Punctuation: Period | Writing Style Guide

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Office of Marketing and Strategic CommunicationsWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA(269) 387-8400

Punctuation: Period

A period ( . ) is a form of punctuation used to end a declarative sentence. Periods are frequently, but not always used, after initials and with two-letter abbreviations (U.S.).Declarative sentence: Harry S Truman did not use a period after his middle initial.Periods should be placed inside closing quotation marks, except when followed by a parenthetical note.Example: Abraham Lincoln said, "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it."When used in email and Web addresses, periods are pronounced "dot" (wmich dot edu).