1. Punctuation . , - ( ) …!? : : ‘ “ ‘’
For a C: use it ALL.
For a B or higher: Use it all to control
the pace (speed), tone (mood) and
how you want the reader to respond.
Tip from the exam board: Always
write all the punctuation at the top of
every piece you do and cross it off as
you use it. Look up at it to remind you
to use it!
Full stop .
Use this at the end of EVERY sentence.
Where there is a big pause – you
should have one! For example: Brad
Pitt is very handsome.

2. Commas ,
1. A little pause. If it is a compound
sentence (two complete sentences
joined with a conjunction like And
/Or/BUT) then you DON’T use a
comma. If a joining word like BECAUSE
is at the beginning then the comma
goes in its place. For example: Because
he missed the bus, he was late.
LOOK AT THE SENTENCE
POSTER TO HELP.
2. They can also be used in lists. For
example: The tiger was stripy,
aggressive, hungry and irritable.

3. Pair of commas (formal), dashes
(-) or brackets (informal) for extra
information.
Rule: you can take out what is inside
the pair of commas/dashes/brackets
and the sentence still makes sense.
For example: My cat, Jeffrey,
waddled into his bed and fell asleep.
OR Jeffrey – my pet cat – is very
greedy and often eats too much.
A dash ( in pairs – see above)
It’s INFORMAL and joins two
sentences (like a semi-colon).
It’s a bit like a comma. Used for a
little pause. Can be breathy and
frantic if you use a lot of them.

4. A hyphen -
1a. Joins two words together for
example: Ms Butterfield-Smith OR
low-budget.
1b. Extension: Sometimes journalists
join words together that would not
normally be joined. For example: the
film was an act of
mind-blowing brilliance.
Ellipsis …
This is where the sentence trails off.
It is left a little bit unfinished – like a
cliff-hanger. For example: She walked
into the wood and then the rest was
blackness…

5. Exclamation mark !
Only one - any more is incorrect.
Use them to show extreme emotions
– like excitement, anger or fear. For
example: Help! OR… This cruelty is
outrageous!
Question marks ?
These can be rhetorical (you don’t
expect an actual reply from the
reader but want them to think about
the question) For example: Do you
think I want you to swing on your
chair? OR the question can be one
that you do want them to answer.

6. Semi-colons ;
These join two COMPLETE
sentences (you can use it
instead of a conjunction like and
but the two sentences on either
side must be complete). Rule:
The sentences must BOTH make
sense. The sentences should be
about similar things. For
example: Call me tomorrow; I
will give you my answer then.

7. Colons :
However, they are easier to use
when summing-up or concluding a
sentence. The rule is that you should
be able to pause where the colon is
and you should be able to cover it up
and say the words, namely, that is to
say, in conclusion, to sum up… and
the sentence makes sense.
For example: There is nothing more
important than punctuation: it
means people can understand what
we write. OR Clive was handsome,
toned and intelligent: he was a great
catch!

8. Apostrophes ‘
1. Where a letter has been
missed out. For example: It’s a
great book. (it is used because
an i is missing)
2. To show that something
belongs + add an s (unless it has
already in which case just an
apostrophe) for example: John’s
bag was blue. (the bag belongs
to John)

9. Speech marks “ ”
Use them when a character speaks.
Rule 1: new line each time it’s a new speaker and
look below at where the commas go!
Rule 2: Fred said, “Hello.”
Rule 3: “Hello,” said Fred.
Rule 4: “Hello,” said Fred, “it’s nice to see you.”
-
Quotation marks ‘
These go round EVERY quote you
ever use. Anything that is not your
words and is another writer’s must
have quotation marks around it.
You can repeat a piece of punctuation if it is
deliberate For example: You could start a persuasive
piece with three rhetorical questions or three short
sentences to create an assertive and confident feel.
However, you MUST show that you can use the
FULL range.