Punctuation & Grammar Rules

<p>Correct punctuation and grammar are essential for clear writing. In the 11+ exam, mistakes in these areas can cost you marks even if your ideas are good. This guide covers the rules you need to know and the most common errors to avoid.</p>

<h2>Capital Letters</h2>

<p>Use a capital letter for:</p>

<ul>

<li>The start of every sentence</li>

<li>The pronoun "I"</li>

<li>Proper nouns: names of people (Emily), places (London), days (Monday), months (September)</li>

<li>Titles: Mr, Mrs, Dr, Queen</li>

</ul>

<h2>Full Stops, Question Marks, and Exclamation Marks</h2>

<p>Every sentence must end with one of these. Use a question mark only for actual questions. Use exclamation marks sparingly — one per piece of writing is usually enough. Overusing them makes your writing look breathless.</p>

<h2>Commas</h2>

<p>Commas have several jobs:</p>

<ul>

<li><strong>Lists:</strong> "I packed a coat, a hat, gloves, and a scarf."</li>

<li><strong>After a fronted adverbial:</strong> "Carefully, she opened the lid." "Later that day, they returned."</li>

<li><strong>Before a conjunction in a compound sentence:</strong> "She wanted to go, but the rain was heavy."</li>

<li><strong>Around extra information (parenthesis):</strong> "The dog, a golden retriever, wagged its tail."</li>

</ul>

<h2>Apostrophes</h2>

<p><strong>For contractions (missing letters):</strong> do not → don't, I am → I'm, they are → they're. The apostrophe goes where the missing letter(s) were.</p>

<p><strong>For possession:</strong> "the cat's tail" (the tail belonging to one cat), "the cats' tails" (the tails belonging to more than one cat). If the plural does not end in s, add 's: "the children's toys."</p>

<p><strong>Common mistake:</strong> "its" (belonging to it) has NO apostrophe. "It's" means "it is." This trips up many students.</p>

<h2>Speech Marks (Inverted Commas)</h2>

<p>Use speech marks around the exact words spoken. The punctuation goes inside the speech marks. Start a new line for each new speaker.</p>

<p>Example: "I can't believe it!" gasped Tom.<br>"Believe what?" asked Sarah.</p>

<h2>Colons and Semicolons</h2>

<p>A <strong>colon</strong> introduces a list or an explanation: "She needed three things: courage, patience, and luck."</p>

<p>A <strong>semicolon</strong> links two closely related sentences: "The sun was setting; the sky turned a deep orange."</p>

<h2>Common Grammar Errors</h2>

<p><strong>Their / There / They're:</strong> "their" = belonging to them, "there" = a place, "they're" = they are.</p>

<p><strong>Your / You're:</strong> "your" = belonging to you, "you're" = you are.</p>

<p><strong>To / Too / Two:</strong> "to" = direction or part of a verb, "too" = also or excessively, "two" = the number 2.</p>

<p><strong>Were / Where / We're:</strong> "were" = past tense of "are," "where" = a place, "we're" = we are.</p>

<h2>Subject-Verb Agreement</h2>

<p>The verb must match the subject. "The dog runs" (singular), "The dogs run" (plural). A common trap: "The box of chocolates was on the table" (not "were" — the subject is "box," not "chocolates").</p>

<h2>Sentence Types</h2>

<ul>

<li><strong>Simple:</strong> one clause — "The cat sat on the mat."</li>

<li><strong>Compound:</strong> two main clauses joined by and, but, or, so — "The cat sat on the mat, and the dog lay by the fire."</li>

<li><strong>Complex:</strong> a main clause and a subordinate clause — "Although it was raining, the cat sat on the mat."</li>

</ul>

<h2>Practice Tips</h2>

<ul>

<li>Proofread every piece of writing specifically for punctuation — read it once for meaning and once just for punctuation</li>

<li>Test yourself on their/there/they're and your/you're weekly until you never get them wrong</li>

<li>Read published books and notice where commas, colons, and speech marks are used</li>

<li>Try writing three sentences about the same topic using simple, compound, and complex structures</li>

</ul>