Transcript Document

Capitalizing and Punctuating
Sentences
Mrs. Susan DeGraw
English Language Arts
Rules to Follow for Capitalizing and Punctuating Sentences
• Use a capital letter to begin the first word of every sentence.
We started the trip on Monday.
•Use a period (.) at the end of a declarative or an imperative
sentence.
The road map is accurate. Turn left at the intersection.
•Use a question mark (?) at the end of an interrogative
sentence.
Did you see the mansion?
•Use an exclamation mark (!) at the end of an exclamatory
sentence.
How tall the pillars are!
Use a comma:
• to set off words and phrases such as yes, no, well, of course, and for
example from the rest of the sentence.
Yes, we took a long tour. We stayed several days, of course.
• to set off the name of a person spoken to directly.
Ray, stop at that restaurant. Wait for me, Karen.
• before the conjunctions and, but, and or in a compound sentence.
They like shrimp, but I prefer clams.
• to separate words or phrases in a series of three or more.
Boston, Lexington, and Concord are on the map.
Directions: Add correct capitalization and end punctuation to each
sentence. Then add commas where they are needed.
1. is that Old North Church Mother
2. what narrow streets these are
3. yes they were once cow paths
4. look down that lane Karen
5. we stopped for lunch but Ray is still hungry
6. how beautiful the Esplanade is
7. yes that is Charles River Bay
8. are we staying Monday Tuesday and Wednesday
9. the concert is tonight and the weather is excellent
10. of course we brought a picnic supper
Commas, Colons and Semicolons
Use a comma (,) to separate the name of the day
On Saturday, August 23, 1986, my parents and I
from the date and the date from the year. Use a
leave on a tour.
comma after the year when it appears with the date
in the middle of a sentence.
Use a comma (,) to separate the name of a city
and state or a city and country. Use a comma (,)
after the name of a state or country when it
appears after the city in the middle of a sentence.
Our flight goes from Chicago, Illinois, to London,
England.
Use a comma (,) before too.
Uncle John will fly there, too.
Use a colon (:) between the hour and the minute
when you write the time. Use a period after each
letter of the abbreviations A.M. and P.M.
Use a colon (:) to show that a list of items will
follow in a sentence.
We arrive in London at 11:00 A.M.
Use a semicolon (;) to separate the parts of a
compound sentence if they are not joined by and,
or, or but.
London has a large population; people from all
over the world live there.
The following places are on our first bus tour: the
Tower of London, Westminster Palace, Whitehall,
and Hyde Park.
Using Commas, Colons, and Semicolons
Directions: Add punctuation marks where they are needed in
the following sentences.
1. Sunday September 7 1986 was an important date.
2. We arrived in Paris France on that day.
3. Our plane landed at 2 00 P M
4. We enjoyed a city tour and saw the following sights the
Eiffel Tower the Seine the Cathedral of Notre Dame and
the Louvre.
5. I love traveling my parents do too.