by melaniewp | Jul 10, 2013 | Full Stops, Punctuation
When should you use a full stop in the middle of a sentence? When you’ve cut a word short and the last letter remaining is not the original one. For example:January > Jan. (the y is cut off)et cetera > etc. (the a is cut off)id est (Lat....
by melaniewp | Jul 8, 2013 | Colon, GCSE, IGCSE, KS3, Punctuation, Punctuation Exercises, SPAG
The colon is often used before a list of:ingredients;things to bring;things to do;and more. It is usually used for emphasis, when the list of items needs to stand out. It isn’t always used for every list. Sometimes, when you’ve been running, leaping,...
by melaniewp | Jul 3, 2013 | Apostrophes, Capital Letters, Colon, Full Stops, Punctuation, Punctuation Exercises
Oh no! The Headmaster at Cox Academy for the Criminally Gifted is trying to email parents but has forgotten how to use punctuation! Can you help him?idear mr and mrs bigginsi regret to inform you that some boys have set fire to their form tutors hair here at cox...
by melaniewp | Jun 26, 2013 | Apostrophes, Punctuation, Punctuation Exercises
This is an apostrophe exercise I wrote for my sixth form student who appreciates my strange sense of humour. Please note that it may give small children nightmares.You are looking for two types:[1] possessive -‘s – something belongs[2] it is, it has >...
by melaniewp | Jun 19, 2013 | English Language Exam, GCSE, Grammar, IGCSE, Punctuation, SPAG, Spelling
Ever wondered how do examiners mark spelling, punctuation and grammar in English exams?Imagine this: an examiner, sitting at a screen, marking your script, scoring one essay every few minutes. They’re looking for great writing, and also for accuracy. A few...
by melaniewp | Apr 29, 2013 | 11+, Common Entrance, Fragments, GCSE, Grammar, IGCSE, KS3, Punctuation, Technical Terms, Writing
A Fragment – is ‘an incomplete sentence’. In other words, it’s a sentence without a subject or a verb. What is the effect of using a fragment?[1] Sometimes this gives the effect of confusion, ragged thoughts. The incompleteness...
