When we speak, we can pause or emphasize certain words and phrases to
help people understand what we are saying.
In our writing, we use punctuation
to show pauses and emphasis.
Punctuation marks help the reader understand what we mean.
A punctuation mark
is a mark, or sign, used in writing to divide texts
into phrases and sentences and make the meaning clear.
In this lesson, we will look at some common punctuation marks and
mistakes. You
will see examples of what happens if you omit or misuse some common
punctuation marks.
End Punctuation
End Punctuation is the most common punctuation in the English language.
You must
use end
punctuation at the end of every sentence to avoid confusion.
End punctuation tells the reader where each sentence ends. It also
helps the reader understand the writer's emotions about the subject.
For example, an exclamation mark ( ! ) tells the reader that I am
excited or yelling.
Here is a paragraph without end
punctuation:
Do you like to sing My mom
and I sing in a choir that meets every
Tuesday Last week we sang Christmas carols at a nursing home The
residents of the nursing home enjoyed our visit It was fun Would you
like to join us next Tuesday
You can see that it is very difficult to read and make sense of the
paragraph. Every sentence runs straight into the next sentence.
Here is the same
paragraph with
end punctuation:
Do you like to sing? My
mom and I sing in a choir that meets every
Tuesday. Last week, we sang Christmas carols at a nursing home. The
residents of the nursing home enjoyed our visit! It was fun! Would you
like to join us next Tuesday?
Now, you can see questions, statements, and exclamations in the
paragraph. You can see that the writer is excited about singing and
enjoyed singing for the residents of the nursing home. The writer also
asks if you like singing and would like to join their choir.
Incorrect uses of end punctuation
Using the wrong end punctuation can cause confusion for the reader.
Consider these three
sentences:
1. Richard
wants to marry Rose. 2.
Richard wants to marry Rose! 3.
Richard wants to marry Rose?
The words of each sentence are the same, but the end punctuation
greatly changes the meaning:
1. Richard
wants to marry Rose.
By using a period,
the writer is simply stating
a fact. The writer does
not show any feelings about the situation.
2. Richard
wants to marry Rose!
With an exclamation
mark, the writer shows emotion about the situation.
The writer is probably excited.
3.
Richard wants to marry Rose?
By using a question
mark, the writer has turned the sentence into a
question. The writer seems
surprised and is asking for clarification.
Commas
Commas are another very important type of punctuation. Commas
tell the
reader where to pause. Commas also separate phrases, ideas, and items
in a
list. Commas help avoid confusion.
A) Using commas in lists:
Here is a list without
commas:
Sally likes to eat chocolate hot dogs and broccoli.
Without commas, it sounds like Sally likes to eat hot dogs and broccoli
covered in
chocolate!
Yuck!
Here is the same list with commas:
Sally likes to eat chocolate, hot dogs, and broccoli.
Now, we see that Sally actually likes three foods:
1. chocolate
2. hot dogs
3. broccoli
B) Commas for phrasing
Here is another funny
example:
1. It is
time to eat David!
2.
It is time to eat, David!
1. In the first sentence, it sounds like we are going to eat
David
for lunch!
2. The comma in the second sentence shows the writer that we are
actually
informing David that it is time to eat.
Quotation marks
Quotation marks are another common punctuation mark in the
English
language. Quotation marks are used with commas to inform the reader
that someone is talking or being quoted.
Example:
"Punctuation
is important," my teacher said. "Without punctuation
marks, your writing would be very confusing."
Without quotation marks and commas, it would be difficult to understand
what the character is saying.
Punctuation
is important my teacher said without punctuation marks your
writing would be very confusing
Quotation marks are also very important when you are quoting words
someone has already said.
Example:
Maya
Angelo said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't
change it, change your attitude."
Maya Angelo is a famous author and poet. When I am quoting her, I show
her exact words by enclosing them in quotation marks. By using
quotation
marks, I am giving her credit for her words.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes
are another commonly misused form of punctuation. Apostrophes are used
to show ownership and missing letters in contractions.
Misplaced apostrophes can cause confusion for readers.
Example:
it's = it is
its = ownership
Correct:
The dog sleeps in its house.
The house belongs
to the dog.
Incorrect:
The dog sleeps in it's
house.
This does not
make sense because we would not say, "The dog sleeps in it is house."
Example:
boy's = ownership
boys = more than one boy
Correct:
The boy's
room is painted blue.
The blue room belongs to
the boy.
Incorrect:
The boys
room is painted blue.
In this example, we do not know if the room belongs to one boy (boy's) or more than
one boy (boys').
Correct:
The boys
are sleeping in the tent.
There is more than one
boy sleeping in the tent.
Incorrect:
The boy's
are sleeping in the tent.
The apostrophe
is not needed in this sentence because we are not showing
ownership.
A final note about punctuation
These were just a few
examples of the importance of using punctuation in our writing.
It is important to use punctuation correctly to help the reader
understand our writing.
Without punctuation, our writing would be a confusing mess!
These were examples of the importance of punctuation. Now that you know
them, it is
time to practice! Read and do
exercises.