The full stop, or period. When to use it, and when not to use it.

It’s surprising how much there is to say about a punctuation mark that most of us probably don’t normally give a second thought to. And while this post doesn’t promise to cover absolutely everything there is to know about the full stop – it does cover its most common uses.

The full stop

The full stop is the most commonly used punctuation mark in English.

Its main function, as we know, is to mark the end of a sentence which isn’t an exclamation or a question – as in the following two examples of the opening lines of novels:

“Mother died today.” (The Stranger by Albert Camus.)

“Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French.” (The Luck of the Bodkinsby PG Wodehouse.)

But the full stop is so much more than a simple mark at the end of a sentence.

Even in the two brief examples above we can see it’s a key tool in the fiction writer’s toolbox. Each full stop is placed exactly where it’s needed to create the rhythm, pace, and dramatic effect the writers wanted.

So, how else do we use them?

When do we use the full stop?

For dramatic effect in informal writing

The full stop is used for emphasis or dramatic effect in informal writing such as text messages and social media updates, where a full stop between each word creates a pause and adds impact. For example:

• Oh. My. God.
• Worst. Movie. Ever.
• Just. Do. It!

In abbreviations

Full stops are also sometimes used to show abbreviated words or phrases.

Latin abbreviations are very often written with them:

• a.m. – ante meridiem/before midday
• p.m. – post meridiem/after midday
• e.g. – exempli gratia/for example
• etc. – et cetera/and the rest
• i.e. – id est/in other words

There are different recommendations for this use of full stops, and I’ve seen at least one university stating they’re not necessary in Latin abbreviations.

Many universities also frown upon using Latin abbreviations at all in academic English (except perhaps in footnotes), preferring instead the use of ‘for example’ instead of ‘e.g.’, etc.

If you’re writing academic English, always follow your individual university’s guidelines.

In time abbreviations

a.m. (ante meridiem) and p.m. (post meridiem) are written in lower case with two full stops in British/UK English.

• 10 a.m.
• 5.30 p.m.

In North American and Australian English there are no full stops. But North American English favours no full stops and (small) capitals:

• 10 AM
• 5.30 PM

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