel “o” after the sibilant at the root, and the verb “burn” is written with the vowel “e”.

Secondly, knowledge of parts of speech forms a person’s punctuation literacy. For example, such a part of speech as an interjection (oh, ah, well, etc.) is always highlighted in writing with commas.

Thus, morphology is a very important section of the science of language.