ORIGIN OF PUNCTUATION MARKS

Punctuation was born from a formula of graphic

invention implemented by Aristophanes (a
librarian from Alexandria) who, after reading
Aristotle's Rhetoric, perceived the importance
of silences, pauses or periods in oral
deliberation, and proposed to record those
modulations of a visual form, thus giving a
decisive boost to alphabetic writing as it is
known today in the West.

ETYMOLOGY OF SOME SIGNS

 The word comma comes from the Greek

comma , which means “ piece or cut ”, and
in effect: the comma represents the
smallest break, the smallest pause that is
marked within a statement.

 The question mark is a punctuation mark

that denotes a question. Its origin is Latin.
The word "question" comes from the Latin
questio , or question, abbreviated as "Qo."
This abbreviation became the question
mark.

• Our semicolon sign (;) is used in Greek to

indicate the question mark (?). Greek lacks
 double question marks and places this sign
(;) at the end of the interrogative phrase.

To indicate a short pause in speech, shorter

than a period and longer than a comma, Spanish
uses the semicolon (;), and Greek, for its part,
makes use of the aforementioned full stop (:), an
ancient sign that is still preserved today,
although it is not used too much, as is the case
with the semicolon in Spanish.

CHINESE
 COMMA: in Chinese there are two ways to
say “comma”:
1. uses two graphemes 頓 pause +號 sign;
1. uses two graphemes 逗 movement +號
sign.

 TWO POINTS: in Chinese, two points is said:

冒 mào 號 chào.

SEMI-COLOR: it is said 分 fén 號 hào, it takes the

meaning of separating.

 POINT:句號 jù hào. When the period means

the end of a statement, the period is called
in Chinese 句 jù: which means mouth and the
phonetic sign 句 jiu which means closed.

THE JAPANESE
Traditional Japanese does not have punctuation
marks; There was no symbol indicating a
reading change. It was written from top to
bottom and from right to left. Over time this has
changed and Japanese has adopted some
Western punctuation characters and created
others.

Both the question mark and the exclamation

mark have the same use as in Spanish, except
that, like English, they are only placed at the
end of the sentence.
 HIERARCHY OF SIGNS

Beyond titles and subtitles, punctuation also

serves to organize information into chapters,
sections, paragraphs, sentences,... There is a
close relationship between signs, linguistic
unity and communicative value.

, , ( )
“” — — ¿?

DEGREES OF COMPLEXITY OF THE SCORE

+ simple

Degree Signs used

1st point and followed

2nd + semicolon and comma

3rd + semicolon

4th + two points

5th + ellipsis and etc.

6th + hyphens, parentheses, quotes and

resources to highlight

+ complex
M. TO. K. Halliday, Luna (1992)
 SIGN UNIT UNIT
TEXTUAL SIGNIFICANT
FINAL TEXT MESSAGE
POINT

PARAGRAPH THEME, TOPIC

NEW
PARAGR
APH PRAYER IDEA, THOUGHT

POINT PHRASE NOTE

AND OR COMMENT
FOLLOW

SUBSECTION ADDED
SEMICOL (COURT)-
ON APPOSITION
(SEPARATION
WORDS)

EAT
 INITIAL WORKSHOP
USE OF SPELLING SIGNS
SESSION NUMBER 1

1. Locate in the text, according to your previous knowledge, the orthographic signs
necessary to attribute cohesion and coherence.

2. Answer now:
 Who or who are the characters?
 What space or spaces do the characters occupy or occupy?
 What's happening to them?
 Who tells the story?
 Tell the story in a few words

“LIGHT” AND “SHOES”

Taken from Gianni Rodari's Grammar of Fantasy.

Once upon a time there was a boy who always put on his dad's shoes one
night the dad got tired of him always taking his shoes off and he hung him
up from the light then at midnight it falls so the dad says what's up a thief
when he approaches he sees The little boy on the floor was on so the dad
tries to turn it off by turning his head but it doesn't go out then he pulls his
ears and it doesn't go out he crushes his nose but it doesn't go out he pulls
his hair and it doesn't go out he squeezes his navel but it doesn't turn off
either. Finally he takes off her shoes and gets it off.
USE OF SPELLING SIGNS

The punctuation of written texts, which aims

to reproduce the intonation of the oral
language, constitutes an important chapter
within the spelling of any language. The
correct expression and understanding of
written messages largely depends on it.
Punctuation organizes the discourse and its
different elements and allows avoiding
ambiguity in texts that, without its use, could
have different interpretations.

Spanish has the following punctuation marks

, Eat
. Spot
; Semicolon
: Two points
… Ellipsis
¿? Questions
¡! Exclamations
() Parenthesis
“” Quotation marks
- Script
 ,,
The comma, “ curved hairline ”, (…). This
“atom of silence” does not differ substantially
from a word. "The commas are so intentional
or the words are so tiny." -Borges-

The different grammar and spelling manuals

refer to the comma as a mark that indicates a
brief pause in the spoken language and is
carried into writing by means of the sign (,).
This is used in the following cases:

to. SEPARATES THE MEMBERS OF AN

ENUMERATION.

Months later, eager to go further, they ordered

a spearfishing team with everything: masks,
fins, tanks and compressed air guns .”

(Light is like water / Gabriel García

Márquez)

“He sketches figures of sheep, trees and birds

on everything he finds: on the light stones
with a piece of charcoal , on the dark ones
with a piece of plaster and in the sand with a
stick .”
 (A boy named Guiotto)

The whole family attended: grandparents,

parents, children, brothers-in-law,…

b. SEPARATE GRMATICALLY EQUIVALENT

MEMBERS

“So many efforts by the great cinematographic

laboratories to build monsters, to weave
jungles, to animate dragons, to make the
heroes move on the screen , and all of this can
be achieved, with no more resources than his
voice, by a good narrator.”
(Héctor Abad Faciolince)

In the initial work of awakening fantasy, of

nurturing the ability to dream, of producing
the first amazement and the first terrors, it is
important to recognize the source of those
emotions.”

(Héctor Abad Faciolince)

Before you leave, draw the curtains, close the

windows, turn off the lights and lock the key.

c. ISOLATE THE VOCATIVE FROM THE REST OF

THE SENTENCE

Let's remember the definition of vocative:

“Word that, alone or as an element of speech,
serves to call the person or thing to whom the
speaker is addressing or to attract their
attention.”
Dictionary of Spanish usage / María Moliner
 • Now, Panfilo , continue delighting us with
some funny story.
(The Decameron – G. Boccaccio)

• How beautiful the sky is this afternoon,

Platero , with its metallic autumn light,
like a wide sword of clean gold!
(Platero and I – Juan Ramón
Jiménez

• Julio, come here.

• I said listen to me, guys.

• Good Morning Class!

• Don't forget your swimsuit, Jorge.
• Jorge, did you remember to bring your
swimsuit?
• No, Antonio, I have forgotten.
• I'm proud of you, son.
• If I were you, María, I would study
Spanish, instead of French.
• Oh, Paloma, I'm so tired!
• Goodbye, Madrid, you are left without
people!
• Goodbye, walls!
• There are Spanish vocative expressions
that are interjections. Oh! and Oh!

d. ) When THE REGULAR ORDER OF THE PARTS

OF AN STATEMENT IS INVERTED (syntactic
transposition), prefixing elements that are
usually postponed, a comma tends to be
placed after the anticipated block.
From the castle, Don Gil and the giant also saw
the sudden flowering of the fields.

The first settlers also arrived through the

Darién, in Urabá.
from Colombia

Money, he doesn't have any left.

AND. SUBSECTIONS THAT INTERRUPT A

SENTENCE, either to clarify or expand what
has been said, or to mention the author or
works cited, are written between commas.
There are cases like the following:

1. The explanatory apposition

Let us remember the concept of apposition

taken from the Dictionary of Spanish Use, by
María Moliner :
“(From lat. «appositĭo, -ōnis») f. Gram. Union
of two names of which one is a clarification or
specification of the other, without any regime
or agreement between them; It is specific, for
example in:
• Satellite city
• Lemon yellow
• Orange
• My son the doctor

It is explanatory or clarifying in:

• Antonio, my son,
• The doctor, my cousin,
 • Madrid, capital of Spain since 1561, was
founded in the 9th century by the Muslim
Emir Mohamed I.

In accordance with the above, every

explanatory apposition is framed between
commas. Let's look at these examples:

Medellín, the capital of Antioquia , is proud of

the metro system.

Bolívar, the liberator , liberated five nations.

In accordance with the above, every

explanatory apposition is framed between
commas. Let's look at these examples:

Medellín, the capital of Antioquia , is proud of

the metro system.

Bolívar, the liberator , liberated five nations.

• Writing is a creative production process,

which involves the management of texts at
different levels: graphic, syntactic,
semantic, textual and contextual.

2. SUBSECTIONS THEY SAY

Any comment, explanation or precision to

something said. For example

I remember that, when I was studying sixth

grade, literature class consisted of a ceremony
that was somewhere between tedious and
macabre.

It gave us, after so much trouble, great joy.

My whole family, including my brother, agreed.

The English tried, repeatedly, to take away

Spain's conquered territories. In their
attempts they reached Cartagena de Indias, in
1741, with a fleet of 180 ships and about 24
thousand men. But they had to return defeated
by a handful of hungry and sick Spanish
soldiers, ordinary Cartageneros, African slaves
and indigenous people.

F. A COMMA is also usually PRESENTED TO A

CONJUNCTION OR CONJUNCTIVE LOCUTION
that joins the propositions of a compound
sentence.

“Students must be given opportunities to self-

monitor what they are understanding when
reading and to generate strategies to read
increasingly better, although this makes it
more difficult to know the successes or errors
produced in their first reading.”

The following links are separated from the rest

of the elements of the sentence by a comma:
this is, that is, that is, finally, finally,
therefore, however, however, in addition, in
that case, therefore , however, in the first
place. Likewise, certain adverbs or phrases
that perform the function of sentence
modifiers such as: generally, possibly,
actually, finally, ultimately...

g. In cases where A VERB is OMITTED

(ellipsis), because it has been previously
mentioned or because it is understood, a
comma is written in its place.

The children, through that door

The best path, the straight one

“The soul, a whole castle, a whole diamond

where there are many rooms just as in heaven
there are many mansions.”

USES OF COMMA

Separate Reversal of Before and after a

enumeration regular order Isolate Subsections
the that interrupt conjunction or
vocative the sentence to conjunctive
Verb phrase; links or
omission clarify or
expand what sentence
Separates was said. modifiers
members of
the same
grammatica
l category
Explanatory Comment,
statements precision or
explanation

OTHER EXAMPLES OF COMMA USE

  The parents did not finally say yes or no. But Totó and
Joel, who had been the last in the previous two years,
won the two golden gardenias in July and the public
recognition of the rector.
(Explanatory apposition)

 This time they didn't have to ask for anything, because

the parents asked them what they wanted.

(Precedes logical connector)

 Everyone's toothbrushes, Dad's condoms, bottles of

creams, and Mom's spare teeth were floating in the
bathroom, and the TV in the master bedroom was
floating on its side, still on from the latest episode of the
movie. midnight prohibited for children.
(Elements of the same grammatical category and a comma
preceding logical connector)

 In the meadow, instead of watching over the flock,

Giotto spends his time drawing.
(different syntactic order)

 Don Gil, the troubadour, was a happy and lively boy

who walked around the world with his lute, singing all
kinds of stories, songs and stories.
(explanatory apposition, enumeration)

 As at that time there was no newspaper, no radios, no

televisions, the troubadours were something like the
journalists of today and, thanks to them, the people of
the towns knew what was happening in the region
without leaving their home.
(Enumeration, subsection)
  Simón Bolívar was the liberator of five nations:
Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru.
(Enumeration)

 These changes are explained by the constant movement

of the layers that make up the earth. At the deepest level
is the core: a mass of solid iron, wrapped in a mantle of
liquid iron, which remains at more than six thousand
degrees Celsius.
(Subsection)

 The Spanish, in 1492, found more than a million natives

in Colombia.
(Subsection).

 The Wright brothers, bicycle-building mechanics, gave

the surprise.
(Explanatory apposition)

 “Mr. Bondone, your father, waits for your return every

afternoon.”
(Explanatory apposition)

 “Giotto is not sad because of the punishment, but

because he has lost a little lamb.”
(Connector)

 “If in the initial work of awakening fantasy, of nurturing

the ability to dream, of producing the first amazement
and the first terrors, it is important to recognize the
source of those emotions”
(Elements of the same grammatical category)

“I tell him about my beautiful trips, the whales, the islands

and the sharks, the storms and the Indians.”
(Separates the enumeration of elements)
“At a time when we tend to be separated from others in so
many different ways, when the old habit of proximity of
bodies seems to become something terrible, when it seems
much easier to establish communication with someone if they
are in seas distance that if it is next to us, it is important to
distinguish between objects that enhance the importance of
those who use them and objects that subordinate human
beings to the point of making them almost indifferent.”
(Elements of the same grammatical category)

OTHER EXAMPLES OF THE COMMA

1. Children, who lack all experience, must be guided by their

parents.

2. Racine, Corneille and Moliére are the three great names of

classical French theater.

3. The Constitution of 1886, wrote a radical journalist, was

the culmination of the civil war of 1885.

4. The maid jumped up, the scullion screamed, the comadre

laughed and I, as if nothing had happened.

5. She plays the violin and he plays the viola.

6. In this world there are only two tragedies: one is not getting
what you want and the other is getting it.

7. Get on the train of life, buddy.

8. There are others, and in these, which are the worst, I enter.

9. He is not a philosopher who knows where the treasure is,

but he who works and takes it out.
10. And they differ very little, because one is the other's jester.

11. They fought, now with the sword, now with the word.

12. I think it is true, although I don't know for sure.

13. Neither the people want a king, nor does the country
require one.

14. If he accepts it, he might as well joke.

15. I present the dilemma of a young bandit woman, whose

participation in the crime of a character is already proven.
Use of the point

The period (.) indicates the pause that occurs

at the end of a statement. After a period—
except in the case of the one used in
abbreviations—it is always written in capital
letters.
There are three kinds of points:

1. THE PERIOD AND FOLLOWING: separates

statements that make up a paragraph. After a
full stop, continue writing on the same line. If
the point is at the end of the line, it starts on
the next one without leaving a margin.
Let's look at an example:

“With agriculture and livestock, humanity

stopped being nomadic and took on the task of
building permanent housing. The world turned
somersault: urban life began. And where
agriculture prospered, civilizations flourished,
human groups organized around common
ideas and customs.”

Sentence 1:

With agriculture and livestock, humanity

stopped being nomadic and took on the task of
building permanent housing.

Sentence 2:
The world turned somersault: urban life
began.

Sentence 3:

And where agriculture prospered, civilizations

flourished, human groups organized around
common ideas and customs.

Two activities that lead to settlement

Beginning of urban life

Societies: ideologies, customs

2. THE POINT AND APART

The full stop separates two different

paragraphs, which usually develop, within the
unit of the text, different contents. After a full
stop it is written on a different line.

The sea was raging that day. The boats

danced on the water, avoiding the waves with
difficulty.
Miguel, sitting on the dock, waited for his
father's return. He looked at the horizon
anxiously looking for his boat.

3. THE FINAL POINT

The final period is the one that closes a text.

“Firstly, a speaker of any language spends

much of his time communicating verbally in
the following order: listening, speaking,
reading and writing. However, the ability to
communicate in writing is the least practiced;
There are days and even weeks when the
speakers of a language do not write a single
paragraph. This is one of the reasons that
makes the art of writing difficult.

Secondly, the ability to produce speeches is

not mastered by all speakers of a language.
While speech is acquired by the mere fact of
being born and living in a linguistic community
- except for the deaf - the ability to write is
acquired through special instruction. Although
most of the world's population can express
themselves fluently orally, they cannot do so
in writing in the same way; some, simply
because they have not been taught, and others
because they have not been taught; and others
because their languages lack a writing system
as in most indigenous groups.”

Curricular guidelines OF THE

SPANISH LANGUAGE

“Firstly, a speaker of any language spends

much of his time communicating verbally in
the following order: listening, speaking,
reading and writing. However, the ability to
communicate in writing is the least practiced;
There are days and even weeks when the
speakers of a language do not write a single
paragraph. This is one of the reasons that
makes the art of writing difficult.

Secondly, the ability to produce speeches is

not mastered by all speakers of a language.
While speech is acquired by the mere fact of
being born and living in a linguistic community
- except for the deaf - the ability to write is
acquired through special instruction. Although
most of the world's population can express
themselves fluently orally, they cannot do so
in writing in the same way; some, simply
because they have not been taught, and others
because they have not been taught; and others
because their languages lack a writing system
as in most indigenous groups.”

Curricular guidelines OF THE

SPANISH LANGUAGE
 ;
1. It is used to separate the elements of an
enumeration when dealing with complex
expressions that include commas. For
example:

“Going with nature and not against it is a basic

principle that must be taken into account
when managing a productive farm. It is
important to encourage diversity when mixing
crops; respect the natural cycles of winters,
summers, and phases of the moon; use
organic fertilizers prepared on the same farm;
protect the soil by always keeping it covered;
and recycle crop remains, animal manure and
household waste, reintegrating these elements
into the cycle of life.”

A surprise can be in many ways:

There are surprises that sound, like that of a

serenade;

surprises that taste, like trying a mango soup;

surprises that feel, like a downpour;

or happy surprises, like meeting a friend.

In lunfardo, for example, there are several

metaphor nouns to name the head:
“phosphera”, for the content; “thinker”, by
function; “mate” because of the shape;
“rooftop”, due to the situation; “piojera”,
pejorative nuance.

2. To separate juxtaposed propositions,

especially when the comma has been used:

“The most intrepid and adventurous were

discovering many lands and many seas; the
cartographers, map-drawers, added them to
their lines.”

“Medicinal plants such as basil, nettle,

pennyroyal, peppermint and rosemary control
flies; “Wormwood, rosemary and altamisa
baths fight fleas.”

“The company's economic situation, which has

worsened in recent times, was worrying;
"Quick and forceful action was required if jobs
were to be saved."

3. A semicolon is usually placed, instead of a

comma, in front of conjunctions or conjunctive
phrases such as: but, but, although, as well as,
however, therefore, consequently, in the end,
etc .; when the periods have a certain length
and head the proposition they affect. For
example:

Sensitizing teachers and young people

towards investigative attitudes is not
impossible; It is, on the contrary, what should
constitute the dynamics of interactions in the
school context; because it is not, of course,
about stopping studying but about
reconceptualizing what is called the act of
studying.

His speech was very well constructed and

based on solid principles; but he failed to
convince many of the participants in the
congress.

The players trained intensely throughout the

month; However, the results were not what
the coach expected.

If the blocks are not very long, the comma is

preferred. For example:

It will come, but late.

He did so, although reluctantly.

If the periods are of considerable length, it is

better to separate them with a full stop. For
example:

This summer, several residents of the property

plan to put their respective homes up for sale.
Consequently, numerous visits from potential
buyers are expected.

NOTE:

In many of these cases, you could choose to

separate the periods with a full stop. The
choice of the full stop or the semicolon
depends on the semantic link that exists
between the sentences or propositions. If the
link is weak, it is preferred to use a full stop;
while, if it is more solid, it is advisable to opt
for the semicolon.

The colon (:) stops speech to draw attention to

what follows.

Colons are used in the following cases:

1. After announcing an enumeration

Jorge Iván also loved maps. In his school
years he drew three: one from the world, one
from Colombia and another from Antioquia.

“He sketches figures of sheep, trees and birds

on everything he finds: on the light stones
with a piece of charcoal, on the dark ones with
a piece of plaster and in the sand with a stick.”

2. To close an enumeration:

Earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions:

those are the main natural disasters.

3. The colon precedes the textual quotations.

In this case, after the colon the first word is
usually written with a capital initial. For
example:

"The doctor's words were: 'Rest and a

balanced diet.'"

Descartes already said it: “I think, therefore I

am.”

Colons are used to connect sentences or

propositions related to each other without
having to use another connection. There are
several relationships that can be expressed:

4. Cause-effect relationship

He has lost his job: he will not be able to go on

vacation this summer.
5. Conclusion or summary of the previous
proposition

“The potters did not know that they had before

them one of the most revolutionary inventions
in the history of humanity: the wheel, a disc
with its corresponding axle.”

Several neighbors monopolized the meeting

with particular problems: they could not reach
an agreement.

6. Verification or explanation of the previous

proposition, which usually has a more general
meaning.

“The planet is a living organism: the forests

are its skin, the soils its flesh, the mountains
its bones, the rivers its blood, the birds its joy,
and we, the people, are at the same time its
heart, its eyes and Your thoughts".

“These changes are explained by the constant

movement of the layers that make up the
Earth. Deep down is the core: a mass of solid
iron, wrapped in a mantle of liquid iron, which
remains at more than six thousand degrees
Celsius.”
 …
Ellipses (...) represent an interruption of the
sentence or an imprecise ending.

After the ellipsis, when they close a statement,

it is written in capital letters. For example:

The fact is that if it rained... It's better not to

think about such an improbable thing.
When ellipses do not close a statement and it
continues after them, it is written in lower
case. For example:

I'm thinking... I'll accept; This time I have to

take the risk.

Ellipses are used in the following cases:

1. At the end of open or incomplete

enumerations, with the same value as the
word etcetera. Examples:
You can do whatever you want most: read,
watch television, listen to music...

“After the fox another animal appeared and

did the same, and then another, and another,
and another, and another… until the cub was
completely bald.”

Little King – Jaime Alberto Vélez

Acrostic between Romeo and Juliet

Romeo writes:

With you I would like

A day, a month, a year...
The hours of your entire life,
Imagining a sky from your hand
Enter the coming death
So meekly. and take the step
To love, the only true essence.
Luis Fernando Macías

2. When you want to express that before what

is going to follow there has been a moment of
doubt, fear or hesitation. Examples:

I will go; I won't go... I must decide soon .

I don't know... I think... well, yeah, I think I'm

going to go.

3. Sometimes, the interruption of the

statement serves to surprise the reader with
the unexpectedness of the output. For
example:
A meeting was called, hundreds of papers
announcing it were distributed and, in the
end... four of us met.

Did you know that... the weight of the food

that living beings consume is equal to that
which comes out in the form of manure ?

 To leave a statement incomplete and in

suspense, ellipses are used. For example:

It was all very violent, it was very

unpleasant… I don't want to continue talking
about it.

 This punctuation mark is also used when a

textual quote, sentence or saying is
reproduced, omitting a part. Examples:

In that moment of indecision, I thought:

"Better a bird in the hand..." and accepted the
money.

 Three points are written inside

parentheses (...) or brackets [...] when
when literally transcribing a text a part of
it is omitted. For example:

“Words, Sklovski tells us, contain “echoes of

the past”, traditions of the past (…); the old
exists in Shakespeare; His arguments are not
his own, but his works are, and the most
difficult thing is to understand why they are so
astonishingly different from what their
sources seem to be…”
 Curricular guidelines of the Spanish
language

For Lerner (1985:10):

“…the reader's prior knowledge is a
determining factor in the meaning
construction process. This “prior knowledge”
is constituted not only by what the subject
knows about the specific topic worked on in
the text, but also by its cognitive structure,
that is, the way in which its knowledge is
organized, the assimilation instruments
available to it. for their linguistic competence
in general and knowledge of the language in
particular.”

Curricular guidelines of the Spanish language

Combination of ellipses with other signs

 A period is never written after ellipses.

However, other punctuation marks can be
used, such as commas, semicolons, and
colons. Examples:

The books, the computers, the paper... had

already arrived; the next day I would start
working

 Question or exclamation marks are written

before or after the ellipsis, depending on
whether the statement it contains is
complete or incomplete. Examples:

Did he bring me the books?... For sure yes.

If I told you that...! It's useless, you never
listen to anyone.

 Both the comma, the semicolon and the

colon, as well as the question and
exclamation marks, will be written
immediately, without a space separating
them from the ellipsis, as shown in the
previous examples.

¡! ¿?
Question marks (?) and exclamation marks (!)
contain statements that, respectively, question or
exclaim. The former are used to delimit direct
interrogative statements; the latter demarcate
exclamatory statements, also in direct speech,
and interjections. Examples:
Did you eat at home yesterday?

Where did you buy that suit?

That's an injustice!

What a magnificent painting!

When using such signs, it is necessary to take into

account these general considerations:

 There are two question and exclamation

marks in each case: the signs that indicate
opening (!) and the signs that indicate closure
(? !). They are placed at the beginning and at
the end of the interrogative and exclamatory
statement respectively.

 In our language it is mandatory to always put

the opening sign, which should not be deleted
in imitation of what happens in the spelling of
other languages, in which only the final sign
is used because they have other grammatical
marks that replace the first.

 After the signs that indicate closing of a

question or exclamation (? !) is never written
period

 The beginning of a question mark () or

exclamation mark () must be placed where the
question or exclamation begins, even if the
statement does not begin with it. Examples:

With respect to environmental impact, have any

types of measures been planned to ensure that its
effect is as minor as possible?
If you get the place, how happy your father will
be!

 Note how vocatives and subordinate

propositions, when they occupy the first place
in the statement, are written outside the
question or exclamation. However, if they are
placed at the end, they are considered within
them. Examples:
Susana, have you decided what you are going to
do? / Have you decided what you are going to do,
Susana?

Pepe, I'm so glad you came! / How glad I am that

you came, Pepe!

If he doesn't respond, what are we going to tell

him? / What are we going to tell him if he doesn't
respond?

 Sometimes, the end of question marks (?) or

exclamation marks (!) are used in parentheses.

a) The end question mark in parentheses

expresses doubt or irony. Examples:

Andrés Sánchez López is the president (?) of the

association.

It would be very funny (?) if he arrived at the

appointment a day late

b) The end of exclamation mark between

Parentheses express surprise or irony. Examples
A young man of thirty-six years old (!) was the
winner of the composition contest.

He's fatter than ever, but he says he only weighs

eighty kilos (!) on the scale at home.

()
Parentheses ( ) are signs that contain incidental or
explanatory elements interspersed in a statement.

Parentheses are used in the following cases:

 When the meaning of the speech is

interrupted with an explanatory or incidental
paragraph, especially if it is long or has little
relation to what came before or after.
Examples:

Alberto's grandfather (in his youth he was a

brilliant surgeon) looked like a statue sitting in
that chair.
The assemblies (the last one lasted almost four
hours without any breaks) are held in the
assembly hall

 To insert some information or precision:

dates, places, meaning of acronyms, the
author or work cited. Examples:

The year of his birth (1616) is the same in

that Cervantes died.

His entire family was born in Córdoba

(Argentina).

An NGO (non-governmental organization) has

from being, in principle, an association without
spirit
profit.

 Parentheses are sometimes used to avoid

introducing an option in the text. In these
cases, a complete word or just one of its
segments can be enclosed within the
parentheses. Examples:

The document will indicate the day(s) on which

the withdrawal took place.

A boy is needed to deliver orders.

combination of parentheses with other signs

 The punctuation marks corresponding to the

period in which the text in parentheses is
inserted are always placed after the closing
one. Examples:
He had several siblings (he was the firstborn of a
large family), but he had not seen them for years.

In what year was the UN (United Nations

Organization) created?

The text contained within parentheses has

independent punctuation. Therefore, if the
statement in parentheses is interrogative or
exclamatory, the question and exclamation marks
are placed inside the parentheses. Examples:

Ángel Peláez (if you knew what he thinks about

ecology and environmentalists, you wouldn't like
him so much!) is the new person in charge of the
project.

Ernesto's mania for collecting (he collects

everything: stamps, coins, watches, pens,
keychains...) has turned his house into a
warehouse.

His facility with languages (he speaks seven

languages fluently!) has opened many doors for
him.

OTHER USES
Apostrophe

The apostrophe (') is practically not valid in

current Spanish.
• However, the anglicism of using it before a
year number to replace hundreds is
 widespread, especially in the naming of
cultural, commercial or sporting events:
España'82, Expo'92. In these cases, the
last two figures will suffice, without an
apostrophe: Barcelona 92.
• This sign used to be used in the past,
especially in poetry, to indicate the
omission or elision of a vowel. Example:
d'aquel, for that one; l'aspereza, for
roughness; What is it, why is it? This use is
preserved in some current editions of ancient
works.
• The proper names of other languages that
include an apostrophe retain it. Examples:
O'donnell, D'Ors, etc.

umlaut

• This orthographic sign (¨) placed over the

vowel u in the syllables gue, gui, denotes
that said vowel is pronounced ( degüello,
pingüino , argüir ). It should not be
omitted in any case where it is applicable,
including verses.

Use of the stripe

The dash or dash (—) can be used in isolation,

or, as in the case of other punctuation marks,
to serve as an opening and closing sign that
isolates an element or statement.

• To contain clarifications or paragraphs

that interrupt the speech. In this case, an
 opening line is always placed before the
clarification and a closing line at the end.
For example:

He took his loyalty to his teacher—a good

teacher—to unsuspected extremes.
I was waiting for Emilio—a great friend—.
Unfortunately, he didn't come.

In this use, dashes can be replaced by

parentheses and even commas. The difference
between one option or another depends on
how the writer perceives the degree of
connection that the section maintains with the
rest of the statement.

• To indicate each of the interventions in a

dialogue without mentioning the name of
the person or character to which it
corresponds. In this case, a line is written
in front of the words that constitute the
intervention. For example:

What have you done this afternoon?

-Nothing special. I've been watching television
for a while .

• To introduce or enclose the narrator's

comments or clarifications to the
characters' interventions. A single line is
placed in front of the narrator's comment,
without the need to close it with another,
when the character's words do not
continue immediately after the comment.
For example:
"I hope everything turns out well," Azucena
said with an excited expression.

• Two lines are written, one opening and

one closing, when the narrator's words
interrupt the character's intervention and
it continues immediately afterwards. For
example:
"The main thing is to feel alive," Pilar added.
Lucky or unlucky, but alive.

Scripts

The dash (-) is a horizontal stroke shorter than

the sign called dash. It is basically used when
it is necessary to make divisions within a
word.
It serves to unite the two parts of a
compound term ( critical-bibliographic, F-16,
23-F aircraft ); of a compound figure ( pages
48-56) or to facilitate the syllabic cutting of
words at the end of a line.

Bar

• It serves to indicate the limit of the verses

in the poetic texts reproduced in a
continuous line. In this case it is written
between spaces. For example:

And if after so many words, / the word does

not survive! / If after the wings of the birds, /
the standing bird does not survive! / It would
be better, really, / for them to eat it all and be
done with it!
(César Vallejo: Posthumous Poems)

• It has prepositional value in expressions

such as 120 km/h , Royal Legislative
Decree 11/1995 of March 24, gross salary
220,000 pts./month . In this use it is
written without any separation of the
graphic signs that it unites.

• Placed between two words or between a

word and a morpheme, it can also indicate
the existence of two or more possible
options. In this case you do not write
between spaces. Examples:

The detailed day(s).

It's the type of jokes and/or white lies that
Inés couldn't stand.

Brackets

Also called square parentheses ([ ]), they are

generally used in a similar way to parentheses
that incorporate complementary or
explanatory information.
 replacing the parentheses in a sentence
that in turn contains other words or
phrases in parentheses (... [...] ...).
 With three ellipses inside, to indicate that
a part of a text transcribed verbatim has
been omitted.
 In other people's texts or quotes, to clarify
the meaning or summarize a concept.
  In poetry, in front of the verses that
overflow one line and double the next.

He dreamed then to forge a poem,

of nervous art and new bold and supreme
work,
I chose between a grotesque matter and a
tragic one,
I called all the rhythms with a spell
[magical
And the unruly rhythms came closer,
Gathering in the shadows, running away and
[looking for himself.

(José Asunción Silva: The Book of Verses)

Uppercase/lowercase
Remember that they are written with an initial
capital letter:
all proper names.
 The titles and dignities of the Spanish and
foreign Royal Family.
 The names of other positions or dignities
of a unique nature ( the Pontiff, His
Holiness, the Ombudsman ).
 The proper names of organizations,
institutions, political parties, various
associations, etc.
 The proper names related to the Divinity
(the Virgin Mary).
  The zones or regions of the world with
their own significance ( the Third World ).
 The transcendental events ( the Second
World War, the Olympic Games).
 The names of legal texts, when written in
full, as well as the titles of diplomatic or
religious documents.
 Keep in mind that when the initial letter of
a word that begins with ch or ll is to be
capitalized, only the first part of these
compound letters will be capitalized: Ch
and Ll .

They will be written with initial lower case:

 Positions, jobs, titles, etc., except those

referring to the King and the Royal Family.
 The common names of organizations,
institutions, political parties, etc., when
they have a generic nature (the work of
government, the efforts of the police).
 Geographical features ( the Mediterranean
Sea ).
 Geographic divisions, urban roads, and
types of buildings and public premises (the
province of Huesca; the Liria palace; Alcalá
street).
 References to laws and other provisions
when they are generic ( according to the
law ).
 Lowercase letters will also be used after a
colon, when a quotation between
quotation marks does not follow, as well
 as after question marks or exclamation
marks, when they do not serve as a period.

Asterisk
The asterisk (*) is a star-shaped sign used
with these functions:
• As a call sign for a margin or footnote
within a text. In this case, one, two, three,
and up to four asterisks can be placed in
successive calls within the same page.
Sometimes these asterisks are enclosed in
parentheses: (*).
• The asterisk may also have other
circumstantial values specified in a
specific writing or publication.

The keys

The braces { } constitute a double sign that

encloses text, although they can also be used
in isolation.
In both cases, these signs are used in synoptic
tables and diagrams to group different
options, establish classifications, and develop
what is expressed immediately before or after.

Quotation marks

There are different types of quotes: angular

quotes, also called Latin or Spanish (""),
English ("") and simple quotes (' '). Generally,
the use of one or another type of double
quotes is indistinct; but they usually alternate
when quotation marks have to be used within
a text already enclosed in quotation marks.
For example:

• When the sports car arrived, Lola

whispered: "What a 'clunker' Tomás has
bought."
• That's when the bride said, "Yes."
• His words were: "Please, the passport."
• In narrative texts, quotation marks are
sometimes used to reproduce the
characters' thoughts, in contrast to the
use of the dash, which transcribes their
actual interventions.
• When the meaning of a word is clarified, it
is enclosed in quotation marks. In this
case, it is preferable to use single quotes.
For example:
"Spying" ('stalking') does not mean the same
as "expiating" faults.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The theory about punctuation marks was

taken from:

• MARTIN Vivaldi, Gonzalo. Writing Course:

theory and practice of composition and
style. Spain, Paraninfo, 1977.

• LINARES, Mario. Stylistics: theory of

punctuation, science of logical style. Spain,
Paraninfo, 1979.
• CASSANY, Daniel. The Thermometer of
Punctuation, in: The Kitchen of Writing.
 Barcelona, Anagrama, 1995. Pages 174-
184.

• FONNEGRA Gabriel, Friendly Grammar,

Carlos Valencia Editores, Bogotá 1995.

• Royal Academy of Language: Orthography

of the Spanish language, Espasa, Bogotá,
1999

. SECO Manuel, Essential Grammar of the

Spanish Language, Editorial Espasa Calpe S.
A., Madrid 1999.

• Knowing How to Write, Instituto

Cervantes, Jesús Sánchez Lobato (Coord.).
Madrid: Aguilar, 2006.

• http://culturitalia.ubik.ac.at/hispanoteca

EXERCISES FOR THE USE OF THE COMMA

1. The following signs ignore their function,

since the words that make up the sentence are
missing.

___________________________ , ____________________ ________________,

___________________________ .
2. Read the following sentences and pay
close attention, because there is only one
of them with correct punctuation.

 The atmosphere, that is , the layer of air that

surrounds the Earth , is so necessary that without
it , men, other animals , and plants would not
live.

 The atmosphere , that is , the layer of air that

surrounds the Earth , is so necessary that without
it men , other animals , and plants would not live.

3. The signs have been scattered and are out

of place; It is now your task to rearrange
them.

In front of the dressing table, she took off the black felt hat that
was still doing a good job despite being two seasons old and
quickly changed her suit for a house dress.

, , , ,

4. An explanatory sentence and a

determinative sentence, below you will find,
which is one and which is the other? It is your
duty to clarify.

. The dizzy pilot was unable to control the

plane.

. The pilot, dizzy, could not control the plane

5. Find the subordinate clause in the following
example.

Have a diet, a diet against obesity, against

arteriosclerosis or anything else, and when they give
you bad food, rely on the diet. It is the best policy .

6. The different grammar and spelling manuals refer

to the comma as a mark that indicates a short pause.
Choose from the following options the one that
corresponds to that pause:

A. Proximity.
B. Analogy.
C. Summary.
D. Remoteness.
7. “ Juan enters immediately ” is not the same as
“ Juan, enters immediately .” Can you explain it to
me?

8. Remember and choose:

Union of two names of which one is a

clarification or specification of the other,
without any regime or agreement between
them.
1. APPOSITION.

2. PROPOSITION.

9. Answer false or true, as appropriate:

 Explanatory propositions always go between

commas.
F ( ) – V ( ).

 A comma should never be placed next to a

conjunction.
F ( ) – V ( ).

 In elliptical sentences a comma is usually placed in

place of the omitted verb.
F ( ) – V ( ).

Why are punctuation marks

10.
compared to traffic signs?

EXERCISES FOR THE USE OF THE SEMI-COLON

1. Read the following sentence, if you find

disconcerting spelling errors in the signs, do not
hesitate for a second, locate the signs where they
are.
The joyful girl ran towards her
house, her parents finished; to arrive.

2. In the following sentence, the comma and

semicolon have been omitted. Place these
punctuation marks where the meaning of the
sentence requires it.

A surprise can come in many forms: there are

surprises that sound like a serenade, surprises that
taste like tasting mango soup, surprises that feel like
a downpour, or joyful surprises like meeting a friend.

3. I give you the concept and the example will

be your challenge.

A semicolon is usually placed, instead of a comma, in

front of conjunctions or conjunctive phrases such as:
but, but, although as well as, however...; When the
periods have a certain length and head the
proposition they affect.

4. Semicolons are usually used, instead of

commas, before conjunctions. Do you know
why commas are preferred in the following
sentences?

 It will come, but late.

He did it, although reluctantly

5. Now choose which of the following cases

corresponds to the use of the semicolon:
A.It separates a thought from a comment or observation
that the author makes about that same thought.

B.It is used to focus from another point of view on a topic

that has been discussed in the previous proposition.

C. Separates ideas (word, phrase or sentence) whose

meanings are related by analogy to each other.

6. Find and change a comma for a semicolon, in such

a way that, when making the change, it separates
juxtaposed propositions.

The most intrepid and adventurous were discovering

many lands and many seas, the cartographers, map
makers, were adding them to their outlines.

7. Answer false or true, as appropriate:

 When we place a semicolon, the next word begins

with a capital letter.
F ( ) – V ( ).

 Like the comma, the semicolon is used in pairs.

F ( ) – V ( ).
 I place a semicolon because the propositions have
a relationship of distance.
F ( ) – V ( ).

8. In some of the following sentences the semicolon

has been omitted. Place this punctuation mark
where the meaning of the sentence requires it.

 The child studies the lesson, the father waits for him to
finish.

 First, enter the currency, then dial the number and finally,
wait for them to answer.
 When we saw the village, we quickened our pace.

 I will write today, therefore I will stay up late.

 This one is finished, that one, not yet.

9. The semicolon separates enumerations

made up of statements. It's true? Can you
explain it to me?

10. The signs have been scattered and are out

of place; It is now your task to rearrange
them.

But that morning, twenty poorly counted meters from the

shore, where he could no longer stand, Mr. Souto suffered a
cramp, he felt that the muscles in his legs were getting stiff,
immobilized... the idea of death suddenly came to him, he
screamed a few times. , he groped in vain and swallowed a
large sip of water as he sank.

;;;
EXERCISES FOR THE USE OF THE TWO POINTS.

2. I give you the example and the

concept will be your challenge.

Descartes already said it : “ I think, therefore I am.

”

2. I give you the concept and the example

will be your challenge.
I use the colon to verify or explain the
previous proposition, which usually has a more
general meaning.

3. Read the following sentence, if you find

disconcerting spelling errors in the signs, do not
hesitate, locate the signs where they are.

At that moment, out of indecision, I “thought”

it would be better to have a bird in the hand:
and… I accepted.

4. The colon performs the following functions,

except:

 They announce an enumeration.

 They conclude or summarize the previous

proposition.

 They interrupt the prayer.

 They frame textual quotes.

5. In the following sentence the colon has

been omitted. Place this punctuation mark
where the meaning of the sentence requires it.

The lazy person ordinarily ends his days in the

greatest misery and abandonment, just
punishment received by those who give
themselves over to idleness.
6. Which of the following expressions can capture the
logical function that the two points fulfill.

A. Therefore, accordingly.

B. The above has the following consequence.

C. What I state here means the following.

7. One of the functions of the colon is to stop speech

to draw attention to what follows. Which of the
following uses do you think is part of this group?

A. Conclusion or summary of the previous proposition.

B. Closes an enumeration.

C. Separate sentences.

8. Colons express a cause-effect relationship, when

they are used to connect sentences or propositions
related to each other without the need to use another
link. Which of the following sentences best
exemplifies this definition.

A. Suddenly there came a fresh smell of pine needles and pine

resins, of pine cones and pine nuts: a clean aroma of pine
forest in the sun.

B. He has lost his job: he will not be able to go on vacation.

C. Earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions: those are the

main natural disasters.

9. Complete the following definitions.

 The colon _______ ___ _______ to draw attention to what

follows.

 The two points _________ ________ related to each other

without the need to use another link.
 sentences ---- stop
connect ---- speech
he

10. In the case of epistolary communication,

how do I use colons ? Exemplified.

EXERCISES FOR THE USE OF POINTS

1. The following signs ignore their function, since the

words that make up the sentence are missing.

_________ . . . _______ . . . _________ .

2. Read the following sentence, if you find
disconcerting spelling errors in the signs, do not
hesitate, locate the signs where they are.

I'm waiting for a call from the hospital. It

sure is good news. . .

3. Remember and choose:

It separates two ideas, such that the meaning of the

second is distantly related to the meaning of the first.

A.Point followed.

B.Separate point.

C. Final point.

4. Why when three points are written inside

parentheses (...) in the middle of the text?

5. Construct a sentence in which the ellipses

have the same value as the word etcetera .

6. Unravel this mess for me: Why is the pause

made by the ellipsis considered intentionally
imperfect?

7. I give you the example, and the concept will

be your challenge.

 Did he bring me the books?... For sure yes.

 If I told you that...! It's useless, you never listen to

anyone.
 8. I give you the concept, and the example will
be your challenge.

Ellipses are used to leave a statement incomplete and

in suspense.

9. It is not understood what this sentence

says; The signs are absent, please write them
down.

It was all very violent, it was very unpleasant.

I don't want to continue talking about it.

10. After ellipses... does the following word

start with a capital letter or a lowercase
letter?
BRANDS

If you don't get it right, If you don't get it right, If you don't get it right,
at the beginning you at the beginning you at the beginning you
will hit. will hit. will hit.

If you took more than the If you don't get it right, If you don't get it right,
established time to respond, you at the beginning you at the beginning you
must return two boxes. will hit. will hit.

If you don't get it right,

If you don't get it right, at the beginning you
at the beginning you will hit.
If you don't know the answer, don't worry, will hit.
you can continue if a friend guesses right
for you.
If you don't get it right,
at the beginning you
will hit.
Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the
answer, ask another question so you can get it
right.

If you took more than the If you took more than the
established time to respond, you established time to respond, you
must return two boxes. must return two boxes.
 If you took more than the
established time to respond, you If you took more than the
must return two boxes. established time to respond, you
must return two boxes.

If you took more than the

If you took more than the established time to respond, you
established time to respond, you must return two boxes.
must return two boxes.

If you took more than the

If you don't know the answer, don't worry, established time to respond, you
you can continue if a friend guesses right must return two boxes.
for you.
If you don't know the answer, don't worry,
you can continue if a friend guesses right
for you.

If you don't know the answer, don't worry,

If you don't know the answer, don't worry, you can continue if a friend guesses right
you can continue if a friend guesses right for you.
for you.

If you don't know the answer, don't worry, If you don't know the answer, don't worry,
you can continue if a friend guesses right you can continue if a friend guesses right
for you. for you.

Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the

answer, ask another question so you can get it
If you don't know the answer, don't worry, right.
you can continue if a friend guesses right
for you.

Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the

Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the answer, ask another question so you can get it
answer, ask another question so you can get it right.
right.

Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the
answer, ask another question so you can get it answer, ask another question so you can
right. get it right.

Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the

answer, ask another question so you can get it
right.
 Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the
answer, ask another question so you can get
it right.

Today is your lucky day: if you forgot the

answer, ask another question so you can get it
right.

ROULETTE
 APPLICATION EXERCISES

Bertran del Vernet, knight and troubadour, writes a

letter to his neighbor Huguet Trencacols, with the
intention of angering him. He then sends his minstrel,
Ocell, to the man's castle to sing the poem.

Wet-whiskered dunghill rats

slug slugs salty lizard
on Huguet Trencacolls' table
you will not find a better delicacy
in abundance it will fill your plate
Hug gee he's a pig he's not a gentleman

How Bertran wrote it

Dung rats, wet-whiskered rats, slimy slugs, salty
lizards. At Huguet Trencacolls' table you will not find a
better delicacy. It will fill your plate in abundance.
Hug, damn, he's a pig, he's not a gentleman.

How Ocell sang it

You will not find dunghill rats with wet mustaches,

slimy slugs, or salty lizards at Huguet Trencacolls'
table. Better delicacy in abundance will fill your plate.
Hug, geez, is that a pig?
No, he is a gentleman.

ORTHOGRAPHIC SCORES

Periods, commas...in their season!

1.__________________,___________________,____________________
_________________________;________________________________.

2.¡____________________! ¡____________________________!
¿________________,________________,______________?
______________________________...____________________________
_.

3.____________________________;__________________________.
_____________________________:_________________________,
_____________________________,_________________________.

4. ___________________________, _________________________:
__________________,_______________,______________________,
 _________________________.¿_____________________________?

5. ________________,__________________,____________________...
____________________,_______________________.

6.____________________.______________________, ______________
_________________________.

Simple Signs Double Signs Other Signs

SPOT QUESTION MARKS Umlaut

. ¿? ¨

EAT EXCLAMATION BAR

, MARKS /
¡!
SEMICOLON ASTERISK
; PARENTHESIS *
()
TWO POINTS KEYS
: BRACKETS {}
[]
ELLIPSIS
... RAYA (IN
BEGINNING)
SCRIPT ______
-
 QUOTATION
MARKS
“” ‘’ «»

A
P
P
L
I
C
A
T
I
O
N
S
 BOTH POINTS

They stop the speech to draw

They connect sentences or propositions
attention to what follows.
related to each other without having to
use another link. There are several
relationships that can be expressed.
After
announcing an Relationship
A enumeration cause effect
P
P To close an Conclusion or A
LI enumeration summary of the P
C previous P
A proposition LI
TI C
Before a
O Verification or explanation of A
verbatim quote
N the previous proposition, TI
S which usually has a more O
general meaning. N
S

LANGUAGE WORKSHOP CLASSROOM

Use of spelling signs

Workshop on the different uses of commas

In each sentence, mark the commas that are necessary; Then, explain the
reason for each use.

1 . Children who lack any experience should be guided by their parents.

(Used(s) for: _____________________)
2. Racine Corneille and Moliére are the three great names of classical French
theater. (Used(s) for: ____________________)

3. The Constitution of 1886, wrote a radical journalist, was the culmination of

the civil war of 1885. (Used(s) for: ____________________________)

4. The mop jumped up, the scullion screamed, the comadre laughed and I acted
as if nothing had happened.
(Used(s) for: _______________________)

5. She plays the violin and he rapes her. (Used(s) for:

____________________________)

6. In this world there are only two tragedies: One is not getting what you want
and the other is getting it. (Used(s) for:
________________________________)

7. Get on the train of life compadre. (Used(s) for: ______________________)

8. There are others and I enter into these that are the worst. (Used(s) for:
_______________)

9. He is not a philosopher who knows where the treasure is, but rather he who
works and takes it out.
(Used(s) for: _____________________________)

10. And they differ very little because one is the other's jester. (Used(s) for:
_______________________)

11. They fought either with the sword or with the word. (Used(s) for:
__________________)

12. I think it is true although I don't know for sure. (Used(s) for:
____________________)

13. Neither the people want a king nor does the country require one. (Used(s)
for: __________________)
14. If he accepts it badly, he could joke. (Used(s) for:
___________________________)

15. I present the dilemma of a young bandit woman whose participation in a

character's crime is already proven. (Used(s) for:
__________________________)

Workshop taken from: Fonnegra, Gabriel: Sympathetic Grammar, Carlos

Valencia Editores, Bogotá, 1995, pages 63-65, pp.204

The best end

…AND PERIOD

Praise to the spelling sign that gave meaning to

the phrases.
Alberto Manguel
Tiny as a speck of dust, just a mark of the pen,
a crumb on the keyboard, the full stop, the
period, is the mute legislator of our writing
systems. Without him, young Werther's sorrows
would have no end, and the Hobbit's travels
would never have ended.

Its absence allowed James Joyce to perfectly

weave Finnegan's wake , and its presence made
Henri Michaux compare our essential being with
this point, “a point that death devours.” It
crowns the satisfaction of thought, provides an
illusion of definition, and has a certain
arrogance that arises, as in the case of
Napoleon, from its minuscule size.

Eager to continue, we do not need anything to

mark our beginnings, but we have to know
where to stop. This small reminder lets us
know that everything, including us, will have to
stop one day. As an anonymous English
professor suggested in the 1680 Treatise on
Periods, Pauses, or Detentions , the period is “a
mark of perfect sense, and of a perfect
sentence.”

The need to indicate the end of a written

sentence is probably as old as writing itself, but
the brief and wonderful solution was not
established until the Italian Renaissance. For
centuries punctuation had been a desperately
irregular affair.

Already in the first century after Christ, the

Spanish writer Quintilian (who had not read
Henry James) considered that a sentence, in
addition to expressing a complete idea, had to
be able to be uttered with a single breath. How
to finish a sentence depended on personal
taste, and for a long time scribes punctuated
their texts with all sorts of signs and symbols,
from a simple blank space to a whole range of
dots and bars.

At the beginning of the 5th century, Saint

Jerome, a translator of the Bible, devised a
system known as per cola et commata , in
which each unit of meaning was marked by a
letter protruding from the margin, as if
beginning a new paragraph. Three centuries
later, the punctus , or period, was used to
indicate both a pause within the phrase and its
conclusion. By following such confusing
conventions, authors could not expect their
audience to read a text understanding the
meaning they intended to convey.

Then, in 1566, Aldus Manutius the Younger,

grandson of the great Venetian printer to whom
we owe the invention of the book, defined the
point in his punctuation manual Interpungendi
ratio . In it, in clear, unambiguous Latin,
Manutius first described his basic role and
appearance.

He thought that what he offered was a manual

for typographers; I could not know that he was
granting us, the future readers, the gifts of
meaning and music in all the literature that was
to come: Hemingway and his Staccato , Beckett
and his recitative , Proust and his long
sostenuto .

“There is no sword,” wrote Isaac Babel, “that

can pierce the heart with as much force as a
point in the right place.” In recognition of both
the power and the inability of the word, there is
nothing that has served us better than this
faithful and final speck.

Alberto Manguel. He is the author, among other

works
of a history of reading.

STRATEGY FOR WORKING WITH PUNCTUATION MARKS

With "Spelling with Pipo", children will learn to write without mistakes in a simple, fun and practical way. The
highest level is suitable even for adults.

Set in the world of dinosaurs, they will solve all kinds of spelling questions in thousands of useful and fun
exercises.

Spelling is essential for good language development in children. Learning to write correctly as children is easy
and important for the future to improve their communication, both written and spoken. This special edition
includes a notebook of spelling rules.

"Orthography with Pipo" is aimed at children from 6 to 12 years old; Despite their more difficult levels, they will
help adults or older children learn and review the topics and spelling rules.
The product has 3 levels, to be able to adapt to different ages, and thus, address the most appropriate topics.

In addition, Spelling with Pipo has 2 different review sections, intelligent and customizable, to review words in
which you have doubted or failed.

LEVEL 1. Jurassic Explorer

It has 11 topics that are covered in 5 different games where you can put spelling rules into practice and
adequately prevent the appearance of errors.

We work on: capital letters and use of B/V, C/Z, C/QU, R/RR, G/GU, G/J, M/N, X, H, Y/LL.

LEVEL 2. Triassic researcher and LEVEL 3. Cretaceous Master

We work on: capital letters, accentuation, punctuation marks and use of the letters B/V, C/QU/K/Z, R/RR,
G/J/GU, M/N, X, H, Y/LL.

These 11 topics are covered in 14 different games, to apply the spelling knowledge acquired.

The content of the games in the 3 levels is different, since it adapts to the vocabulary of each age, increasing its
difficulty and the volume of content as the level increases.

SPELLING IS EASY WITH PIPO

The duration of each game varies depending on the learning pace, needs and abilities of each student. However,
the games have a time control, the purpose of which is to indicate the points that each child achieves after
solving the exercises.

Spelling is an area that is sometimes boring and boring, which is why Spelling games with Pipo are very
stimulating and quickly capture the child's interest.

THE GAMES

Spelling games are designed to work on different content in various formats: completing words, completing
sentences, clicking on words, tests, relating, etc.

PRESS THE WORDS: Various words will appear on the screen and a statement will appear in the bar, based on
the spelling rules. It involves clicking on the words that follow the announced spelling rule.

SEPARATE INTO SYLLABLES: You have to move the cursor over the word and click at the end of each syllable.
The ankylosaur's tail will help the child separate the syllables of the word.

PRESS THE TONIC SYLLABLE: Series of 3 words will appear, separated by syllables. In each word you have to
find the stressed syllable and press it.

CLASSIFY THE WORDS: We must click on the word we want to place and take it to the corresponding stone, for
example "acute, llanas and esdrújulas", or "monosyllable, disyllable, polysyllable".

COMPLETE THE 4 WORDS: Groups of four words appear and all of them are missing a letter. You must hover
over them to see the options, and then click on the correct answer.

DICTATING: You have to type the phrase that Pipo dictates. To do this you have to use the computer keyboard
or the game screen keyboard. At any time you can listen to what Pipo is dictating again, just click on the Speaker
Button, the Robots at the top of the game screen or the “F2” key.

COMPLETE THE PHRASE: In each sentence that appears there are a series of incomplete words. The cursor
indicates which word must be completed at any time; Thus, the options for each one appear on the dinosaurs
and the child only has to press the correct answer.

HOMOPHONES AND PARONYMS: Complete the words in each sentence with the correct option. The meaning
of the phrase must be used to be able to discriminate them. The gaps are filled in in order of appearance; Thus,
in the dinosaurs you can see the options for each one and the child only has to click on the correct answer.
SPELLING RULES: Carefully read the word or words on the sign that the dinosaur is carrying and click on the
correct rule from the two that appear.

COMPLETE THE WORD: Complete the word that appears at the bottom of the screen with the correct option
carried by one of the moving dinosaurs.

THE DINOSAUR NEST: It involves listening carefully to the word that Pipo says and typing the letters of the word
in order. To do this, you can use the on-screen keyboard, although it is recommended that you use the computer
keyboard.

COMPLETE WITH THE SIGNS: A phrase appears in the sky of the cliff. The punctuation marks have
disappeared and the child must complete it with the cliff signs. Once the sentence has been completed correctly,
a new sentence will appear.

THE TEST: For each question you have to choose the correct one from three options. If we do not know a
question, we can consult the answer in the presentations with robots and then return to the test to answer it.

RELATED: You have to click on each concept on the left and match them with the corresponding description on
the right. In this way, they are joined by arrows.

SCORE CONTROL

The program recognizes different players and tracks their progress and scores, keeping children constantly
motivated to improve.

In games: to pass each level, you will have to get 10,000 points. The points depend on the number of exercises
solved and the speed with which they are performed.

Piti, Pipo's sister's pet, is a small lizard with restless aspirations. She has left a distress message saying that she
has gone to read in a quiet place using the time machine, help them find her!

At the end of each game, you get an energy charge. These are necessary to be able to advance in the cave and,
thus, find Piti.

As a reward for so much work done, Pipo will award a “Spelling with Pipo” diploma in the name of the player and
with the date on which they managed to beat the game and find Piti.

"SMART" REVIEWS

Spelling with Pipo has intelligent and customizable review sections to review words you have doubted or missed.

CUSTOMIZABLE GENERAL REVIEW

From the Map of Letters we can access the general review menu, where we can choose between several options
to play:

 The topics you want to review: you can select several topics and play with more varied exercises than
in the games and reviews of each topic, since these focus on a specific topic. The themes that appear
depend on the base level of each player.
 The content that will appear in the game: you can decide if you want to review all the words of the topic
or only the errors or doubts made.
 The game to practice with: you can select one of the 3 available games (complete the word, complete
four words or complete the phrase).

“INTELLIGENT” REVIEW OF THE TOPIC

In each topic, in the word and phrase completion games, Pipo detects if you make a mistake or press the
"DOUBT" button. When this happens, the review button will appear on the topic presentation screen
accompanied by a special sound.

The review is carried out without time control, this allows the child to not be in a hurry to solve it and can calmly
focus on the correct written form of each word. All these words must be reviewed in 3 special games.
 

PUNCTUATION MARKS
TAKEN FROM INTERNET WORD GAMES

Punctuation marks are used in written texts to try to reproduce the

intonation of oral language (pauses, nuances of voice, gestures, changes in
tone, etc.) in order to correctly interpret and understand the written
message. Punctuation marks, therefore, allow us to express ourselves
clearly and avoid different interpretations of the same text.
For example, the meaning of the following sentence: "That's not bad,"
changes if we use other punctuation marks: "No, that's bad."

According to the Orthography of the RAE, Spanish has the following

punctuation marks:

spot .
eat ,
semicolon ;
two points :
ellipsis ...
question marks ¿?
exclamation marks ¡!
parenthesis ()
brackets []
stripe -
quotation marks « »; " "; ' '.

In the following example, one

comma is worth one euro:
He travels only by Don't eat animal
Coffee, cigar and drink at one train. fats.
euro each is... three euros. He travels alone by Don't eat fat,
Pure coffee and a drink at one train. animals!
euro each are... two euros.

Sorry, impossible to fulfill Is not true.

your sentence. Is not true. The teacher said:
Sorry, impossible to fulfill "Javier is a donkey."
your sentence.
 - The teacher - said
Javier - is a donkey.

I don't know, did he say

No, he told her. it? He didn't tell her.
No, did he tell you? I don't know, I said it, No, I gave it to him, ho!
... ho! ...
...

I'll be alone this

afternoon. I want a black coffee. I didn't know.
I'll be alone this I want a black coffee. I didn't know.
afternoon.

What is half of one plus one? What is half of one, plus one?

If a man really knew the value of a woman, he would walk on all fours in
search of her.
(If you are a woman, you would most certainly place the comma after the word "woman."
If you are a man, you would most certainly put the comma after the word "has").

THE TESTAMENT

It is said that a man, out of ignorance or malice, left the following will when
he died without punctuation marks: «I leave my assets to my nephew Juan,
not to my brother Luis, nor will the bill to the tailor ever be paid, never in
any way for the Jesuits. everything said is my wish . The judge in charge of
resolving the will gathered the possible heirs, that is, nephew Juan, brother
Luis, the tailor and the Jesuits and gave them a copy of the confusing will
in order to help him resolve the dilemma. The next day each heir provided
the judge with a copy of the will with punctuation marks.

- Juan, the nephew :

«I leave my assets to my nephew Juan. Not to my brother Luis. Nor ever,
the account will be paid to the tailor. Never, in any way, for the Jesuits.
Everything said is my wish.

- Luis, the brother :

«Do I leave my assets to my nephew Juan? No. To my brother Luis! Nor
ever, the account will be paid to the tailor. Never, in any way, for the
Jesuits. Everything said is my wish.

- The tailor :
«Do I leave my assets to my nephew Juan? No. To my brother Luis? Nor,
ever. The bill will be paid to the tailor. Never, in any way, for the Jesuits.
Everything said is my wish.

- The jesuits :
«Do I leave my assets to my nephew Juan? No. To my brother Luis? Nor,
ever. The bill will be paid to the tailor? Never, in any way. For the Jesuits
everything. What I say is my wish".

- The judge could still add another interpretation:

«Do I leave my assets to my nephew Juan? No. To my brother Luis?
Neither. The bill will never be paid to the tailor. Never, in any way, for the
Jesuits. Everything said is my wish.
So the judge, faced with the impossibility of naming an heir, made the
following decision:
"...so not being heirs to this inheritance, I, the Judge, seize it in the name
of the State and without further ado the matter is finished."

DON'T THINK I'M A SMART GUY

Francisco J. Briz Hidalgo

I would like to tell the things that I have seen,

But don't think I'm a smart guy.
I have seen a child fly over the houses.
I've seen airplanes eat prunes.
I have seen men run at a hundred per hour.
I've seen cars in a canteen.
I have seen water walking down the street.
I have seen people grazing in that valley.
I have seen cows flying through the sky.
I've seen birds make ice houses.
I have seen Eskimos of seven colors.
I've seen a rainbow of three flavors.
I have seen ice cream. These things I have seen,
But don't think I'm a smart guy.
Three marriageable sisters, Soledad, Julia and Irene, met a young and
handsome gentleman with a degree in literature and all three fell in love
with him. But the knight did not dare to say which of the three sisters he
was in love with. Since he did not propose to any of them, the three sisters
begged him to say clearly which of the three he loved. The young gentleman
wrote his feelings in a poem, although he "forgot" to record the
punctuation marks, and asked the three sisters that each of them add the
punctuation marks that they considered appropriate. The tenth was the
following:

THREE BEAUTIES, HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE!

(Cited by Roberto Vilches Acuña in "Literary curiosities and juggling of the language."
Nascimiento Publishing House. Santiago de Chile, 1955)

Three beauties how beautiful they are

they have demanded all three of me
Tell me which one it is
the one my heart loves
if obeying is right
I say I love Soledad
not to Julia whose kindness
human person does not have
my love does not aspire to Irene
that her beauty is not small

Soledad read the letter: Julia on the other hand: Irene said:

Three beauties, how Three beauties, how Three beauties, how

beautiful they are! beautiful they are! beautiful they are!
they have demanded all they have demanded all they have demanded all
three of me three of me three of me
Tell me which one is Tell me which one is Tell me which one is
the one my heart loves. the one my heart loves. the one my heart loves.
If obeying is right, If obeying is right, If obeying is right,
I say that I love Do I say I love Do I say I love Soledad?
Soledad; Soledad? No. To Julia, whose
not to Julia, whose No. To Julia, whose goodness
goodness kindness human person does not
 human person does not human person does not
have?
have; have.
No. Aspire my love to
My love does not aspire My love does not aspire
Irene,
to Irene, to Irene,
that her beauty is not
that her beauty is not that her beauty is not
small.
small. small.

So the doubt persisted, so they had to beg the young man again to reveal to
them who was the owner of his heart. When they received the knight's
poem again with the punctuation marks, the three of them were surprised:

Three beauties, how beautiful they are!

they have demanded all three of me
Tell me which one is
the one my heart loves.
If obeying is right,
Do I say I love Soledad?
No. To Julia, whose goodness
human person does not have?
No. Does my love aspire to Irene?
No!... Her beauty is little.

CAESAR'S STRANGE BEHAVIOR

Caesar entered on the head, Caesar entered, on the head

he had the helmet on his feet, he wore the helmet on his feet
sandals in hand, sandals in hand
the faithful sword... the faithful sword...

Our friend Marcelino Fernández (Matelogos) dedicated the following poem

to his three children Marcelo, Marcos and Esther, although as he confesses
he is still paying for his paternal-poetic-pathetic outburst.

MARCELO, MARCOS AND ESTHER

Marcelino Fernández (Matelogos)

Marcelo, Marcos and Esther

they ask me to write
Which one do I prefer to have?
 in a higher degree of esteem.

And written is below

in bad verse and without punctuation:

I say I prefer Marcelo

although sometimes it is ice
not to Esther whose beauty
compete with its freshness
I do not praise Marcos for his science
that his intelligence is not small

Marcelo , the first one

Esther asked questions Marcos , when it was
who read,
and the scores were finally his turn
semicolons this is how
like this: other signs added:
he understood:

Am I saying that I Am I saying that I

I say that I prefer
prefer Marcelo? prefer Marcelo?
Marcelo,
even if sometimes it's even if sometimes it's
although sometimes it
ice? ice?
is ice.
No. To Esther, whose No. To Esther, whose
Not Esther, whose
beauty beauty
beauty
competes with its compete with its
competes with its
freshness. freshness?
freshness.
I do not praise Marcos No. I praise Marcos for
I do not praise Marcos
for his science, his science,
for his science,
that his intelligence is that his intelligence is
that his intelligence is
not small. not small.
not small.

But I read with emotion

and exclamation points:

Am I saying that I prefer Marcelo?

even if sometimes it's ice?
No. To Esther whose beauty
compete with its freshness?
No. Do I praise Marcos for his science?
No! Their intelligence is low.
“LIGHT” AND “SHOES”
Taken from Gianni Rodari's Grammar of
Fantasy.

Once upon a time there was a boy who always

put on his dad's shoes one night the dad got
tired of him always taking his shoes off and he
hung him up from the light then at midnight it
falls so the dad says what's up a thief when he
approaches he sees The little boy on the floor
was on so the dad tries to turn it off by turning
his head but it doesn't go out then he pulls his
ears and it doesn't go out he crushes his nose
but it doesn't go out he pulls his hair and it
doesn't go out he squeezes his navel but it
doesn't turn off either. Finally he takes off her
shoes and gets it off.

LIGHT” AND “SHOES”

Taken from Gianni Rodari's Grammar of

Fantasy.

Once upon a time there was a boy who always wore his
dad's shoes . One night his father got tired of me always
taking off his shoes , and he hung him from the light ,
then , at midnight , he falls ; Then the dad says : What 's
wrong ? a thief ?
When he gets closer , he sees the child on the
ground . The little one was on . Then the father tries to
turn it off by turning his head , but it doesn't turn off .
Then he pulls her ears and it doesn't go away , she crushes
his nose but it doesn't go away , she pulls his hair and it
doesn't go away , she squeezes his navel but it doesn't go
away either , finally , he takes off her shoes and gets it ,
he turns off .
QUESTIONS
 When we state a sentence
inverting the regular syntactic order, what
punctuation mark do we use?

( COMMA)

The beginning of a question mark () or

exclamation mark () is placed where the
question or exclamation begins, since this does
not always coincide with the beginning of the
statement.

F( ) V ( )
What are punctuation marks and what are they
used for?

In the context of a sentence, vocatives and

subordinate clauses are left out of question and
exclamation marks.
F( ) V ( )

When do they do it?

What punctuation marks can we use to separate

enumerations within a sentence? (COMMA,
SEMI-COMMA)
When we close a statement with an ellipsis, the
next word begins with a lowercase letter
F( ) V ( )

Not all punctuation marks attribute emotion to

what is expressed in a text.
F( ) V ( )

Which of the punctuation marks alerts the

reader to the following information?

(TWO POINTS)
In our language, some punctuation marks are
used in pairs to give greater coherence to the
texts.
F( ) V ( )

What are the kinds of clauses that can be added

to sentences to clarify or expand what has been
said?
(Explanatory statements)

In which cases can ellipses replace etcetera?

(At the end of open or incomplete
enumerations.)
The colon precedes the textual quotations.

F()V()

The sentence

Mariela, how much can you lend me for

tomorrow?

It is orthographically well written.

 THE USES OF THE COMMA

Personal constructions

1. Write three sentences (two invented by you and one taken from some
text), where commas are used to separate an enumeration.

2. The following elements can be included in a single sentence, as they

have a certain semantic relationship. In this case, they would perform
the same grammatical function. Read them carefully and make up a
meaningful sentence that includes them. Use the comma where you
consider it necessary.

* multiple late nights

* of perseverance
* of the love of knowledge
* of the use of a method
* And till

3. Mark an x in front of the vocative sentence.

* Carlos waits in the room, while Mariela prepares dinner in the kitchen.

* Carlos, while I prepare dinner, wait for me in the room.

* I have told you many times, Mr. Rector. The course was scheduled for
that date, and I committed to attending.

* I told the rector many times that the course was scheduled for that date,
and I committed to attending.
* María Clara, how many times have I told you not to leave your shoes
lying around?

* How many times have I told María Clara not to leave her shoes lying
around?

4. Rewrite the following sentences reversing the order of their elements

* Doña Gloria returned from Europe last Sunday

_________________________________________________________

* Gabriel García Márquez won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1982 for his
novel One Hundred Years of Solitude.

____________________________________________________________

At the end of open or incomplete enumerations.

USES OF COMMA

three beauties
"Three young ladies: Soledad,
Julia and Irene, were visited
by a gentleman who, without
proposing to any of them,
had won the love of all of
them; eager to clear their
doubts, they begged the
gentleman to decide on their
choice, and he agreed to
their wishes by writing the
following tenth, without
scoring, so that they could
score it, thus deciding which
one was chosen.
Three beauties how beautiful they
are
they have demanded all three of
me
Tell me which one is
the one my heart loves
If obeying is right
I will say that I love Soledad
not to Julia whose kindness
human person does not have
my love does not aspire to Irene
That her beauty is not small
Loneliness
Three beauties, how beautiful they are!
They have demanded all three of me,
Tell me which one is
the one my heart loves.
If obeying is right,
I will say that I love Soledad;
not to Julia, whose goodness
human person does not have;
My love does not aspire to Irene,
that her beauty is not small.
Julia
Three beauties, how beautiful they are,
They have demanded all three of me,
Tell me which one is
the one my heart loves.
If obeying is right,
Will I say that I love Soledad?
No, to Julia whose kindness
human person does not have;
My love does not aspire to Irene,
that her beauty is not small.
Irene
Three beauties how beautiful they are
They have demanded all three of me,
Tell me which one is
the one my heart loves.
If obeying is right,
Will I say that I love Soledad?
No, to Julia, whose goodness
human person does not have?
No; my love aspires to Irene,
that her beauty is not small.
He
Three beauties, how beautiful they are,
They have demanded all three of me,
Tell me, of them, which one is
the one my heart loves.
If obeying is right,
Will I say that I love Soledad?
No, to Julia, whose goodness
human person does not have?
No, does my love aspire to Irene?
No, her beauty is little.
TYPES OF COMMAS

Commas

Among the thirty long functions that a

comma can perform, Linares (1979) makes a
very useful distinction between two groups. The
first includes commas that stand alone, and is
called comma-1 ; the other covers those that
work in pairs, and is called comma-2 . One and
the other share all the work of the comma:

COMMA-1
eat alone

Separate ideas and concepts:

• enumerations
• omission of the verb
• formulas: Madam,
• dates: Córdoba, January 1...

COMMA-2
pair of commas

Introduce subsections:
• apositions
• order changes
• subordinates
- circumstantial
- causes
 - relative
• textual markers

That is, the 1 is placed between two elements;

2, at the beginning and end of the same
element. This simple distinction, if applied well,
allows us to correct some of the typical errors,
such as missing a sign from the pair comma -2.
It is quite common that, perhaps concentrating
on the intonation or the pauses that would be
made if reading the text aloud, the learner
saves some commas -2, that the paragraphs of
the text are camouflaged, and that the reader
has to be more attentive to detect them.

1a That is , 1b the 1 is placed between two

elements; the 2,* at the beginning and end of
the same element. This simple distinction , 2a
if applied well , 2b allows us to correct some of
the typical errors , 3a such as missing some
sign of the pair comma -2.3b It is quite common
that ,4a perhaps concentrates on the intonation
or the pauses that would do if he read the text
aloud , 4b the learner saves some comma -2 ,*
that the paragraphs of the text are camouflaged
,* and that the reader has to be more attentive
to detect them.5a For example , 5b some
commas that are could easily forget are the 2a
if applied well ,* the 4a , 6a that some would
mistakenly put before the previous one , 6b and
even the 1b at the beginning.