Perfecting Your Punctuation: Commas, Full Stops, and More
Of all the writing tasks, the hardest is punctuation and grammar. It’s because there are many options to consider and try in your text.
It can be hard to always know which punctuation symbol is the right one to use. To help you find the best option, we share our top punctuation tips. Along with how they should be written.
What is punctuation?
Simply put, punctuation guides the reader on when to stop and breathe. Or when a particular text has greater emphasis. It helps to structure what is being read. Getting it wrong can change a text’s meaning. The classic example is “Let’s eat Grandma” vs. “Let’s eat, Grandma”.
Why are they forgotten?
I often see punctuation errors while working with students. These are unintentional, but they do have their own name. It is called enjambment, from the French meaning “a striding over.”
Some make punctuation errors due to fast writing. In my experience, it happens because someone has been taught it at the wrong time. They were still learning to write. They needed to focus on correct letter formations. Before they could move on to applying punctuation.
Did you know there is even a National Punctuation Day?
How is punctuation is tested in schools?
In the UK, we use the term SPaG. This stands for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. The concept was introduced in 2014. It is still present today. All UK schools have to teach SpaG and at the end of year 6, there is a special test.
Students are still marked on these skills in Key Stage 4. So, it’s important to get this skill right. GCSE subjects that test SPaG are: Geography, History, Religious Studies, and English Language and Literature. If your child has access arrangements, you can read more about how this is marked on the AQA exam board’s site.
What are the common punctuation errors?
You may be surprised to know that there isn’t one main error. The question marks, exclamation marks, and brackets are often too big. They should never touch the top line. Sitting at 90% of the line height is ideal. Other errors include full stops and commas flying up off the line. They can also be too large.
In our handwriting club, I always comment on punctuation in students’ work. Giving advice and feedback is what makes the club different. Anyone can do a worksheet. But, it’s key to learn how to improve from it. Our worksheets are interesting. They are based on historical events and ask a questions for the students to answer. Every Friday, I create a video giving specific advice that all can watch and learn from.
Our top tips guide to punctuation!
Full stops
If you want to end a sentence and start a new one, then you are going to need a full stop. Full stops are small dots. They sit on the baseline of the lines you are writing on (and in turn the sentence that you are writing).
They should always be visible. But, they must not look like a large circle or a football!
Question marks
If you are asking a question, then you are going to need a question mark to show that this is the case. These are the same height as the tallest letters that you write. They should be made up of a curve (or a hook) at the top, a straight line, and then a dot.
You should treat a question mark like a full stop. It means your sentence has finished, and a new one is starting.
Apostrophe
An apostrophe can be used in three ways. It could be to form a possessive noun (to show ownership). It could also show an omission of a letter (as in don’t and won’t). Finally, it can show the plural of a letter or a number.
An apostrophe is a dot that has a curve drawn downwards. It is usually placed at the top of the tallest letter.
Exclamation mark
Use an exclamation mark when you have something important to say. It shows excitement or a desire to get attention. These are simple punctuations to remember. They are a simple line and a dot.
Just like a question mark and a full stop, an exclamation mark is placed at the end of the sentence. It is the same height as the tallest letter.
Comma
A comma is used to break a sentence. It’s also for making a list of points. A comma is a small dot that sits on the line that you are writing on. Then the small dot has a small curve that is drawn down and sits just below the line.
You do not treat the comma as a way to end a sentence; it is usually seen in the middle of the sentence.
Quotation mark
Use quotation marks to show a quote or someone’s speech. These look much like a comma, but they are at the top of the tallest letter, rather than the bottom.
They are also doubled up, many people remember them by using 66 and 99 to represent them.
Hyphen
A hyphen shows two parts of a joined set of words. They do not sit immediately next to one another to make one word; they need to have a gap between them.
A hyphen is a simple horizontal line and is usually found at the middle height of the letters.
Colon
This is used to introduce the next section. This can be a list of words. A quotation or an explanation.
These two dots sit vertically underneath each other in the middle of the line.
Brackets
Curved brackets are different from squared brackets. They are used to separate information from the main part of a sentence.
These should be curved but not too much that they get mistaken for a capital letter C.
Conclusion
As you can see, these are just some of the forms of punctuation that you can use in your writing. All you need to do is master when to use them and how to form them too.
Punctuation is a skill that needs to be learned and practised. Only when this happens will it become automatic. Join our handwriting club. It will help your child master handwriting and punctuation. It will also help them excel in the SPaG elements of their GCSEs.
