Punctuation Flashcards
All 46 cards in this deck
What is sentence demarcation, and why does it matter so much for AO6?
It means showing clearly where each sentence begins and ends, with a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Examiners name comma splices and missing or random capitals among the most common errors in exam writing, so secure demarcation matters for AO6.
What is a comma splice?
Two complete sentences joined with only a comma. The bell rang, everyone ran outside. Each half could stand alone, so a comma isn't strong enough to hold them together.
What are the three main ways to fix a comma splice?
- A full stop: The bell rang. Everyone ran outside.
- A semicolon: The bell rang; everyone ran outside.
- A conjunction: The bell rang and everyone ran outside or When the bell rang, everyone ran outside.
How can you test whether a comma is joining two complete sentences?
Cover one side of the comma. If each side has its own subject and verb and makes sense on its own, the comma is splicing two sentences, so you need a stronger fix.
What is a run-on (fused) sentence?
Two sentences run together with no punctuation at all: I opened the door I saw nothing. Fix it the same way as a comma splice: a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction.
Why do words like however, then and therefore often cause comma splices?
They feel like joining words, but they aren't conjunctions. It was late, however we carried on is a comma splice. Write It was late; however, we carried on or start a new sentence.
Is this correctly punctuated? Although it was raining, we went to the beach.
Yes. Although it was raining can't stand on its own (it's a subordinate clause), so a comma is right here. A comma splice only happens when both sides are complete sentences.
What's wrong with The town was silent, nobody had come., and how would you fix it?
It's a comma splice: both halves are complete sentences. Fixes include The town was silent. Nobody had come., The town was silent; nobody had come. or The town was silent because nobody had come.
What is the difference between an accidental fragment and a deliberate minor sentence?
An accidental fragment is a piece of a sentence cut off by mistake: I stayed in. Because I was tired. A deliberate minor sentence is used for effect: Silence. Then footsteps. The difference is control, so use minor sentences rarely and make the purpose obvious.
Where are capital letters needed apart from at the start of a sentence?
For proper nouns (names of people, places, days, months, organisations), for titles (Mr, Dr), and for I on its own. Common slips are a lower-case i and capitals on ordinary nouns mid-sentence.
How should you use question marks and exclamation marks in your writing?
Use them to end sentences, as full stops do. A rhetorical question always needs its ?. Keep exclamation marks for real shouts or surprise; a row of them reads as immature rather than exciting.
How should you check sentence demarcation in the last few minutes of the exam?
Check every comma, especially one followed by I, he, she, it, they, then or however. Ask whether there's a complete sentence on both sides. If there is, change the comma to a full stop or semicolon, or add a conjunction.
How do you use commas in a list?
Put a comma between each item, and usually and or or before the last: eggs, flour and milk. A comma before the final and (the Oxford comma) is optional, but be consistent.
When should you put a comma after the start of a sentence?
After a fronted subordinate clause or adverbial: When the lights went out, we froze. / Slowly, the door opened. The comma shows where the opening ends and the main clause begins.
How do commas mark parenthesis, and what does parenthesis do?
A pair of commas encloses extra information that the sentence would still make sense without: My aunt, who hates crowds, came to the parade. It adds detail or a comment mid-sentence without starting a new one. Brackets and a pair of dashes do the same job.
What does a colon do?
It introduces something that explains, expands on or lists what came before. The part before the colon must be a complete sentence: I knew who had taken it: the jam was all over his fingers.
How can a colon create an effect in your writing?
It makes the reader pause before a reveal, so the information after it lands harder. There was only one thing left in the fridge: a single wrinkled lemon. It works well for a punchline, a twist or the key point of an argument.
What does a semicolon do?
It joins two closely related complete sentences, giving a pause stronger than a comma but weaker than a full stop. Some people love early mornings; others can't face them. It's good for balance and contrast.
When can a semicolon separate items in a list?
When the items are long or already contain commas: We visited Leeds, which was rainy; York, which was packed; and Whitby, which was perfect. The semicolons stop the list becoming confusing.
How do you decide between a colon and a semicolon?
Semicolon: two equal, linked sentences; both halves must stand alone. Colon: the second part explains or expands on the first, and it doesn't need to be a complete sentence. Ask: does the second part explain the first? If so, use a colon.
Colon or semicolon? The plan had one flaw ___ nobody knew where the key was.
Colon. The second part explains what the flaw was. A semicolon is wrong here because the halves aren't equal, separate points.
Colon or semicolon? My sister talks constantly ___ my brother barely says a word.
Semicolon. These are two balanced, contrasting statements that both stand alone. Neither one explains the other.
How does a range of punctuation earn AO6 credit?
The top AO6 level rewards punctuation used accurately to aid emphasis and precision. Accuracy matters more than variety: a semicolon in the wrong place earns nothing. Aim for a few colons, semicolons, dashes or brackets placed where they create an effect.
What does a dash do, and how should you use it?
A single dash adds an afterthought or a dramatic pause: I opened the box – it was empty. A pair of dashes works like brackets. Dashes feel informal and urgent, so use them sparingly, and not as a lazy replacement for every other mark.
What are the two jobs of an apostrophe?
- Omission: showing where letters are missing (don't, it's).
- Possession: showing that something belongs to someone (Sam's phone). Apostrophes are never used for plain plurals.
Where does the apostrophe go in a contraction?
Exactly where the missing letters were, which isn't always where the words join: do not → don't, they are → they're, I would → I'd, would have → would've.
How do you show possession for a singular noun?
Add 's: the dog's lead, my sister's room. Names ending in s can take 's or just an apostrophe (James's coat or James' coat). Choose one and use it consistently.
How do you show possession for a plural noun ending in s?
Add just an apostrophe after the s: the girls' changing room (several girls), the teachers' car park.
How do you show possession for a plural that doesn't end in s?
Add 's, as you would for a singular noun: children's, women's, people's, mice's. Childrens' is always wrong.
When do you write its and when it's?
it's = it is or it has. its = belonging to it, with no apostrophe (the dog wagged its tail). Test: if it is fits, use it's.
Why is Fresh apple's for sale wrong?
Apples is a plain plural; nothing belongs to the apples, so there's no apostrophe. The same goes for decades and abbreviations: the 1990s, two MPs.
Do possessive pronouns like yours and theirs take an apostrophe?
No. yours, hers, ours, theirs, its and whose already show possession, so they never take an apostrophe. The choice is yours, not your's.
How do you work out where a possessive apostrophe goes?
Write down the owner (or owners) first, then add the apostrophe, then add s if you can hear it. The bikes belonging to the boys → owner boys → boys' bikes. The toys of the children → owner children → children's toys.
Correct this: Lets meet at eight; well be outside the cinema's entrance.
Let's meet at eight; we'll be outside the cinema's entrance. Let's = let us, and we'll = we will. Without the apostrophes they become different words (lets = allows, well = healthy). Cinema's is already correct.
Should you use contractions in your exam writing?
Match them to register. They are natural in dialogue, in speeches and in a chatty article, where they create a friendly, spoken voice. Use fewer in a formal letter or essay, where do not sounds more serious.
What are the basic rules for punctuating direct speech?
Put speech marks around the words actually spoken. Start the speech with a capital letter. Put the punctuation that ends the speech inside the closing speech marks.
How do you punctuate speech when the reporting clause comes after it?
End the speech with a comma inside the speech marks, then start the reporting clause in lower case: "I'm leaving," she said.
How do you punctuate speech when the reporting clause comes first?
Put a comma after the reporting clause, then open the speech with a capital letter: She said, "I'm leaving."
How do you punctuate a spoken question or exclamation before the reporting clause?
Use the ? or ! inside the speech marks, with no comma, and keep the reporting clause in lower case: "Are you coming?" he asked.
How do you punctuate one spoken sentence that is interrupted by the reporting clause?
Use commas on both sides of the reporting clause, and carry on in lower case: "If you go," she said, "don't come back."
How do you punctuate speech where a new spoken sentence starts after the reporting clause?
Put a full stop after the reporting clause and a capital letter at the start of the new speech: "I'm going," she said. "Don't wait up."
What is the rule about new speakers in dialogue?
Every time the speaker changes, start a new line (a new paragraph). It makes it clear who's talking without adding he said every time.
What is the difference between direct and reported speech?
Direct speech gives the exact words in speech marks: "I'm tired," said Leo. Reported speech retells them without speech marks, usually shifting the tense: Leo said that he was tired.
Correct this: "I'm tired." he said.
"I'm tired,**" he said. When a reporting clause follows the speech, the speech ends with a comma, not a full stop, because the whole thing is one sentence.
How much dialogue should you use in a Paper 1 story?
Not much. Examiners criticise stories that are mostly dialogue. A few lines, used to reveal character or tension and punctuated perfectly, show AO6 control; pages of chat don't.
Should you use single or double speech marks?
Either is fine. Pick one style and use it consistently. If someone quotes another person within their speech, switch to the other style for the inner quotation.