Name it!
" "
Quotation Marks
What is the purpose of quotation marks?
E.g. "I'll be there at noon," she said.
E.g. I just read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
E.g. The word "resilience" is often misunderstood.
What punctuation is needed AND where does it go?:
The cats toys are under the bed.
The cat's toys are under the bed.
Why would someone use ... in a sentence instead of a comma?
An ellipsis in the middle of a sentence is used for a more dramatic pause.
E.g. She opened the leader... then gasped.
( )
Parenthesis / Brackets
What is the purpose of an apostrophe?
The purpose is to show ownership or to be used in contractions.
E.g. That is Michael's lunch.
E.g. I don't like pineapple on pizza.
What punctuation is needed AND where does it go?:
My favourite hobbies are reading drawing and soccer.
My favourite hobbies are reading, drawing, and soccer.
OR
My favourite hobbies are reading, drawing and soccer
How many commas should this sentence have and where do they go?: She was born on Monday May 14 2009 in Toronto ON.
(4): She was born on Monday, May 14, 2009, in Toronto, ON.
;
Semicolon
What is the purpose of a semicolon?
A semicolon separates two related sentences without a conjunction (like and or but) or to separate complex lists.
E.g. I have a big presentation tomorrow; I need to prepare my notes tonight.
E.g. We visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Berlin, Germany.
What punctuation is needed AND where does it go?:
My grocery list includes: chocolate chips flour sour cream and onion chips cheese and crackers.
My grocery list includes: chocolate chips; flour; sour cream and onion chips; cheese; and crackers.
What is the difference between these two sentences?
a) The cat's toys are under the bed.
b) The cats' toys are under the bed.
A suggests that the toys only belong to one cat, while B suggests the toys belong to multiple cats.
'
Apostrophe
What is the purpose of a colon?
Colons introduce lists or explanations.
E.g. You'll need the following items: flashlight, extra batteries, and a map.
E.g. Colons: used for explanations
Correct this sentence:
The car a bright red one sped down the street.
The car (a bright red one) sped down the street.
OR
The car, a bright red one, sped down the street.
Correct the mistake:
Today was a long day. The company lost it’s best customer.
Today was a long day. The company lost its best customer.
...
Ellipsis
What is the purpose of single quotation marks? (' ')
To set off quotes inside larger quotes.
E.g. “When I asked her about the book,” said Liam, “she said, ‘It changed my life.’”
Correct this sentence: "I love that song”, she said.
“I love that song,” she said.
What is the difference between a hyphen and a dash?
Hyphen (-): shorter than dashes and used to connect words or parts of words (e.g. well-known, mother-in-law, high-quality).
Dashes (—): longer and used to set information apart (He said—quite dramatically— that he'd never return.