Punctuations: How and Where to Use the Full Stop?

Full Stop

Full stop is one of the punctuation marks.

We use punctuation to communicate better and express ideas clearly to write, read or speak.

Punctuation

We use a full stop to indicate the end of a sentence(statement).

For example:

Chris is very strong.

In the above example, we use a full stop at the end of this sentence to mark its ending.

Chris is very strong. Once I saw him lifting a boy.

Remember that using a full stop at the end of the sentence means that the initial letter of the word that comes right after the full stop should be capitalized.

Other examples of using a full stop.

1. The cat stretched.
2. Jacob stood on his tiptoes.
3. The car turned the corner.
4. Kelly twirled in circles.
5. She opened the door.
6. Aaron took a picture.
7. I’m sorry.
8. I danced.
9. Sarah and Ira drove to the store.
10. He was eating and talking.

How to Use the Full Stop

There are different places to use a full stop. Let’s look at the two main functions of this punctuation mark.

1. Full stop separates two complete meaning-related sentences within the same paragraph.

Let’s look at an example:

Thieves broke into a bank because the security guard was on vacation. They opened the safe and took everything.

Here, we’ve used a full stop after the word vacation and everything.

2. Full stops also mark the ending of a paragraph.

Spacing and line breaks are important here. We should make sure that we leave an empty line to start a new paragraph.

“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.
Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. and I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals-sounds that say listen to this, it is important.
So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader’s ear. Don’t just write words. Write music.”

We use the new paragraph to develop another idea in our writing under the same topic.

Let’s continue where we left

Thieves broke into a bank because the security guard was on vacation. They opened the safe and took everything.

New paragraph and a line break because we are about to start a different sentence under the same topic.

As the security guard got back to the city and read the news in the newspaper, he went after the thieves in no time. The security guard worked really hard to find the thieves in their hiding spot counting the money they had stolen. The security guard arrested them and handed them over to the police.

Conclusion

Both functions of the full stop are equally important.

The full stops that end a sentence and those that mark the ending of a paragraph.

Also, we should remember that we should always capitalize the letter of the word that comes right after the full stop.

Incorrect Use of a Period

The following examples will show the correct and incorrect ways to use a period.

1. Questions

Never use a period to ask a question or make an inquiry:

Correct: Did you see that boy?
Incorrect: Did you see that boy?

2. Breaking Up Sentences

There’s a difference between ending a sentence and breaking up a sentence with a period.

Correct: Peace and harmony.
Incorrect: The world needs. Peace and harmony.

3. Listing Items

When listing items use a colon (:) or Em-space (–).

Here’s the shopping list: eggs, bananas, bread, milk, and chips.

Here’s the shopping list – eggs, bananas, bread, milk, and chips.