punctuation after greetings

[sreyoshi]

Hi all,

Should there be any end punctuation after greetings like 'good morning?' Let me clarify a bit. Part of a student's workbook looks like this:

Greeting a person

Listen.

Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Hi!
Hello!

so, the students are being asked to listen to the given words on a CD. And while they listen, each word appears in front of their eyes as printed text [as shown above].

So, my question is,

1. Should there be a period or an exclamation mark after 'good morning' etc., like there is one after 'hi'?
2. If yes, I'll appreciate if you mention the source of your reference. I could not find it anywhere online! :cry:

Thanks a lot.

Sreyoshi

[Syl]

It depends on the context. If the greetings must be included in a written context, they must be punctuated.

Read this:

"Why do we need punctuation? Are commas and colons required only to give new writers a hard time? Punctuation allows us to clarify the meaning of words when voice or "body language" cues are removed. Punctuation tells the reader how to make sense of words alone. Poorly or wrongly used punctuation contributes to awkward writing and reader confusion."
http://www.gwr.arizona.edu/overcoming3.htm

For example, in written texts (with a context) you won't find the phrases "good morning" not belonging to a certain context, independent from all the rest that is written.


She said: "Good morning".
etc.

Now, in your example, the activity is not in writing; the words they see are the script for what they listen.

You will read the same rules on this site:
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/punctuationtext.htm
with different examples, and also here:
http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/page25.html

Hope this helps:)


Syl

Syl's English Corner - Learn English And Have Fun
http://www.ginnegar.0catch.com