ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

English punctuation

English Punctuation is a set of special marks and symbols used in writing to make sentences easier to read and understand. These include things like "periods" or "full stops", "commas", "exclamation marks", "question marks", and more.

Think of English Punctuation like a traffic signal for words. In the same way that a traffic signal tells cars when to stop, when to go, and where to turn, English punctuation tells readers when to pause, when to emphasize, and when to understand something as a question or a statement.

For example, a period tells us to stop at the end of a sentence. A comma tells us to take a short pause when we are reading a series of things. An exclamation mark tells us that something is exciting or important, and a question mark tells us that a sentence is asking a question.

Using English Punctuation correctly can make a big difference in how clear and easy to understand your writing is. So pay attention to those little marks and symbols when you are writing your next story or essay!