Punctuation for kids

Compare the following sentences 

1. Ravi says, “Rahul is a fool.”
2. “Ravi” says Rahul, “is a fool”.

From these two sentences, it is clear that punctuation marks may alter the sentence.

Punctuation is used to show clearly, the meaning of a sentence and the pause that should be used while speaking or reading the sentence. It emphasizes the meaning of a sentence.

Punctuation is the right use of the various stops in writing.

Punctuation marks for kids

We will now study the commonly used punctuation mark.

• The full stop (.)

The full Stop indicated the longest pause. It should be used at the end of an Assertive or Imperative Sentence.

Examples: Shut the door.

Today is a beautiful day.

• The Comma (,)

The comma indicates the shortest pause in a sentence.

Examples: – Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad are metropolitan cities.

• Inverted Commas (“”)

Inverted commas are used to mark the exact words of the speaker, or a quotation.

Examples:

1. “Sit down”
2. Mother Said, “Come and have your dinner”.

• Exclamation Mark (!)

The sign of exclamation is used after interjections, exclamatory phrases and sentences.

Examples: Alas!, Bravo!, Ah!, How it rains!, Well done!

• Sign of Interrogation (?)

The sign of interrogation is used to mark direct questions.

Examples:

1. What do you want?
2. Maulvi asked if I have visited the Qutub Minar?

• The Apostrophe (‘)

The apostrophe is used to show possession.

Examples:

1. The boy’s father.
2. Sandeep’s pen.
3. Priyanka’s lunchbox.

Use of Capital Letters (ABC)

The capital letter is used –

• To begin a sentence.
• The first word of every line of a poem.
• To being all proper nouns.
• To begin the first word within the inverted commas of direct speech.

Punctuations pdf for kids

Also Read: