Using dashes, colons, and commas for effect in descriptive writing | English

Starter quiz

Punctuation is ______.
- where you edit and refine your work
- marks used to separate sentences and their elements ✓
- the rules about how words change their form and combine with other words
Which of the following would you use at the end of a sentence?
- a full-stop ✓
- a comma
- a colon
- a semi-colon
An exclamation mark is used to show ______.
- strong emotions ✓
- angry emotions only
- sad emotions only
In a complex sentence, if you have a subordinate clause in the middle then ______.
- you use a comma before the subordinate clause
- you place commas around the subordinate clause ✓
- you use a comma after the subordinate clause
Which of the following is a correctly punctuated compound sentence?
- Alice tried to pour herself some tea, but there was a mouse in the teapot. ✓
- Alice tried to pour herself some tea but there was a mouse in the teapot.
- Alice tried to pour herself some tea but, there was a mouse in the teapot.
Match the position of a subordinate clause in a sentence with the correct punctuation.
- At the beginning
  
  ⇔
  
  Comma after the subordinate clause ✓
- In the middle
  
  ⇔
  
  Commas around the subordinate clause ✓
- At the end
  
  ⇔
  
  No comma ✓

Creating accurate work means ______.
- creating work with many mistakes
- creating work with some mistakes
- creating work with no mistakes ✓
Which piece of punctuation should you use before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence?
- a comma ✓
- a full-stop
- an exclamation mark
To have an effect means ______.
- to have an influence ✓
- to have a change of heart
- to create feelings of sadness
Which piece of punctuation is often used to indicate either a pause, added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought?
- a semi-colon
- a dash ✓
- a full-stop
In a compound sentence, the comma goes ______.
- around the coordianting conjunction
- before the coordinating conjunction ✓
- after the coordinating conjunction
In Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', he uses a dash after 'I think' multiple times in Alice's speech about falling down the rabbit hole. This could indicate...
- confidence
- surety
- uncertainty ✓

Loading worksheet ...

Loading presentation ...

A dash can be used to indicate a pause, added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought.
Dashes can be used to replace brackets or colons.
Commas are used to separate words, clauses or ideas within a sentence.
Colons can be used to connect main clauses, add emphasis to a word or phrase, or introduce an explanation.
Colons can also be used to introduce lists.

That looking at punctuation is very dry and has no impact on the way you see a text or a character.

The way that writers use and play with punctuation can have a profound impact on the way we view a text or character's emotions.

Effect - A noun used to denote a consequence, an outcome, a result, or an influence.
Tone - The general mood or feeling of a text.
Accurate - To be correct, exact and without any mistakes.
Punctuation - The marks, such as full-stops and commas, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.