Punctuation

‘  Apostrophe

 

An apostrophe is used to show that something belongs to someone or something.

Eg. John’s dog, Jane’s hat

It is also used to shorten words;     

it’s  short for   it is 

there’s  short for  there is 

can’t  short for  can not

The way to know where to put the apostrophe is to put it in place of the missing letter eg.

The letter i is replaced by an apostrophe to make it’s

It is

:  Colon 

The colon adds more detail to a sentence,

Eg. The cake was beautifully decorated: it had marzipan flowers all around.

;  Semi colon 

The semi colon is also used to add more information. The sentence in front of the semi colon has to make sense by itself so check this to make sure you have added it in the right place

Eg. The expensive pen he wanted was in the shop window; priced £650.

,  Comma 

A comma is used to add a pause. For example,

I like to eat chips, especially on Friday.

It is also used to list things,

Eg. I like music, movies, video games and cycling

Notice the last items are separated by ‘and’ rather than a comma.

.  Full stop

 

A full stop is used to end a sentence before talking about something else

Eg. I like to go to school. I have lots of friends there.