The Role of Punctuation in Making Meaning
Y8 Language Detectives
Investigating how language works:
making meaning with punctuation
Punctuation jokes
•
Why did the pregnant woman yell “Wouldn’t!
Couldn’t! Shouldn’t!” when she was in labour?
She was having contractions.
•
Why did the comma break up with the
apostrophe?
Because it was too possessive.
Punctuation for meaning
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what
love is all about. You are
generous, kind, thoughtful.
People who are not like
you admit to being useless and
inferior. You have ruined me
for other men. I yearn for you.
I have no feelings whatsoever
when we’re apart. I can be
forever happy—will you let me
be yours?
Gloria
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what love
is. All about you are generous,
kind, thoughtful people, who are
not like you. Admit to being
useless and inferior. You have
ruined me. For other men, I yearn.
For you, I have no feelings
whatsoever.
When we’re apart, I can be forever
happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Gloria
How do I know when to use commas?
“You put a comma when you need to take a breath; if
it’s a quick breath you put a comma, but if it’s a
longer breath you put a full stop.”
“If you use a lot of commas it speeds up the pace of
the writing and makes it more interesting to read.”
•
Can you explain these students’ thinking? What has
caused their confusion?
Punctuation choices
•
‘Boundary punctuation’ refers to punctuation used between
separate sentences. All the punctuation marks below can be
used in this way. Try each one out on these sentences:
smoking can kill you it should be banned
•
A comma is NEVER used to mark the boundary between
separate sentences.
So if we don’t use commas to separate
sentences, when do we use them?
You are generous, kind, thoughtful.
To mark off words in a list.
For you, I have no feelings whatsoever.
After an adverbial phrase that starts a sentence.
When we are apart, I can be forever happy.
To separate a subordinate clause and a main clause.
Kind people, who are not like you, are all around me.
Either side of a clause embedded in a sentence.
Match the example to the rule
London Shard struck by lightning
The London Shard which is the tallest building in
western Europe was struck by lightning yesterday.
The Shard is 310 metres high has 87 storeys 44 lifts
and 11,000 glass panels. Although the lightning struck
no damage was caused.
London Shard struck by lightning
The London Shard, which is the tallest building in
western Europe, was struck by lightning yesterday.
The Shard is 310 metres high, has 87 storeys, 44 lifts
and 11,000 glass panels. Although the lightning
struck, no damage was caused.
London Shard struck by lightning
Dramatic photos show how the London Shard which is
the tallest building in western Europe was struck by
lightning. During a storm the 87 storey 310 metre
building was hit by several bolts. Fortunately the
Shard has safety features built into it meaning the
electricity is diverted harmlessly to earth.
London Shard Struck by Lightning
Dramatic photos show how the London Shard, which
is the tallest building in western Europe, was struck by
lightning. During a storm, the 87 storey, 310 metre
building was hit by several bolts. Fortunately, the
Shard has safety features built into it, meaning the
electricity is diverted harmlessly to earth.
Floods Hit the UK
Write a short news report to
match the photograph and
headline.
Your task is to use commas
correctly in the following ways:
•
To mark off words in a list.
•
To separate a subordinate
clause and a main clause.
•
Either side of a clause
embedded in a sentence (e.g. a
relative clause beginning with
who
or
which
).
•
After an adverbial word or
phrase that starts a sentence.
Floods Hit the UK
Yesterday, several regions of the country were hit by severe flooding.
According to the Environment Agency, a combination of heavy rains,
strong winds and high tides caused flooding across the UK. On the
Somerset Levels, which was one of the worst affected areas, villages
were completely cut-off, while rescue attempts were hindered by
lightning storms. As darkness fell, thousands of people were without
electricity, especially in the south west, where power cables were
brought down in gale-force winds.
Where has this writer used commas?
What job do they do?
Explore the significance of punctuation in language through various examples and explanations. Discover how punctuation affects the meaning of sentences, from creating jokes to clarifying intentions. Learn when to use commas appropriately and how they impact sentence structure. Dive into the world of punctuation choices and understand their impact on conveying clear messages.
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Presentation Transcript
Y8 Language Detectives Investigating how language works: making meaning with punctuation
Punctuation jokes Why did the pregnant woman yell Wouldn t! Couldn t! Shouldn t! when she was in labour? She was having contractions. Why did the comma break up with the apostrophe? Because it was too possessive.
Punctuation for meaning Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we re apart. I can be forever happy will you let me be yours? Gloria Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Gloria
How do I know when to use commas? You put a comma when you need to take a breath; if it s a quick breath you put a comma, but if it s a longer breath you put a full stop. If you use a lot of commas it speeds up the pace of the writing and makes it more interesting to read. Can you explain these students thinking? What has caused their confusion?
Punctuation choices Boundary punctuation refers to punctuation used between separate sentences. All the punctuation marks below can be used in this way. Try each one out on these sentences: smoking can kill you it should be banned colon question mark : ? exclamation mark dash ! - semi-colon full stop ; . A comma is NEVER used to mark the boundary between separate sentences.
So if we dont use commas to separate sentences, when do we use them? You are generous, kind, thoughtful. To mark off words in a list. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. After an adverbial phrase that starts a sentence. When we are apart, I can be forever happy. To separate a subordinate clause and a main clause. Kind people, who are not like you, are all around me. Either side of a clause embedded in a sentence.
Match the example to the rule Commas are used to separate a subordinate clause and a main clause. The subjects I like the best are Geography, English, Maths and Art. After all that effort, we still didn t know the answer. Commas are used to mark off items in a list. For other men, I yearn. If you leave me, I can be forever happy. Commas are used after an adverbial phrase that starts a sentence. My best friend, my cousin, my neighbour and my cat all have the same name. My brother, who is older than me, always gets his own way. Commas are used either side of a clause embedded in a sentence. When his sister arrived, John left.
London Shard struck by lightning The London Shard which is the tallest building in western Europe was struck by lightning yesterday. The Shard is 310 metres high has 87 storeys 44 lifts and 11,000 glass panels. Although the lightning struck no damage was caused.
London Shard struck by lightning The London Shard, which is the tallest building in western Europe, was struck by lightning yesterday. The Shard is 310 metres high, has 87 storeys, 44 lifts and 11,000 glass panels. Although the lightning struck, no damage was caused.
London Shard struck by lightning Dramatic photos show how the London Shard which is the tallest building in western Europe was struck by lightning. During a storm the 87 storey 310 metre building was hit by several bolts. Fortunately the Shard has safety features built into it meaning the electricity is diverted harmlessly to earth.
London Shard Struck by Lightning Dramatic photos show how the London Shard, which is the tallest building in western Europe, was struck by lightning. During a storm, the 87 storey, 310 metre building was hit by several bolts. Fortunately, the Shard has safety features built into it, meaning the electricity is diverted harmlessly to earth.
Floods Hit the UK Write a short news report to match the photograph and headline. Your task is to use commas correctly in the following ways: To mark off words in a list. To separate a subordinate clause and a main clause. Either side of a clause embedded in a sentence (e.g. a relative clause beginning with who or which). After an adverbial word or phrase that starts a sentence.
Floods Hit the UK Yesterday, several regions of the country were hit by severe flooding. According to the Environment Agency, a combination of heavy rains, strong winds and high tides caused flooding across the UK. On the Somerset Levels, which was one of the worst affected areas, villages were completely cut-off, while rescue attempts were hindered by lightning storms. As darkness fell, thousands of people were without electricity, especially in the south west, where power cables were brought down in gale-force winds. Where has this writer used commas? What job do they do?
