Punctuation for Class 4

What Do You Understand by Punctuation?

Punctuation is used in sentences to make them easier to read. It separates the phrases into different segments, making them easier to read and understand. It also contains many symbols that help to establish the correct meaning of the text.

Types of Punctuation and Its Uses

1. Capitalisation

Capitalisation is used with a capital or big letter at the beginning of a sentence or for certain special words. Further understanding:

→ At the beginning of a sentence: I love to play outside. (The first letter "I" is capitalized because it's the beginning of the sentence )
→ For names of people and places: My friend's name is Emily. (The name "Emily" is capitalised )
→ For days of the week and months of the year: We have school on Monday. (The word "Monday" is capitalised )

Examples:

→ The Sun is shining bright today.
→ I live in New York with my grandparents.
→ The United States of America is often called the USA.
→ Monday is the first day of the week and I have a chemistry test on that day.
→ We visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris during our summer vacation.

2. Full stop (.)

The full stop is the most important punctuation mark at the end of a declarative statement. It assists readers in determining where the sentence finishes. They can also halt while reading when there is a complete stop. It signifies the end of a sentence.

Examples:

→ She ate a portion of delicious pasta for lunch.
→ I went to the park with my friends. We played on the swings and had a picnic.
→ My favourite colours are blue, green and purple. I like how they look together.
→ The cat chased the mouse, but it couldn't catch it. The mouse was too fast.

3. Comma (,)

A comma can also be used to divide or separate sentences. Readers might pause anytime a comma appears in a sentence. It allows readers to quickly grasp the meaning of a sentence.

→ to separate items in a list: I like to eat apples, bananas and grapes.
→ to separate adjectives describing a noun: The big, blue balloon floated in the sky.
→ to separate introductory phrases: Before going to bed, we should brush our teeth.

Examples:

→ I like playing football, but I also enjoy reading comics.
→ Hi, Dad! You look so cheerful today.
→ The sun was shining brightly, but it started raining suddenly.
→ She enjoys reading books, watching movies and painting.
→ On our picnic, we brought sandwiches, fruit and juice.

4. Question mark (?)

A question mark is another form of punctuation that represents an interrogative statement. To clear up any doubts, questions must be asked.

Examples:

→ Do you like that red frock?
→ Is it raining already?
→ Are you going to the park after school today?
→ How many books have you read this month?

→ Did you finish your homework before coming to class?

5. Exclamation mark (!)

Exclamation marks are used to convey the emotion of a statement. It has a strong expression that perfectly depicts what we are saying. It allows the user to easily read and experience the writer's emotions.

Examples:

→ Ouch! That hurt my finger.
→ Yay! It's my birthday tomorrow.
→ Oh no, I forgot my lunch at home!
→ Wow! You did an amazing job on your artwork!

6. Colon (:)

Colon is a functional punctuation mark. It is always used in the first sentence to represent the second sentence, and it is mostly used to clarify the sentence's sequence.

Examples:

→ The zoo animals include: lions, giraffes and zebras.
→ She said: "You should always be kind to others."
→ We visited three cities on our vacation: Paris, Rome and London.
→ The school supplies you'll need are: pencils, notebooks and erasers.
→ There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

7. Semicolon (;)

The semicolon is used in writing to separate or connect two related but independent clauses in a sentence.

Examples:

→ Jack likes to play outside; the weather is nice today.
→ Shelly likes to play soccer; my brother prefers basketball.
→ The Sun was shining brightly; the birds were singing in the trees.
→ Marvel wanted to visit the zoo; his friend Alex, wanted to go to the park.

8. Apostrophe (')

The apostrophe signifies the word's dependency and is most commonly used for deleted letters and in a word that owns the next word in the sentence.

Examples:

→ The dog's tail is waving.
→ We can't go to the farewell party.
→ The dog's bone is buried in the backyard.
→ It's raining outside, so we can't go to the park.
→ The children's toys are scattered all over the room.