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One very common and important
punctuation
mark
( .
) looks like
a small, dark circle.
This mark has
several
different names, depending on how it is used:
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1.
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When ( . ) is
used with numbers, it's called
(and read as) a point:
1.2 = one
point two
2.31 = two
point three one
6.4028 =
six point four oh two eight
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| 2. |
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When ( . ) is
used with e-mail
address
or URLs
(WWW addresses),
it's called
(and
read as) a dot:
sperling@eslcafe.com = Sperling at
ESL cafe dot
com
www.eslcafe.com = WWW dot
ESL cafe dot
com
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| 3. |
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When ( . ) is
used to end statements,
it's called
(but not usually
read as)
a period:
He came. ( . ) = period
He saw. (
.
) =
period
He conquered. ( .
) =
period
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_________________________________________
Special Notes
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1.
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Numbers
after a ( . ) can also be read
as decimals:
1.2 = one
and two tenths
2.31 = two
and thirty-one hundredths
6.4028 =
six and four thousand twenty-eight
ten
thousandths
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| 2. |
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When (
.
) is used to end
statements,
it's
also called (but not usually
read
as)
a full stop.
This term is not common
in American
English, however. |
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| 3. |
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Note that there is no extra
space before
a period:
| yes: |
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He came. |
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| no: |
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*He came . |
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