Read this: "lets eat grandma" -- Oh no! Are we going to eat Grandma? Now read this: "Let's eat, Grandma!" That is much better. Just a comma and an apostrophe saved Grandma! Punctuation marks are small signs we use in writing to make our meaning clear. Without them, sentences can be confusing or even funny. Let us learn how to use them properly.
Full Stop (.) -- Used at the end of a statement (a sentence that tells something).
"India is a large country." / "My school starts at eight o'clock."
Question Mark (?) -- Used at the end of a question (a sentence that asks something).
"Where is your homework?" / "Have you been to Delhi?"
Exclamation Mark (!) -- Used to show strong feelings like surprise, excitement, or a command.
"What a beautiful painting!" / "Stop right there!" / "We won the match!"
When we list three or more items in a sentence, we use commas to separate them.
"I packed my bag, water bottle, and tiffin box."
"We visited Agra, Jaipur, and Udaipur during the holidays."
"She bought apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes."
Think about it: Without commas, "I like cooking my family and my pets" sounds very strange! With commas: "I like cooking, my family, and my pets." Commas keep the meaning clear.
A contraction is a short form made by joining two words and leaving out some letters. An apostrophe (') takes the place of the missing letters.
| Full Form | Contraction | Letters Left Out |
|---|---|---|
| do not | don't | o (in not) |
| cannot | can't | no |
| I am | I'm | a (in am) |
| it is | it's | i (in is) |
| we are | we're | a (in are) |
| they will | they'll | wi (in will) |
"I can't find my pencil." = "I cannot find my pencil."
"It's going to rain today." = "It is going to rain today."
We also use an apostrophe + s ('s) to show that something belongs to someone or something.
"Anu's book" = the book that belongs to Anu.
"the dog's bone" = the bone that belongs to the dog.
"Rahul's bicycle is new." / "The teacher's desk is neat."
Think about it: How do you tell the difference between "it's" (it is) and "its" (belonging to it)? "It's raining" means "It is raining." "The cat licked its paw" means the paw belongs to the cat. No apostrophe for possession with "its"!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Punctuation | Marks used in writing to make meaning clear |
| Full stop (.) | Ends a statement |
| Question mark (?) | Ends a question |
| Exclamation mark (!) | Shows strong feeling or a command |
| Comma (,) | Separates items in a list |
| Apostrophe (') | Shows contraction or possession |
| Contraction | A shortened form of two words (don't, I'm) |
| Possession | Showing that something belongs to someone |
"I'm going to the market. Don't you want to come? We'll buy fruits, vegetables, and milk."
"Priya's notebook is very neat. The teacher's comment said, 'Excellent work!' Priya can't stop smiling."
"What a wonderful day! We visited Rani's grandmother in Chennai. Did you know she's ninety years old? She made idli, dosa, and sambar for us."
A. Fill in the Blanks
B. Multiple Choice Questions
C. Write the Contraction
D. Rewrite with Correct Punctuation
Add full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas, and apostrophes where needed.
The passage below has no punctuation at all. Rewrite it with all the correct punctuation marks (full stops, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, and apostrophes).
"last sunday we went to nehrus garden in delhi its a lovely place we saw roses lilies and marigolds wow what beautiful flowers do you know whats the best part we didnt have to pay for entry ravis mother packed sandwiches and juice for us"