It's time to find out how well you can apply our Basic Rules of Punctuation.
Add what you think are appropriate punctuation marks to the sentences below. When you're done, compare your responses with the punctuation marks in the original sentences, which appear below the exercise. Keep in mind that often there are many correct ways to punctuate a passage (and, of course, many incorrect ways as well).
Punctuation Exercise
- When a friend dies part of yourself dies too.
- We took photographs of the patron saint of nail-biters the Venus de Milo.
- Picture this a Neanderthal man deep in the forest gorges on the yummies of his time fruits berries anything sweet and pluckable.
- Last week we read The Catbird Seat a short story by James Thurber.
- Our three children Larry Curly and Moe have decided to enter show business.
- When in doubt mumble when in trouble delegate.
- An Americans devotion to McDonald's rests in part on uniformities associated with all McDonald's restaurants setting architecture food ambience acts and utterances.
- Some players hit the ball and stand dejected waiting for it to land others turn away and leave it to the caddy.
- Dynamite was lavishly used and many of San Franciscos proudest structures were crumbled by man himself into ruins but there was no withstanding the onrush of the flames.
- Lila who lives in a trailer with a parakeet and some scrappy dogs and cats has been the town fire warden for almost 30 years.
- The woman is wearing golden stretch pants green eyelids and a hiveshaped head of hair that looks both in color and texture exactly like 25-cents worth of cotton candy.
- Hurling which has been the national sport of Ireland since legendary times is to American eyes like a soccer game played at ice-hockey speed.
- While on maneuvers in South Carolina Billy Pilgrim played hymns he knew from childhood.
- Guiding the ball through the upper chutes down a runover lane off the slingshot bumpers to the flippers I cradled it there bouncing it back and forth until I had a perfect shot through the lighted spinner.
- The train its metal wheels squealing as they spin along the silver tracks rolls more slowly now.
Original Sentences for Punctuation Exercise
- When a friend dies, part of yourself dies, too.
- We took photographs of the patron saint of nail-biters--the Venus de Milo.
- Picture this: a Neanderthal man deep in the forest gorges on the yummies of his time--fruits, berries, anything sweet and pluckable.
- Last week we read "The Catbird Seat," a short story by James Thurber.
- Our three children--Larry, Curly, and Moe--have decided to enter show business.
- When in doubt, mumble; when in trouble, delegate.
- An American's devotion to McDonald's rests in part on uniformities associated with all McDonald's restaurants: setting, architecture, food, ambience, acts, and utterances.
- Some players hit the ball and stand, dejected, waiting for it to land; others turn away and leave it to the caddy.
- Dynamite was lavishly used, and many of San Francisco's proudest structures were crumbled by man himself into ruins, but there was no withstanding the onrush of the flames.
- Lila, who lives in a trailer with a parakeet and some scrappy dogs and cats, has been the town fire warden for almost 30 years.
- The woman is wearing golden stretch pants, green eyelids, and a hiveshaped head of hair that looks both in color and texture exactly like 25-cents worth of cotton candy.
- Hurling, which has been the national sport of Ireland since legendary times, is to American eyes like a soccer game played at ice-hockey speed.
- While on maneuvers in South Carolina, Billy Pilgrim played hymns he knew from childhood.
- Guiding the ball through the upper chutes, down a runover lane, off the slingshot bumpers to the flippers, I cradled it there, bouncing it back and forth until I had a perfect shot through the lighted spinner.
- The train, its metal wheels squealing as they spin along the silver tracks, rolls more slowly now.
