11 End Punctuation
11
End Punctuation
The end of a sentence can be marked with a period (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation point (!).
11a Use a period to mark the end of a sentence that makes a statement, gives an instruction, or includes an indirect question; use periods with most abbreviations
Writers seldom omit the period at the end of a sentence that makes a statement or gives directions.
STATEMENT |
Amnesty International investigates human-rights violations. |
INSTRUCTION |
Use as little water as possible during the drought. |
Writers sometimes mistake an indirect question for a direct one, however.
This sentence states what question was asked; it does not ask the question directly.
Many abbreviations use periods (Mass., Co., St.,). If you are not sure whether an abbreviation should include periods, check a dictionary.
When an abbreviation that uses periods ends a sentence, an additional period is not needed.
Note, however, that the Modern Language Association (MLA) recommends omitting periods in abbreviations that consist of capital letters (IBM, USA, BC) but including periods in abbreviations that consist of lowercase letters (a.m.).
11b Use a question mark to end a sentence that asks a direct question
DIRECT QUESTION |
Why was the flight delayed? |
When a question is also a quotation, the question mark is placed within the quotation marks (see also 15d).
11c Use an exclamation point to end a sentence that expresses a strong emotion or a forceful command
Use exclamation points sparingly; they lose their impact when used too frequently.
