WHY BOTHER WITH PUNCTUATION?

WHY BOTHER WHY BOTHER WITH WITH

PUNCTUATION?PUNCTUATION?

It matters for….It matters for….

ExamsExams LifeLife EVERYTHING!EVERYTHING!

You need to say what you You need to say what you mean.mean.

You should mean what you say.You should mean what you say.

SENTENCESSENTENCES

THE EASY BIT…THE EASY BIT…

Every sentence Every sentence

starts with a capital starts with a capital

letter and finishes letter and finishes

with a full stop.with a full stop.

THE EASY BIT…THE EASY BIT…

?? !!

THE EASY BIT…THE EASY BIT…

i sentence myself i sentence myself to death for to death for forgetting to put a forgetting to put a capital letter at capital letter at the beginning of the beginning of this sentence.this sentence.

So what goes in the middle …?So what goes in the middle …?

A sentence makes a A sentence makes a

pointpoint, or asks a , or asks a

questionquestion, or gives , or gives an an

instructioninstruction..

And …And …

A sentence is A sentence is

Complete. Complete. That is, it That is, it

doesn’t need any doesn’t need any

extra words to make extra words to make

sense.sense.

Do these stick to the rules…?Do these stick to the rules…?

The rain fell.The rain fell.

That sentence about That sentence about

the rain was really the rain was really

boring. boring.

That’s better, isn’t That’s better, isn’t

it?it?

Remember…Remember…

You can’t tell a You can’t tell a

sentence by how long sentence by how long

it is.it is.

The rain fell.Although the rain fell.

a)Spinning wildly through the air, humming quietly.

b)She bit him.

Which one is a sentence?Which one is a sentence?

there was a terrible collision on the motorway a lorryload of jelly wobbled so much that it fell into the road this caused a lorry carrying custard to slide into a van delivering sponge cake local residents sprinkled hundreds and thousands onto the resulting mixture to stop it being slippery the police said that traffic would be a trifle delayed.

There was a terrible collision on the motorway. A lorryload of jelly wobbled so much that it fell into the road. This caused a lorry carrying custard to slide into a van delivering sponge cake. Local residents sprinkled hundreds and thousands onto the resulting mixture to stop it being slippery. The police said that traffic would be a trifle delayed.

Problems …Problems …

Often people use full Often people use full stops where there stops where there doesn’t appear to doesn’t appear to be a full sentence.be a full sentence.

Yes? Welcome.Morning. Goodbye.

This is because they This is because they

are short versions of are short versions of

sentences which sentences which

were so frequently were so frequently

used that people used that people

didn’t bother didn’t bother

finishing them.finishing them.

Morning.Morning.

Good morning.Good morning.

I wish you a good I wish you a good

morning.morning.

Questions and ordersQuestions and orders..

Don’t! Don’t! Why not?Why not?

Because these are usually said Because these are usually said

in response to something in response to something

happening, or as an answer to happening, or as an answer to

someone, they do make sense someone, they do make sense

on their own.on their own.

Questions and ordersQuestions and orders..You are about to strike a match.You are about to strike a match.

Don’t strike the Don’t strike the

match! match!

Why should I not Why should I not

strike the match?strike the match?