Grammar and Punctuation in Writing
Section: Writing | Syllabus: Cambridge Primary English First Language (0058)
Punctuation for Clarity: Commas, Dashes, Brackets and Complex Sentences
- Use commas, dashes or brackets to add extra, non-essential (parenthetical) information into a sentence
- "My neighbour, who works at the hospital, lent me her ladder."
- "The trophy - dusty but still gleaming - sat on the shelf."
- In complex sentences, punctuation helps make your meaning clear, especially when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause
- "After the storm passed, the fishermen returned to sea." - the comma after the introductory clause makes the sentence easier to read
Punctuating Direct and Reported Speech Accurately
- Direct speech: use speech marks around the exact words spoken, start the quotation with a capital letter, and punctuate before the closing speech mark
- Start a new line for each new speaker
- Reported speech: no speech marks are used, and the verb tense often shifts back, e.g. "I am tired" becomes "she said she was tired"
Punctuation for direct speech always goes inside the closing speech marks, not after them
Worked Example: Punctuating Direct SpeechUnpunctuated: Malik said are you coming
Question: Punctuate this correctly as direct speech.
Put speech marks around the exact words spoken: "Are you coming?" Start the quotation with a capital letter: "Are you coming?" The question mark stays inside the closing speech marks, and "asked" is used before the speaker's name. Answer"Are you coming?" asked Malik.
Choosing Sentence Types and Conventions of Standard English
- Vary sentence type deliberately, for effect:
- Simple sentences - one main clause; good for impact or pace, e.g. "She ran."
- Compound sentences - two main clauses joined by and/but/or; good for balance, e.g. "She ran, but the door was locked."
- Complex sentences - a main clause with a subordinate clause; good for detail or explanation, e.g. "She ran because she had heard the alarm."
- Use the conventions of standard English appropriate to the text type you're writing - correct verb forms, sentence structure and word classes; formal writing follows stricter conventions than informal writing or dialogue
Active/Passive Voice, Quantifier Agreement and Relative Pronouns
- Active voice - the subject does the action; clear and direct, e.g. "The chef prepared the meal."
- Passive voice - the subject receives the action; useful when the action matters more than who did it, or in formal/scientific writing, e.g. "The meal was prepared."
- Quantifier agreement: use fewer with countable nouns (fewer biscuits) and less with uncountable nouns (less time)
- Use relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose) to add detail: "The scientist who discovered the cure was awarded a prize."
Incorrect: "There was less people at the party than expected, the people which came left early."
Question: Correct the quantifier agreement error and the relative pronoun error.
"People" is a countable noun, so "less" should be "fewer": "There were fewer people at the party than expected." "Which" is used for things, not people - it should be "who": "The people who came left early." Answer"There were fewer people at the party than expected. The people who came left early."
Common Mistakes
MistakeForgetting to punctuate a subordinate clause that comes before the main clause
Fixadd a comma after an introductory subordinate clause to make the sentence easier to read
MistakeWriting dialogue without starting a new line for each new speaker
Fixalways start a new line when the speaker changes, to keep dialogue clear
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