Punctuation

Punctuation

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•SEMICOLONS
•COLONS
•QUOTATION MARKS
•ITALICS
•COMMAS
•DASHES
•ELLIPSIS

Punctuation is important to organize your
writing and provide clarity for the reader.

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REPLACE A COMMA

& CONJUNCTION

A semicolon can be used to replace a

comma and a conjunction when combining

two sentences (or independent clauses).

EXAMPLE
She got a lot of
money for her

birthday, but she
spent it all on junk!

YOUR TURN!
How can you revise

this sentence to

include a semicolon?

She got a lot of money for her
birthday; she spent it all on junk!

Did you know?

A semicolon has many rules for usage, but we are only going to focus on this simple one for now.

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Notice how the semicolon replaces

BOTH the comma and the conjunction.

They are coming to the
movie theater, and we
will celebrate my
birthday.

Multiple Choice

An indepentdant clause includes both a _ and an action or verb.

• words

• subject

• person

• place

• idea

Multiple Choice

Where would the semi-colon go in this sentence:

Tacos are my favorite food my mom cooks them every Tuesday.

• mom;

• them;

• food;

• cooks;

Multiple Choice

What would the semi-colon replace in this sentence:

I love English with Ms. Smith, but I hate writing.

• Ms. Smith

• ,

• but I

• , but

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LIST OF ITEMS

A colon can be

used to introduce a

list of items.

EXAMPLE

The punctuation marks
you need to know are
the following:
•Commas

•Colons

EMPHASIS

A colon can be used
to emphasize a word
or phrase at the end

of a sentence.

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We are heading
to the mountains
for Spring Break.

EXAMPLE

After sitting in the
ER for hours, the
doctor made his

diagnosis:
influenza!

BETWEEN CLAUSES

A colon can be used
between independent

clauses when the second
clause explains or illustrates

the first clause.

EXAMPLE
We need to

leave now or we
will be late: the
party begins in

ten minutes.

Did you know?

A colon is used for
other things, such as

ratios and time.

YOUR TURN!
How can you revise

this sentence to
include a colon?

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QUOTATIONS

Quotation marks are used when

setting off quotations. These

marks are used before and after
every complete quotation and
before and after every part of a

divided quotation.

TITLES

Quotation marks are used
around titles of songs, short
stories, poems, magazine
and newspaper articles,
and specific episode titles

of a TV series.

EXAMPLE

“Down South at Nana’s
Lake House” is a short

story all about my summer
adventures while visiting
my grandma at her lake

house in Georgia.

EXAMPLE

“I’m so glad I live in a world with ice

cream,” five-year-old Ella said.

The author states, “The boy was afraid to
look, but he gathered up the courage.”

YOUR TURN!

Write a sentence that
uses quotation marks.

Bonus: Write one

sentence that uses

quotation marks both

ways.

Did You Know?

Commas are used to set off short direct

quotations from the remainder of the sentence.
Make sure the comma goes inside the quotation

marks. If there is an exclamation point or a

question mark that is part of the quotation, these

also go inside the quotation marks.

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TITLES

Italics are used for titles of

books, magazines, newspapers,
movies, plays, operas, TV series,

and even works of art.

EXAMPLE

I am rereading The Great
Gatsby this June, just like I

do every summer.

EXAMPLE

I am rereading The Great Gatsby this
June, just like I do every summer.

UNDERLINE!

If you are handwriting a title

of a book, magazine,

newspaper, movie, play,
opera, TV series, or work of

art, instead of italicizing,
simply underline them!

WHAT IF I AM
HANDWRITING?

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ITEMS IN A SERIES

Commas are used to

separate words or groups of
words (phrases or clauses) in

a series of three or more.

SET OFF ELEMENTS

Commas are used to set off elements that
are in addition to the main sentence. This
can include introductory elements, yes or
no, direct addresses, and tag questions.

EXAMPLE

I bought chips, a

soda, and a candy

bar when we stopped

at the gas station.

EXAMPLE

Sadly, our

team lost the
championship

game.

EXAMPLE

He is your

brother, isn’t he?

EXAMPLE

No, I have not visited
the Grand Canyon.

COORDINATE
ADJECTIVES

Commas are used to
separate adjectives in

a sentence, only if
you could add the
word and between
them and it would

make sense.

EXAMPLE

The hospital relies on brave, dedicated nurses.

YOUR TURN!

Create a sentence using
coordinate adjectives.

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Dashes are used to indicate a

pause for a change in

thought or an abrupt break.
Dashes can also be used to

emphasize set-off text.

CAN COMMAS BE USED TO

SET OFF NON-ESSENTIAL

INFORMATION?

YES! A comma can be used.

Commas tend to have a
NEUTRAL emphasis on the

additional information. Commas
are placed on either side of the

parenthetical element.

EXAMPLE

I would drive the car home if I

was sixteen – but I am not.

EXAMPLE

Her grandpa, who just

turned ninety, looks

just like Santa.

YOUR TURN!

Create a sentence using a
dash. Create a sentence
using commas to set off
nonessential information.

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PAUSE

Ellipses are used to

indicate an unfinished
action or the process of

thinking.

EXAMPLE

With only a minute left on
the countdown, the crowd
waited patiently…Happy

New Year!

EXAMPLE

Full quotation: “Today, we will be
reading our novel, writing our
speeches, and go to the computer
lab.”
With ellipses: “Today, we will be
reading our novel….”

OMISSION

When you directly quote

material or a speaker’s words,
sometimes you must leave out
parts. You can use an ellipsis to

indicate that you have left
(omitted) part of the quoted

material out.

An ellipsis is a set of three dots.

Note:

An ellipsis at the end of
sentence still needs a

fourth dot for the period.
Make sure the quotation
mark immediately follows.

YOUR TURN!

Create a sentence using an ellipsis.