Punctuation marks at the end of sentences and during breaks in speech. Punctuation marks at the end of the sentence At the end of the sentence the main Russian language is put

§ 1. Point

1. A period is placed at the end of a complete narrative sentence: A dark leaden mass is crawling towards the sun. Lightning flashes here and there in red zigzags. Distant rumbles of thunder can be heard. A warm wind blows through the grass, bends trees and raises dust. Now the May rain will splash and a real thunderstorm will begin. (Ch.).

Note. The period is not placed at the end of the sentence after the period indicating the abbreviation of the word: ...etc.; ...etc.; …etc.; …and so on.

2. A period is placed after short sentences that paint a single picture to make the presentation more expressive: It’s late. The wind became cold. It's dark in the valley. The grove sleeps above the foggy river. The moon disappeared behind the mountain. (P.)

3. A period is placed at the end of nominative (nominal) sentences that do not contain either a question or an exclamation: Field. Vegetable gardens. Apiary. Milk farm. Poultry house. Fruit garden. Forest. Two tractors. Workshops. And all this is in brilliant condition. (Cat.)

4. The period is placed after the first part of the so-called segmented structures, or structures with “double designation”, consisting of two parts. The first part (segment, i.e., segment), located at the beginning of a sentence or text and expressed, as a rule, by the nominative case form of a noun or a phrase headed by this form (nominative topic, or nominative representation), names a person, object, phenomenon , which in the second part (in the following text) receives a different designation in the form of a pronoun: Earth. No one will touch her... Just cling to her tighter. (Sim.); Labor productivity. How to increase it? (gas.)

5. The period is placed after a dividing pause before connecting constructions, which with other punctuation would play the role of members of the sentence (the so-called parcellation, i.e. division): In any case, contact me. Any minute now. (Chuck.); Mitrofanov grinned and stirred the coffee. He narrowed his eyes. (N.I.); Three young watch factory workers came running to the editorial office after work. Excited. Alarmed. (Adv.); The world has become different. One year older. (gas.); The program is grandiose. And quite real. (gas.)

6. A period is placed at the end of the incentive sentence if it is pronounced without an exclamation: You should get treatment. (M.G.); Let me read it another time. (Bl.); Don't teach me. (Good)

7. A period is placed before the conjunctions and, and, but, however, etc., if they begin a new sentence: There are lanterns on all corners and they burn with full intensity. And the windows are lit. (Sim.); Apparently the man got lost. But getting lost in the taiga now is a disastrous business: neither the month nor the stars are visible. (Mark.); It would be easier for me if he scolded me. But he remained silent and silent. (Kav.)

8. A period is placed at the end of the listing headings if the numbers or letters that indicate the headings have a dot:

§ 83. Written together:

1. Adverbs formed by combining prepositions with adverbs... unlikely, for nothing.

2. Adverbs formed by combining the prepositions in and on with collective numerals... in three, but: in twos, in threes.

3. Adverbs formed by combining prepositions with short adjectives... slowly, rashly. (Rules of Russian spelling and punctuation.)

1. If there are subparagraphs in numbered headings, the latter are usually separated by a semicolon (less often, a comma).

2. If inside the paragraph forming a subparagraph there is an independent sentence, then a dot is placed in front of it and the first word begins with a capital letter:

...Timely determine and change the focus of research and development, the organizational structure of scientific institutions. Strengthen the interaction of social, natural and technical sciences;

increase the efficiency of using the scientific potential of higher educational institutions to solve national economic problems. Improve training, advanced training and certification of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel.

9. The period is placed at the end of the sentence introducing a further detailed presentation: This is the story. (Paust.) [the story follows]; Imagine this: [further - detailed narration]; The new machine has such a device. [further - a lengthy description].

§ 2. Question mark

1. A question mark is placed at the end of a simple sentence containing a direct question: Where did you come from, Andrey? (Hump.); Do you like oranges? (Sim.)

Note. A question mark can be placed in interrogative sentences after each homogeneous member in order to separate the question: What am I - a parrot? turkey? (M.); Kravtsov smiled affectionately - at his impatience? self-conceit? genius? (Gran.)

2. Nominative (nominal) sentences can also be interrogative: Fire? (Leather)

3. A question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if all the parts included in its composition, or only the last one, contain the question: How long has the heart suffered in her, or has the time for tears passed? (P.); Will you get tired of living with them, and in whom you won’t find any stains? (Gr.)

4. A question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if the question is contained in both the main and subordinate parts of the sentence or only in the main or subordinate parts: Do you know what sisters of mercy are? (Acute); All kinds of violations, evasions, deviations from the rules made him despondent, although, it would seem, why should he care? (Ch.)

Note. If the subordinate part of a complex sentence forms an indirect question, then a question mark is usually not placed at the end of the sentence: I interrupted Savelin’s speech with a question about how much money I have in total (P.); Korchagin repeatedly asked me when he could be discharged (N.O.).

However, if the indirect question contains a strong interrogative intonation, a question mark is placed at the end of the complex sentence: Tell me, please, what kind of lights are these? (L.T.); I asked how he became a hermit? (M.G.)

5. A question mark is placed at the end of a non-union complex sentence if the parts that form it are interrogative sentences (commas are placed between them) or only the last part contains a direct question (a colon or a dash is placed before it, depending on the semantic relationships between the parts of the sentence): Who galloping, who hesitates under the cold darkness? (Bug.); And I was driving now, talking to you and kept thinking: why don’t they shoot? (Sim.); Praise is tempting - how can you not want it? (Kr.)

6. A question mark in brackets is placed to express doubt or bewilderment of the writer, most often inside the quoted text: “...Already cheerful and noisy with wine, already melodious (?) and bright (!) sat in circles at the table.” What a strange set of words! (White)

7. For the combination of question and exclamation marks, see § 3, paragraph 7.

§ 3. Exclamation mark

1. An exclamation point is placed at the end of an exclamation sentence: Eh, yes, it’s a thunderstorm! (T.); Bon voyage! (Leather)

Note. An exclamation mark can be placed in exclamatory sentences after each homogeneous member to indicate emotional, intermittent speech: Played! lost! taken into custody by decree! (Gr.)

2. Sentences that contain the words what for, how, which, etc. are always exclamatory: What a wonderful person my friend is! (T.); How pale you have become! (P.); How extraordinary that girl on the truck was! (F.)

3. An exclamation point is placed at the end of incentive sentences in which the command, demand, expressed in the imperative form of the verb, is emotionally charged: Get up! Get out of here! (Ch.); "Hold it!" - the old man groaned, pushing the longboat away from the shore (Sh.).

4. An exclamation mark is placed at the end of incentive sentences that are not expressed in the imperative form of the verb: Telephones! Fast! (Sim.); The officer threw the paper on the table. "Sign!" (M.G.); So that I don't hear such conversations anymore!

5. An exclamation mark is placed at the end of a nominative (nominal) sentence if it is pronounced with an exclamatory intonation: Emergency! (G.); This is my crown, the crown of shame! (P.)

6. An exclamation mark is placed at the end of a word-address, an interjection sentence or a sentence-address if it is pronounced with an exclamatory intonation: Of course! (T.); Right! Right! (Vs. Iv.); No no! (Crimea.); "Sabbath!" - someone shouted in an angry and torn voice (M.G.); Sonya (in a tone of reproach): Uncle! (Ch.)

7. An exclamation point in brackets is placed to express the author’s attitude to someone else’s text (agreement, approval or irony, indignation): “Our observations were carried out over a number of years, the conclusions were confirmed by numerous experiments (!), the main provisions were discussed at various meetings” - with We can completely agree with these words of the author of the new study. (See also § 2, paragraph 6.) To enhance the function of the exclamation (question) mark when expressing the writer’s attitude towards someone else’s text, there is a combination of both signs in brackets: ... The well-known ... William Buckley, whom the New York Times called “fierce supporter of conservative positions,” published… a eulogy under the dashing headline: “The neutron bomb is a unique anti-war (?!) weapon” (gas.).

§ 4. Ellipsis

1. An ellipsis is placed to indicate the incompleteness of the statement caused by various reasons (the speaker’s excitement, external interference, etc.): Oh, so you... - I sang everything without a soul the whole summer (Kr.); “And you are not afraid...” - “What am I not afraid of?” - “...Make a mistake?”; “And besides...” I thought, “and besides...”

2. An ellipsis is placed to indicate breaks in speech, hesitations: In the department... but it’s better not to say in which department (G.); “Ah... ah... ah, how could it be otherwise,” he stuttered (cf.: “Ah-ah,” he said drawlingly and knowingly).

3. An ellipsis is placed at the end of the sentence to indicate that the listing could be continued: The exhibition in the hall of the Georgian Museum of Art presents over 50 works by Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, Bernard, Modigliani, Cezanne, Monet... (gas. )

4. An ellipsis is placed to indicate an unexpected transition from one thought to another: Dubrovsky was silent... Suddenly he raised his head, his eyes sparkled, he stamped his foot, pushed the secretary... (P.)

5. The ellipsis at the beginning of the text indicates that the narrative, interrupted by some insertion, continues or that a lot of time has passed between the events described in the previous text and in this one: ... And now let’s return to the beginning of this story, which lasted twenty years.

6. An ellipsis is placed when listing words with undisclosed content: Festivals... Competitions... Concerts... (name of the section in the newspaper).

7. For the use of ellipses in quotations, see § 55.

8. For the combination of an ellipsis with a question or exclamation mark, see § 68, paragraph 1.

§ 1.1

Dot is placed at the end of a complete declarative sentence: A dark leaden mass is crawling towards the sun. Lightning flashes here and there in red zigzags. Distant rumbles of thunder can be heard. A warm wind blows through the grass, bends trees and raises dust. Now the May rain will splash and a real thunderstorm will begin.(Ch.) .

§ 1.2

Dot is placed after short sentences that paint a single picture, to make the presentation more expressive: Late. The wind became cold. It's dark in the valley. The grove sleeps above the foggy river. The moon disappeared behind the mountain.(P.)

§ 1.3

Dot is placed at the end of nominative (nominative) sentences that do not contain either a question or an exclamation: Field. Vegetable gardens. Apiary. Milk farm. Poultry house. Fruit garden. Forest. Two tractors. Workshops. And all this is in brilliant condition.(Cat.)

§ 1.4

Dot is placed after the first part of the so-called segmented structures, or “double designation” structures, consisting of two parts. The first part (segment, i.e., segment), located at the beginning of a sentence or text and expressed, as a rule, by the nominative case form of a noun or a phrase headed by this form (nominative topic, or nominative representation), names a person, object, phenomenon , which in the second part (in the following text) receives a different designation in the form of a pronoun: Earth. No one will touch her... Just cling to her tighter.(Sim.); Labor productivity. How to increase it?(gas.)

§ 1.5

Dot is placed after a dividing pause before connecting constructions, which with other punctuation would play the role of members of the sentence (the so-called parcellation, i.e. division): In any case, contact me. Any minute now.(Chuck.); Mitrofanov grinned and stirred the coffee. He narrowed his eyes.(N.I.); Three young watch factory workers came running to the editorial office after work. Excited. Alarmed.(Adv.); The world has become different. One year older.(gas.); The program is grandiose. And quite real.(gas.)

§ 1.6

Dot is placed at the end of the incentive sentence if it is pronounced without an exclamation: You should get treatment.(M.G.); Let me read it another time.(Bl.); Don't teach me.(Good)

§ 1.7

Dot placed before conjunctions and, but, however etc., if they begin a new sentence: There are lanterns on all corners and they burn at full intensity. And the windows are lit.(Sim.); Apparently the man got lost. But getting lost in the taiga now is a disastrous business: neither the month nor the stars are visible.(Mark.); It would be easier for me if he scolded me. But he remained silent and silent.(Kav.)

§ 1.8

Dot is placed at the end of the listing headings if the numbers or letters that indicate the headings have a dot:

§ 83. Written together:

1. Adverbs formed by combining prepositions with adverbs... unlikely, for nothing.<…>

2. Adverbs formed by combining the prepositions in and on with collective numerals... three, but: two, three.

3. Adverbs formed by combining prepositions with short adjectives... slowly, rashly.(Rules of Russian spelling and punctuation.)

Notes: 1. If there are subparagraphs in numbered headings, the latter are usually divided semicolon(less often - comma). 2. If there is an independent sentence inside the paragraph that forms the subparagraph, then it is preceded by dot and the first word begins with capital letters: ...Timely determine and change the focus of research and development, the organizational structure of scientific institutions. Strengthen the interaction of social, natural and technical sciences; increase the efficiency of using the scientific potential of higher educational institutions to solve national economic problems. Improve training, advanced training and certification of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel.

§ 1.9

Dot is placed at the end of the sentence introducing further detailed presentation: This is the story.(Paust.) [the story follows]; Imagine this:[further - detailed narration]; The new machine has such a device.[further - a lengthy description].

§ 2. Question mark

§ 2.1

Question mark is placed at the end of a simple sentence containing a direct question: Where did you come from, Andrey?(Hump.); Do you like oranges?(Sim.)

§ 2.2

Interrogative There may also be nominative (nominal) sentences: Fire? (Leather)

§ 2.3

Question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if all the parts included in its composition, or only the last one, contain a question: How long did her heart suffer, or did the time for tears soon pass?(P.); Will you get tired of living with them, and in whom you won’t find any stains?(Gr.)

§ 2.4

Question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if the question is contained in both the main and subordinate parts of the sentence or only in the main or subordinate clause: Do you know what sisters of mercy are?(Acute); All kinds of violations, evasions, deviations from the rules made him despondent, although, it would seem, why should he care?(Ch.)

§ 2.5

Question mark is placed at the end of a non-conjunctive complex sentence if the parts forming it are interrogative sentences (between them are placed commas) or only the last part contains a direct question (it is preceded by colon or dash, depending on the semantic relationships between the parts of the sentence): Who jumps, who hesitates under the cold darkness?(Bug.); And I was driving now, talking to you and kept thinking: why don’t they shoot?(Sim.); Praise is tempting - how can you not want it?(Kr.)

§ 2.6

Question mark placed in brackets to express doubt or bewilderment of the writer, most often within the quoted text: “...Already cheerful and noisy with wine, already melodious (?) and bright (!) sat in circles at the table.” What a strange set of words!(White)

§ 2.7

For the combination of question and exclamation marks, see § 3, paragraph 7.

§ 3. Exclamation mark

§ 3.1

Exclamation mark is placed at the end of an exclamation sentence: Hey, it's a thunderstorm! (T.); Bon voyage!(Leather)

§ 3.2

Always are exclamation marks sentences containing words what the, how, what and so on.: What a wonderful person my friend is!(T.); How pale you have become!(P.); How extraordinary that girl on the truck was!(F.)

§ 3.3

Exclamation mark is placed at the end of incentive sentences in which the command, demand, expressed in the imperative mood of the verb, is emotionally charged: Get up! Get out of here!(Ch.); "Hold it!" - the old man moaned, pushing the longboat away from the shore(Sh.).

§ 3.4

Exclamation mark is placed at the end of incentive sentences expressed in a non-imperative form of the verb: Phones! Fast!(Sim.); The officer threw the paper on the table. "Sign!"(M.G.); So that I don't hear such conversations anymore!

§ 3.5

Exclamation mark is placed at the end of a nominative (nominative) sentence if it is pronounced with an exclamatory intonation: Emergency! (G.); This is my crown, the crown of shame!(P.)

§ 3.6

Exclamation mark is placed at the end of a word-address, an interjection sentence or a sentence-address if it is pronounced with an exclamatory intonation: Still would! (T.); Right! Right!(Vs. Iv.); No no!(Crimea.); "Sabbath!" - someone shouted in an angry and torn voice(M.G.); Sonya (in a tone of reproach): Uncle! (Ch.)

§ 3.7

Exclamation mark placed in brackets to express the author’s attitude towards someone else’s text (agreement, approval or irony, indignation): “Our observations were carried out over a number of years, the conclusions were confirmed by numerous experiments (!), the main provisions were discussed at various meetings” - one can completely agree with these words of the author of the new study.(See also § 2, paragraph 6.) To enhance the function of the exclamation (question) mark when expressing the writer’s attitude towards someone else’s text, a combination of both signs in brackets is found: ...The notorious...William Buckley, whom the New York Times called “a fierce supporter of conservative positions,” published... a eulogy under the dashing headline: “The Neutron Bomb is a Unique Anti-War(?!) Weapon.”(gas.).

§ 4. Ellipsis

§ 4.1

Ellipsis put to indicate the incompleteness of the utterance caused by various reasons (excitement of the speaker, external interference, etc.): Oh, so you... - I sang all summer without a soul(Kr.); “And you are not afraid...” - “What am I not afraid of?” - “...Make a mistake?”; “And besides...” I thought, “and besides...”

§ 4.2

Ellipsis is placed to indicate breaks in speech, for pauses: In the department... but it’s better not to say in which department (G.); “Ah... ah... ah, how could it be otherwise,” he stuttered(cf.: “Ah-ah,” he said drawlingly and understandingly.).

§ 4.3

Ellipsis is placed at the end of the sentence to indicate that the given listing could be continued: The exhibition in the hall of the Georgian Museum of Art presents over 50 works by Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, Bernard, Modigliani, Cezanne, Monet...(gas.)

§ 4.4

Ellipsis is used to indicate an unexpected transition from one thought to another: Dubrovsky was silent... Suddenly he raised his head, his eyes sparkled, he stamped his foot, pushed the secretary away...(P.)

§ 4.5

Ellipsis at the beginning of the text indicates that the narrative, interrupted by some insertion, continues or that a lot of time has passed between the events described in the previous text and in this one: ... Now let's go back to the beginning of this story, which lasted twenty years.

§ 4.6

The ellipsis is placed when listing words with undisclosed content: Festivals... Competitions... Concerts...(name of the column in the newspaper).

§ 4.7

For the use of ellipses in quotations, see § 55.

§ 4.8

For the combination of an ellipsis with a question or exclamation mark, see § 68, paragraph 1.

1. A period is placed at the end of a complete narrative sentence, for example: The shadow was thinning. East Alel. The Cossack fire burned(Pushkin).

   Note. A period is not placed at the end of a sentence after a period indicating an abbreviation of a word.

2. A period is placed at the end of the incentive sentence if it is pronounced without an exclamation, for example: Don’t be upset, Olya. (Ehrenburg); Okay, let's crawl. (Simonov).
3. A period is placed before the conjunctions and, but, however etc., if they have a connecting meaning and begin a new sentence, for example: It was quiet. And suddenly in this silence a combat alarm rang out(Novikov-Priboy); And she sits and thinks and thinks. What is he thinking about, one wonders?(Chekhov); Grandfather Fishka sat for a long time, smoking a pipe, listening. But then he threw his head back on the log and started snoring.(G. Markov); Alyosha guessed that the captain appeared in the village not by chance. However, his father’s cunning policy did not offend him at all.(L. Sobolev).

   Note. The period can stand before connecting constructions starting with conjunctions, or non-conjunctive ones, which with other punctuation would play the role of members of a sentence, for example: Brought a mattress and pillow. And a Primus. And covered the partition with newspapers(V. Panova); She felt better. But not for long(Kochetov); You gave me a blue dress. Flannel. Warm(N. Ilyina).

4. A period is placed at the end of the listing headings if the numbers and letters that indicate the headings have a dot, and if there are subparagraphs in numbered headings, the latter are separated by a semicolon, for example:

   Article 5. Procedure for state registration of financial and industrial groups

   1. The set of legal entities forming a financial-industrial group acquires the status of a financial-industrial group by decision of the authorized state body on its state registration.

   2. For state registration, the central company of the financial-industrial group submits the following documents to the authorized state body:

   a) an application for the creation of a financial and industrial group (in the form established by the Government of the Russian Federation);

   b) an agreement on the creation of a financial and industrial group (with the exception of financial and industrial groups formed by the main and subsidiary companies);

   c) notarized copies of the registration certificate, constituent documents, copies of registers of shareholders (for joint stock companies) of each of the participants, including the central company of the financial and industrial group;

   d) organizational project;

   e) notarized and legalized constituent documents of foreign participants;

   f) conclusion of the federal antimonopoly authority.

   If necessary, the government of the Russian Federation may establish additional requirements for the composition of the submitted documents.

   3. The decision on state registration of a financial and industrial group is made on the basis of an examination of the submitted documents by the authorized state body.

   (From the Law of the Russian Federation “On Financial and Industrial Groups.”)

5. The period is placed at the end of the sentence introducing further detailed presentation, for example: What in military parlance is called a transition to defense begins like this. (hereinafter - a detailed presentation); The new engine has the following device. (further is a lengthy description).

§ 76. Question mark

1. A question mark is placed at the end of a simple sentence containing a question, for example: Did their brother really come? Vladimir Ivanovich?(Chekhov). Matchmaking? Yes?(Fedin).
   
   

   Note. A question mark can be placed in interrogative sentences after individual members (usually homogeneous) in order to divide the question, for example: Why here? and at this hour?(Griboyedov); Am I a parrot? turkey?(Mayakovsky).
   

2. A question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if all its constituent parts or only the last of them contain a question, for example: How long did her heart suffer, or did the time for tears soon pass?(Pushkin); I didn’t answer anything, and why should I answer?(Turgenev).
3. A question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if the question is contained in both the main and subordinate clauses or only in the main clause, for example: Would you like to know what kind of battles there are?(L. Tolstoy); How can I allow him to be hungry or not dressed?(A. Ostrovsky).
4. A question mark is placed at the end of a complex sentence if the subordinate clause contains a direct question, for example: All kinds of violations, evasions, deviations from the rules made him despondent, although, it would seem, why should he care?(Chekhov).

   Note. If the subordinate clause forms an indirect question, then a question mark is usually not placed at the end of the complex sentence, for example: I don't know how long I stayed in this position(L. Tolstoy); You didn't tell us why you don't go to school(Fedin). Placing a question mark after a sentence with an indirect question occurs if the latter contains a strongly expressed interrogative intonation, for example: I don't understand what you need?(Chekhov); I asked how he became a hermit?(Bitter).

5. A question mark is placed at the end of a non-union complex sentence if the parts that form it (in writing separated by commas) or only the last part (preceded by a colon or dash) contain a direct question, for example: But where did you come from, where have you been so far, what have you been doing, how have you been?(A. Ostrovsky); Open up, answer my question: was your day bright?(Block); Praise is tempting - how can you not want it?(Krylov).

§ 77. Exclamation mark

An exclamation point is placed at the end of an exclamatory sentence (including a word-sentence), for example: He loves me, he loves me so much!(Chekhov); Rather, an overcoat and a hat!(A. N. Tolstoy); Right! Right!(Vs. Ivanov).

Note 1. Depending on the shade of meaning and intonation, some sentences allow a question or exclamation mark, or both, at the end of them. Wed: Don't you know such simple things! – Don’t you know such simple things? – Don’t you know such simple things?!

Note 2. In exclamatory sentences, an exclamation mark is used after each of the homogeneous members to indicate emotional, intermittent speech, for example: Played! lost! taken into custody by decree!(Griboyedov).

§ 78. Ellipsis

1. An ellipsis is used to indicate the incompleteness of a statement caused by various reasons, to indicate breaks in speech, an unexpected transition from one thought to another, etc., for example: In the department... but it’s better not to say in which department(Gogol); Here I am... I’ll get better, I’ll... carry you through!(Bitter); Dubrovsky was silent... Suddenly he raised his head, his eyes sparkled, he stamped his foot, pushed the secretary away...(Pushkin).
2. An ellipsis at the beginning of the text indicates that the narrative, interrupted by some insertion, continues or that a lot of time has passed between the events described in the previous text and in this one.

   Note. About placing ellipses in quotations.

In the Russian language they perform several functions. They replace intonation pauses and emphasis on key words, lowering/raising the voice characteristic of Depending on their purpose, they can be divided into several groups.

Marks at the end of a sentence

All punctuation marks have their own specific meaning. So, at the end of a sentence there is either a period, an ellipsis, and an exclamation point.

• A period is needed if the statement contains any message and is of a narrative nature: “Today it snowed heavily all day, from morning until late evening.”
• The ellipsis indicates that the thought expressed in the sentence is not finished and requires continuation: “Please tell me, could you…”.
• Question punctuation marks are used if the sentences contain the question: “Where do you still run?”
• Exclamatory - when the statement contains an incentive to do something or emotional intensity: “Sanya, how glad I am to see you! Come here!”

Signs within a sentence

Inside the sentence, you use your own punctuation comma, semicolon, colon and dash, and parentheses. In addition, there are also quotation marks that can open and close an independent statement, and are also located inside an already created one. We use a comma in the following cases:

• With homogeneous members of the sentence, separating them from each other: “Snowflakes above the ground are spinning softly, smoothly, measuredly.”
• When it serves as the boundary of simple sentences as part of a complex one: “Thunder struck and the rain poured down like a solid wall.”
• Punctuation marks for distinguishing participial and adverbial phrases: “Smiling, the boy kept talking and talking without stopping. His interlocutors, who laughed heartily, were very pleased with the boy.”
• If the sentence contains introductory words or “In my opinion, the weather should recover soon.”
• With conjunctions “but, a, yes and” and others, this punctuation mark is required: “At first I decided to go for a walk, but then I changed my mind.”

The list of punctograms, of course, is far from complete. To clarify it, you should refer to syntax textbooks.

The colon is placed according to certain rules:

• It is used with generalizing words: “Everywhere: in the rooms, in the corridor, even in the remote corners of the pantry and kitchen - multi-colored lights of garlands shone.”
• A colon is used to indicate explanatory relations within its parts: “My friend was not mistaken with the forecasts: heavy, low clouds were slowly but surely gathering in the west.”
• When speaking directly, we also must not forget about this punctuation mark: it separates the author’s words: “Coming close, the guy knitted his eyebrows threateningly and muttered: “Maybe we should go out?”

A semicolon is written if the sentence is complex, non-conjunctive, and there is no close connection between its parts or if each part has its own punctuation marks: “Meanwhile it got dark; lights flashed in the houses here and there, streams of smoke came out of the chimneys, the smell of cooking food.” .

A dash is also placed in non-union sentences or if the subject and predicate are expressed by a noun in the presence of the particle “this”, etc.: “Spring is the shine of the sun, the blue of the sky, the joyful awakening of nature.”

Each punctogram has a number of nuances and clarifications, so for competent writing you must regularly work with reference literature.

Let's look at the cases in which a period is put. In fact, there are not so many of them, so it won’t be difficult to figure it out.

Rules for placing a point

1. A period is placed at the end of a complete narrative sentence, both incomplete and complete. For example: “On the morning of the next day, our army moved forward. On the eastern side of Arzrum there was a Turkish army. Our regiments moved towards it, responding to the Turkish fire with music and drumming. We walked proudly and did not retreat back under the pressure of the enemy.”
2. A period can also be placed in order to give expressiveness to the story, make it brighter, and emphasize the description. For example: “The waters flowed quietly. The sky grew dark. The sun was setting.”
3. A period is placed before the conjunctions a, but, and, however, etc., if they are not connected into one whole sentence, but begin an independent sentence. For example: “A month before Christmas, our doctor arrived. And we again argued in the evenings, playing billiards.”
4. A period is placed after a sentence that introduces further presentation, if the latter is a detailed narrative, reasoning or description. For example: “And it all happened like this. Nezhdanov, getting into the cart with Pavel, suddenly became very excited.”
5. The period is placed after the quotation marks. A period is not allowed before closing quotation marks. For example: “He began to instruct me on the “true path.”.”
6. It is important to remember when to put a period and when not to put one. The period should not be at the end of the sentence after the period, which indicates an abbreviation of the word. There should not be two periods in a row at the end of a sentence. For example: “My brother told me stories from his life about love, jealousy, separation, sadness, etc.”

A period is needed in writing in order to convey the full meaning of the text. The period liked the place at the end of the sentence, because that’s where it’s usually found. To put a period correctly, you need to find the end of the sentence, and this is not always as easy as it seems. After all, at the end of a sentence there may also be a question mark and an exclamation mark. When you are going to punctuate a sentence, you need to take this into account.