English Exercise on Punctuation

Put commas wherever necessary in the following sentences:

1. We did not like her voice. However we kept quiet during the show.
2. I don't know Dinesh. In fact I haven't even heard his name.
3. Ms.Kiran Bedi the IPS Officer was the chief guest.
4. Kiran Bedi was born on 9‘"June,1949 in Amirstar Punjab India.
5. Mr. Ramesh the new Principal of our school is a very friendly person.

Use capital letters, full stops and question marks wherever necessary :

alexander : how should i treat you
porus : as one king should treat another
alexander : you are a brave man will you be my friend
porus : on one condition
alexander : what is your condition
porus : my kingdom should remain independent and you should treat me as an equal

Punctuate the following text.

i am waited for in egypt said the swallow my friends are flying up and down the nile and talking to the large lotus flowers soon they will go to sleep in the tomb of the great king swallow little swallow said the prince will you not stay with me for one night and be my messenger the boy is so thirsty and the mother so sad I don't think i like boys answered the swallow.

Correct the following sentences:
1.    He was rich and he were a miser
____________________________

2. Each of the boy received a present. __________________
3. Good news have been received by the Head Quarters.
___________________________
4. One of the boy looks happy.
_________
5. No one knows the secret. _____

Using Punctuation marks in English Grammar

Punctuation marks have an important role to play in every language. They help us understand the meaning of sentences clearly.

Important punctuation marks to be considered:

1. Capital letters A B C D         6. Interrogation ?
2. Comma  ,                  7. Parenthesis []
3.Semicolon ;                 8. Dash/ Hyphen -
4. Colon :                 9. Note of exclamation !
5. Full stop  .                10. inverted commas “ "

1. A Capital letter is used for the first letter in a sentence  -  This is English class.

for a proper noun - Palani lives in Chennai.
the personal pronoun 'i'  -  I am a student.
the interjection e.g.,'Oh!'  -  Oh! What an idea!
after abbreviations -  M.A., M.Ed., M. Phii.,
after initials  -  Mr.K.Prabhu

2. The Comma represents the shortest pause. it is used ,
    to indicate a short pause after a word, phrase or clause.
a) He came, he saw and he conquered.
    to distinguish a phrase in apposition [about the subject].
b) Mr. Ramesh, the Secretary of the Association, is my brother.
    to indicate words of address.
c) Sir, I beg your pardon.
    to separate words, phrases or clauses inserted into the body of a sentence.
d) Jawahariai Nehru, who was our first Prime Minister, had great love for children.
    to separate quoted sentences.
e) He said, “i am sorry.”
    to separate ‘absolute’ constructions e.g., having stopped.
f) The rain having stopped, they resumed the game.
    to separate day and date, and date and year.
g) Monday, the 5"‘ August, 6"‘ September,1992.


3. The Semicolon indicates a longer pause than a comma. it is used to ;
    separate word groups within the sentence that are not joined by a ' conjunction.
The chief guest came; the principal greeted him; then he walked up to the dais.


4. The Colon marks a more complete pause than the semicolon. It is used:
    to introduce a list.
The major novels of Kaiki are: Ponniyin Selvan, Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham.
    to introduce a phrase, a group of words or a sentence that explains elaborates what has been said.
The problem facing us is this: where shall we get the funds?


5. A Full Stop is used at the end of a statement or an imperative sentence. .
    We enjoy our English lessons. Finish your home work. '


6. The Interrogation mark is used after a direct question.
    Who is Mrs. Kiran Bedi?


7. Parentheses or brackets are used to separate an after thought or as from a sentence. ( )
    All boys [including the richer ones] are given free uniforms and books.


B. The Dash/Hyphen is used to mark a sudden interruption in a sentence a in certain compound words -
    Kumar met an old man he was a foreigner and he spoke a strange language
    Life — style ; long — forgotten


9. Inverted commas are used to enclose words actually spoken by someone.
    The students said, “Who is our new teacher?"


10. An Exclamation mark is used after an exclamatory sentence.
    May God bless you!
Note the use of comma in the following sentence:
e.g., Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the President of India, saw a peacock in his garden.

Can we use quotation as exclamations with example

Quotations as exclamations


A - Did you hear that Mohan collapsed in the hospital?
B - My God! What happened to him?
A - He wasn't actually ill. He took his wife for a surgery and he was looking after her.
B - Mm... Mm...
A - Last night he suddenly collapsed.
B - Isn't it a pity!
A - Why do you go so early, Ramesh?
B - I do some extra typing work before I go to office.
A - And you always come very late. Why?
B - I do designing for another company after office.
A - Aren't you working hard!
A -   Who's that tall girl over there?
B -   That's Devi, my daughter.
A -   Devi! Has not she grown since I saw her last.



Mm... (With high rising pitch) means Sorry, I didn't hear you.
A - Did Ravi called me this morning?
B - Mm...
A - Did Ravi called me?
B • No, he didn't.
Mm... mm... (With falling pitch) means 'Yes I agree'


A - Railway is faster than the Highway, isn't it?
B - Mm... Mm...  more expensive as well.
A - That's true, but it's clean and reliable...
(Exclamation In each of the following group are in order of greater and greater feelings.
A - I've won the Junior Chess Championship, uncle.
B - That's great) Keep it up.
A - Thank you very much, uncle.
A - I'm first in the class, Dad!
B - That's wonderful, darling.
A - I scored 96 for Maths and 89 for Science.
C - That's fantastic Minu dear.
A - Thank you Dad... and Thank you Mum.
A -   Did you know David got a scholarship?
B -   Fantastic! What's it like?
A -   It's a free Engineering seat at the Anna University.
B -   Oh, isn't she clever.

Oh dear! Oh my God! Damm! Blast!! Oh hell! Bloody hell!!! (These
are used when something bad happens. But the ones with asterisks
are taboo... i.e., they are not in POLITE USE. Don't use them unless
you have to make a very strong impression especially 'Bloody hell!').
We often use the exclamation mark (!) with the exclamations in
writing. Though it is not very necessary, the exclamation mark
expresses a stronger feeling.
Oh hell:

Eg:- Oh hell! Somehow I messed the whole thing up.
Oh!                 Well!              These are used to express
My goodness!       Good heavens!    one's surprise. You mean this is a surprise.
My God!            Good God!

How to use Punctuation in Letter writting in English

Punctuation

Right punctuation should be used to make your meaning clear. Whether you are writing a complaint to a business concern, or an application for a job, making yourself clear is essential.

Every sentence requires a full stop at the end to show that it is completed, and long sentence may require one or more commas, a semi-colon or even a colon. Commas should not be scattered about; instead, each should indicate there is a pause in the sentence. In other words, there would be a physical pause to help make the meaning clear if the sentence were being read aloud. There should be a mental pause if the sentence is being read to oneself.

The purpose of the comma in bringing about a pause is the reason behind most of the ‘rules’ which have grown up about its usage. One of these rules is that when an adjective is immediately
followed by one or more adjectives, a comma is always placed after each except the last. For example, ‘I am selling a good car’,‘I am selling a good, economical car’, ‘I am selling a good,
economical, trustworthy car’. But if the succession of adjectives is interrupted by ‘and’, then this itself has the effect of creating a pause and you would write: ‘This is a good, economical and trustworthy car’.

Sometimes the use or non-use of a comma can affect the actual meaning of a sentence. If, for instance, you write: ‘I am returning your cheque, which lacks a signature’ you are really saying: ‘I am returning your cheque. It lacks a signature’. If, however, you leave out the comma and write: ‘I am returning your cheque which lacks a signature’, this means that you are returning one out of many cheques received, i.e., the one which lacks a signature.

In some cases the job done by commas can be carried out by brackets or by two dashes. These devices were more popular years ago, when sentences in most business letters, as well as some
private letters, tended to be longer than they are today. A long sentence spattered with commas can be confusing, however well they are used, and it was quite common to see such sentences as
‘Mr. Jones (who was not very co-operative at our last meeting) seemed most anxious to help, although it is still apparent, I am afraid, that he is not very much in favour of the scheme – if, in
fact, he is in favour of it at all – and that we may well face opposition in the future’.

Shorter sentences are less confusing, and the use of both brackets and dashes could be avoided. Do not use either, unless you feel that it is really necessary.

Other important marks of punctuation are the semi-colon and the colon. The semi-colon is used to break up a long sentence into more easily understood parts. The head of a firm might write, ‘We are going to give the staff an outing; we are going to take them to the Golden Beach for the day; and if the idea is a success we are going to repeat it next year’. The colon is used when you have to make a statement and then follow it up with an explanation. For example, ‘There were six of us present: Ram, John, Kumar, Mary, Mala and myself’.

If the colon is used before a number of words, phrases or even paragraphs, it shows that all these are governed by the preceding sentence, which does not have to be repeated. This is a way of setting it out:

Would you please note the following points?

1. Whatever dates are arranged, it is vital we are back in Chennai by the end of May.
2. The total cost of the trip must not exceed Rs.10,000/-
3. Train travel must be kept to a minimum.

A punctuation mark to avoid is the exclamation mark,particularly in business letters. In private correspondence it does not matter so much, but it should still be used with care. If you
feel that an exclamation mark is necessary and that the sentence is not sufficiently emphatic without it, try re-wording the sentence. There is no rule against writing: ‘You have done this entirely without my permission!’ but it is better to re-word the sentence as follows: ‘I want to protest strongly against this having been done without my permission’.

Another form of punctuation where caution should be taken is the inverted comma or quotation mark (either single or double), which is always used in pairs. There are three general uses for quotation marks:

1. To show the words between them are not the writer’s own, but someone else’s, and at the same time to emphasise their importance.
2. Another use of inverted commas is to show that a word or phrase is not used in its normal literal meaning. Thus you might write: ‘WhatI am most concerned about is the “atmosphere” of the meeting’.
3. The third use involves enclosing in inverted commas a phrase that is not normally used in a letter. You might write: ‘If we did this the younger members of the group would probably think that we were not “with it”.’

Usage of Punctuation marks in English

Look at the following phrases /sentences taken from your lesson:
My dear Mani,
I am fine.
How are you?
“Genghis Khan ................ another day”.
Alas!
He studied in St. Joseph’s College.
Saravanan was proud of his country; today, the nation is proud
of him.
Each of these phrases / sentences contain a distinct mark (, .
? “ “ ! ‘ ; ). These are called punctuation marks.
Punctuation means putting in points and stops in writing.

. full stop is placed at the end of a sentence, and in
abbreviations
e.g. He got his B.A. degree.

, comma
It is used -
- to separate words in a list
e.g. coffee, milk, rice, biscuits, etc.
- to separate phrases or clauses
e.g. If you don’t speak, I shall go away
to separate a question from the rest of the sentence
e.g. It’s very nice, isn’t it?
before or after ‘he said’ in a conversation.
e.g. “Nothing will happen to me”, he said.


; semi colon is used to separate parts of a sentence that already
contains commas.
e.g. She was firm in her stand; she would act on it, whenever
she wanted to.

? question mark is used at the end of a direct question.
e.g. Where is the bag?
Is he going?

! exclamation mark occurs at the end of a sentence expressing
surprise, joy, anger, shock, etc.
e.g. That’s great!
Oh, God!

’ apostrophe is used to show that a thing or person belongs
to somebody.
e.g. my sister’s car
students’ corner
It is also used in short forms, to indicate that letters or figures
have been omitted.
e.g. I’m (I am )
They’d (they had, they would )
The winter of’03.

“ ” quotation marks are used to enclose words in direct speech
e.g. “Why were you absent?” he asked.
”I had gone to Chennai”, she said.