A Breakdown of 6 Common Punctuation Marks for Punctuation Day

September 24 is Punctuation Day. Punctuation includes things like periods, commas, apostrophes, and quotation marks. These things are very important in writing, as they help readers clearly understand what the writer is saying. Punctuation helps show pauses and importance on certain ideas in a piece of text. Here are some commonly used punctuation marks and when to use them:

Period (.)
Ends a sentence.

Comma (,)
Adds a break within a sentence. Separates two independent sentences.

Exclamation Point (!)
Gives emphasis to the end of a sentence. Replaces a period to represent strong feelings.

Question Mark (?)
Used at the end of a sentence when asking a question.

Semicolon (;)
Separates two independent sentences that are closely connected in context, but are grammatically different. It replaces a period if the sentences are closely related. It replaces a comma if the sentences are grammatically different.

Colon (:)
Introduces a list of items. This list would then be separated using commas.

Now that you’re familiar with some common punctuation marks, let’s put it to the test. Below is a paragraph. There are 20 mistakes in it. See if you can find them all.

The christmas surprise

Last christmas was the best hollyday that i ever had? all of my famly were together in one place for the first tim in yers. Dad was werking on a pressent for Mom and me in the grage. My bother, Jim, was home on leaf from the Army. Grandpa and Grandma was coming to see us on Christmas day. it don’t matter how meny presents you get, love is the most special present of all. Haveing everone heer in one house made this the best holiday ever!

For the 7 sentences below, add the correct punctuation or capitalization to each.

a) alex and sam read how to eat fried worms by thomas rockwell.
b) i met kim while I was staying at the grand hotel in michigan.
c) dr. jones said, “you’ll be fine if you and joey don’t get into any more fights!”
d) We bought milk eggs bacon and bread at the store.
e) Sam can you help me with this package?
f) Kwan lives in Saratoga New York.
g) My grandmother’s favorite song is Rock Around the Clock.

Download the printed copy of this worksheet for the answers.

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