Question

There are ______ basic punctuation marks or signs used in English.

• A. 10
• B. 12
• C. 15
• D. 20

Hint:

To easily recall the core set of punctuation, group them by function: Enders (. ? !), Pausers (, ; :), Connectors (- ---), and Enclosers (' “” () [] {}).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding Punctuation in Written English:
Punctuation marks act as critical structural signals that help convey the appropriate tone, rhythm, and clarity in written speech. They divide sentences into digestible clauses and indicate where pauses, transitions, or structural shifts occur.

Step 2: Identifying the Fifteen Basic Marks:
According to the standardized NCERT/CBSE curriculum for Employability Skills, English grammar recognizes exactly fifteen fundamental punctuation marks. These include: [noitemsep]
• Period or Full Stop (.)
• Comma (,)
• Question Mark (?)
• Exclamation Mark (!)
• Semicolon (;)
• Colon (:)
• Hyphen (-)
• Dash (--- or --)
• Apostrophe (')
• Quotation Marks (“ ”)
• Parentheses ( )
• Brackets [ ]
• Braces { }
• Ellipsis (...)
• Slash (/)

Step 3: Evaluating the Options:
Standard curriculum handbooks directly define this number to be 15. Hence, Option (C) is the only accurate response.