How to use punctuation By Zuni Tuck

Capital letters and full stops You use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and you use full stops at the end of a sentence. You also use capital letters when you are writing a name of someone or something.

Question marks You use a question mark to show when someone is asking a question. Eg: “Where are the scissors Sally?” asked Joe.

Exclamation marks You use an exclamation mark to show when someone cries out suddenly and with feeling. Eg: Put that down! Oh no! That’s brilliant!

Commas A comma is used in lists and it can also be used to indicate a break in a long sentence. Eg: I need to buy: apple juice, soap, sugar, bread, milk, chocolate and cake.

Colon A colon is used to introduce a quotation or a list of items. Eg: For this task you will need: A pen Paper Glue Felt

Ellipses This is a set of three dots to show that something has been left to the reader’s imagination. Eg: Looking over the edge of the cliff, Jane wondered if she’d ever see her hamster again…

Brackets To clarify or inform. Jamie's bike was red (bright red) with a yellow stripe. For comments The fish was vivid red (I’m not kidding you).

Dashes Dashes are used to emphasise something or instead of brackets. Eg: The book was good - and I mean really good. Jamie's bike was red - bright red - with a yellow stripe.