Punctuation
Making Sense of What You Write
One little mark can make a big difference.
Spot the difference in these two sentences:
That's my dog, Maizie, in the picture
(One says my dog Maizie is in the picture. The other tells someone named Maizie that my dog is in the picture.)
One little mark can make a big difference!
Spot the difference between these two sentences:
Stop clubbing baby seals.
Stop clubbing, baby seals.
(Explain the difference to Miss Gallagher for one bonus point on your Chapter 11 test.)
Explore this idea for yourself:
Create a two-sentence set that demonstrates how a punctuation mark can make a difference in the meaning of a sentence. Turn it in at the beginning of the test for two bonus points. (Small papers are on the counter next to the tissues.)
Need help?
Review the use of each end mark in lesson 1. Review the difference between direct and indirect quotes in lesson 4. Review the uses of dashes and hyphens in lesson 6. Look at this picture and imagine what would happen without the semicolon.