Punctuation

1. Punctuation GCSE Punctuation

2. Welcome to GCSE Punctuation Don’t worry if you are not a GCSE English student. This presentation is for anyone who wants to check out the basics of punctuation. A click on the left mouse button will take you from slide to slide (use the up arrow on the key board if you want to go back). GCSE Punctuation

3. If you come to a slide with a dark green background it means there is an activity to complete on the accompanying worksheet - a coloured pen would be useful for this. The answers then follow.There are 70 slides in all, so don’t expect to finish in one session – take your time.Here we go then… GCSE Punctuation

4. What is punctuation? Punctuation consists of written marks which are primarily used to make clear to the reader how sentences are constructed. GCSE Punctuation

5. Without punctuation, a piece of writing can be very confusing. As you can see below: I wake between 5 and 6am it’s already busy outside from my window I see the men collect the rubbish I check the weather by looking to see if people are carrying umbrellas GCSE Punctuation

6. Just putting in full stops at the end of a sentence and capital letters at the beginning makes it much easier to read: I wake between 5 and 6am. It’s already busy outside. From my window I see the men collect the rubbish. I check the weather by looking to see if people are carrying umbrellas. GCSE Punctuation

7. So, you must think carefully about where your sentences should end and remember to put in a full stop. GCSE Punctuation

8. ACTIVITY 1Practice putting full stops and capital letters in this passage: I rarely have lunch occasionally, if I happen to be at home with my wife, we sometimes go to a restaurant afterwards we always walk along the sea front when I’m working, though, it’s usually just a matter of drinking some orange juice GCSE Punctuation

9. Answer I rarely have lunch. Occasionally, if I happen to be at home with my wife, we sometimes go to a restaurant. Afterwards we always walk along the sea front. When I’m working, though, it’s usually just a matter of drinking some orange juice. GCSE Punctuation

10. Some sentences are questions, of course, so instead of a full stop, need a question mark (?): Are you feeling lucky today? GCSE Punctuation

11. ACTIVITY 2If the sentences which follow are questions, put a question mark after them. If not put a full stop: • Have you got the time, please • There is no additional charge • Will you be seeing your uncle today • One of the players was sent off GCSE Punctuation

12. Answers • Have you got the time, please? • There is no additional charge. • Will you be seeing your uncle today? • One of the players was sent off. GCSE Punctuation

13. Occasionally sentences express (or exclaim) strong feelings, so an exclamation mark (!) is needed instead of a full stop: I don’t believe it! GCSE Punctuation

14. ACTIVITY 3If the following sentences seem to express strong emotion put an exclamation mark after them. If not put a full stop: • I think I’ll have a cup of tea now • He’s the greatest player there’s ever been • Look out, it’s falling • I’m going to speak to Rodney about it GCSE Punctuation

15. Answers • I think I’ll have a cup of tea now. • He’s the greatest player there’s ever been! • Look out, it’s falling! • I’m going to speak to Rodney about it. GCSE Punctuation

16. Notice how you, as a writer, have to choose whether or not you want your sentence to express strong feelings. So punctuation is your choice to some extent. It is part of the meaning you want to get across to your reader. GCSE Punctuation

17. Sentences can have lots of different parts to them, so sometimes it is helpful to the reader to indicate where the parts begin and end. This is what we mainly use commas (,) for. GCSE Punctuation

18. For example, the sentence below has two main parts and it is helpful to place a comma between them: After they had finished shopping, they decided to see a film GCSE Punctuation

19. This next sentence also has two parts, but as they are joined by an ‘and’, no comma is needed: They finished shopping and decided to see a film. GCSE Punctuation

20. ACTIVITY 4This sentence has a 2nd part squashed into the middle of the 1st part, so some commas could probably help make it clearer. Where would you put them? The retired cricketer who was still fond of the game decided to become an umpire. GCSE Punctuation

21. Answer The retired cricketer, who was fond of cricket, decided to become an umpire. GCSE Punctuation

22. ACTIVITY 5One of the following sentences probably doesn’t need any commas. The other does. Put commas in the one that does: • Though it had been raining all morning they had no intention of staying there even if it meant getting soaked. • Many of the points I am about to make will be perfectly obvious to most of you here today. GCSE Punctuation

23. Answers • Though it had been raining all morning, they had no intention of staying there, even if it meant getting soaked. • Many of the points I am about to make will be perfectly obvious to most of you here today. GCSE Punctuation

24. Using commas in this way is one of the most important aspects of punctuation. It’s all about forming clear sentences. So let’s have a bit more practice. GCSE Punctuation

25. ACTIVITY 6Put commas in the right places inthese two sentences: • Each day after work when I’ve finished tidying up I pour myself a big glass of wine remembering to feed the cat first then relax in a hot bath. • Michael walked to the restaurant found a table ordered a starter and carefully loaded his gun. GCSE Punctuation

26. Answers • Each day after work, when I’ve finished tidying up, I pour myself a big glass of wine, remembering to feed the cat first, then relax in a hot bath. • Michael walked to the restaurant, found a table, ordered a starter and carefully loaded his gun. GCSE Punctuation

27. Now, I hope you’ve not been flicking through these ‘slides’ too quickly! Remember there’s a test at the end. Take your time. GCSE Punctuation

28. Let’s review what we’ve learnt: • Punctuation marks are used to guide the reader about the meaning of sentences and how they are constructed. • Remember to finish each sentence with a full stop. • Or with question marks or exclamation marks if they are that sort of sentence. • Commas are used to make clear the different parts of a sentence. GCSE Punctuation

29. Here are some other things you can use commas for: • To mark off the words in a list (eg He bought a plate, a spoon, a cup and a knife). • To separate the names of people from the rest of the sentence (eg Where are you going, Michael?). • To separate extra bits of description from the rest of a sentence (eg Mary, a mathsstudent, was weak at algebra.) GCSE Punctuation

30. ACTIVITY 7Put the necessary commas into this sentence: On a bright sunny afternoon in March 1959 Robert Foster a young scientist nearly killed himself by holding his breath underwater for thirteen minutes forty two and a half seconds a world record which still stands. GCSE Punctuation

31. How did you get on with that one? You needed to separate out the describing words (bright, sunny,) put commas around the guy’s name and around the description of him as ‘a young scientist’, and then make all those minutes and seconds clear – so it should look more or less like this: GCSE Punctuation

32. Answer On a bright, sunny, afternoon in March 1959, Robert Foster, a young scientist, nearly killed himself by holding his breath underwater for thirteen minutes, forty two and a half seconds, a world record which still stands. GCSE Punctuation

33. ACTIVITY 8Here’s one more to try: From my desk which is placed under the window I can see the railway lines a car park several lines of flapping multicoloured washing and a distant church tower. GCSE Punctuation

34. Answer From my desk, which is placed under the window, I can see the railway lines, a car park, several lines of flapping, multicoloured, washing and a distant church tower. GCSE Punctuation

35. You’re doing very well. We’ve got to look at semi-colons, colons and brackets, and then we’ve nearly finished! GCSE Punctuation

36. Sometimes you want a stronger break in a sentence than a comma, but you don’t want a full stop. This is where the semi-colon (;) comes in useful. GCSE Punctuation

37. For example, this is two sentences: Michael knew he would be in big trouble. Later that day his fears were confirmed. GCSE Punctuation

38. But the ideas are so closely related it would be better to put them into the same sentence. A comma would be too ‘weak’ a break. A semi-colon is just the job: Michael knew he would be in big trouble; later that day his fears were confirmed. GCSE Punctuation

39. So remember: • Comma = weak break • Semi-colon = stronger break • Full stop = strongest break GCSE Punctuation

40. ACTIVITY 9One of these sentences needs a semi-colon, the other just needs a comma. Which is which? • After leaving the class Ray chatted to Jackie • You go if you want to I’m certainly not going! GCSE Punctuation

41. Answer • After leaving the class, Ray chatted to Jackie • You go if you want to; I’m certainly not going! GCSE Punctuation

42. Semi-colons can be very useful in sentences where there are lots of commas. As you see below, such sentences can look confusing: The student’s essay was said to be poorly structured, with no clear beginning or end, lacking in consistent punctuation, clumsy, vague and misguided in meaning, altogether, not very good. GCSE Punctuation

43. Can you see how some parts of the sentence needed stronger breaks than others? Using semi-colons for those parts can make it much clearer The student’s essay was said to be poorly structured, with no clear beginning or end; lacking in consistent punctuation; clumsy, vague and misguided in meaning; altogether, not very good. GCSE Punctuation

44. ACTIVITY 10This sentence needs both commas and semi-colons. Use the latter where a stronger break is needed. Some of the men wore jackets ties and smart shoes others wore denims t-shirts and trainers only Bob was dressed appropriately. GCSE Punctuation

45. Answer Some of the men wore jackets, ties and smart shoes; others wore denims, t-shirts and trainers; only Bob was dressed appropriately. GCSE Punctuation

46. Semi-colons can also be useful when you want to highlight an important part of a sentence. They put a stronger break before it: He opened the box, looked at the ticking clock, realised it was a bomb; then he ran like hell! GCSE Punctuation

47. Don’t worry too much aboutcolons (:). They are just used to introduce lists or explanations: You’ll need these things: a hammer, a large brown bag and a pot of glue. I’ll tell you why: because you’re hopeless! GCSE Punctuation

48. ACTIVITY 11One of these sentences needs a colon, the other needs a semi–colon. • They returned hurriedly from London next day they would start afresh. • There is only one reason why boys do better in school than girls they’re cleverer! GCSE Punctuation

49. Answers • They returned hurriedly from London; next day they would start afresh. • There is only one reason why boys do better in school than girls: they’re cleverer! GCSE Punctuation

50. You may remember that when we add a bit of extra information into a sentence, we put commas around it: Michael, who was the tallest boy in the class, was asked to help paint the ceiling GCSE Punctuation