Punctuation is the basic element of English grammar and without it a sentence is not only incomplete but also insensible. There are various marks of punctuation that are used in sentences to give them more meaning and make it easier for the reader to understand. If we omit these punctuation marks from a sentence we will be left hanging. Also, without a punctuation mark a sentence can have various meanings and the reader might assume the meaning the writer is not conveying.
Today I will talk about the most common and most excessively used punctuation mark i.e. period.
Denotation:
The punctuation mark period is denoted by a full stop or a small dot (.) in English language.
Period:
A period is a small dot that is used at the end of simple sentences that show their completion. A period at the end of a group of words indicates that this marks the end of a senetence.
Example:
My cat is still hungry.
Placement:
A period is placed directly after the last letter of the last word of the sentence.
Notice in the above example, period is placed right after y of hungry.
A period is also used for abbreviations. Instead of writing the complete word, the first letter or first few letters of the word is written and are ended with a period.
Example:
a.m. and p.m.
e.g.
i.e.
etc.
If the sentence ends at an abbreviation, then only single period serves both purposes i.e. marking the end of a sentence and abbreviation.
Example:
The bus will leave at 9 p.m.
