Period (.)
Use a period at the end of a sentence that's a declarative statement.
Comma (,)
Use a comma to separate elements in a series, after a conjunction (and, but) that joins two independent clauses, after an introductory element, and to set off parenthetical elements.
Semicolon (;)
Use a semicolon to separate elements in a complex list and to join two closely related independent clauses.
Colon (:)
Use a colon in conjunction with an independent clause to introduce a series or an explanation.
Dash (--)
With a stronger emphasis than the commma, a dash can also be used to set off parenthetical information.
Hyphen (-)
To create a compound word, to add certain prefixes to a word, and to break a word at the end of a line.
