Sentences are groups of words put together in a structured manner to carry meaning. Words are drawn from different parts of speech and put in sentences to relate ideas. The relationship between words in a sentence is governed by grammar. The person who writes or speaks follows the rules of grammar so that the reader or listener can understand, as he also is aware of the same rules. In addition to grammar there are other aspects of the language that help to make communication more meaningful and purposeful. One such aspect is punctuation.
Punctuation is useful in structuring sentences properly and removing any doubts as to what is meant by the writer. In this quiz we will learn about four punctuation marks: capitals, full stops, exclamation marks and question marks.
In order to signify the beginning of a sentence we make the first letter of the first word a capital. Also, in a sentence if a proper noun is used we write the noun with its first letter in capitals.
To end the sentence we place a full stop to signify the end.
If the sentence that we are writing is an exclamatory sentence, then we use the exclamation mark to signify the end in place of a full stop.
If, on the other hand, the sentence is an interrogative sentence, that is, asking a question, then we end the sentence with a question mark in place of a full stop. Here are some examples:
‘The dog ate the bone given by Arpana.’ - This is an assertive sentence and is properly punctuated with capitals and full stop.
‘What a cover drive Virat Kohli played!’ - This is an exclamatory sentence and it has the correct capitals and exclamation mark.
‘Will you dance with me please?’ - This sentence is asking a question and hence ends with a question mark.
Play this quiz and learn how and where to use the correct punctuation marks.