Punctuation
Punctuation marks are needed in your sentences so they can help you make sense of what you are reading.
You will find one or more of the following punctuations in a sentence:
Full Stop
Full stop or periods . appears at the end of a sentence.
It was pouring down with rain.
I was playing in the park .
The dog jumped over the wall.
Comma
A Comma , can be used to:
- Separate a list of words:
red , blue , green , yellow , pink and white - For a short pause in a sentence:
Suddenly, he lost his grip and fell off the ladder. - Before a direct speech:
She said, "that was wrong." - When starting a sentence with a subordinate clause (dependent):
After we had dinner (dependent clause) , I went to the pictures. - Providing extra information:
Jack , who was on holiday, left all his contact details with Jane.
Exclamation Mark
An exclamation mark ! emphasises what is being said.
I am so happy!
He never washes up after dinner!
Listen to me!
Oh no!
Question Mark
A ? is used after a question.
How much is a cup of tea?
Where do you live?
Who are you?
What is your name?
Apostrophe
An apostrophe ' is added to a singlular or a plural noun to indicate the ownership of something. It can also be used to contract words.
Singular Nouns
The cat's dinner
Tom's car was stolen
My sister's house is down the road
Plural Nouns
My sisters' houses were built with red bricks.
The tigers' like their surroundings.
The boys' go to all the football matches.
Exceptions!
For the following we add the apostrophe before the s:
-
There are so many toys in the children's nursery.
- The women's club is closed on Monday.
- The Men's club is busy on Friday.
- The march for the people's right is orgnaised by Sara.
Contraction
Apostrophe can be use to contract words.
I haven't been to the park for a while.
I don't like swimming
He's lost his door keys
She doesn't like to drink milk
Colon
A colon : can be used:
- To introduce a list:
A sponge cake is made from: butter, sugar, flour, egg and a few drops of vanilla essence. - Before a quotation:
My mother's inspiring words: "Life is full of exciting doors that will open up for you." - To separate hours from minutes:
The time is 10:30 am.
Semicolon
A semicolon ; can be used to:
-
Join two related independent clauses:
The postman saw the growling dog; he dropped the post bag and ran.
The postman saw the growling dog. (independent)
He dropped the post bag and ran. (independent) - Separate items in a list that may contain one or more commas:
We will be touring: Traflagar Square, Tower of London and Picadilly in London; Lochness and Highlands in Scotland; Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham and Blackpool in Lancashire.