Version 01

Grammar on the Go!

© 2006 by Open School BC
All rights reserved. Open School BC content and modified versions of this course may neither
be resold or distributed in whole or in part without permission from Open School BC, nor be
transferred to other learning management systems or services without prior permission from
Open School BC.

Acknowledgements:
Illustration, page 108, Fish and Worm,
used with the permission of Brian Glover and Faith Glover

Print History

Corrected, January 2014

New, August 2006

Project Manager: Monique Brewer

Writers: Heidi Greco, Mike Sherman, Monique Brewer
Reviewer/Editor: Monica Morris
Editor: Lee Mackenzie MacAnally, Adrian Hill
Production Technicians: Laurie Lozoway, Brian Glover
 Grammar
on the Go!
Punctuation marks are
like symbols used in our
language. It’s important to
use punctuation carefully
as these symbols help to
clarify the meaning of what
we write.

Abbreviations 3

Apostrophes 7

Capitalization 11

Colon 19

Comma 23

Dash 31

End Punctuation 35

Question Mark 39

Hyphen 43

Parentheses 47

Quotation Marks 49

Semicolon 57

Answer Key

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 1

2 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 Abbreviations
Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases that usually
begin with a capital and end with a period.

Uses of Abbreviations

s
ro p er n a me

1.
Before p

. Mrs.
2. After prop
er n a me s
Ms. Mr
Dr. Re
v.
Sr. Jr. M.D
B.Comm.
. Ph.D.

3. Time and periods

a.m. p.m. B.C. A.D.

4.

To name government agencies,
organizations, and associations

NDP CBSA MP RCMP

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 3

 Punctuating Abbreviations

Mr. P.W. Walter will speak

to the school about the
dangers of drinking and
Use periods after a person’s driving.
initials
Sir John A. MacDonald was
the first Prime Minister of
Canada.

Mrs. Garcia likes to run

marathons.

Use periods after social Dr. Hong is in her office

and common titles and everyday.
abbreviations following
names Prof. Amani teaches
calculus at university.

John Hozo Jr. just graduated

from high school.

Use periods following Ave. Prov. S.W.

abbreviated geographical
terms

4 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Postal abbreviations for the names of Canadian provinces
do not need periods whereas traditional abbreviations of
provinces do

Postal Code Traditional

Alberta AB Alta.
British Columbia BC B.C.
Manitoba MB Man.
New Brunswick NB N.B.
Newfoundland and Labrador NL N.L.
Northwest Territories NT N.W.T.
Nova Scotia NS N.S.
Nunavut NU Nun.
Ontario ON Ont.
Prince Edward Island PE P.E.I.
Québec QC / PQ Que.
Saskatchewan SK Sask.
Yukon YT Y.T.

Do not use periods

to abbreviate names RCMP CBC NHL TV
and titles where
the abbreviation is
pronounced letter by letter

Do not use periods for SCUBA OPEC NATO

acronyms

Countries and provinces:

Alberta

Do not abbreviate the Months and days:

following kinds of words February
in a composition
Parts of an address:
First Avenue

School courses:
Language Arts 7

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 5

 Abbreviations

Match the abbreviation on the left to its long form on the

right.

RCMP Time from noon

to midnight

p.m. Junior

AOL Alberta

UN Royal Canadian
Mounted Police

Dr. Doctor

BC American Online

IE United Nations

Ex. British Columbia

Jr. Internet Explorer

AB for example

10

6 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Apostrophes
An apostrophe is a form of punctuation that is used to
indicate that a letter has been omitted from a word and to
show ownership.

Uses of the Apostrophe

To take the place of a letter or letters left out in

contractions

has not­­—hasn’t
it is—it’s
cannot—can’t
you will—you’ll

In place of letters: the apostrophe shows when letters or

numbers have been left out of a word

He yelled, “I’m takin’ the

ball and goin’ home!”

To show possession or ownership

Usually add an my grandmother’s

apostrophe and s. house
Singular If a singular noun ends Thomas’s book
nouns with an s or z sound, you or
may add an apostrophe Thomas’ book
and s or simply add an
apostrophe without an
s. Use your ear to guide
you.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 7

 Add an apostrophe if the my grandparents’
word ends house
Plural nouns in s.
If a plural noun does the team’s bus
not end in s, add an
apostrophe and s.
Add an apostrophe and Ted and Fred’s
Shared s to the last noun only, restaurant
possessives unless the nouns do not
share equally.

Apostrophes

Circle the correct answer from the choices given.

When we went to my (Auntie Petunia’s Auntie

Petunias’) house, I discovered I’d been elected to look
after my twin (nephews nephew’s), a pair of seven-
year-olds. We (were’nt weren’t) allowed to watch TV
or use the computer, so I had to think of something
fast. Luckily, I remembered an easy card game called
(7s High 7’s High). Charlie and Blake are smart,
so it was easy to teach them the (games game’s)
rules. It was a good thing (I’d Id) brought along my
own deck of cards, as I (wouldnt’ve wouldn’t have).
known where to look for them at someone (elses
else’s) house.

8 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 More Apostrophes

Rewrite the word(s) in bold to include an apostrophe. You

may have to form a contraction in some cases and show
possession in others.

When Leonardo da Vinci first thought about a flying

machine, many people thought that his ideas were
crazy. He tried many different designs, but
could not find one that worked well enough to actu-
ally test. Then, when he had finally come up with a
plan, he realized he did not have enough money to
build it. Luckily, he knew some members of the royal
family. These peoples generosity helped him to
build his model. Looking back, we realize his airplane
could not have actually flown far, but still, we ad-
mire da Vincis vision and imagination. Our
world is a better place for all of his fantastic
dreams.

could not
did not
peoples
could not
da Vincis
world is
6

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 9

10 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 Capitalization
Uses of the Capital:

When you stop at the deli,

will you buy David and me a
sandwich?
The first word of a sentence
Please ask them to put lots
and the personal pronoun I
of sprouts on them.

David and I will reimburse

you when we receive our
sandwiches.

Proper Nouns and Adjectives

Capitalize proper nouns­—nouns that name specific

people, places, or things—and proper adjectives.

Proper Noun Proper Adjective

North Battleford North Battleford winters

Fraser River Fraser River salmon
Grey Cup Grey Cup game

“Sure, I’ll get you a

sandwich,” said Cam. “What
kind of bread do you want?”
The first word in a direct
quotation
“Whole wheat, please,” I
replied.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 11

 Capitalization

Check your skill at using capital letters. Circle the sentence or

phrase that is correct, a or b.

1. (a) My grandmother works as a doctor.

(b) My Grandmother works as a doctor.

2. (a) When I was little, I called her Aunt Louisa.

(b) When I was little, I called her aunt Louisa.

3. (a)Once, she jumped into the icy River to rescue

a boy.

(b) Once, she jumped into the icy river to rescue
a boy.

4. (a)It was Winter, and part of the water was

frozen.

(b) It was winter, and part of the water was

frozen.

5. ( a) Some people had been skating there,

practising for the Junior Olympics.

(b) Some people had been skating there,
practising for the junior Olympics.

12 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 6. ( a) When the boy fell through the ice, the Coach
panicked.

(b) When the boy fell through the ice, the coach
panicked.

7. (a) Our teacher saved the boy’s life and won the
Governor General’s Medal.

(b) Our Teacher saved the boy’s life and won the
governor general’s medal.

8. (a) Sometimes I want to say to him, “I’m so proud

of you, dad!”

(b) Sometimes I want to say to him, “I’m so proud
of you, Dad!”
G

8
g
Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 13
 Uses of the Capital (continued)

Mr. Brown
The names of people, their Nellie McClung
initials, abbreviations, and Constable M. R. Davis
titles Prime Minister Lester B.
Pearson
Dr. Raymond Wu

Capitalize titles that indicate specific family

relationships when these titles are used with a name or
in place of a name.

Aunt Gertrude but her aunt

Grandfather Stacey but our grandfather
Where is Mother? but my mother

Capitalize official titles when these titles are used with a

name.

Mayor Jones but a mayor

Doctor Jack but a doctor
Judge Narouzi but a judge

Edmonton Oilers
The names of clubs,
Royal Canadian Mounted
organizations, businesses,
Police (RCMP)
and their abbreviations
Tim Hortons
United Nations (UN)

14 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 The names of months, days
Monday
of the week, and holidays
December
Canada Day
Seasons are not
Thanksgiving Day
capitalized.

The important words in titles

The first and last word of a title are always capitalized.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book

Romeo and Juliet play
TV Guide magazine
The Globe and Mail newspaper
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? TV show
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” poem
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie

Don’t capitalize the following small words in titles:

short connecting words (or, and, but . . .), called

conjunctions
articles (a, an, the)
short prepositions (to, of, at, in . . .)

Abbreviations

Many abbreviations require capital letters, especially

place names and proper nouns.

Place Names Proper Nouns

BC NHL
SK UNESCO
EU FBI

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 15

 Salutations in a correspondence

Capitalize letter greetings and closings.

Greetings Closings

Dear Mom, Yours truly,

Dear Sandi, Sincerely yours,
Dear Sir or Your campmate,
Madam: With love,
To Whom It May
Concern:

School Subjects, Languages

Capitalize the name of a school subject when it is the
name of a specific course, but not when it is a general
subject area. For example, capitalize Physics 12 but not
a science course.

Capitalize the name of languages. For example, Canadians

speak English and French.

The names
of races, African American Italian cooking
languages, and Japanese Spanish music
nationalities and First Nations Aboriginal education
the adjectives
derived from
them

The names of
religions, the Christians Jewish holidays
adjectives derived Bible Koran
from them, the Buddhist temple Muslims
followers of each
religion, and their
sacred writings

16 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 The names of historical events, Middle Ages
documents, and periods of time Industrial Revolution
War of 1812

The geographic areas of the country

Do not capitalize north, south, east, and west when

referring to directions, unless they are part of a street
address or the name of specific region.

When jobs were scarce in the East Vancouver, the family

moved to West Vancouver.

If you walk north on West Street, you will find the correct
address.

I walked west along the path to reach the water.

Grammar on the Go!

A Punctuation 17
 More Capitalization

Correct this letter by underlining words that should be

capitalized.

Dear Mr. and mrs. Ford,

Thank you for the great time at Camp niagara
Falls. I could have stayed longer than just the
month of august. The activities were so fun,
especially when we got to go for a ride on
the model of the titanic.
It was great that you sent me that
Scholarship for Young canadians. I would
not have been able to come to ontario with-
out it.
I also really like the book you gave me, How
to Build a canoe.

with thanks,

Justin

18 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Colon
A colon is a piece of punctuation that has a number of
functions.

Uses of the Colon

I will bring the following:

To introduce items in a
pop, chips, napkins, and
long list
plates.

Dear Sir:
After the greeting in a
business letter To Whom It May Concern:

:
They have recess at 10:15.
To separate hours and
The plane departs at 14:10. minutes

The study revealed that cats

outnumbered dogs by 3:1. To express a ratio

Act III: Scene 2 is my To separate acts from

favourite part of the play. scenes in a play

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 19

 To set off dialogue for a play or other script

Principal: Kajra, why were you late this morning?

Kajra: The power went off, so I slept in.

To introduce a quotation if the introductory sentence can

stand by itself

Even the experts seem to agree: “One consistent

finding is that more than half the teenagers studied
wish they had more time for sleep.”

To introduce contrasting statements

It was useless to try pleasing him: he criticized

everything.

To separate a title from a subtitle

My new book is called Hot Stuff: One Hundred Ways

to Make Chili.

To highlight a situation, especially if it seems a bit

dramatic

Running along the cliff, the hiker knew he had only

one chance to escape from the charging beast:
jump.

20 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Colon

Decide whether a colon should be used in the highlighted

spaces. Print a Y in the space provided to indicate, “Yes,” there
should be a colon. Print an N to show that there is no need for
one, or that some other punctuation should be used.

To the Manager ___

I am very disappointed with some products I bought

at your store___After I brought them home, I
discovered a number of problems___the runners I
bought had a broken lace___the T-shirt had a stain
on the back___and the skateboard was missing a
wheel___I feel like I could write a book, Shopping’s
No Fun___ Everything’s Junk.

Please phone me any morning, no earlier than 8__30.

Thank you,
Chris Spaulding
250-555-1612

, :
8

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 21

22 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 Comma
A comma is a piece of punctuation that has a variety of uses,
but its purpose is mainly to keep words and ideas clear.

Uses of the Comma

es
address
2.
s a n d

1.
In dat e In the open
ings of
ed her friendly lett
m ot h e r receiv n
ers and in th
e
My
n c itiz enship o .
closings of a
ll letters
Canadia
c t o b e r 23, 1989
O
Monday, rt,
Dear Grandm
b o rn in Frankfu other,
She was Yours truly,
.
Germany

in

4.
items To separate initials fr
e
e p arat places surnames, and to
om
To s s and
3. e separate titles from
1. dat 8.
1, 190 ritis
h surnames
u l y , B
J ge
G e or Mitchell, W.O.
c e
Prin mbia
Colu James Brown, B.Sc.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 23

 Commas and Addresses

Place commas in the appropriate places in the addresses

below.

We could not find Singh’s house as the address is

11611 Seventy-First Street Surrey BC not 11611
Seventy-First Avenue Surrey BC.

Uses of the Comma (continued)

Between words or
groups of words in a My lunch contained sandwiches, an
series apple, cake, and one raw carrot.

Before a conjunction in a compound sentence

Commas are used to separate independent clauses
(clauses that can stand by themselves) in a compound
sentence.

A compound sentence contains clauses that are connected

by the words “and,” “but,” “or,” “nor,” “yet,” “so,” or “for.”
These words are called conjunctions.

Independent Clause Conjunction Independent Clause

The day felt chilly, but we went to the pool.
The dog licked my hand, and I knew I had to take her home.

Place the comma after the first clause and before the
conjunction.

24 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 To set off introductory words and phrases

Commas are used to set off introductory words or

phrases that cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Introductory Phrase Independent Clause

If I win the lottery, I will move lto Fiji.
While waiting for the bus, I fell asleep.

Commas

Place a comma into the correct position in the following

sentences.

1.  wanted to go to the movie but nothing

I
good was playing.

2.  finished my homework early so I could

I
enjoy my evening.

3.  lthough I ate a large breakfast I was

A
still hungry by noon.

4.  f you want to get to school on time you

I
must leave now.

5.  he street was filled with cars yet it

T
seemed really quiet.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 25

 Uses of the Comma (continued)

To separate adjectives before a noun

Trilby bought a shiny, new red sports car.

They looked out on the choppy, grey sea.

If the word “and” can be inserted between ideas, insert

a comma.

To set off words that interrupt the main idea of a sentence

My boss, for example, donated thousands of

dollars to charity last year.

Interrupters
by the way in fact for example
however incidentally furthermore
still of course

To set off appositives

An appositive is a word or phrase that adds extra
information about the noun that appears before it in a
sentence.

Noun Appositive
Leo, my youngest brother, was born on Canada Day.

The town of Kitchener, once known as Berlin, is in Ontario.

26 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 I have finished my lesson,
To set off the name of the
Miss Brown.
person addressed (spoken
to)
Close the door, Marion,
when you leave the room.

“I told you,” said the coach,

In quotations “to get to bed early the
night before a game.”

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 27

 Comma Use

Test your skill at inserting commas. Rewrite the sentences that

follow placing commas into the correct places:

1 . We arrived late but they did not come at all.

2 We arrived at seven and they came at eight.

3 If you take your time you will do well.

4 On page 11 of the textbook you will find the answer.

5 Mr. Burrough the school principal said a few words at the

meeting

28 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 6 Joan will you help me with this math problem?

7 I know I said I would do that Mother but I forgot.

8 Come here Boxer. Your dinner is in your dish.

9 “Today I quit smoking” announced my father.

10
I ordered eggs bacon toast jam pancakes syrup and
apple juice.

17

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 29

30 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 DASH
A dash, more commonly used in informal writing, has several
functions.

Uses of the Dash

The Black Stallion—my all-time

To show a break in
favourite book—was for sale at the
thought in a sentence
used bookstore.

Locating fresh water would mean

To set off information we stood a chance—our only
that is dramatic chance at surviving until our
rescuers could find us.

In place of the words I’ve decided to do more outdoor

that is, namely, in activities—riding my bike, hiking,
other words and roller-blading.

Language Arts, social studies,

To summarize or science, and math - all my
provide information academic subjects - seem to have
homework.

To create special
effects, interruptions, “I – er – uh – can’t remember
and sudden stops in – where we went,” Ravi cried.
speech

To enclose an He quickly picked up his toys—

interrupting word or ball, bat, glove, and bike—and
word group, especially hurried home.
when such a word
group contains comma

When used in this way, a dash is placed at the

beginning and the end of the word group.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 31

 Dash

Rewrite the following sentences placing dashes where

appropriate.

1. Our soccer team is planning an exchange to
Australia a place I’ve always wanted to visit.

2. There are so many things I hope to see

koalas, kangaroos, and all those colourful
parrots.

3. We plan to visit some of the cities Sydney,

Brisbane, and Cairns.

4. I’d also love to go to the beaches to learn

how to surf not to see any sharks!

32 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!


5. We’ll play the local teams some of them are
supposed to be very good.

6. We’ll stay in the homes of the players John,

Marko, and Kevin instead of having to pay
for hotels.

7. Of course, there’s one small detail that’s

standing in our way fundraising!

8. But as they say in Oz, “She’ll be ’right no

worries!”

10

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 33

34 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 End Punctuation
There are three types of end punctuation you can use: period,
exclamation mark, and question mark.

Uses of the Period

To mark the end of a sentence

The period marks the end of a statement, command, or

request.

A day has twenty-four hours. Sentence

Don’t forget to floss your teeth. Command
Please send me an application form. Request

If an abbreviation
is the last word in Don’t forget to bring your
a sentence, use only one toothbrush, sleeping bag,
period after it. change of clothes, etc.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 35

 Period

Add periods to the following sentences to ensure the end

punctuation is correct.

1. Dinner will be ready in five minutes

2. Combine one cup of water and two eggs in the

cake mix

3. The sun is burning hot today Unfortunately, I

forgot my sunscreen at home

4. The teacher asked me how many times I had tried

the question

5. I replied, “I’ve tried it three times”

6. The teacher looked at my homework and said, “It

looks like you got it right on the last try”

7. I will be leaving for my dance lesson at 3:30 p.m

and be there at 4:00

8. Before you leave for school, eat your breakfast,

brush your teeth, etc Be out of the house in time
for the bus

10

36 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Uses of the Exclamation Mark

To state something I can’t believe you ate that

astounding or unbelievable! entire watermelon!

To express sudden surprise, pain, or strong feelings

Eek! Oops! Surprise! Ouch! Fantastic!

At the end of strong commands Jump now!

Hit the deck!

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 37

 Exclamation Mark

Identify the letters that indicate where an exclamation mark

should be placed. For each identified letter, explain why you
would use an exclamation mark.

You know (a) it seems crazy, but I just

hung up the phone (b) from one of the
strangest phone calls of my life (c)
It was a radio station calling me (d)
to tell me that I’d won a contest (e)
But could I remember even entering
one of their contests (f) Still, they
had my name right, and said they’re
sending my prize next week (g) When
I told my brother, he just laughed and
slugged my shoulder, hooting, “Way to
go, Kid (h)”

38 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Question Mark
Uses of the Question Mark

After a direct question, an incomplete question, or a

statement intended as a question

Direct question Can you stay over at my house

on Friday night?

Incomplete question Really? For sure? Yes?

Intended question You’ve got the answer?

Punctuating with Question Marks

When punctuating dialogue, the question mark goes

inside or outside the quotation marks depending on the
situation.

The question mark goes The question mark goes

inside the quotation marks outside the quotation
because it is part of Emmalia’s marks here because the
question. question is Emmalia’s– not
Monica’s words in the
quotations.

Emmalia asked, “Do you Did I hear Monica correctly

believe Monica’s story?” when she said, “I’m going
to get my own TV show”?

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 39

 (Even though Emmalia And then Emmalia looked
is ‘wondering,’ there’s no at Reeta and thought, “I
question here, so there is no wonder if we should ask
question mark, just a period her.”
inside the quotation marks.)

Question Mark

Read this conversation and decide whether question marks are

needed or not. Indicate your answers with a Y (yes) or N (no).

“Have you ever been to Hawaii___ ” she
asked___

“No____ have you___”

“Unfortunately___” she replied, “only in my

dreams.”

“I wonder if we’ll ever get there___ Do you

know how much it costs____”

“No, but I’ll phone someone and ask___”

40 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 End Punctuation

Print in the correct end punctuation for each of the following

sentences.

1. Look at the eagle in the sky___

2. What time will the plane arrive___

3. Run quickly___

4. In the summer, I enjoy running, biking,

swimming, etc___

5. What movie are we going to see tonight___

6. Stop that noise, now___

7. We saw an orca while we were on the

ferry___or ___

8. Who set the table for dinner___

9. Look at the child run___

10. Please pass the salt and pepper___

10

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 41

42 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 hyphen
Hyphens are a form of punctuation used to join words or
divide words:

Uses of the Hyphen

In some compound words I got dizzy just watching the

children on the merry-go-
Not all compound
round.
words need hyphens,
so check the dictionary if My brother-in-law is a police
you’re not sure. officer.

He is an ex-hockey player.
With some prefixes and
some suffixes She was very non-specific in her
request.

Lord Baden-Powell established

To link names or other the Boy Scouts.
identifiers that belong
together My background is Chinese-
Canadian.

There are forty-two cars in the

In compound numbers parking lot.
from twenty-one to
ninety-nine My grandmother will be
seventy-seven next week.

Two-thirds of the school voted

Fractions, when written for me as class president.
out as words We still had three-quarters of a
tank of gas.

The fourteen-year-old dog was

When two or more words remarkably healthy.
are joined to form a single
adjective before the noun The mayor presented a
common-sense solution.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 43

 She wore a V-neck sweater to the
Nouns that follow a party.
single letter We went the wrong way so we had
to make a U-turn.

My doctor gave me an
To make long words anti-inflammatory for my swollen
clearer, especially ones knee.
that contain repeated
letters The rocket is about to re-enter the
atmosphere.

To create special B-b-but, that’s not what I meant!.

effects

Hyphen

Decide whether hyphens are needed. Show your response by

inserting a Y (yes) or an N (no).

My great____grandmother, who is a
hundred____and____one, won an all____
expense paid holiday to Mexico. She made
all____the plans and reservations herself, and
took along my half____ brother and his wife.
She told us that her favourite part was a
self____guided tour of the
Mayan____pyramids.

44 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Parentheses
Parentheses are a form of punctuation to be used around
words in a sentence to add or clarify information. Generally
anything placed in parentheses is considered to be less
important than anything outside of it.

To enclose an interrupting word or word group that

adds information, but does not change the meaning of a
sentence

There are two Vancouvers (in British Columbia and in

Washington) in the area sometimes called “Cascadia.”

Our teacher (a good-looking man in his 40s)

introduced himself.

To clarify an idea

My favourite teacher, Ms. Chan (the Ms. Chan who

teaches science), lives down the street from us.

To show equivalent measures or values

The Weather Network was predicting fifteen

centimetres (six inches) of snow.

To enclose directions and references

The comma (see Lesson 2) is often misused.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 45

 Punctuating Parentheses

Place punctuation inside the parentheses if it belongs

to the material in parentheses.

She made a weak excuse (“My dog ate it.”) for not
having finished her project.

Place punctuation outside the parentheses if it belongs

to the main sentence.

I thought the party was tonight (Saturday), not last

night.

: “” ? ; !

46 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Parentheses

Circle the choice that is correctly punctuated.

y a sk e
te a c
d his ateboard
k
h e r, “Do
2. (a) “No (
Mankiew
said Mr.
icz
(a )Gerr when the s as sounds li ,) but it
1.

ow d) w ke
be an int it would
you kn surfboar eresting
he
(not t d?” topic to
researc
e
invent e r, “D o
h.”
a c h
ke d his te te (b) “No,”
rr y a s (ska
e h e s sa
wa Mankiew id Mr.

(b) G w when t oard)
k n o u r fb icz, “but
you
n ot the s it sound
s like it

board d?”
e would be
invent interest
an
ing topic
researc to
h.”

,” said
a) “So tell me
4.

icz, “
Mr. Mankiew
tly)
(looking inten
pell
how did you s
ou r
3. (a) “No (said Mr. Mankiewicz,) “I’ve
already searched,” (all over the
the word in y
search?”
Internet) said Gerry exaggerat-
ing slightly, “but I keep finding (b) “So tell m
e,” said
icz
websites about women’s clothes.”
Mr. Mankiew
tly),
(looking inten
spell
“how did you
(b) “I’ve already searched all ou r
the word in y
over the Internet,” said Gerry search?”

(exaggerating slightly), “but I
keep finding websites about
women’s clothes.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 47

 5. (a) “Look right

here (near the top
of the screen).


6. (a) “Do you re
way you shou
ally think tha
ld spell ‘board
t’s the
What’s wrong with asked, (kindly ’?” he
.)
that?”
(b) “Do you r
(b) “Look right eally think th
way you shou at’s the
here near the top ld spell ‘board
g1_mod2_sb_11.eps
of the screen?
asked kindly. ’?” he

(What’s wrong with

that?)
y ( s o u nding
rr
o p s, ” said Ge onder I
(a) “O no w
7.

a rr a s sed), “
e mb at I di
d.”
n d w h
fou

G erry
“O o p s,” s a id
a s s e d ,) “no
(b) rr
u n d in g emba hat I did.”
(so nd w
o n d e r I fou
w

8. (a) “Can you figure out what

Gerry’s error was?” asked Mr.
Smart.

(b) (Can you figure out what
Gerry’s error was?) asked Mr.
Smart.

( (
8

48 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are like bookends; they work in pairs.
Quotation marks indicate direct quotations, enclosing the
exact words of a speaker, and are also used in a few other
special situations.

Uses of Quotation Marks

To enclose the exact words of the speaker

Quotation marks show the beginning and end of a

speaker’s words.

Joe said, “Where is the canoe?”

“What did Robert want?” she asked.

The groom replied, “I do.”

Chris asked, “What are you doing this weekend?”

The announcer shouted, “It’s the winning goal!”

Acknowledging Sources

When you’re reporting a fact from another source,

enclose the exact quoted words in quotation marks.
The quotation marks show that the words are not your own.

According to the movie critic at my favourite web

site, the new film’s special effects are “completely
mind-boggling.”

In his book, Creatures of the Earth, Dr. Hiram Pfisher

claims, “Considering their size, tortoises are the
slowest-moving animals on the planet.”

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 49

 Punctuating Quotations

Place periods and commas inside quotation marks.

 P
 lace question marks and exclamation marks inside if
they are part of the quotation and outside if they are
part of the main sentence.

? is part of quotation ? is part of main sentence

The nurse approached her Did the teacher really say, “You
bedside and quietly asked, don’t have any homework over
“How are you feeling today?” the Spring Break”?

Every time the speaker changes, start a on new line so

that your reader can follow the dialogue.

A woman’s voice said, “Hi, Sharanna. This is Ingrid

Hallstram.”

“Oh, hi. How are you?”

“I’m fine,” said Ingrid. “Can you baby-sit tonight?”

50 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Quotation Marks

Insert quotation marks in the correct places in the following

passage.

Mother called out, Jordy, will you please

clean your room?

Jordy pretended not to hear, and muttered

to himself, Not now. I’m busy with this
game.

I know you’re down there. Please come

upstairs now, she summoned again.

He whispered instead to the flashing

characters on the screen, Come on – faster
– you’re almost there!

Mother’s voice came from the top of the

stairs. Jordy, get up here right now or you’re
grounded!

Okay, okay, yelled Jordy. I’m coming!

And more quietly, to himself and the team of

Neural Fighters, he hissed, I’ll be back.

16

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 51

 Other Uses of Quotation Marks

To enclose titles of short They sang “O Canada” before

works, including short the hockey game.
stories, essays, poems, or
any work that is not of Amazingly, I once memorized
book length “The Cremation of Sam
McGee” by Robert Service.

Use quotation marks I decided to turn out the light

to identify titles of and go to sleep when I saw
short works, such as that the next chapter was “The
poems, songs, or book Monster Returns from the
chapters. Dead.”

In Lesson 2, you read the poem

“The Road Less Travelled.”

Even when I’ve spelled it right,

To emphasize a word in a
the word “February” always
sentence
looks wrong.

My cousin drives me crazy,

saying everything is “brilliant”
all the time.

In poetry, the term

To enclose a technical
“alliteration” refers to the
term or to define a word
repetition of beginning letters
of words.

Do you know that the word

“piano” means “soft”?

To enclose slang
expressions
That ring looks like it’s got a lot
of “bling.”

52 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 More Quotations

Insert quotation marks into the proper places in the following

sentences.

1. We read the poem Ode to a Grecian Urn in

English today.

2. Our teacher suggested that we don’t use the

word ain’t in formal writing.

3. The meaning of the term pun is difficult to

explain.

4. The word awesome was stuck in my head all

day long.

5. I downloaded the new song Happy Today by

the band Slang.

10

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 53

 Quotations within Quotations

If you need to put a quote inside another quotation, use

single quotation marks

“My little sister,” she giggled, “is so silly. She made up new
words to ‘Happy Birthday’ for my brother’s party.”

Janey said, “I distinctly heard Dad reply, ‘No!’ when Bill

asked if he could have the car.”

Quotations within Quotations

Rewrite the following sentences in the space provided

inserting quotations and commas as needed.

1.

The class representative reported, When I talked to
the Students’ Council, the President said We will have
a dance before the of the year.

2. Our English teacher stated We will study the poem Fish

by Elizabeth Bishop.

54 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 3. Mila announced The phrase quid pro quo comes from
Latin, meaning this for that.

4. Mom replied Dad said No way when I suggested we go to

Disneyland next week.

5. After visiting The Louvre, Aubin said My favourite

painting is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

20

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 55

56 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 Semicolon
A semicolon introduces a longer pause than a comma. It can
be tricky to use correctly so save it for the following special
situations.

Uses of the Selmicolon

To connect sentences that

are closely related Some people like ketchup
with their fries; others prefer
The semicolon can vinegar.
connect two
complete sentences that are It hadn’t rained for sixty days;
closely related. In these the farmers were desperate for
examples, the semicolon is water.
a better choice than the
period. I am getting cold; I wish that
they’d turn up the heat.
Avoid using a
semicolon if short
joining words, such as and,
but or or are used between
complete sentences.
Be here by three o’clock at the
latest; otherwise, we will not
wait.
To separate a statement
from its explanation We suffered many indignities;
for example, all of our pockets
were turned inside out.

In place of a coordinate The sun was rising; we had to

conjunction to show move.
cause and effect

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 57

 To separate items in a
series In one afternoon at the beach,
the Kids’ Environmental Clean-
Like the comma, Up Crew filled ten bags with
the semicolon can aluminum cans, glass, and
be used to separate garbage; cleaned the storm
items in a series if the drain; and removed graffiti
items already contain from the information kiosk.
commas. The semicolon
helps the reader When we went on holiday, we
understand where the visited relatives in Drumheller,
breaks in the list should Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan;
be. Flin Flon, Manitoba; and
Thunder Bay, Ontario.

It can also be used to The camp counsellor told us

separate items in a what to pack: toothbrush and
list, especially if the toothpaste; an extra pair of
list is headed by a socks; a bottle of water; and
colon. some kind of protein snack.

58 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!

 Semicolon

Put a semicolon in the correct places in the following

sentences.

The principal looked serious as she spoke to the

assembly Her voice was low and quiet

however everyone was listening carefully. She

clutched a pile of papers and held them up,

one at a time for all to see: a picture of some

sunbeams by Richard in Grade Two a perfect

math test, written by Kylie in Grade Five and a

story that was going to be published in a

magazine. She read out the name of the author

of the story my face turned red when I

realized that I had written the story.

Grammar on the Go! Punctuation 59

60 Punctuation Grammar on the Go!
 Grammar
on the Go!

Answer Key

Grammar on the Go! Answer Key

 Punctuation

Abbreviations p. 6

RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police

p.m. Time from noon to midnight
AOL American Online
UN United Nations
Dr. Doctor
BC British Columbia
IE Internet Explorer
Ex. For example
Jr. Junior
AB Alberta

Apostrophes p. 8

When we went to my ( Auntie Petunia’s Auntie Petunias’ )

house, I discovered I’d been elected to look after my twin
( nephews nephew’s ), a pair of seven-year-olds. We
( were’nt weren’t ) allowed to watch TV or use the comput-
er, so I had to think of something fast. Luckily, I remembered
an easy card game called ( 7s High 7’s High ). Charlie and
Blake are smart, so it was easy to teach them the ( games
game’s ) rules. It was a good thing ( I’d Id ) brought along
my own deck of cards, as I ( wouldnt’ve wouldn’t have )
known where to look for them at someone ( elses else’s )
house.

More Apostrophes p. 9

1. couldn’t
2. didn’t
3. people’s
4. couldn’t
5. da Vinci’s
6. world’s

Grammar on the Go! Answer Key 1

 Capitalization p.12

1. A – My grandmother works as a doctor.

2. A – When I was little, I called her Aunt Louisa.
3. B – Once, she jumped into the icy river to rescue a boy.
4. B – It was winter, and part of the water was frozen.
5. A – Some people had been skating there, practising for
the Junior Olympics.
6. B – When the boy fell through the ice, the coach
panicked.
7. A – Our teacher saved the boy’s life and won the Governor
General’s Medal.
8. B – Sometimes I want to say to him, “I’m so proud of you,
Dad!”

More Capitalization p.18

Dear Mr. and mrs. Ford,

Thank you for the great time at Camp niagara Falls. I could
have stayed longer than just the month of august. The
activities were so fun, especially when we got to go for a ride
on the model of the titanic.
It was great that you sent me that Scholarship for Young
canadians. I would not have been able to come to ontario
without it.
I also really like the book you gave me, How to Build a canoe.
with thanks,
Justin

Colon p.21

To the Manager Y
I am very disappointed with some products I bought at your
store N After I brought them home, I discovered a number
of problems Y the runners I bought had a broken lace N the
T-shirt had a stain on the back N and the skateboard was
missing a wheel N I feel like I could write a book, Shopping’s
No Fun Y Everything’s Junk.
Please phone me any morning, no earlier than 8 Y 30.

Thank you,
Chris Spaulding
250-555-1612

2 Answer Key Grammar on the Go!

 Commas and Addresses p.24

1. We could not find Singh’s house as the address is 11611

Seventy-First Street, Surrey, BC not 11611 Seventy-First
Avenue, Surrey, BC.

Commas p.25

1. I wanted to go to the movie, but nothing good was

playing.
2. I finished my homework early, so I could enjoy my
evening.
3. Although I ate a large breakfast, I was still hungry by
noon.
4. If you want to get to school on time, you must leave now.
5. The street was filled with cars, yet it seemed really quiet.

Comma Use p.28

1. We arrived late, but they did not come at all.

2. We arrived at seven, and they came at eight.
3. If you take your time, you will do well.
4. On page 11 of the textbook, you will find the answer.
5. Mr. Burrough, the school principal, said a few words at
the meeting.
6. Joan, will you help me with this math problem?
7. I know I said I would do that, Mother, but I forgot.
8. Come here, Boxer. Your dinner is in your dish.
9. “Today I quit smoking,” announced my father.
10. I ordered eggs, bacon, toast, jam, pancakes, syrup, and
apple juice.

Grammar on the Go! Answer Key 3

 Dash p.32

1. Our soccer team is planning an exchange to Australia – a

place I’ve always wanted to visit.
2. There are so many things I hope to see – koalas,
kangaroos, and all those colourful parrots.
3. We plan to visit some of the cities – Sydney, Brisbane,
and Cairns.
4. I’d also love to go to the beaches – to learn how to surf
– not to see any sharks!
5. We’ll play the local teams – some of them are supposed
to be very good.
6. We’ll stay in the homes of the players – John, Marko,
and Kevin - instead of having to pay for hotels.
7. Of course, there’s one small detail that’s standing in our
way – fundraising! But as they say in Oz, “She’ll be ’right
– no worries!”

Period p.36

1. Dinner will be ready in five minutes.

2. Combine one cup of water and two eggs in the cake
mix.
3. The sun is burning hot today. Unfortunately, I forgot my
sunscreen at home.
4. The teacher asked me how many times I had tried the
question.
5. I replied, “I’ve tried it three times.”
6. The teacher looked at my homework and said, “It looks
like you got it right on the last try.”
7. I will be leaving for my dance lesson at 3:30 p.m. and be
there at 4:00.
8. Before you leave for school, eat your breakfast, brush
your teeth, etc. Be out of the house in time for the bus.

4 Answer Key Grammar on the Go!

 Exclamation Mark p.38

1. C – To emphasize surprise at how strange the phone call

was.
2. E – To indicate surprise at winning the contest.
3. G – To indicate excitement at receiving the prize.
4. H – to emphasize excitement in the brother’s voice

Question Mark p.40

“Have you ever been to Hawaii Y ” she asked N

“No N have you Y ”
“Unfortunately N ” she replied, “only in my dreams.”
“I wonder if we’ll ever get there N Do you know how much
it costs Y ”
“No, but I’ll phone someone and ask N ”

End Punctuation p.41

1. Look at the eagle in the sky.

2. What time will the plane arrive?
3. Run quickly!
4. In the summer, I enjoy running, biking, swimming, etc.
5. What movie are we going to see tonight?
6. Stop that noise, now!
7. We saw an orca while we were on the ferry. or !
8. Who set the table for dinner?
9. Look at the child run!
10. Please pass the salt and pepper.

Hyphen p.44

My great Y grandmother, who is a hundred N and N one,

won an all Y expense paid holiday to Mexico. She made all N
the plans and reservations herself, and took along my half Y
brother and his wife. She told us that her favourite part was a
self Y guided tour of the Mayan N pyramids.

Grammar on the Go! Answer Key 5

 Parentheses p.47

1. (a) G
 erry asked his teacher, “Do you know when the
skateboard (not the surfboard) was invented?”
2. (b) “No,” said Mr. Mankiewicz, “but it sounds like it
would be an interesting topic to research.”
3. (b) “I’ve already searched all over the Internet,” said
Gerry (exaggerating slightly), “but I keep finding
websites about women’s clothes.”
4. (b) “So tell me,” said Mr. Mankiewicz (looking intently),
“how did you spell the word in your search?”
5. (a) “Look right here (near the top of the screen). What’s
wrong with that?”
6. (b) “Do you really think that’s the way you should spell
‘board’?” he asked kindly.
7. (a) “Oops,” said Gerry (sounding embarrassed), “no
wonder I found what I did.”
8. (a) “Can you figure out what Gerry’s error was?” asked
Mr. Smart.

Quotation Marks p.51

Mother called out, “Jordy, will you please clean your room?”
Jordy pretended not to hear, and muttered to himself, “Not
now. I’m busy with this game.”
“I know you’re down there. Please come upstairs now,” she
summoned again.
He whispered instead to the flashing characters on the
screen, “Come on – faster – you’re almost there!” Mother’s
voice came from the top of the stairs.
“Jordy, get up here right now or you’re grounded!”
“Okay, okay,” yelled Jordy. “I’m coming!”
And more quietly, to himself and the team of Neural
Fighters, he hissed, “I’ll be back.”

Answer Key Grammar on the Go!

 More Quotations p.53

1. We read the poem “Ode to a Grecian Urn” in English

today.
2. Our teacher suggested that we don’t use the word
“ain’t” in formal writing.
3. The meaning of the term “pun” is difficult to explain.
4. The word “awesome” was stuck in my head all day long.
5. I downloaded the new song “Happy Today” by the band
Slang.

Quotations within Quotations p.54

1. The class representative reported, “When I talked to the

Students’ Council, the President said, ‘We will have a
dance before the end of the year.’”
2. Our English teacher stated, “We will study the poem
‘Fish’ by Elizabeth Bishop.”
3. Mila announced, “The phrase ‘quid pro quo’ comes from
the Latin, meaning ‘this for that.’”
4. Mom replied, “Dad said, ‘No way,’ when I suggested we
go to Disneyland next week.”
5. After visiting The Louvre, Aubin said, “My favorite
painting is the ‘Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo da Vinci.”

Semicolon p.59

The principal looked serious as she spoke to the assembly__

Her voice was low and quiet; however__ everyone was lis-
tening carefully. She clutched a pile of papers__ and held
them up, one at a time__ for all to see: a picture of some
sunbeams by Richard in Grade Two; a perfect math test,
written by Kylie in Grade Five; and a story that was going to
be published in a magazine. She read out the name of the
author of the story; my face turned red when I realized that I
had written the story.

Grammar on the Go! Answer Key 7