What are the different punctuation marks and their Tagalog equivalents?
PUNCTUATION MARKS – These are the different types of symbols and signs used in writing and their equivalent to Tagalog language.
The signs and symbols we use in writing that guide a reader, acting like road signs that signal pauses, emphasis, and where a sentence should end, are called punctuation marks. Without knowing the proper use of these marks could alter the meaning of the sentence and relay a wrong message to the readers. One must be particular in using the proper punctuation marks, most especially in academic writing.
Imagine writing someone this message: “Let’s eat kids.”
Without the comma after the word “eat,” what do you think is the message of the sentence? Morbid, right? Here, you are implying to eat the kids, not with the kids. See the difference? This is one of the reasons why putting the correct symbols is extremely important.
Common knowledge when it comes to using these writing symbols and signs:
- Use a comma to create a pause, to separate ideas in that sentence.
- Use a semicolon to create a break, but recognize the connection of ideas
- Use a colon to connect two sentences thematically
- Use a full stop to create the end of that sentence.
- Use an apostrophe to indicate ownership or missing letters/numbers.
Apart from putting emphasis on pauses, thoughts, and ideas, it also sets the tone and emotion of the message.
Here are some writing marks and their uses with the Tagalog equivalents:
| Punctuation | Usage | Examples | Tagalog Equivalent |
| Period ( . ) | In a declarative sentence, it indicates a full stop. This can also be used to indicate an abbreviation of the word. | I will go to the market. John James Jr. is the youngest. | Tuldok |
| Question Mark (?) | This is used to ask direct questions. | When will you go to the market? | Tandang Pananong |
| Exclamation Point (!) | This is used to depict strong emotions. | The nagging makes me furious! Holy cow! | Tandang Padamdam |
| Comma (,) | This is used to separate ideas or elements within a sentence. | I want the black, blue, and red car. | Kuwit |
| Semicolon (;) | This is used to connect independent clauses to show a relationship. This is also used to separate items in a list that already includes commas. | “I wanted to go for a run; however, it started raining heavily.” I’ve visited Cleveland, Ohio; Los Angeles, California; and St. Louis, Missouri. | Tuldok-kuwit |
| Colon (:) | This is used to introduce a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series. This also clarifies an important word or phrase. | I am interested in four genres: thriller, romance, and horror. There was one person she loved more than any other: her mother. | Tutuldok |
| Hyphen (-) | This is used to join two or more words together to make compound nouns, compound adjectives, and compound numbers. | My brother-in-law works in a ship. | Gitling |
| Parentheses ( ) | This is used for further thoughts or qualifying remarks to a sentence. | She finally answered the email (after two days of thinking about it) with a polite decline. | Panaklong |
| Brackets [ ] | This is used to add clarification, modify quotes, and show explanatory notes. | He [the CEO] declined to comment on the merger rumors. | Panaklong |
| Braces { } | This is used in mathematical expression programming or technical writing. | The solution set is {x | x > 0}. | Panaklong |
| Apostrophe ( ‘ ) | This indicates the omission of a letter or letters from a word. This is to form contractions, the possessive cases, and create plurals of lowercase letters. | I’ve read this book many times. Sara’s dog is big. Mind your k’s and j’s. | Kudlit |
| Quotation Marks (“ ”) | The double quotation marks are used at the beginning and end of a quoted passage. | Jose Rizal’s last words were, “Consummatum est.” | Panipi |
| Single Quotation Marks (‘ ’) | This is used to show quotes within a quotation, and set off quotes in headlines. | She told the teacher, “Jose Rizal’s last words were ‘Consummatum est,’ and it was correct. | Isang Panipi |
| Ellipsis (…) | This indicates an omission of words or sentences. This is also used for quoting speeches to avoid copying unnecessary, lengthy text. | I was going to tell you something important… but I forgot what it was. | Tutuldok-tuldok |