PUNCTUATION MARKS This resource is set up to include many of the rules for punctuation. The slides...

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PUNCTUATION MARKS

This resource is set up to include many of the rules for punctuation. The slides vary in sophistication so will suit

children from Kindergarten to Year 7. Not all the slides are suitable for all ages, e.g. for capital letters, you may only use slide 1 for Kindergarten but all the slides for Year 3 students.

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Capital Letters 1

Use a capital letter to begin a sentence.

Examples:

This morning we went to school.

Today is my birthday.

Yesterday was an amazing day.

It is a beautiful, hot day.


Capital Letters 2

Use a capital letter for names of people.

Examples:

Ben

Julie

Amy

Trevor

Leila


Capital Letters 3Use a capital letter for names of places, countries, languages and nationalities.

Examples:

Pacific Ocean, Great Ocean Road

Russia, Italy, Indonesia

Russian, Italian, Indonesian, English

Australian, Italian, Russian, American


Capital Letters 4

Use a capital letter when using “I”.

Examples:

I said I would do it.

Jenny and I went to school.

I am happy that I came first.


Capital Letters 5

Use a capital letter for titles.

Examples:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Commonwealth Bank

United Nations


Capital Letters 6Use a capital letter for days, months, holidays and festivals.Examples:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

January, February, March

Labour Day, New Year’s Day

Christmas, Easter, Ramadan,


Question Mark 1Use a question mark instead of a full stop when you ask a direct question.Examples:

What is your favourite sport? Why?

You’re from Australia, aren’t you?A question mark is also called an interrogation point.Do NOT use for indirect questions…e.g. I’m wondering if they are coming. (Are they coming?)


Apostrophe 1

Use an apostrophe to indicate letters are missing.

Examples:

They’re (they are)

Don’t (do not)

Doesn’t (does not)

Can’t (cannot)


Apostrophe 2

Use an apostrophe to show ownership.

Examples:

The dog’s collar. …The collar belonging to one dog.

The dogs’ collars. …The collars belonging to more than one dog, so the apostrophe comes after the s.

Keats’s poetry…There is only one Keats and his name ends in an s, so it is ‘s –this is not required but preferred.


Apostrophe 3Do NOT use for numbers or capitals unless omitting them would make it unclear.Examples:

M.D.s (not M.D.’s), 3s (not 3’s), 1970s (not 1970’s), ABCs (not ABC’s)

Some exceptions – dot your i’s (otherwise it would be confused with is) or 0’s (or it would look like Os). Note: If the sentence reads 0’s and 3’s the apostrophe stays with the 3 for consistency in the sentence.


Comma 1

Use commas to separate a list or a series.

Examples:

For breakfast I had eggs, bacon, mushrooms, toast and coffee.

The cat jumped up on the fence, swished its tail, then let out a loud meow.


Comma 2

Use commas to set off quoted elements.

Examples:

“I like James,” said Ben, “but not his dog.”


Comma 3

Use commas to set off parenthetical elements.Examples:

The Harwood Bridge, spanning the Clarence, was in need of repair.

A parenthetical element is not essential for the sentence to be understood, i.e. it is unnecessary to add “spanning the Clarence” as the name of the bridge provides that detail unless it could be confused with another Harwood Bridge.


Comma 4

Use commas to avoid confusion.

Examples:

Andrea thinks Julie is very smart. (Julie is smart)

Andrea, thinks Julie, is very smart. (Andrea is smart)


Comma 5

Use commas to connect 2 independent clauses using a conjunction.Examples:

She threw the ball well, but it was in the wrong direction.


Comma 6Use commas for typographical reasons.Examples:

She was born on July 11, 1963, in Sydney, Australia. (leave the comma out if any part of the date is omitted, e.g. July 11 in Sydney).

The cost of purchasing 5,742,322 golf balls was $12,300.

Dr Martin, Professor of Science, was a very clever man.


Comma 7Use commas to separate adjectives where you could replace the comma with the word “and” and reverse the order of the adjectives and still make sense (coordinate adjectives).

Examples:

She is a pretty, selfish woman.

Matt was a large, fearsome man.Note: Do not use for cumulative adjectives, e.g. She wore a blue wool vest. “blue and wool” would not make sense and reversing the order of the words wold not make sense, e.g. She wore a wool blue vest.


Comma 8Use commas to surround the name of persons directly addressed.Examples:

Will you, Jenny, look after the dog?

Yes, Julie, I will.


Comma 9Use commas to separate a statement from a question and contrasting parts of a sentence.Examples:

She won the part, didn’t she?

That is your problem, not mine.


Comma 10Use a comma if your sentence starts with “well”, “now” or “yes”.

Examples:

Well, I think we should finish it now.

Now, look what you have done.

Yes, I love chocolate cake.


Comma 11

Use a comma before e.g. and i.e.

Examples:

You will need a long list of resources, e.g. pens, paints, paper, brushes, etc.

He is good at racquet sports, i.e. squash, tennis and badminton.


Comma 12Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt sentence flow.Examples:

I am angry, as you may have noticed, because you did the wrong thing.


Full Stop 1

Use a full stop to end a sentence.

Examples:

I don’t want to get out of bed.

I love my mum.

It is a beautiful day today.


Full Stop 2Use a full stop for abbreviation of words.Examples:

If the word is abbreviated after the first few letters, use a full stop, e.g. Mon. (Monday), cont. (continued), etc. (etcetera)

If the word is abbreviate using the first and last letters, a full stop is not necessary if you use British English, e.g. Mr (Mister), Dr (Doctor), Pty (Proprietary).

They remain if you are using American English, e.g. Mr. (Mister), Dr. (Doctor), Pty. (Proprietary).

Full stops are not usually used where the abbreviation is the first letter of each word, e.g. ABC, UN, MA, CNN.


Full Stop 3

Use a full stop in email and internet addresses.

Examples:

[email protected]

www.teachezy.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.teachezy.com/


Quotation Marks 1Use single quotation marks to indicate the exact words someone said.Examples:

The teacher asked, ‘have you got your books?’

‘I love ice cream,’ said Jenny, ‘but only chocolate and peppermint.’

Note: Just to confuse matters, in US English, double quotation marks are most commonly used and in British English, single quotation marks are most commonly used. In AUSTRALIA we tend to follow the British English rule of single quotation marks.


Quotation Marks 2

Use quotation marks when using articles, poems, stories, songs, or chapters in a book.Examples:My favourite poem is ‘The Man from Snowy River’ by Banjo Paterson.

I sang ‘Let it Be’ at the rehearsal.Note: Use italics for the title of a book.


Quotation Marks 3

Use double quotation marks for quotes within quotes.Examples:

The teacher said, ‘Julie said, “leave me alone.”’

Note: If you use double quotation marks for direct speech, you use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. The above method is the British English version.


Quotation Marks 4

Use quotation marks to set off words that are not actual quotations.Examples:

The treasure was at the spot marked ‘X’ on the map. (British English)

Sadly, the brave soldier was killed by “friendly fire”. (US English)Please note that some in the US revert to British rules on occasions and vice versa.


Colon 1Use a colon after a complete sentence when you do not use the words namely, for example or that is, to introduce a list.Examples:

You must have this equipment with you when you attend the camp this weekend: a tent, a sleeping bag, clothes, shoes, water, and a hat.


Colon 2Use a colon between two sentences if the second sentence explains or illustrates the first and there is no conjunction.Examples:

I love Christmas: the fun and festivities make me very happy.


Colon 3Use a colon to introduce a direct quotation that is longer than three lines.Examples:In the book Trouble, the author wrote:

The children loved to play outside the house of Mr Bourke but he was a frightening man who yelled when he was disturbed from his sleep before mid morning.

They knew they were risking his wrath, but they decided they could wait no longer to set up their game of cricket.

Note: quotation marks are not used and a line is left before and after the quote. The quote is indented.


Colon 4Use a colon to indicate a clock time.

Examples:

Meet me at 5:22 p.m. at the railway station.

The class starts at 9:30 a.m. sharp.


Colon 5Use a colon in a bible reference to separate the chapter from the verse.

Examples:

Psalms 22:18


Colon 6

You may use a colon to introduce script in a dialogue such as a play.

Examples:

Little Red Riding Hood: My, your teeth are so big.

Wolf: All the better to eat you with.


Semi-Colon 1Use a semi-colon to separate the two parts of a compound sentence where a comma and conjunction are not used.Examples:

Instead of - The party was over, so the guests went home.

Use - The party was over; the guests went home.


Semi-Colon 2Use a semi-colon when separating long, involved clauses.Examples:

Being a teacher has its rewards; longer holidays, outside and inside time, lots of fun and job satisfaction.


Semi-Colon 3Use a semi-colon to separate clauses punctuated by commas. Examples:

When I finish work, I will be happy to take you to the party; and that is a promise I will keep.

If she can, she will; and if he can, he will.


Semi-Colon 4Use a semi-colon to separate a series of units where the units contain commas.Examples:

The teachers were a mixed bunch from Sydney, Australia; Paris, France; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; and Auckland, New Zealand.


Exclamation Mark 1Use an exclamation mark to indicate emphasis or surprise.

Examples:

I cannot believe you did that!

That is amazing!

Brilliant!


Exclamation Mark 2

Use an exclamation mark to indicate a command.

Examples:

Go and do it now!

Stop!

Be quiet!


Exclamation Mark 3

An exclamation mark may accompany a mimetically sound.

Examples:

The dog went woof! in the back of the utility.

The bear let out a loud Grr!

PUNCTUATION MARKS This resource is set up to include many of the rules for punctuation. The slides...

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