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- Starring - ApostropheS, Question MarkS, Full StopS, Exclamation MarkS, CommaS, Quotation Marks, ColonS & Semi-colons.

Ownership Use an apostrophe before the ‘s’ when one person or thing owns something. The boy’s dog was very friendly. (One boy owns the dog). Use an apostrophe after the ‘s’ when more than one person or thing owns something. The boys‘ dog was very friendly. (The dog is owned by more than one boy). Use an apostrophe after the ‘s’ when the noun ends in an ‘s’. Chris’ friend was planning a surprise. Possessive Pronouns Don’t use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns like ‘his’, ‘hers’, ‘its’, ‘theirs’, ‘ours’, ‘yours’ and ‘whose’. “That car is like yours,” I said. CONTRACTIONS Use an apostrophe to replace the missing letters when two words are condensed into one. Is not = Isn’t Do not = Don’t Will not = Won’t It’s = is a contraction for it is or it has. It’s really hot today. ~ It’s been ages. Its = is the possessive form for the pronoun. The cat owns its paws. Direct questions A question mark replaces a full stop at the end of a direct question. What is your name? ~ How are you today? A question mark is used at the end of a statement that is turned into a question. She’s working hard, isn’t she? ~ There are too many bugs here, aren’t there? Indirect questions A question mark is not necessary at the end of an indirect question. I asked her if she was coming. I wonder whether the Prime Minister will win again. End of Sentences Use a full stop at the end of sentences that are statements. I’m going to the movies today. ~ That is my favourite song. Use a full stop at the end of sentences that are commands. Finish dinner before leaving the table. ~ Take the dog for a walk please. Abbreviations Use full stops with abbreviations. etc. (et cetera) Co. (Company) Prof. (Professor) Strong feelings When writing, use an exclamation mark to show strong feelings such as anger, surprise or excitement. “Go away!” she screamed. ~ “Wow! I love your house!” I exclaimed. When reading, exclamation marks help the reader to identify what type of voice the character is using and what they are feeling. Interjections Interjections are short exclamations. They also require an exclamation mark. Ouch! Uh oh! Ah! Lists Commas are used to separate three or more items in a list. Scott needs to finish his Maths, Science, Art and English work before break. Beginning Phrases and Clauses Commas are also used to separate a beginning phrase or clause. Based on the evidence, the defence wins. ~ After sleeping in, I was late. Compound sentences Commas are used with compound sentences joined by ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘or’, ‘so’ or ‘yet’. You can read a book, or play a game. Embedded clauses Commas separate an embedded clause in a sentence. My dad, his eyes twinkling, stole a chip from my plate. complex sentence Commas are used in complex sentences. They begin with words like ‘when’, ‘as’, ‘since’, ‘if’, ‘although’, ‘so’, ‘because’, ‘until’ and ‘for’. When I speak to your mother, I will let you know. Quotes Commas separate spoken and unspoken words. “My dog is my best friend,” said Trevor. Direct speech Quotation marks are put around direct speech. They are used to show quotes or exactly what someone has said. Punctuation to end the speech, always goes inside the quotation marks. “Dinner is ready,” called Mum. “Chocolate is my favourite,” declared Tom. INDirect speech Indirect speech does not require quotation marks. Jan said she was going to the country for a holiday. Lists Colons are used to introduce a list of items. The final two items are separated with ‘and’ or ‘or’ to show that the list is finished. On the excursion, you need: a water bottle, a rain coat, lunch and a hat. For lunch I have: * a sandwich, * a popper and * an apple. consequence Colons introduce the consequence, or effect, of a fact stated before. There was one thing for certain: I was here to win. ; ; Lists A semi-colon is used in a list if there is information that is separated with a comma. I bought firm, ripe pears; juicy, crisp apples; crunchy carrots and fresh green beans. Independent Clauses A semi-colon is often used to join together two independent clauses, which are clauses that could be individual sentences. Mum drives a nice car; Dad drives a bomb.