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In writing a period refers to a punctuation mark, that you place at the end of either an imperative or declarative sentence.
A period, also called a “full stop,” marks the end of a sentence and indicates a command, request, or statement of fact. Additionally, periods are also used in some initials, abbreviations and acronyms.
Learn best practices for using periods as punctuation in sentences. Then, review your content to avoid any punctuation errors or spelling mistakes with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker.
A period (.) marks the end of an imperative sentence, which delivers a command or request to do something.
Examples of periods in imperative sentences:
In these sentences, the subject is generally understood to be “you.”
Imperative sentences can also end with an exclamation mark, which gives them a different tone and turns them into exclamatory sentences.
For instance, “Knock before entering!” has more urgency and emotion with the addition of the exclamation mark. In contrast, a period ends a sentence in a reserved, almost flat way.
As well as wrapping up or completing an imperative sentence, you can also end a declarative sentence with a period. A declarative sentence states a fact or provides information.
Examples of how to use a period to end a declarative sentence:
The period provides a full stop at the end of a complete thought that is a factual statement of information.
If the period were replaced with a question mark, these declarative statements would be turned into interrogative sentences (questions). Similarly, an exclamation point would turn them into exclamatory statements (exclamations).
Sentence fragments are not grammatically correct sentences, so a period at the end of a fragment is grammatically incorrect in formal English.
However, in creative, literary, or marketing writing, a period might be used stylistically to emphasize a phrase or word.
Examples of a period used with a sentence fragment as a stylistic choice:
When using periods with fragments in this way, it should not be overdone. Any creative use of punctuation should be intentional (on the writer’s part) and meaningful (to a reader). Otherwise, it just looks like incorrect grammar.
The full-stop function is a period’s main role in grammar, but there are several other common ways a period is employed in writing.
Initials in most names are followed by a period, such as in the case of author T.S. Eliot. When initials stand for full names the periods are most often left out. For example, with the New York airport named after the late American President John F. Kennedy, the correct use of punctuation is JFK Airport.
Some words are abbreviated by the use of a period. However, this varies by editorial style, house style, and country. Because there is no one rule for the use of periods in abbreviations, always refer to a dictionary or style guide when abbreviating.
Periods play a very important part in a URL (website address). When a period is inserted in the wrong place within a URL, a user will not get to their intended website.
When a website appears at the end of a sentence, a writer must take care to help a reader not encounter this error.
Consider this call to action:
Example: Get exclusive discounts at www.examplecompany.com.
If a reader cuts and pastes the link and period punctuation at the end of a sentence, they will get an error message.
They may not realize that the error message is because of the period, so they may assume they’ve been given a broken link. Many readers will not try a second time.
To avoid this potential issue, it’s best practice to hyperlink URLs.
In printed pieces or when hyperlinking is otherwise not possible, some writers and designers choose to intentionally reconfigure the copy to ensure this error cannot happen.
Example: Visit www.examplecompany.com for exclusive discounts.
Sometimes, periods need to interact with other punctuation marks in sentences.
For instance, when a period ends a sentence that is a quote, a writer has two punctuation marks to contend with at the end of the sentence.
Here are some general punctuation rules and examples for these situations:
Just because periods end imperative and declarative sentences doesn’t mean they bring a lack of emotion or excitement to the page.
The full stop of a period can create an abrupt pause. Depending on how the writer uses it, that pause can be flat, emotional, or intentionally emphatic.
Review your content to see if it’s grammatically correct with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker.
Then, get more tips on grammar best practices in our grammar resources:
