WC1: Punctuation Workshop
Completion requirements
Punctuation Workshop
In this Lesson, you will look at
- Commas
- Apostrophes
- Quotation Marks
- Inside Punctuation
You are expected to understand and be able to identify these concepts when reading and use them correctly in your own writing.
Did you know...
Printed text has visual cues. When you read, you are guided subtly by embedded visual signals — punctuation. In this lesson, you will learn about punctuation and its visual importance to understanding what you read. You will learn also about visual elements of motion or film.
Punctuation, including commas, apostrophes, semi-colons, and periods, are visual symbols that help guide you through text. They tell you when to pause, when to add another thought, and what ideas are complete or incomplete. If not for visual symbols, our brains would have difficulty understanding information.
Your use of punctuation reflects how your work should be paced or how you want your work to sound when it is read aloud. Therefore, be sure you vary it purposefully.
If punctuation marks were road signs, they would have the following meanings:
If punctuation marks were road signs, they would have the following meanings:
- Comma (,) Pause and apply brakes slowly.
- Semicolon (;) Pause for a long rolling stop.
- Dash (–) Pause to view something incidental such as a billboard.
- Ellipsis (...) Halt to gawk at an accident.
- Parentheses
Drive beyond your destination.
- Exclamation (!) Yell, “Stop!”
- Period (.) Stop.
- Colon (
Stop to connect the trailer.
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To learn more about definitions and purpose of the visual symbols of punctuation, read "Punctuation: A Love Story" on page 34 in your Language Arts 9 Anthology. |
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As you read "Punctuation: A Love Story" take notes about punctuation and make your own tips to remember how to use these visual cues when reading and writing. |
Commas are vital to clear communication. Sometimes people neglect to use them, a costly mistake.
Which sentence is correct?
Which sentence is correct?
- We pack and ship students.
- We pack and ship, students.
One of the above sounds like we are packing and shipping students...can you identify which one? (#1)
Read "Using a Bit of Comma Sense" on pages 44 - 51 in Start with the Sentence: Create Correct, Concise, Connected Sentences.
When you are confident you understand how to use commas properly, complete the Commas Quiz.
Read "The Apostrophe Catastrophe" on pages 60 - 67 in Start with the Sentence: Create Correct, Concise, Connected Sentences.
Misuse of apostrophes can have humourous effect. The two sentences in the comic on p. 67 Start with the Sentence 'Every cat knows it's boss' and 'Every cat knows its boss' have completely different meanings.
Watch "Introduction to the Apostrophe" on Khan Academy
When you are confident you understand how to use apostrophes properly, complete the Apostrophe Quiz.
In this course, correct use of quotation marks is expected. Quotation marks are used:
- to identify specific words that someone said or wrote
- for titles of short works, such as songs, chapters, poems and articles
- to identify ironic phrases
- for words used as examples
| Read pages 68 to 75 on "Who said that? Using Quotation Marks" in iSkills Start with the Sentence: Create Correct, Concise, Connected Sentences. |
Quote a passage from one of your sources if
- the language is particularly powerful or memorable
- you wish to supplement your argument with information from an outside source
- you wish to state someone else’s opinion on your topic
For more information about how to use quotation marks to incorporate quotes from other works into your own writing, click here.
When you are confident you understand how to use quotation marks properly, complete the Quotation Marks Quiz.
Inside punctuation includes:
- semicolon
- dash
- ellipsis
- parentheses
- colon
Figure 1. Who is being warned?
Read "Making Connections with Inside Punctuation" p. 52 - 59 in Start with the Sentence.
For more clarification on the use of inside clarification, watch the following videos: