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Grammar & Punctuation:
Basic Punctuation
Help Tips
i Are you having a hard time with basic punctuation?
You don’t have to struggle alone anymore! Here are a few helpful tips to make
using basic punctuation a breeze!
What To Do…
Below you will find an explanation of each type of
punctuation mark, along with a clear example of when
and where it is required:
Full Stop
A full stop is used to highlight the end of a complete
sentence.
Example: Bernice loves to write poems.
Comma
There are various uses for commas. They can be used:
1. To separate a list of 3 or more things.
Example: She bought milk, bread, fruit, chocolate,
wine and flowers.
2. To separate a list of actions.
Example: I jumped out of bed, ran downstairs, opened
the door and picked up the milk.
3. To separate phrases.
Example: Although Lisa wanted to go on holiday, she
didn’t have enough money.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Basic Punctuation
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
4. Before a conjunction (but, and, yet, so) to join two
sentences.
Example: I was late for the concert, but I enjoyed it
anyway.
5. After an introductory phrase.
Example: Just before midday, the children went to
play in the park.
6. To separate adjectives.
Example: A black, sports car sped along the
motorway.
7. When a sentence begins with yes, no, or an adverb
(indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree).
Example: Yes, you can borrow my car.
Suddenly, the sky became very dark.
8. To introduce a direct quote.
Example: The doctor said, “You should get some
more rest”.
9. When putting extra information in to the main
sentence.
Example: The old man, who had a walking stick,
limped across the road.
*So if you look closely the main sentence is: The old
man limped across the road.
‘who had a walking stick’ is an adjective clause which
gives extra information so it needs to be separated
with commas.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Basic Punctuation
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Exclamation Mark
An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence to
show strong feelings, such as surprise, anger or joy.
Example: I can’t believe she is pregnant!
Question Mark
A question mark is used at the end of a question (a
sentence that asks something so it requires an answer).
Example: Where are you going on holiday?
Remember!
Each time that you get stuck and don’t quite know
when to use these basic punctuation marks, just
remember that you’ll always have this useful
handout to come back to.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Adjectives
& Adverbs
Help Tips
i Did You Know…
Do you need a little more guidance when it comes to dealing with adjectives
and adverbs? Below are a few tips to help you out.
Adjectives…
Adjectives are words that describe nouns.
Examples: big, small, beautiful, red, difficult, old and
young.
Adjectives are often used to make sentences more
interesting.
Example:
1. The horse galloped through the countryside.
2. The shiny, back horse galloped through the
beautiful countryside.
In the second sentence the words “shiny” and “black”
are adjectives that describe the horse (noun). The
word “beautiful” is also an adjective that describes
the countryside.
Notice how much more intesting and informative the
second sentence is compared to the first one. You
can also use more than one adjective; for example,
‘Peter has a shiny, new car.’
In the English language adjectives usually come
before the noun.
Example: red door, beautiful painting, wooden door,
young lady.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Adjectives
& Adverbs
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
So remember when you want to describe a person,
place, animal, thing or idea you put the adjective (the
describing word) before the noun. So it is not ‘car green’
but rather ‘green car’. Sounds much better, right?
Adverbs…
Adverbs tell us how, when or where something is done
by describing verbs.
Many adverbs end in ‘ly’.
Examples: quickly, loudly, gently, uneasily, cheerfully,
friendly and wickedly.
However there are exceptions.
Examples: yesterday, tomorrow, downstairs, outside, and
here.
Adverbs are used to:
• Say how something is done.
Example: Jack ran quickly through the streets
of London.
• Say when or where something is done.
Example 1: Sally is going to the cinema tomorrow.
(when)
Example 2: They were eating chinese food in the
living room downstairs. (where)
• Say how often something is done.
Example: Joseph does football training every day.
• Describe the extent to which something is done.
Example: Reuben eats his food very quickly.
Remember, an adjective describes a noun and an adverb
describes a verb!
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Colon & Semi Colon
Help Tips
i You might be asking…
“What are colons and semi colons?” After looking at this handout
you will no longer be confused by these two daunting terms.
Colon
A colon (:) appears at the end of a clause (a group of words
containing a subject and a verb, but is not a complete
sentence. However, a sentence containing only one clause
is called a simple sentence) and can be used to:
Introduce a list.
The sentence that comes before the colon must make
sense on its own.
Example: Peter likes to do many activities: cycling,
swimming and walking.
Introduce a subdivision of a subject in a title or heading.
Example: Punctuation: exclamation mark.
Provide additional details and explanation.
Example: She had many reasons for starting to do yoga:
getting in shape, becoming in touch with her inner self,
learning breathing techniques and making new friends.
Introduce a direct quote.
Example: She announced to her family: “she’s pregnant!”
Note that in British English the word after the colon is not
normally capitalised.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Colon & Semi Colon
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Semicolon
A semicolon (;) links two complete sentences and shows
that there is a relationship between them. Here are some of
the things it can be used for:
To join two separate sentences together.
If a semicolon is used then a conjunction (but, and,
or) doesn’t need to be used. A semicolon is perfect
for highlighting the close relationship between the two
sentences.
Example: Reuben found an old diary in the attic
yesterday; it may have belonged to his Grandma.
Before introductory words like ‘however’, ‘therefore’,
‘for example’, ‘consequently’, ‘thus’, ‘meanwhile’
and ‘nevertheless’ when they introduce a complete
sentence.
Example: You will need to pack the following essential
items for your holiday; for example, sun cream, insect
repellent, sandals, bikini and sun glasses will make your
holiday more enjoyable.
Notice how a comma is normally used after the
introductory word.
To separate a list that contains commas.
Example: This yoga teacher training course has people
who have come from Manchester, England; Paris,
France; and Rome, Italy.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Information About
Sentence Construction
Help Tips
i These tips make sentence construction simple…
We have studied how to structure simple sentences and what each must contain.
Now we will look further at sentence construction.
What To Do…
Commas and Conjunctions.
People often link two sentences with a comma when it
isn’t necessary.
Example: Jack shouted out, he was still really angry.
Note that in the example above, a full stop should be
used instead of a comma (,)
Example: Jack shouted out. He was still really angry.
It is absolutely fine to write short sentences, but when
you want to join two sentences together you should use
a conjunction (‘so, ‘but’, ‘unless’ and ‘because’ are just a
few examples).
Example: Jack shouted out because he was still really
angry.
Describing Words.
You can use describing words, such as adjectives
(describes a noun, e.g. thirsty man) and adverbs
(describes a verb, e.g. breathed deeply) in order to make
make your sentences longer.
Continued on the next page…
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Information About
Sentence Construction
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Example: The terrified dog quickly hid under the chair.
Notice that in this sentence ‘terrified’ is the adjective
because it is describing the noun, which is the ‘dog’.
The adverb is ‘quickly’ because it is describing how the
dog hid under the table.
Word Order.
When writing sentences it is vital that the words are put
in the correct order, because it makes it much easier and
clearer for the reader to understand.
You change the emphasis of what you are saying by
changing the word order.
Example: ‘Scared, the dog quickly hid under the chair.’
By starting the sentence with the adjective ‘scared’ tells
the reader how the dog felt.
Example: ‘Quickly, the scared dog hid under the chair.’
In this example the sentence begins with the adverb
‘quickly’, describing to the reader how fast the dog hid
under the chair.
Notice the difference between the two sentences shown
below:
• Explaining clearly what you want someone to do is
important.
• It is important that you explain clearly what you want
someone to do.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Instructions
Help Tips
i Do you find it difficult to write clear and concise instructions?
Here are a few helpful tips that will have you writing easy to follow instructions in
no time.
Instructions…
Although there are many types of instruction they often
share the same features. Instructions should:
tell you what the end result is. For example, a cake
recipe should tell you what cake you are going to make.
list everything you need. For example, a recipe should
begin by listing all the ingredients and a toy aeroplane
manual should list all necessary parts. Any tools or
equipment needed must also be mentioned.
give clear step by step instructions. The instructions
must be put in the correct order.
not be complicated. Pictures and diagrams can be used
to make the instructions as clear as possible.
Imperative Verb…
Instructions are often used on signs, in manuals and in
recipes. They are written using the imperative verb. But
what exactly is an imperative verb? An imperative verb,
also known as a ‘bossy verb’ is a verb (doing word) that
doesn’t have ‘to’ or any noun or pronoun before it.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Instructions
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Example: ‘You need to cream the butter and sugar together’
becomes ‘Cream the butter and sugar together’.
Note how the sentence changes. In the first sentence it is
saying ‘who’ needs to cream the butter and sugar, but in the
second sentence the ‘who’ is taken out and it becomes a
general instruction.
Here are a few more examples of how to use the imperative:
Sentence
You should not run by the
swimming pool.
You must not trespass.
You will need to whisk 2 eggs.
You must paint the car
blue.
You must clean your room.
Imperative Instruction
Don’t run by the swimming
pool.
Don’t trespass.
Whisk 2 eggs.
Paint the car blue.
Clean your room.
If you write your instructions as clearly as possible then it will
make a huge difference to the reader.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Introduction To
Sentence Structure
Help Tips
i Do you find sentence structure a challenge? Don’t despair!
It doesn’t have to be a challenge any longer. Below you will find clear explanations
on how to structure the perfect sentence, along with a few examples to help guide
you along the way.
What is a simple sentence?
A simple sentence is a group of words that makes sense
on its own.
Example: Joseph likes to play football.
A sentence always has a subject (‘Joseph’) and a verb
(‘likes’)
‘Playing football’ is not a complete sentence, because it
doesn’t tell us who (subject) did what (verb).
Each sentence has a start and an end.
The word that simple sentences start with must always
begin with a capital letter.
Example: Joseph likes to play football.
The word that simple sentences end with must always be
followed by a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark.
Examples:
Joseph likes to play football.
You must leave now!
Do you want anything else?
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Introduction To
Sentence Structure
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Every simple sentence contains two parts.
1. Subject:
Who or what the sentence is about.
Normally found at the beginning of the sentence.
Can be more than one word.
Example: Joseph likes to play football.
‘Joseph’ is the subject because the sentence is about
Joseph.
2. Predicate:
Tells us what is happening in the sentence.
Usually tells us something about the subject.
Example: Joseph likes to play football.
‘Play football’ is the predicate because it is telling us
something about Joseph. It tells us what Joseph likes
to do.
It is also helpful to remember that the subject of a sentence
is found before a verb (expresses actions, events or states of
being).
Example: Joseph likes to play football.
The verb in this sentence is ‘likes’. If you look at which word
comes before the verb, then you’ll see that the subject is
‘Joseph’. This is telling us who likes to play football.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Past &
Present Tenses
Help Tips
i Did You Know…
Imagine how hard it would be to communicate if past and present tenses didn’t exist
in the English language. For example, without the past tense we wouldn’t verbally be
able to tell others what we did yesterday.
Present Tense…
We use the present tense when:
the action is general.
the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past,
present or future.
For example:
Past
Jack drives a bus.
Present
Future
It is Jack’s job to drive a bus. He does it every day.
Past, present and future.
Examples:
They go to the cinema every Sunday.
She works at night.
Do you play golf?
Joseph drives a car.
Note that in the present tense the verb changes depending
on the subject.
Continued on the next page…
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Past &
Present Tenses
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Example:
“She works at night.”
In this simple sentence the verb ‘work’ becomes ‘works’
because the subject is ‘she’.
Remember to add ‘s’ to a regular verb (verb that follows the
typical grammar rule) when the subject is he, she, it or a
single noun (person, place or thing).
Examples:
Jenny loves to paint. (Jenny is the subject
‘she’)
My brother plays football. (My brother is the
subject ‘he’)
The cat drinks milk. (The cat is the subject ‘it’)
Past Tense…
We use the past tense when:
an action started and finished at a specific time in the
past.
For example:
Past
I lived in Costa Rica for 20 years.
Present
Future
The action is in the past.
You add ‘ed’ to a regular verb in the past tense.
Example:
live + ed = lived
start + ed = started
want + ed = wanted
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Past &
Present Tenses
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
However, there are exceptions to this rule when the verb is
irregular:
Present
do
go
have
is
Past
did
went
had
was
You simply have to learn these irregular verbs!
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Pronouns &
Conjuctions
Help Tips
i A little more guidance…
Do you need a little more guidance when it comes to dealing with pronouns and
conjunctions? Below are a few tips to help you out.
Pronouns…
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.
They are useful because you don’t have to repeat words.
Example: Peter switched off the television because Peter
was tired.
In this sentence it is not necessary to repeat Peter. You can
use a subject pronoun and the sentence becomes ‘Peter
switched off the television because he was tired.’
Here are three types of pronouns:
A subject pronoun
(I, you, he, she, it, you, we, they) is who or what is
doing the action of the verb.
Example: ‘Michelle is a painter.’ becomes ‘She is a
painter.’
‘Michelle’ is the subject of the sentence and you can
replace Michelle with ‘she.’
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Pronouns &
Conjuctions
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
An object pronoun
(me, you, him, her, it, you, us, them) is the object of a
verb.
Example: ‘She asked Tina to help.’ becomes ‘She asked
her to help.’
‘Tina’ is the object of the sentence and you can replace
Tina with ‘her.’
A possessive pronoun
(mine, yours, his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs) helps us to
show possession.
Examples: ‘Jack’s car is red. Mine is blue.’ (mine = my
car.)
‘Jenny and Bill have a new house. The new house is
theirs.’
Make sure that you don’t confuse the possessive
pronoun its with it’s (it is).
Example: It’s (it is) a beautiful day.
The ship altered its course (its stands for a thing that
possesses something already mentioned).
Conjunctions…
Conjunctions are words like, ‘but’, ‘and’, ‘as’, ‘before’,
‘if’, ‘until’ that connect other words or groups of words
creating a compound sentence (longer sentence).
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Pronouns &
Conjuctions
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Example: I hate running. I love cycling. These two short
sentences can be joined together using ‘but’, which makes a
compound sentence; for example, ‘I hate running but I love
cycling.’
Note that commas are not conjunctions and should not be
used to join two short sentences together.
Conjunctions also show the connection between two
sentences. Each conjunction has a different use.
Examples:
•
Jane didn’t go to the cinema but she watched a movie at
home. (But shows opposites or conflicting ideas.)
•
Reuben ate and drank. (And joins or adds words
together.)
•
We will go out on Saturday or Sunday. (Or shows choice
or possibilites.)
•
I was hungry so I ate something. (So is used to show
result.)
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Speech Marks &
Apostrophes
Help Tips
i Become more confident with your speech marks…
Do you find it hard when you are writing something and you have to include what
someone says? Look at the following explanations and examples for using speech
marks, so you will feel more confident in the future.
Speech Marks…
Speech marks highlight when someone is talking or a
quotation. These don’t have to give you a headache.
Simply think of a cartoon strip and remember, if it goes
inside the speech bubble, it will go inside the speech
marks. That includes all the other punctuation too.
There are three main pattern for punctuating speech:
The words spoken come first.
Example: “Why are you crying?” said James.
Notice that capital letter to start the first word spoken.
The speaker comes first.
Example: James said, “Why are you crying?”
Notice that comma before you open the speech marks.
Interrupted speech.
Example: “I am late for work,” cried Jane, “because the
car broke down”
Notice this is two sentences separated by putting the
speaker in the middle.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Speech Marks &
Apostrophes
Help Tips
Continued from the previous page…
Apostrophes…
Using apostrophes is as clear as mud for some people but
it doesn’t have to be. First of all, let’s look at apostrophes
to show ownership. Where you place the apostrophe
depends on whether it is a singular or plural possession.
Singular Possession:
Use ’s if there is only one person or thing in possession.
Example: The business man’s briefcase.
It is the business man’s briefcase and there is only one
business man.
Plural Possession:
Use s’ if there is more than one person or thing in
possession.
Example: The cats’ paws.
The paws belong to the cats.
Plural Possession:
If the plural of a word does not end in s you must add ’s
to show possession.
Example: The policemen’s boots.
The boots belong to the policemen.
Now let’s look at how we can use apostrophes to shorten or
abbreviate words. The apostrophe is always placed in the
spot where the letter(s) have been removed.
Examples: is not – isn’t / has not – hasn’t / you are – you’re / she
is – she’s.
However, watch out for the following exceptions: will not –
won’t and can not – can’t.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Subject-Verb
Agreement
Help Tips
i Did You Know…
If you have never heard of subject-verb agreement before then don’t worry.
This handout will tell you everything you need to know..
What is a Verb?
A verb is a doing word.
Example: drink, dance, sleep, run, jump and eat.
What is a Subject?
A subject is who or what is doing the action of the verb.
Example: I drink. She dances. The cat sleeps. The children
run fast. The rabbit jumps. The boys eat a lot.
Note that the subject of the sentence can be singular or
plural.
Example: The dress is new (‘dress’ is singular because there
is only one dress)
The dresses are new (‘dresses’ is plural because there are
many dresses).
What is Subject-Verb Agreement?
When we talk about subject-verb agreement we basically
mean that when the subject form changes the verb form
changes too. The verb must agree with its subject.
Continued on the next page…
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Subject-Verb
Agreement
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Continued from the previous page…
If the subject is singular then it needs a singular verb.
Example: The supermarket (singluar subject) was (singular
verb) full.
However, if the subject is plural then it needs a plural verb.
Example: The supermarkets (plural subject) were (plural verb)
full.
Below is an example of subject-verb agreement for a regular
verb (verb that follows the typical grammar rule) and for an
irregular verb (verbs that don’t follow the typical grammar rule
and that you simply have to remember):
Regular Verbs:
First person
Second person
Third
person
Singular
I drink hot
chocolate
You drink hot
chocolate
He/she/it drinks
hot chocolate
Plural
We drink hot
chocolate
You drink hot
chocolate
They drink hot
chocolate
Note that with regular verbs you simply add an ‘s’ when the
subject is third person (he/she/it).
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Subject-Verb
Agreement
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Continued from the previous page…
Irregular Verbs:
First person
Second person
Third
person
Singular
I was tired.
You were tired.
He/she/it was
tired.
Plural
We were tired.
You were tired.
They were tired.
Remember when you are writing your sentences to double
check that your subjects and verbs agree.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Verbs & Nouns
Help Tips
i A little guidance with Verbs and Nouns…
Do you need a little more guidance when it comes to dealing with verbs and nouns.
Below are a few tips to help you out.
Verbs…
A verb is a descriptive word that tells us what a particular
subject is or does. It is probably the most important part of
the sentence.
Examples:
work, run, play, sing, dance, eat and drink.
Note that verbs are pretty impressive because they are
the only words that can be used to make up a one-word
sentence; for example, “Run!”
All sentences must contain a verb.
Examples:
Katie bakes cakes all the time.
Reuben drives to work every morning.
A verb will change depending on whether the sentence is in
past, present or future.
Examples:
Stephen danced all night in the club.
(“dance” is the verb and ‘ed’ is added when in
the past, so the verb becomes “danced”)
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Verbs & Nouns
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Continued from the previous page…
Bernice eats mango.
(“eat” is the verb and ‘s’ is added when the
subject is ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’, so the verb
becomes “eats”)
Peter will drive to Manchester this
afternoon. (“drive” is the verb and when
using the future ‘will’ the verb comes after,
so the verb often stays the same – “drive”)
Two verbs can be used together.
Example:
We should drink 4 litres of warm water a day.
Note that this is especially true when using the following
verbs: must, should and can.
Nouns…
Nouns are words used to name a person, place, animal,
thing or idea.
Examples:
Lisa (person), London (place), rabbit (animal),
pen (thing), freedom (idea)
A noun can either be the subject or the object in a
sentence.
Examples:
Rome is the capital of Italy. (“Rome” is the
subject of the sentence.)
I love strawberries. (“Strawberries” is the
object of the sentence.)
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Verbs & Nouns
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Continued from the previous page…
A noun can also be singular or plural.
Examples:
The shirt is blue. (“Shirt” is singular because
there is only one shirt.)
The shirts are blue. (“Shirts” is plural because
there are more than one shirt.)
Remember that when a noun is plural we add ‘s’. However,
if the noun is irregular then the form of the noun changes;
for example, the plural of child (singular) is not childs. Child
becomes children (plural). You simply have to learn this
irregular nouns.
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Grammar & Punctuation:
Word Types
Help Tips
i Did You Know…
If you are finding grammar a challenge, learning about the different word types that
exist might make things a little clearer.
In the English language each word belongs to a different
word type: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions, conjuntions (joining words).
Each word in every sentence has a different role depending
on which word type it belongs to. Each word type has
a specific purpose that is used to make up complete
sentences.
For example:
The old man quickly took his wife into the shop and then he
bought a bottle of wine.
Each word from the sentence above can be put in to one of
the seven word types listed. We will look at why and the role
of each word.
Nouns…
Nouns are words used to name a person, place, animal,
thing or idea.
The nouns in the sentence are man, wife and shop.
Man is the subject of the sentence and tells us who did the
action. Wife is the object and tells us who the man followed.
Continued on the next page…
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Continued from the previous page…
Pronouns…
Pronouns are words that take the place of the nouns.
The pronouns in the sentence are his and he.
His is used instead of repeating ‘the man’s’ and he is used
instead of ‘the man’.
Verbs…
Verbs are descriptive words that tell us what a particular
subject is or does.
The verbs in this sentence are took and bought.
Took and bought tell is what the man’s actions were before
and after entering the shop.
Adjectives…
Adjectives are words that describe nouns.
The adjective in this sentence is old.
Old is describing what the man is like.
Adverbs…
Adverbs tell us how, when or where something is done by
describing verbs.
The adverbs in this sentence are quickly and then.
Quickly tells us how fast the man moved. Then tells us when
he bought the wine.
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Word Types
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Continued from the previous page…
Prepositions…
Prepositions often come before a noun or pronoun.
The preposition in this sentence is into.
Into is telling us about the man’s movement.
Conjunctions…
Conjunctions are words like, ‘but’, ‘and’, ‘therefore’ that
join two sentences.
The connective in this sentence is and.
And tells us what else the old man did after he quickly took
his wife in to the shop.
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