10 Questions
Punctuation marks are marks indicating how a piece of written text should be read (silently or aloud) and, consequently, understood
punctuation
The ______ known examples of punctuation marks were found in the Mesha Stele from the 9th century BC, consisting of points between the words and horizontal strokes between sections
oldest
The alphabet-based writing began with no spaces, no capitalization, no ______ (see abjad), and with only a few punctuation marks, as it was mostly aimed at recording business transactions
vowels
Only with the ______ playwrights (such as Euripides and Aristophanes) did the ends of sentences begin to be marked to help actors know when to make a pause during performances
Greek
The ______ of punctuation vary with language, location, register, and time
rules
What was the oldest known example of punctuation marks?
Mesha Stele
When did the use of punctuation marks to indicate the ends of sentences begin?
With the Greek playwrights
Which author proposed six marks that could be seen as predecessors of emoticons and emojis?
Hervé Bazin
What did the alphabet-based writing begin without?
Spaces and capitalization
How did the use of punctuation marks evolve by the 19th century?
They were used hierarchically in terms of their weight
Test your knowledge of punctuation marks with this quiz! From commas to semicolons, see how well you understand the use of these important symbols in written language.
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