How Use Full Stops (Periods): English Tips

Posted On: July 31, 2013

Learning how to use full stops (periods) will not only help you to punctuate written English properly but in how to pause and pace yourself properly in spoken English.

Take a look:
Incorrect:
My name is Jennifer . I am from the USA . I am a transplant that currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah .

Correct:
My name is Jennifer. I am from the USA. I am a transplant that currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah .

How to Use Full Stops (Period): English Tips

There IS NO space between the last word in a sentence and the full stop. For example:
Wrong: I am Jennifer .
Right: I am Jennifer.
There MUST be a space after the full stop and the first word of the next sentence.
Wrong: I am Jennifer.My office is in Infopark, Kochi, Kerala .
Right: I am Jennifer. My office is in Infopark, Kochi, Kerala.
The word that starts the next sentence after the full stop must be capitalized. For example:
Wrong: I am Jennifer. i have visited Moab , where I went bike riding .
Right: I am Jennifer. I have visited Moab, where I went bike riding.

For those who are unfamiliar the term period is the American English word for “full stop.”

Note: The pronoun I is always capitalized wherever it falls in a sentence. For example:
I have to go to the store.
He said that I have to go to the store.

Authentic Journeys helps Indian professionals communicate with American teams and clients. While we don’t focus on grammar, we can help you with the basics of email writing in a variety of situations. See our course: The Ultimate Guide to Email Writing

Thank you, Preethi for helping me to edit this article.

Related Posts:
8 Mistakes to Avoid in E-mail Communication
Ways to Say Thank You in E-mails

Published in 2013, updated 2025