Two-part adjectives
The hyphen is used in two-part adjectives when the second part ends in -ed or -ing.

I met a nice-looking girl.
He is the blue-eyed boy of the minister.

Other two-part adjectives which express the sense of ‘between’ are often hyphenated.

blue-green (= between blue and green)
The Anglo-French war

Phrases used as adjectives
Longer phrases used as adjectives in the attributive position (before a noun) are often hyphenated.

Compare:
He is an out-of-work lawyer. (Here the phrase out of work is hyphenated because it is used in the attributive position.)

He is out of work. (Here the phrase out of work is not hyphenated because it is used in the predicative (after a verb) position.)

In British English, two-word compound nouns are usually hyphenated, especially when the main stress is on the first word.

Compare:

A ‘paper-shop (Here the stress is on the first word.)
A paper bag’ (Here the stress is on the second word.)

The prefixes co-, non- and ex- are sometimes separated from the following word by hyphens.

non-alignment
co-production
ex-lover

The hyphen is also used to separate the parts of a long word at the end of a printed or written line.

Are hyphens disappearing?

Hyphens have started disappearing partly because the rules are complicated and usage not very clear. Many common short compound words are now written with no division between the words. Examples are: takeover, and wideawake. Longer compounds are now written as completely different words. Examples are: bus conductor, living room etc.

If you are not sure whether to use a hyphen or not, the best thing to do is to write the words without a hyphen.

The colon can be used to introduce a quotation.

Shakespeare said: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.”
Francis Bacon said: “Knowledge is power.”

The Interrogative mark (?)

The interrogative mark is used after a direct question:
Where are you going?
What is your name?
Who are you?

Note that we do not put the question mark after an indirect question.
He asked me what my name was.
He asked whether I had seen him before.
She wondered why I was not listening to her.

The interrogative marks are also not used after a polite request.
Would you mind moving a bit.
Would you mind passing the salt.

The Exclamation Mark (!)

The explanation mark is used after phrases and sentences expressing sudden emotion or wish. Avoid the frequent use of exclamation mark.
What a terrible storm!
What a beautiful flower!
Sometimes an exclamation mark is used after a short and peremptory order:
Get out! I don’t want to see you anymore.
Shut up! I don’t want to hear a word.

Inverted Commas

In direct speech, inverted commas or quotation marks are used to enclose the actual words of a speaker.
He said, “I don’t want to live anymore.”
She said, “I don’t know what I am going to do.”
Pope says: “The proper study of mankind is man.”

Full stop

The full stop is used at the end of a statement or an imperative sentence.

She is a teacher.
He writes stories.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Alice is my friend.
Stop.

Full stops are also used in abbreviations, especially in American English.

M.A. = Master of Arts
Dr. = Doctor
Capt. = Captain

Comma

The comma is the shortest pause between words. It has several uses. It is used:

1. To separate three or more words of the same grammatical class (nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives etc.):

John bathed, breakfasted, dressed and went out.
They need food, clothes and shelter.
He spoke clearly, briefly and eloquently.

2. To mark off phrases in apposition:

Tagore, the great poet and Nobel Laureate, was a visionary.
Ann, my sister, is an advocate.

3. After adverbial phrases formed by absolute construction:

The weather being fine, they decided to go out.

Commas are also used to mark off a non-defining adjectival phrase formed with a participle.

John, having finished his task, returned home.
The Chairman, getting to his feet, addressed the gathering.

4. To separate words or phrases inserted into the body of a sentence:

He, too, was aware of the plot.
She is, after all, a mere child.
His conduct, to say the least, was disgusting.
He did not, however, lose heart.

5. To avoid the repetition of a verb:

John is a lawyer and Alice, a doctor.

6. To separate a subordinate clause that comes before the main clause:

When the bell rings, we shall go to the class.
If you heat ice, it melts.

The semicolon

The semicolon indicates a longer pause than the comma. It is usually followed by conjunctions like and, but or or. The semicolon is used to separate sentences which are closely connected in thought.

As Caesar loved me, I wept for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him.
So many lands; so many fashions
Today we love what tomorrow we hate; today we seek what tomorrow we shun; today we desire what tomorrow we fear.
The rain fell in torrents; the sky was dark; the way was long; the weary travelers plodded on in silence.