Basic Details
Word: Punctuation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The marks used in writing, such as full stops, commas and question marks, that make the meaning clear.
How to Spell Punctuation
Syllables: punc - tu - a - tion
Tricky part: The c before the t is easy to miss because it is barely heard, and the middle is tu-a, not ti or tiu.
Watch out for: puntuation, punctiation, punchuation, punctuacion
Memory tip: Punctual and punctuation share the same opening, punct, which comes from a Latin word for a point - and a full stop is a point.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Check the punctuation before you hand in your letter.
Example 2: A single missing comma can change the meaning of a sentence.
Example 3: Our English teacher gives a mark for punctuation in every essay.
Fun Fact
The interrobang, a mark that joins a question mark and an exclamation mark, was invented by an American advertising man, Martin Speckter, in 1962.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
pun_tu_tion
a) k, a
b) c, a
c) t, a
d) c, e
Show answer
b) c, a. A quiet c comes before the t, and then the word runs tu-a-tion.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt word:
1. paranthesis 2. apostrofe 3. hyfen 4. punctuation
a) brackets put round extra words
b) marks such as commas and full stops
c) a short line that joins two words
d) a mark showing ownership or missing letters
Show answer
b) marks such as commas and full stops. Apostrophe and hyphen use ph for the f sound and parenthesis has an e after the r, so only punctuation is spelt right.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
Mr Rao took two marks off for careless noittaucpun in my letter to the editor.
a) puncture
b) punctuality
c) punctuation
d) accentuation
Show answer
c) punctuation. Eleven letters ending in n: punctuality ends in y, accentuation has e and two c's, and puncture is too short.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A comma is an example of ____.
a) a capital letter
b) a joining word
c) a vowel sound
d) a punctuation mark
Show answer
d) a punctuation mark
2. Without punctuation, a long paragraph would be ____.
a) written faster
b) much shorter
c) more colourful
d) hard to read
Show answer
d) hard to read
