are not used to separate dates.

• 25 de Maio de 1990
• 25-5-1990 (day, month, year)
• 1990/5/25 (year, month, day)
  

are used to separate dates.

May 25, 1990

Exceptions: 25 May 1998 or May 1998

are used after the salutation of a friendly letter or after the closing. See also colon.

• Cara Amiga,
• Cara Amiga
• Com os melhores cumprimentos.
• Com os melhores cumprimentos

Note: It is also acceptable not to have punctuation after a salutation or closing.

are used after the closing. See also colon.

• Dear Friend,
• With best regards,

Note: In English punctuation is always used after a salutation or a closing.

are also used to show emphasis.

Eu vou, mas tu não vais.
O pai saiu de casa, e cada um dos filhos ficou a fazer os trabalhos escolares
Nem tu, nem eu, nem ela poderia trabalhar mais (TEM VIRGULA PORQUE OS SUJEITOS DAS FRASES SAO DIFERENTES)

are used at the end of a sentence

É pensar positivamente é saudável.

are used with abbreviations

Sr. , Ex. Ma

are used at the end of a sentence.

Thinking in a positive way is healthy.

are used with abbreviations

Mr., Dr., Sr.

are used after interjections.

ah! Oh! Avante! Coragem! Bravo! Viva! Oxala! Ui! Ola! Psit! Alto!Ui! Uh!

do not follow interjections unless they require special emphasis.

to indicate that a sentence was interrupted to give an explanation.

Vou dar-te um presente (nisto tirou do saco uma caixinha embrulhada) e espero que gostes.

to enclose supplemental material, minor digressions, and afterthoughts.

I am going to give you a present (then she took a gift-wrapped little box out of her bag), and I hope that you like it.

to enclose a direct quotation, that is, a person’s exact words, either aspas or quotation marks can be used.

«Tudo vale a pena, se a alma não é pequena.» Fernando Pessoa

to enclose a direct quotation, that is, a person’s exact words.

“Everything is worthwhile, if the soul is not meek.” Fernando Pessoa

to indicate “estrangeirismos” (words in a different language).

A palavra “menu” é um estrangeirismo que quer dizer ementa.

to enclose non-English words or other expressions that are unusual in English.

The word “saudade” is very hard to translate into English.

are used to announce a direct citation:

A Melanie disse:
-Estão verdes, são lindas!

There is no equivalent in English.

are used for enumeration.

As flores que conheço são: rosas, cravos, amores–perfeitos e lírios.

• As compras que fiz no supermercado são: leite, pao, banans cereal e ovos
• Eu mudei-me para cá por duas razões: o clima temperado e o mar.

A sua resposta foi clara e direta:

- deixa-me em paz! (português europeu)
- “ deixa-me em paz!” (portugues brasileiro)

are used after an independent clause to direct attention to a list, an appositive, or a quotation.

• I went shopping for groceries: milk, bread, bananas, cereal, and eggs.
• I moved here for two reasons: the mild climate and the ocean.

Her response was clear and direct: “Leave me alone!”

There is no equivalent in Portuguese.

are used between two independent clauses if the second summarizes or explains the first.

It was very cold: the temperature was 40°F.

after a salutation in a formal letter.

Ex. mo Sr. Fernandes:

However, no punctuation is also acceptable.

Ex. mo Sr. Fernandes

NOTE: a comma after a salutation is also used.

after a salutation in a formal letter.

Dear Mr. Fernandes:

NOTE: a comma after a salutation in an informal letter is also used.

are used between the figures for hours and minutes; in addition, the use of a period is also acceptable. An “h” is inserted after the number of minutes in Portugal

15.30 h or 15:30

hand after the umber of hours in Brazil

15h30

NOTE: p.m. and a.m. are not used; instead, hours are expressed from 1.00h to 24:00h.

are used between the figures for hours and minutes.

3:30 P.M. or 3:30 p.m.

There is no equivalent in Portuguese.

to separate independent clauses of a compound sentence if the coordinating conjunction is omitted.

Portuguese is a beautiful language; I want to learn it.

before adverbial connectors of independent clauses.

Sei que gostas de nadar; contudo, penso que não o deves fazer.

before conjunctive adverbs (furthermore, therefore, besides ) between independent clauses

I know that you like to swim; however, I don’t think you should.

There is no equivalent in Portuguese.

before transitional phrases (in conclusion, for example, and for instance) linking independent clauses

Read this letter as it is written; that is, word for word.

to separate a list of phrases.

As causas do acidente foram as seguintes: o veículo acidentado tinha um grave problema de travões; o condutor estava embriagado; o piso estava muito escorregadio, pois tinha chovido naquela noite.

There is no equivalent in English.

that the phrase or thought was interrupted to introduce another one.

Uma vez que nao foste a Salvador ... Salvador é uma cidade muito linda.

that material has been deleted from a direct quotation.

“Given that you did not go to Salvador…Salvador is a very beautiful city.

In European Portuguese, a change in the direct dialogue between two or more persons.

- Onde é a casa do teu pai?
- Mais longe, Cristóvão, mais longe (Eça de Queirós)

However, Brazilian Portuguese uses quotation marks to express written dialogue very similar to American English.

Cristina perguntou, “O que é que disseste?”
Ginny respondeu, “Tenho um livro para ti.

There is no equivalent in English. (See quotation marks)

for other uses.

EXEMPLOS DO QUE PRETENDEM:
- Considero-vos – deixou bem claro a Maria – os melhores alunos da turma.

Cristina apertou brandamente – mas com sentimento – a mao. Um povo distingue-se por coisas imateriais – a arte e o conhecimento.

to connect words functioning together as an adjective used before a noun.

He is a well-known politician.

There is no equivalent in Portuguese.

NOTE: The apostrophe is substituted bythe following prepositions: da, do, das e dos.

• Os óculos da mulher (the glasses of the woman)
• As capas das biografias estavam soberbas (The covers of the biographies were superb.)

to indicate the possessive.

• The woman’s glasses
• The biographies’ covers were superb.

rarely to show contraction of words, especially in

• poetry d’uma
• or book titles when they begin with a vowel.

Camões é o autor d’Os Lusíadas. Camões é o autor de Os Lusíadas (Camões is the Luisiada’s author)

with contractions

• Let us = Let’s
• I am= I’m

to form the plural of letters or symbols

Your G’s and H’s look different.