The full stop marks the end of a paragraph.
There are different kinds of points , since the term is used to name concepts from various fields. On this occasion we are interested in focusing on the period as a sign that allows us to mark the end of a statement.
Within this context, it is also possible to distinguish between more than one type of point. The full stop appears when the intention is to separate statements that are included within the same paragraph. The full stop , on the other hand, establishes the end of the paragraph .
Function of the full stop
What the full stop does, therefore, is separate paragraphs . After one of these punctuation marks, you must change the line (unlike the full stop) and start a new paragraph, capitalizing the first word of the sentence that will open the paragraph.
The full stop allows different ideas to be developed within the same logic or the same structure. It does not imply a radical change of topic , but it does mark a difference with respect to the reasoning that had been followed.
An example
In the following example we can see how the full stop works:
“The first part of the game was very even. Spain managed to generate danger through the mobility of its forwards, but Italy matched the actions with shots from outside the area .
In the second half, the game took a turn and the Spanish team managed to impose its dominance. Thus he was able to score after three, twenty and forty minutes, to close the match with a score of three to zero.”
As you can see, in the example there is a full stop after the word “area” , which establishes the end of the first paragraph. Both paragraphs refer to the same soccer game, but the full stop allows the description of each time to be separated.
Thanks to the full stop and the rest of the punctuation marks, reading is easier.
Choice of full stop or other punctuation mark
It is important to note that there is not always a single appropriate punctuation mark; Depending on the case, the author may opt for a full stop or a continuous one, for example, to generate a short pause before continuing to develop the topic or to avoid said break and maintain the tension that had been creating since the beginning of the paragraph . Leaving aside situations in which the rules of the language are violated and a misunderstanding is generated, it is a subjective decision for each person.
In the same way, when the central idea requires several pages for its treatment, it is not advisable to use a single paragraph, since it makes reading very difficult and tedious; On the contrary, the separation into paragraphs through the full stop is ideal for dealing with a different aspect of the topic in each one, or for covering various points of view, for example.
The case of email and speech
As is known, the grammar used when writing an email message or any instant messaging service is not very similar to the traditional one. With respect to the full stop specifically, the current trend is to use it to avoid the formation of long paragraphs , regardless of the structuring of the topics (since we find ourselves in an era characterized by the lack of patience and dedication, a long text is little attractive).
In everyday speech it is possible to say "full stop" to stop talking about a topic and move on to the next, either because it bothers us or because we do not have more time to continue the same conversation. Let's look at some examples of this expression: "We can't continue with this, full stop," "You must look forward; "He has left you, full stop," "If we don't make a full stop, the situation will become unsustainable."