Punctuation

Punctuation

 

Your child will need to understand how to use punctuation accurately in the 11+ exam to make their writing clear. This page covers the most important elements of punctuation to focus on, including the use of capital letters, full stops, commas, apostrophes, and other types of punctuation.

Types of Punctuation

 

 

Capital Letters

Encourage your child to use capital letters for:

  • The first letter of every sentence
  • Names of people (e.g. Mr Smith, Aisha)
  • Place names (e.g. Penny Lane, York, England)
  • Days of the week and months (e.g. Tuesday, March)
  • The pronoun I
  • Titles (e.g. Dr, Mrs, Sir)
  • Company or organisation names (e.g. National Trust, Greenfield School)

 

 

 

Full Stops

Full stops (.) mark the end of a complete thought. Your child should:

  • Use a full stop whenever they finish one idea and are moving to the next
  • Break long sentences into shorter ones to keep their writing easy to follow

Tip: If reading the sentence aloud leaves them out of breath, it’s time for a full stop.

 

 

 

Commas

Commas (,) create gentle pauses. They help to:

  • Separate ideas: ‘After school, she went to netball practice.’
  • List items: ‘He packed a sandwich, a drink and an apple.’
  • Link ideas with words like and, but or so: ‘She wanted to play outside, but it started to rain.’

Tip: When in doubt, read the sentence aloud and listen for a natural pause. That’s usually where a comma belongs.

 

 

How to Use Commas Properly

Commas might look small, but they make a big difference. If your child learns how to use them correctly, their writing will be much clearer.

Take this sentence:

‘Let’s eat, Richard.’
With the comma, Richard is being invited to dinner.

Now try this one:

‘Let’s eat Richard.’
Without the comma, Richard is dinner.

Commas really do matter.

 

 

 

When should your child use a comma?

A good rule to remember: if a sentence is conditional (it starts with the word if), when something happens, or where it happens, it usually needs a comma.

Let’s take a look at some examples…

 

 

If…

Starting a sentence with the word ‘if’? You’re going to need a comma in that sentence.

For example…

If you would like more information about our services, visit our website.

First part (condition / ‘if’ statement): If you would like more information about our services,…

Second part (result): …visit our website.

The sentence starts with a condition (the ‘if’ statement) and ends with a result. The comma helps separate the condition from the result!

 

 

When…

This works in the same way. A comma separates the part that tells us when something happens from the part that tells us what is happening.

Example:

Last year, over 500 turtles laid their eggs on protected beaches.

First part (when): Last year

Second part (what): over 500 turtles laid their eggs…

The comma separates each part!

 

Here’s some more examples:

  • When turtles are caught in fishing nets, conservation teams must act quickly to save them.
  • Before releasing turtles back into the wild, conservationists ensure they are healthy and strong.
  • After the nesting season ends, volunteers collect data to track turtle populations.

Each of these sentences starts with a time phrase, and the comma helps make the meaning clearer.

 

 

Where…

Just like with if and when, if your child starts a sentence with a place or location, they should use a comma to separate that part from the rest of the sentence.

Examples:

  • In the final paragraph, you will find our contact details for further queries.
  • In the staffroom, there is a noticeboard with the latest announcements.
  • On our website, you can find detailed information about our returns policy.
  • On the sunlit beaches of Bali, travellers can relax on golden sands while enjoying the gentle sound of waves.

 

 

When NOT to Use a Comma

Your child only needs a comma if the if, when or where part is at the start of the sentence.

If these phrases come at the end, no comma is needed.

Let’s flip the earlier examples:

  • Please contact our customer service team immediately if you are unhappy with the product.
  • Visit our website if you would like more information about our services.
  • Over 500 turtles laid their eggs on protected beaches last year.
  • Conservation teams must act quickly to save turtles when they are caught in fishing nets.
  • You will find our contact details for further queries in the final paragraph.
  • There is a noticeboard with the latest announcements in the staffroom.

Encourage your child to check whether the time/place/condition is coming first. If it is, that’s when a comma is needed.

 

 

 

Full Stops vs Commas

Sometimes children try to use commas to join two full sentences together, but commas aren’t strong enough to do that. If both parts of the sentence make sense on their own, they should be separated with a full stop or joined with a linking word or semicolon.

Incorrect: The sky was clear, we thought it wouldn’t rain.

This is wrong. There are two complete thoughts here, and they can’t just be glued together with a comma.

Correct: The sky was clear. We thought it wouldn’t rain.
Correct: The sky was clear, so we thought it wouldn’t rain.
Correct: The sky was clear; we thought it wouldn’t rain.

Tip: If your child writes a long sentence with a comma in the middle, try reading it aloud. If it feels like a full stop is needed, they may need to split the sentence or add a linking word.

 

 

Apostrophes

Apostrophes have two roles and your child must understand both:

1 – Possession

  • The dogs’ toys
  • The teacher‘s room
  • Hannah‘s idea
  • The government‘s proposal

2- Contraction

To join two words and show missing letters:

  • does not → doesn’t
  • I am → I’m
  • will not → won’t

Tip – The apostrophe always goes in the space where the missing letters should be e.g. does not →  replace ‘o’ with apostrophe → doesn’t

 

 

When to use apostrophes

Apostrophes can be confusing at first, and it’s easy for children to get into the habit of guessing where they go. But with a few simple rules, your child can learn to use them accurately in their 11+ writing.

 

 

One person or thing owns something = apostrophe before the s.

More than one person or thing owns something = apostrophe after the s. 

Examples:

  • The lion‘s attack was fierce = one lion
  • The lions’ attack was fierce = more than one lion
  • Mark‘s paper was submitted on time = one Mark
  • The council‘s advice was clear = one council

 

 

If the name of the owner ends in ‘s’, there’s two different ways that your child can choose to add an apostophe.

They can either:

  • just add an apostrophe at the end
  • or add an apostrophe + s

As long as they are consistent, your child can choose either of these options.

  • Jess’s exam was difficult.
  • Jess’ exam was difficult.
  • The hippopotamus’s eyes are very small.
  • The hippopotamus’ eyes are very small.

 

 

Common Mistake: Adding Apostrophes to Plurals

Children often add apostrophes just because a word ends in ‘s’. Make sure your child understands that apostrophes aren’t used just to make something plural.

Incorrect: Etta’s treats’ / Etta’s treat’s
Correct: Etta’s treats

In this case, the treats belong to Etta, but nothing belongs to the treats, so we don’t need any extra apostrophes.

Tip: Only use an apostrophe when showing ownership or a missing letter. Never use one just because there’s more than one of something.

 

 

Apostrophes for Contractions

Does your child struggle with knowing where to put the apostrophe in a contraction?

Here’s a simple rule to remember: the apostrophe always replaces the missing letters.

Here are some examples:

  • Doesnt → Does not → missing o → Doesn’t
  • Cant → Cannot → missing no → Can’t
  • Wouldnt → Would not → missing o → Wouldn’t
  • Im → I am → missing a → I’m
  • Youre → You are → missing a → You’re
  • Shell → She will → missing wi → She’ll

Tip for Parents: Get your child to write out the full versions of contracted words and spot where letters have been removed.

 

 

 

Question Marks

Your child should use a question mark at the end of every question they write.

Examples:

  • What makes a poem feel powerful?
  • Could we arrange a school trip to the museum?
  • Wouldn’t it be lovely if everyone were treated equally?

A question mark replaces a full stop in sentences that ask a question.

 

 

 

Exclamation Marks

Exclamation marks show excitement, surprise or other strong feelings. They are often used to alert the reader, give warnings, persuade, or make the reader feel a certain emotion.

Examples:

  • That experiment was an absolute disaster!
  • I can’t believe we won the trophy!
  • Don’t go over there!

Like question marks, exclamation marks replace the full stop.

 

 

Quotation Marks

Quotation marks indicate someone’s exact words. Your child should place one mark at the start and one at the end of the quoted speech, including any punctuation that belongs inside the quote.

Examples:

The headteacher announced, ‘We will reopen the library on Monday.’
‘I’ll be back soon!’ Mum shouted.

Your child may have heard the rule ‘new speaker, new line’. This means that in stories, line breaks are used to clearly separate different people’s words. For example:

‘That’s so cool!’ said Ben. Mohammed simply shrugged.

‘I guess so…’ he replied.

Tip – Although it is becoming more common in the UK to use the US-style double quotation marks (“), it is standard in British writing to use single quotation marks (‘). Your child may use either, as long as they are consistent.

 

 

Colons (:)

A colon tells the reader that something is coming next. It often reveals additional information or introduces a list, an explanation or something important.

Examples:

  • I packed everything I needed: my water bottle, a snack, and my notebook. (introducing a list)
  • Please be careful: this experiment involves dangerous chemicals. (emphasising an important point)
  • There was only one thing on his mind: winning. (emphasising an important point)
  • Photosynthesis is a biological process that happens as follows: a plant absorbs sunlight and converts it into energy. (introducing an explanation)
  • She had a secret: she had never ridden a bike before. (revealing additional information)

Tip: A colon is not the same as a comma. Make sure there’s a full sentence before you use it.

 

 

Semi-Colons (;)

A semi-colon joins two sentences that are closely connected. It shows they belong together.

Examples:

  • It was getting dark; we needed to find shelter.
  • He enjoys playing football; his sister prefers tennis.
  • Experts used to argue that overpopulation might be a problem; now, they worry that the birth rate is too low.

It would be incorrect to use a comma in these sentences, as the parts before and after the semicolon make sense on their own –

  • Correct: It was getting dark; we needed to find shelter.
  • Correct: It was getting dark. We needed to find shelter.
  • Correct: It was getting dark, so we needed to find shelter.
  • Incorrect: It was getting dark, we needed to find shelter.
  • Incorrect: It was getting dark we needed to find shelter.

You can also use semi-colons in a complex list, where you want to show how things in the list are connected:

  • Correct: We went to York, England; Paris, France; and Rome, Italy.
  • Incorrect: We went to York; Paris; and Rome. 

Tip: If the two ideas could be full sentences on their own, a semi-colon is probably the right choice.

 

 

 

Dashes (–)

A dash is like a pause in a sentence. It can add extra information, make part of the sentence stand out, or add some drama.

Examples:
The room was silent – too silent.
He packed everything – even his teddy bear.
She tried her best – and that’s what mattered.

 

 

Brackets (aka parentheses)

Brackets add extra information that isn’t needed for the sentence to make sense, but helps give more detail.

Examples:

  • The Arctic fox (one of the few animals adapted to survive the polar night) has incredibly thick fur.
  • He opened the envelope slowly (hoping it wasn’t another bill).
  • Air pollution levels are rising fast in major cities (London, for example, often exceeds safe limits).

Tip: If you take the brackets out, the sentence should still make sense. Brackets go in the middle or at the end of sentences – so put your main point at the start, and add the extra details later!

 

 

Hyphens (-)

Hyphens look like dashes, but they do a different job. They are used to join two or more words together to make a new word with a combined meaning. They are usually used to join adjectives together to make a compound adjective when you’re describing something.

 

Examples:

  • It’s a well–known fact.
  • She wore brand–new shoes.
  • They took part in a record–breaking race.
  • I bought a state–of–the–art computer.
  • They ate a home–made cake.
  • She’s a seventeen–year–old rock and roll star.

Hyphens show that two or more words should be read as if they are one word with a singular meaning.

You wouldn’t describe a cake as a ‘home cake’ or a ‘made cake’, but when the hyphen puts these words together, it makes sense as a compound adjective – a ‘home-made cake’.

When NOT to use hyphens:

  • The first describing word is an adverb (usually ending in ‘ly’), not an adjective:
    • It was a strongly built wall.
    • She is a highly respected scientist.
  • The description comes after the thing being described:
    • Correct: They ate a home-made cake.
    • Incorrect: They ate a home made cake.
    • Correct: Their cake was home made.
    • Incorrect: Their cake was home-made.

 

 

Ellipsis (…)

An ellipsis adds a pause, shows that something is missing, or shows that a sentence is trailing off…

Examples:
She turned around slowly…
‘I thought I saw something…‘
It was almost time to go… but she wasn’t ready.

Tip: Ellipses are useful for adding drama, mystery, suspense or uncertainty in creative writing, but don’t use them in formal writing.

Punctuation Example Questions

Q1 – Rewrite these sentences with the correct punctuation:

my tutor said that if i misbehaved i would be doing maths geography and science on monday i hate those subjects

My tutor said that if I misbehaved, I would be doing maths, geography and science on Monday. I hate those subjects!

Add capital letters to start sentences and for the words ‘I’ and ‘Monday’. Add full stops/ exclamation marks to end the sentences. Add a comma to separate the ‘if’ statement from the result. Add another comma because the subjects are in a list.

Q2 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

after the storm the sky cleared and the sun came out

After the storm, the sky cleared and the sun came out. 

Add a capital letter to the start of the sentence and add a full stop to the end. Also add a comma to separate the time phrase (After the storm) from the main part of the sentence.

Q3 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

ive never seen anything like it she said

‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ she said. 

Add a capital letter to start the sentence and because the word ‘I’ is used. Add a full stop to end the sentence. Add an apostrophe for contraction (I have). Add speech marks to show that someone is talking, and add a comma before the end speech marks because the sentence isn’t finished yet until we know who is speaking.

Tip: If she shouted or asked something, we’d use an exclamation mark or question mark before the ‘she said’ part instead.

Q4 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

mrs thomas who used to work at the post office now teaches history

Mrs Thomas, who used to work at the post office, now teaches history. 

Add capital letters to start the sentence and for Mrs Thomas’s name. Add a full stop to end the sentence. Add commas to show that additional information has been added in the middle (or you could use brackets for this instead).

Q5 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

what a brilliant idea said liam lets do it

‘What a brilliant idea!’ said Liam. ‘Let‘s do it.’

Add capital letters to start the sentences, and for Liam’s name. Add full stops or exclamation marks to end each sentence. Add quotation marks to show that Liam is speaking. Add an apostrophe for the contraction (let us).

Q6 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

my sister whos five loves painting reading and dancing

My sister (who‘s five) loves painting, reading and dancing.

Add a capital letter and full stop to show that this is a full sentence. Also add an apostrophe for contraction (who is), and a comma to show a list. Add brackets for the additional information (you could use commas instead, like this – , who’s five, )

Q7 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

we couldnt believe it he actually won the race

We couldn‘t believe it – he actually won the race! 

Add a capital letter to start the sentence, and an exclamation mark or full stop to end it. Add an apostrophe to show the contraction (could not). Add a dash to show the connection between the two ideas (you could also use a colon, semicolon or elipsis here).

 

Q8 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

I dont know said emily maybe we should ask for help

‘I don‘t know,’ said Emily. ‘Maybe we should ask for help.’

Add quotation marks to show that Emily is speaking. Add capital letters and full stops for each new sentence. Also add a capital letter for Emily’s name. Add a comma before ‘said Emily’ to show that Emily hasn’t finished speaking yet.

Q9 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

we have three options we can leave now wait here or ask someone for directions

We have three options: we can leave now, wait here, or ask someone for directions.

Add a capital letter to start the sentence. Add a colon to introduce the list (you could also choose to put a full stop here). Add commas to separate items in the list, and add a full stop to end the sentence.

Q10 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

its amazing how quickly hes learnt to speak french

It‘s amazing how quickly he‘s learnt to speak French.

Add apostrophes for it’s (the contraction of ‘it is’) and he’s (the contraction of ‘he is’). Capitalise French, as it is a language.

Q11 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

how could you do that to me

How could you do that to me?

Add a capital letter to start the sentence and a question mark to ask a rhetorical question.

Q12 – Rewrite this sentence with the correct punctuation:

when i was younger i loved cycling

When I was younger, I loved cycling.

Add capital letters to start the sentence and for the word ‘I’. Add a comma to separate the time frame from the action. Add a full stop to end the sentence.