These characters are not just random symbols; they play a crucial role in writing, coding, and communication. You will learn their names, definitions, and multiple uses with practical examples. Whether you’re writing an email, composing a document, or exploring programming, knowing how to use these symbols correctly will enhance your efficiency and effectiveness.

1. Period (.) Also called Full Stop, and Point (with numbers)
   Definition 1: Used to indicate the end of a sentence.
   Example: “This is a sentence.”
   Definition 2: Used in decimal numbers.
   Example: “Pi is $3.14.” (three point one four)
   
2. Comma (,)
   Definition 1: Used to separate items in a list.
   Example: “I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.”
   Definition 2: Used to indicate a pause in a sentence.
   Example: “After dinner, we went for a walk.”
   
3. Question Mark (?)
   Definition: Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
   “What is your name?”
   
4. Exclamation Mark (!)
   Definition: Used to show excitement, emphasis, or a command.
   “Wow! That was amazing!”
   
5. Colon (:)
   Definition 1: Used to introduce a list, a quotation, or an explanation.
   Example: “She bought the following: apples, oranges, and bananas.”
   Definition 2: Used in time expressions.
   Example: “The meeting is at 3:30 PM.”
   
6. Semicolon (;)
   Definition: Used to connect closely related independent clauses.
   “I have a big test tomorrow; I can’t go out tonight.”
   
7. Apostrophe (‘)
   Definition 1: Used to indicate possession.
   Example: “It’s John’s book.”
   Definition 2: Used in contractions to show omitted letters.
   Example: “It’s a beautiful day.”
   
8. Quotation Marks (” “)
   Definition 1: Used to enclose direct speech or quotations.
   Example: “He said, ‘Hello!'”
   Definition 2: Used to indicate titles of short works.
   Example: “I love the short story ‘The Lottery.'”
   
9. Parentheses ( )
   Definition 1: Used to enclose additional information or clarifying details.
   Example: “He finally answered (after taking five minutes to think).”
   Definition 2: Used in mathematical expressions to indicate grouping.
   Example: “(3 + 2) * 5 = 25”
   
10. Brackets [ ]
    Definition 1: Used to insert additional information or explanations within quoted text.
    Example: “She said it was ‘a wonderful [but challenging] experience.'”
    Definition 2: Used in technical manuals to indicate optional items.
    Example: “Press [Enter] to continue.”
    
11. Braces { }
    Definition 1: Used in mathematics and programming to group statements or expressions.
    Example: “if (x > 0) { y = 1; }”
    Definition 2: Used in sets to indicate elements.
    Example: “{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}”
    
12. Hyphen (-)
    Definition 1: Used to join words.
    Example: “Long-term project”
    Definition 2: Used to indicate a range.
    Example: “The event is from 3-5 PM.”
    
13. Dash (—)
    Definition 1: Used to indicate a break or interruption in a sentence.
    Example: “He was going to—well, never mind.”
    Definition 2: Used to set off parenthetical elements.
    Example: “My friend—who is also my colleague—will join us.”
    
14. Underscore (_)
    Definition: Used to create space in usernames or email addresses.
    “My_username”
    
15. At Sign (@)
    Definition 1: Commonly used in email addresses to separate the username from the domain.
    Example: “My email is example@domain.com”
    Definition 2: Used in social media to mention or tag someone.
    Example: “Follow us @ourcompany”
    
16. Hash/Pound Sign (#)
    Definition 1: Used to indicate numbers.
    Example: “Please enter your #.”
    Definition 2: Used on social media for hashtags.
    Example: “I love #learning”
    
17. Dollar Sign ($)
    Definition: Represents currency in the United States and other countries.
    “This book costs $15.”
    
18. Percent Sign (%)
    Definition: Indicates a percentage.
    “50% of the students passed the test.”
    
19. Caret (^)
    Definition 1: Used in mathematical expressions to indicate exponents.
    Example: “2^3 means 2 to the power of 3.”
    Definition 2: Used in editing to indicate where something should be inserted.
    Example: “Insert the word here ^”
    
20. Ampersand (&)
    Definition: Represents the word “and.”
    “Salt & pepper”
    
21. Asterisk (*)
    Definition 1: Often used to indicate a footnote.
    Example: “Check the note at the bottom*”
    Definition 2: Used in programming and coding for various purposes, such as pointers in C.
    Example: “int *ptr”
    
22. Equal Sign (=)
    Definition 1: Used in mathematics to show equality.
    Example: “2 + 2 = 4”
    Definition 2: Used in programming to assign values.
    Example: “x = 10”
    
23. Plus Sign (+)
    Definition 1: Indicates addition.
    Example: “5 + 3 = 8”
    Definition 2: Used to indicate a positive value.
    Example: “+10 degrees”
    
24. Minus Sign (-)
    Definition 1: Indicates subtraction.
    Example: “10 – 5 = 5”
    Definition 2: Used to indicate a negative value.
    Example: “-10 degrees”
    
25. Backslash (\)
    Definition 1: Used in file paths.
    Example: “C:\Users\Username”
    Definition 2: Used in coding to escape characters.
    Example: “newline character is \n”
    
26. Forward Slash (/)
    Definition 1: Used in URLs.
    Example: “http://www.example.com”
    Definition 2: Used to separate directories.
    Example: “/home/user/docs”

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Clauses are essential building blocks of sentences, and understanding them can help you improve your writing and speaking skills.

Types of Clauses

Clauses can be divided into two main types:

• Independent Clauses: These can stand alone as complete sentences.
• Dependent Clauses: These cannot stand alone and need an independent clause to make sense.

What is an Independent Clause?

An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can function as a sentence by itself.

Examples:

• She runs every morning.
• I love learning English.
• They went to the park.
• He finished his homework.

Independent Clauses in Longer Sentences

Independent clauses can be combined with other independent clauses using coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Example:

• I wanted to go for a walk, but it started raining.
  (Two independent clauses joined by “but.”)

What is a Dependent Clause?

A dependent clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone. It depends on an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

Examples:

• Because it’s raining…
• After the movie ended…

Dependent Clauses in Sentences:

• I stayed home because it was raining.
• We went out after the movie ended.

Types of Dependent Clauses

Dependent clauses can function as adverbial, adjective, or noun clauses in a sentence.

1. Adverbial Clauses (Modify a verb, adjective, or adverb)

These answer questions like when, why, how, or under what conditions something happens.

Common subordinating conjunctions: because, although, since, when, if, while, after, before.

Examples:

• She stayed inside because it was cold. (Answers “why?”)
• I will call you when I arrive. (Answers “when?”)

2. Adjective Clauses (Modify a noun or pronoun)

These describe or give more information about a noun. They usually begin with who, whom, whose, which, or that.

Examples:

• The book that I borrowed was great.
• She met the teacher who helped her prepare for the exam.

3. Noun Clauses (Act as a noun in the sentence)

Noun clauses often start with what, that, who, or whom.

Examples:

• What she said surprised everyone. (The entire clause functions as the subject)
• I don’t know where he went. (The clause functions as the object)

Combining Independent and Dependent Clauses

Dependent clauses often appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

Examples:

• Because she was late, she missed the bus.
• She missed the bus because she was late.
• The book that I borrowed was very interesting.

Tip: If a dependent clause comes first, use a comma after it. If it comes after the independent clause, no comma is needed.

Understanding how clauses work will help you construct better sentences and express your ideas more clearly. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be using clauses effortlessly!

Clauses – A deeper look:

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE: An adjective clause is a type of clause that gives information about the noun or pronoun that it modifies. An adjective clause will generally start off with words like who, whom, whose, when, where, which, that, and why. An adjective clause is always a dependent clause, which means that by itself it would not form a complete sentence.

ADJECTIVE PHRASE: An adjective phrase, like we might expect, gives us information about the noun that it’s modifying. An adjective phrase contains a head word that is an adjective, and an intensifier, or basically just a chain of adjectives. An example of an adjective phrase would be, “very tall” or, “incredibly loud.” Now, an adjective phrase can be placed before the noun that it is modifying or after the noun that it is modifying.

NOUN PHRASE: A noun phrase is a word or group of words that functions in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object. (e.g. The glistening snow covered the field)

ADVERB PHRASE: An adverb phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb. An adverbial phrase of time states when something happens or how often. An adverbial phrase of place states where something happens. An adverbial phrase of manner states how something is done. An adverbial phrase of reason states why something is done. There are three common formats for adverbial phrases: a prepositional phrase, an infinitive phrase, and an adverb with an intensifier. 

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