Unit 9
Punctuation
Essential English Skills Year 8
LANGUAGE
Punctuation is any of a series of conventional marks used to make sense of writing.
42
Name
Use
Example
Full stop
To end a sentence
The boy can run.
Question mark
To end a real question or an
implied query
What are you doing? (real
question)
Eat it all? (child querying a
parent’s order)
Exclamation mark
To end an exclamation or
strong command
How strange! (exclamation)
‘Halt!’ ordered the sentry.
(strong command)
Apostrophe
1 To show ownership
boy’s bat (1 boy = singular)
boys’ bats (2+ boys = plural
lady’s hat
ladies’ hats
2 To show that a word has
been contracted
cannot = can’t (no omitted)
I’ll = I shall (sha omitted)
I’d = I had (ha omitted)
I’d = I would (woul omitted)
Colon
To replace the words as
follows
The things we need are:
paint, brushes, white paper,
water and drawing pins.
Comma
1 To divide words in a list
I like apples, pears, bananas
and grapes.
We went up the hill, over the
bridge and into the town.
The sheep dog, which had
been highly trained, obeyed
every order.
2 To divide phrases
3 To divide clauses
4 To divide words that
explain others
That girl, Jacinta, is very
clever.
Bob, please come here.
5 To mark off direct speech
6 To mark off single-word
and polite answers, and
connectives
Rosemary said, ‘I’m taller
than you’ to Maria.
yes, no, please, thank you,
even so, nevertheless,
however
7 To separate parts of a
sentence
I don’t have to get up yet,
do I?
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ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
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Cambridge University Press
09/08/12 5:36 PM
1
Test yourself
1 Print out this page and use a red pen to insert capital letters, full stops, question marks,
exclamation marks and commas where needed.
a has john gone to football training yet
b what a lovely surprise
c next year i would like to visit spain portugal and greece
d the strange dog dashed down the drive through the gate and onto the road
e my favourite subjects are graphics art science and mathematics
2 Print out this page and insert commas or colons where needed. Use a red pen to make them
stand out.
b Cotton is a plant fibre wool is an animal fibre but silk is spun from silkworm saliva.
c This book has many purposes to inform to teach and to give practice.
d Migratory birds such as Japanese snipe the wandering albatross and swallows fly great
journeys of thousands of kilometres.
e The garden is too wet to dig however the lawn can still be mown.
3 Can you solve these punctuation puzzles in a minute? (Use the symbols.)
a What ends my questions? ________
b What stops me totally? ________
c What starts my list? ________
d What divides my list? ________
e What tells me you are shouting? ________
4 Write five of your own sentences using a range of puntuation marks.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
LANGUAGE
a To make my collage I need magazines glue felt-tipped pens and a sheet of paper.
Interacting challenge
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ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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43
Unit 9 Punctuation
Working in pairs, choose a famous person from long ago.
Research what he or she did and prepare a speech.
Each person should talk for one to two minutes.
You may like to use images to add interest.
09/08/12 5:36 PM
2
Extend yourself
1 Print out this page and use all your knowledge about punctuation marks to correct these
sentences. Use a red pen. (Add inverted commas – i.e. talking marks – if you can.)
a we caught the caledonian mc brayne ferry from oban to craignure
b does the train to sydney leave from platform 3
c we won the head of the river I shouted joyfully
d sometimes ancient leaders were referred to as warrior kings the history teacher said
e connors cousin thomas who did not like sharing was coming on saturday
2 Print out this page and punctuate the following sentences. Some need colons as well as
other punctuation marks. Use a red pen.
LANGUAGE
a oak trees are deciduous trees which lose their leaves in winter
b mountains which are made of hard rocks are often shaped by ice or water
c cumulus clouds look like cotton wool stratus look like layers or streaks and cirrus clouds
are curly
d the old man gathered his gardening equipment spade fork rake wheelbarrow
3 Write sentences with the following punctuation marks.
a exclamation mark, capital letters, commas
___________________________________________________________________________
b colon, commas, full stop
___________________________________________________________________________
c apostrophes, question mark, commas
___________________________________________________________________________
d commas dividing phrases, full stop
___________________________________________________________________________
e question mark after an implied query, quotation (talking) marks, full stop
___________________________________________________________________________
4 Rewrite the passage below, inserting the correct punctuation.
the colobus is perhaps one of the most handsome of african monkeys its fur is coal black
and snow white and hangs in long silky strands around its body like a shawl it has a very
Essential English Skills Year 8
long plume like tail which is also black and white it is a vain monkey and spends a lot of time
grooming its lovely coat it likes to eat fruit lie in the sun and drift into a deep sleep
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Interacting challenge
44
Read a passage from the book you are studying in class aloud to a classmate. Whenever there is a
punctuation mark, pause, and the other person should call out what that punctuation mark might be.
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ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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3
Challenge yourself
1 Rewrite the sentences inserting full stops, commas, colons and inverted commas (quotation
marks or talking marks) where necessary.
a Wise people learn by other people’s mistakes whereas fools learn by their own
___________________________________________________________________________
b The wind has not died down on the contrary it is becoming stronger
___________________________________________________________________________
c Although few climb to the bottom of Bryce’s Canyon even fewer climb Mt Everest
___________________________________________________________________________
d I collected my baking equipment a basin a beater a spoon a baking tin
e I packed my clothes tops pants underclothes socks and shoes
___________________________________________________________________________
f Scott led the British Antarctic expedition however Amundsen led the Norwegian
___________________________________________________________________________
g While deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter evergreens keep theirs
___________________________________________________________________________
2 Print out this page and punctuate the following. Use capitals, full stops, question marks,
exclamation marks, commas, apostrophes and colons where needed. (Use inverted
commas if you know about them and insert a / [forward slash] to show where paragraph
breaks should be.)
i had never before visited the inner hebrides a group of islands off the west coast of
scotland where are we going to stay i asked the bus driver he replied that we would
stay at tobermory a quaint little fishing village with houses painted in many colours blue
yellow red white and green i was very excited next day when we visited fingals cave on
the very small isle of staffa here the famous composer mendelssohn was inspired to write
an overture which he named after the cave later we continued by ferry to the island of
LANGUAGE
___________________________________________________________________________
iona where the warrior saint columba had landed in 563 ad sixty seven kings including
macbeth and duncan lie buried in the graveyard near the abbey how marvellous i
Wiki task
Add a section to the class wiki showing how each of the following punctuation marks can be used:
commas, apostrophes, question marks and exclamation marks. See what difference puncutation
makes here: ‘Let’s eat Grandpa!’ or ‘Let’s eat, Grandpa!’ Have some fun!
© Rucco, Stoneman and Brownhill 2012
ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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Cambridge University Press
45
Unit 9 Punctuation
exclaimed i always thought they were fictional characters in shakespeares plays.
09/08/12 5:36 PM
Unit 10
More about punctuation
Other important punctuation marks include inverted commas, brackets and dashes.
Inverted commas
Inverted commas are often called ‘talking marks’ or ‘quotation marks’. They are used in direct
speech to show the words actually spoken.
Example
‘You must tidy your room,’ my mother said.
Essential English Skills Year 8
LANGUAGE
Inverted commas
can be single ‘ ’ or
double “ ”.
There are no set rules about double or single marks when using a quotation within another
quotation, except that the two sets must be different from each other and be consistent within
the text.
Example
Jane replied, ‘I’m sure the teacher said, “We may have a test next week” ’.
Or Jane replied, “I’m sure the teacher said, ‘We may have a test next week’ ”.
Inverted commas can be used around a word that is slang (colloquial).
Example
His mates accused him of being a real ‘wuss’ about injections.
Book, film, play and poetry titles can be placed between inverted commas when used in
handwritten text. However, they are written in italics when typed or in published text.
Example
The film ‘Star Wars’ has many fans.
The film Star Wars has many fans.
Brackets and dashes
Brackets ( ) and dashes – are used to separate words within a sentence.
• Brackets: Used for explanatory notes or additions inserted in quoted material or sentences.
• Dashes: Used to mark a sudden shifting or interruption of thought in a sentence, or faltering
speech. They can also be used to make the ending appear as an emphatic afterthought.
Examples
He was a somnambulist (that is, a sleep-walker).
George (you should remember him) sends his regards.
Their bull-terrier – it’s pedigreed – won Best in Show last week.
The detective found two clues – a pistol and a footprint.
46
© Rucco, Stoneman and Brownhill 2012
ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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Cambridge University Press
09/08/12 5:36 PM
1
Test yourself
1 Print out this page and place brackets or dashes where required in these sentences.
a I think berry fruits strawberries, blackberries, raspberries are delicious.
b I remembered rather too late that I needed to pick up the drycleaning.
c The MacDonald boys our distant cousins were visiting our family.
d The contents of the drawer cottons, needles, scissors and material were in complete
disorder.
e The traveller wanted two things a hot bath and a clean bed.
circus oz
shrek romeo and juliet
the haunted mansion essential english skills
snake the iliad
tomorrow when the war began the man from snowy river
a __________________________________________________ is an amusing, animated film.
b The young children’s story _____________________________________ is now also a film.
c _______________________________________ is a textbook to help students with English.
d A famous Australian poem is __________________________________________________.
e The film Troy was based upon Homer’s ancient Greek poem ________________________.
f __________________________________ is an entertainment using Australian performers.
g Shakespeare wrote the famous play ____________________________________________.
h ______________________________ is one of a series of teenage novels by John Marsden.
i
A famous poem about a reptile is titled __________________________________________.
j
An amusing ghost film was titled _______________________________________________.
Writing challenge
Write the dialogue of a
discussion between students
and their teacher about the
best film they have seen.
(Hint: When writing dialogue,
start a new line each time the
speaker changes.) Unit 40
contains a guide to writing
dialogue.
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ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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47
Unit 10 More about punctuation
the cat in the hat LANGUAGE
2 Place the titles in the box in the correct sentences and use suitable punctuation to
indicate that they are titles. Add capitals also. (You may need to discuss these questions with
friends, family or teachers.)
09/08/12 5:36 PM
2
Extend yourself
1 Enter the words, phrases or clauses from the box in the correct places in the sentences
below.
the Tigers
Professor Jones
such as dentistry, law and medicine
small ones
Mildura
a Perkins said: ‘He (__________________________________) leaves no grammar untaught’.
b We beat only one team – _____________________________________________________.
c We drove on to the next town (___________________________) before stopping for lunch.
d They gave out samples (__________________________________) at the chocolate factory.
e Many occupations – _____________________________________________ – demand long
Essential English Skills Year 8
LANGUAGE
professional training.
48
2 Print out this page and use brackets or dashes where appropriate in these sentences.
a The paediatrician that is a children’s specialist checked my baby sister.
b The peacock the male of the species shows off by spreading its tail.
c Evergreen trees those that retain their leaves all year are better in gardens.
d My best friend Helen you met her last week has had an asthma attack.
e My friend said I won’t tell you what he said.
3 Print out this page and use appropriate punctuation to show the titles in these examples.
a The book was called a practical english grammar.
b We went to see the film the last days of rome.
c Did you like the novel tomorrow when the war began?
d ‘The movie shrek II was good, wasn’t it?’ I said.
e once around the sun is an anthology of poems by students.
Writing challenge
Describe two of the most exciting sequences you have
seen in a film or have read in a novel. Tell why you
found them exciting. Use punctuation accurately.
Website explorer
Locate examples online of each punctuation mark you
have looked at in Units 9 and 10. Copy and paste each
example into a Word document with the URL (web
address).
© Rucco, Stoneman and Brownhill 2012
ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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09/08/12 5:36 PM
3
Challenge yourself
Semi-colons ; are used for several reasons:
• to break up a sentence that would otherwise have too many commas and therefore be
confusing (e.g. This year I have planted shrubs, vegetables and flowers in my garden; played
golf, tennis and basketball; and have still been able to attend films, plays and clubs.)
• between items in a list where commas may not be clear enough (e.g. She took the essentials
on holiday: money and passport; bikini and sunscreen; and plenty of books to read.)
• between closely related yet independent clauses in place of a conjunction (e.g. Bali was
amazing; she would definitely be going back.)
a The main football oval cannot be used today however the small oval is still available.
b The rain has not stopped instead it now contains sleet.
c Very few people manage to climb Mount Everest on the other hand very few ever climb
any major mountain.
d The students who had competed in the 1500 metres lay slumped on the ground others
however were waiting eagerly to compete in the sprints.
e We had to wait until morning to climb the peak snow was falling heavily.
2 Fill the spaces with suitable titles. Insert capitals where needed.
a My favourite novel is _________________________________________________________.
b A film I have seen recently is __________________________________________________.
c A poem I enjoy is ____________________________________________________________.
d The title of a daily paper is ____________________________________________________.
e A children’s picture book is ___________________________________________________.
3 Print out this page and place commas, colons, brackets and dashes where needed in these
sentences.
a Don’t tell me groan that I’ve got to read a 440-page novel next term.
b We get all nationalities as migrants English Vietnamese Indians Iraqis Cambodians.
c There is an old saying red in the morning shepherd’s warning.
d The future of the company will be determined by external factors possible trends
technology markets.
e I shall need a new case a very large one for my extended trip abroad.
Writing challenge
Describe the best comedy film or series you have seen. Explain what made it so entertaining; for
example, situational humour, verbal humour, visual humour or a combination of these. Illustrate your
account with a cartoon strip if you wish.
© Rucco, Stoneman and Brownhill 2012
ISBN 978-1-139-27206-3
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
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49
Unit 10 More about punctuation
1 Print out this page and insert semi-colons and commas where appropriate in these
sentences. Use a red pen to make your marks stand out.
LANGUAGE
• between independent clauses linked with a conjunctive adverb (e.g. She wished she could
travel more often; however, it took months to save.)
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