Punctuation May 10

Punctuation

Periods

The period is perhaps the easiest punctuation mark to master. It ends a sentence. Difficulty generally arises only when the period is used with other punctuation marks.

Periods Continued

When writing a sentence a period will be used at the end of a sentence and on the outside of ( ) in a text.

Example: Don't forget to give the book to Jermaine (DeShun's cousin).

If quotation marks are used to indicate someones exact words, the period is inside of the last quotation mark.

Example: Tyler said "I finished my homework."

Question Marks

A question mark is used to indicate a question is used while writing.

Example: How is everyone doing this morning?

Commas

Sometimes, the comma indicates a pause that would occur if the sentence were spoken aloud. Other times, the comma separates grammatical components of the sentence.

Commas Continued

The presence or absence of a comma can change the meaning of a sentence⁠—sometimes dramatically.

Example: Let's eat mom.

Example: Let's eat, mom.

Exclamation Mark

The exclamation point is a mark of terminal punctuation. As such, it should not be followed by a period or question mark. Some writers will use both a question mark and exclamation point for an exclamatory question, but only the exclamation point is truly necessary.

Example: What in the world are you doing up there! (Correct)

Example: What in the world are you doing up there?! (Incorrect)

Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are primarily used to indicate material that is being reproduced word for word, as well as some other important uses.

Example: “The best investments today,” according to Smith, “are commodities and emerging-market stocks.”(Correct)

Example: “The best investments today”, according to Smith, “are commodities and emerging-market stocks”.

Colons :

The colon is used to introduce a list of items.

Examples: After three weeks of deliberation, the jury finally reached a verdict: guilty.

Five continents, three dozen countries, over a hundred cities: this was the trip of a lifetime.

Semicolon ;

Most commonly, the semicolon is used between two independent clauses (i.e., clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences) when a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) is omitted.

Example: The upperclassmen are permitted off-campus lunch; the underclassmen must remain on campus.

Apostrophe '

The apostrophe ( ’ ) has three uses: contractions, plurals, and possessives.

Contractions

Examples: Contractions (e.g., let’s, don’t, couldn’t, it’s, she’s)

Plurals

Examples: He received four A’s and two B’s.

We hired three M.D.’s and two D.O.’s.

Be sure to cross your t’s and dot your i’s.

Do we have more yes’s than no’s?

Possessives

Examples: the lawyer’s fee

the child’s toy

the girl’s parents

Jesus’s disciples

Multiple Choice

________ never too late to make a change.

• Its
• It's
• Its'

Multiple Choice

Which word should have an apostrophe in the sentence? The ducks wings help it fly and escape predators easily.

• wings'

• duck's

• predator's

• ducks'

Multiple Choice

What goes at the end of this sentence?
WOW!  Did you see that ___

• !
• .
• ?
• ,

Multiple Choice

What type of punctuation does this sentence need?
Math is my favorite subject ___

• !
• ?
• .
• ,

Multiple Choice

_This is a great party_ she said.

• ''
• '
• ?
• !

Multiple Choice

I don_t like wasting my time for nothing.

• ,
• '
• ?
• "

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

• This is my car
• this is my car
• this is my car
• This is my car.

Multiple Choice

Choose the sentence that is correctly punctuated. 

• Before reaching the summit, the climbers were forced by a storm to turn back. 
• Before reaching the summit the climbers were forced by a storm to turn back. 
• Before reaching the summit, the climbers were, forced by a storm, to turn back. 
• Before reaching the summit the climbers were, forced by a storm, to turn back. 

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

• Joanna visited France, Spain, and Italy on her summer trip to Europe.

• Joanna visited, France, Spain, and Italy on her summer trip to Europe.

• Joanna visited France, Spain and Italy on her summer trip to Europe.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

• is there a quizizz game for today? Ahmed asked.
• "is there a quizizz game for today"? ahmed asked.
• "is there a quizizz game for today?" Ahmed asked.
• "Is there a quizizz game for today?" Ahmed asked.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

• This is my car
• this is my car
• this is my car
• This is my car.

Multiple Choice

Where are you from___

• .
• !
• ?
• ''

Multiple Choice

Which sentence correctly contains a singular possessive?

• The girls room was a mess.

• The girls room wasn't messy.

• The girl's room was just cleaned.

• The girls' room could be cleaner.

Multiple Choice

_{Where does the semicolon go?}

Larry had too many fumbles we lost the game

• lost;

• fumbles;

• had;

• lost;

Multiple Choice

_{Where does the semicolon go?}

Dad is going bald his hair is getting thinner and thinner.

• hair;

• bald;

• Dad;

• getting;

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

• "How are you"? she asked.

• "How are you," she asked?

• "How are you?" she asked.

Multiple Choice

That is amazing ____

• ?

• .

• !

Multiple Choice

Fix this sentence!
Let's eat grandma! 

• Correct
• Let's eat, grandma!
• Let's, eat grandma! 

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is written correctly?

• I want to go to Orlando Florida.
• I want to go to, Orlando, Florida.
• I want to go to Orlando, Florida.