1. Periods, Question marks and Exclamation points
Punctuation
Periods, Question marks and Exclamation points

2. When to use Periods . Use a period at the end of a statement.
This English class is my favorite class this term.
Use a period at the end of a command.
Hand in the essays no later than noon on Friday.
Use a period at the end of an indirect question.
The teacher asked why Maria had left out the easy exercises.
Use a period with abbreviations:
Dr. Espinoza arrived from Washington, D.C., at 6 p.m.

3. When to NOT use a period .
Although it is tempting, we DO NOT use periods in acronyms.
An acronym is an abbreviation that we pronounce as a word instead of as individual letters.
SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus)
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

4. WHEN A PERIOD IS TRICKY .
Abbreviations we pronounce by spelling out the letters may or may not use periods.
If you are unsure in that specific case, look up the abbreviation in a dictionary.
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Notice we say “F-B-I” but there are no periods
U.S.A. (United States of America)
Notice we say “U-S-A” but there are periods
LSHS (Lake Shore High School)
Notice we say “L-S-H-S” but there are no periods

5. When to use a Question mark ?
Use a question mark at the end of a direct question.
He should quit smoking, shouldn't he?
If a question mark is part of an italicized or underlined title, make sure that the question mark is also italicized:
My favorite book is Where Did He Go?
When a question ends with an abbreviation, end the abbreviation with a period and then add the question mark.
Didn't he use to live in Washington, D.C.?

6. When to NOT use a question Mark ?
When a question constitutes a polite request, it is usually not followed by a question mark.
Would everyone in the room who hasn't received an ID please move to the front of the line.

7. When to use exclamation points !
Use an exclamation point at the end of an interjection
Wow!
Use an exclamation point at the end of a strong command
Sit down!
If an exclamation mark is part of an italicized or underlined title, make sure that the exclamation mark is also italicized or underlined:
My favorite book is Oh, the Places You'll Go!

8. Watch The Punctuation People: Don Period