Core English punctuation rules, such as periods, commas, and question marks, explained in plain language for adult ESL learners.
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- What punctuation mark ends a normal statement?
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A period (.)- She went to the store
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Add a period at the end: 'She went to the store.'- What punctuation mark ends a question?
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A question mark (?)- Where is the bus stop
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Add a question mark: 'Where is the bus stop?'- What punctuation mark shows strong feeling or excitement?
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An exclamation point (!)- Watch out for the car
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Add an exclamation point to show urgency: 'Watch out for the car!'- What is a comma used for in a list?
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To separate three or more items in a series, such as 'apples, oranges, and bananas'- I bought milk eggs and bread
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Add commas to separate the list: 'I bought milk, eggs, and bread.'- What comma rule applies to two independent clauses joined by 'and' or 'but'?
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Put a comma before the conjunction, such as 'I was tired, but I kept working.'- What is an introductory comma used for?
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To separate an introductory word or phrase from the main sentence, such as 'After lunch, we went for a walk.'- What does an apostrophe show in the word 'don't'?
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It shows that letters have been left out; 'don't' is short for 'do not'- What does an apostrophe plus 's' usually show?
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Possession, such as 'Maria's book' meaning the book belongs to Maria- its vs it's
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'its' shows possession (the dog wagged its tail); 'it's' is short for 'it is' or 'it has'- How do you show possession for a plural noun ending in 's'?
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Add only an apostrophe after the 's', such as 'the students' books'- What punctuation marks are used to show someone's exact spoken words?
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Quotation marks (" ")
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