Asterisk

The asterisk is a punctuation mark, one of the least frequent in the construction of sentences, and usually absent in most texts, especially those that correspond to fiction, short stories, and novels. Asterisk with description usage and examples

The asterisk can sometimes appear in the framework of the scientific or popular literature since its meanings are more oriented to what it has to do with that discourse.

Different uses of the asterisk and how to place it correctly

Footer or citation

One of the most widespread uses of the asterisk is to make a call to a note or several footnotes. It can be used loosely or in parentheses: if it is written loosely, it must be placed before or after the punctuation marks of the word they indicate. If it is placed in parentheses, it is placed in front of the punctuation marks except in the case of exclamatory or question marks and ellipsis.

Example:

• “There is a high percentage of students who have failed * which has meant a lower number of approved”

* high school students

Skip words

This use is more common in literary works to omit a word.

Example:

• This morning he went to M **** to finish the steps he had pending

In the dictionary

In lexical dictionaries, the asterisk acts as a replacement for the word ” see “. It is placed after one word and before the punctuation mark. In some dictionaries it is placed before it to indicate more clearly the main entry to be searched: Asterisk with description usage and examples

Example:

• * watermark / watermark *

Books relating to the liturgy

In religious books, asterisks are used to separate verses in a prayer or psalm.

Example:

• Hail Mary, * you are full of grace …

Dates and place names

When it is placed before a specific date or a proper place name, it acquires the meaning of “born in”:

Example:

• Napoleon Bonaparte (* 1769, Ajaccio)

Linguistics

When in a text, a word appears whose origin has not been documented, but whose reconstruction has been possible, or a theoretically possible form is proposed although it has not been contrasted:

Example:

• Ankle, from Latin vulgar * tubellum

Narration

The asterisk, in this area, is used to indicate a change of topic, plot or narration in literary texts. They are placed between one paragraph and another to mark the change, always on a separate line. One, two or three can be placed: *, * *, * * * . Asterisk with description usage and examples

Mandatory mark

This use is very widespread, especially in forms in which a series of data must be entered, generally personal. In these cases, the asterisk in front of the word indicates the obligation to enter that specific data.

Example:

• *Name surname

Grammar rules

When it is placed before a certain word or sentence, it indicates that the expression does not conform to the established grammatical norms, so its use is discouraged.

Example:

• * They sang her a song for they sang her a song

Corrective use

The use of the asterisk to correct a misspelled word has become widespread lately, especially in the field of electronic messaging.

Example:

• The house that was bought is legos / * far

There are other areas in which you can find the use of the asterisk, which do not have to do with grammatical or linguistic use. For example, its use is common in computer science, in mathematics (to indicate binary operations, prefixes, superscript …), in telephone commands …

Phrases with asterisk

Here are some phrases in which the asterisk is used so that you understand perfectly when it is used.

• The moment he got into the car he dropped his wallet.
• Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking
• You’re a C **** N, you shouldn’t have done that to me.
• According to C ***** C ***** the accident occurred due to speeding.

Asterisk with description usage and examples