How to use this sheet

  • Read each sentence aloud and listen for the pauses and the tone.
  • Have the child give a reason for each punctuation mark: the end of a question, a list, a pause after an opening word.
  • Have the child check their own writing for one mark at a time, rather than every mark at once.
  • For times, have the child say the hour, then the minutes, with the colon between: 3:15.

Common mistakes

  • Putting a comma wherever they would pause, even between a subject and its verb.
  • Joining two complete sentences with a comma. Use a period, a semicolon, or a comma and a conjunction.
  • Using an exclamation mark for every sentence that is not a question.
  • Putting a colon straight after a verb, as in "We need: eggs and milk." The words before a colon should be a complete sentence.

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