Punctuations

Punctuations are signs that make the meaning of a sentence clearer and understandable.

Some commonly used punctuation marks are:

• Full stop (.):
Full stop is also known as ‘period’. It is used to end a statement.
1. I am learning English.

2. The baby is sleeping.

 
• Question mark (?):
It is used to ask questions.
1. How are you?
2. Do you know him?

• Exclamation mark (!):
It is used at the end of sentence that shows strong feeling.
1. Watch out! There is a snake!
2. Wow! The weather is so beautiful!

• Comma (,):
(i)Comma is used to show a brief pause in a sentence.
1. Sunil, can you help me with my homework?

(ii) To join words in a list.
1. I like mango, papaya and apple.

• Capitalization:
A sentence is always begun with a capital letter.
1. Once there was a crow.
2. Raman wants to go home.

Exercise

Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.

1.
a. Have you been to America.
b. Have you been to America
c. Have you been to America!
d. Have you been to America?

2.
a. Stop making noise and sit quietly.
b. Stop making noise and sit quietly?
c. Stop making noise, and sit quietly!
d. stop making noise and sit quietly.

3.
a. agra is situated on the bank of Yamuna.
b. Agra is situated on the bank of Yamuna!
c. Agra is situated on the bank of Yamuna.
d. agra is situated on the bank of yamuna.

4.
a. Eating healthy food is a good habit?
b. Eating healthy food is a good habit.
c. Eating healthy, food is a good habit.
d. eating healthy food is a good habit.

5.
a. I like playing cricket, football volleyball and basketball.
b. I like playing cricket, football, volleyball and basketball.
c. I like playing cricket, football; volleyball and basketball.
d. I like playing: cricket, football, volleyball and basketball.

6.
a. Careful! There might be snakes in the river.
b. Careful, there might be snakes in the river.
c. Careful; there might be snakes in the river.
d. Careful there might be snakes in the river.

7.
a. My friend Mark is a wonderful singer?
b. My friend mark is a wonderful singer!
c. My friend Mark is a wonderful singer.
d. my friend Mark is a wonderful singer.

8.
a. What are you doing these days!
b. What are you doing these days.
c. What are you doing these days?
d. what are you doing these days?

9.
a. Wow, Look at the rainbow!
b. Wow; Look at the rainbow!
c. Wow: Look at the rainbow.
d. Wow! Look at the rainbow!

10.
a. My cousins, are arriving today?
b. My cousins are arriving today.
c. My cousins are arriving today!
d. My cousins; are arriving today.

Answers

I. D
II. A
III. C
IV. B
V. B
VI. A
VII. C
VIII. C
IX. D
X. B