Tag: punctuation

Punctuation and Capitals – Standard 3 English

Aven Brisail1 Comment

What you will learn

  • Use capitals for a sentence start, the word I, and names.
  • Use commas in a list and in speech.
  • Use apostrophes and quotation marks correctly.

Punctuation tells a reader where to pause, who is speaking, and who owns something. Capitals mark a start, the word I, and proper nouns such as Mayaro, Asha and Saturday.

A comma can separate items in a list: fish, seaweed and crab. In speech, a comma often separates the spoken words from said Asha.

An apostrophe can show that a letter was left out, as in do not becoming don’t, or that one person owns something, as in Asha’s rope. Quotation marks hold the exact words someone said.

Capitals

Start every sentence with a capital. The word I is always a capital. Names of people and places are proper nouns and take capitals: Malik, Uncle Ravi, Mayaro, Tobago.

Days and months take capitals: Saturday, March. Ordinary words do not. Beach, net and crab stay lower case unless they start a sentence.

A title of a story takes capitals for the main words: The Crab in the Net.

Worked example 1

Fix the capitals: “on saturday asha went to mayaro.”

Show me how

On starts the sentence.

Saturday, Asha and Mayaro are names of a day, a person and a place.

The sentence is: On Saturday Asha went to Mayaro.

Commas and speech

In a list of three or more, put a comma between the items. The word and can come before the last item: silver fish, seaweed and a crab.

When speech comes first, put a comma inside the quotation marks before the closing mark if the sentence continues with said. “We came for fish,” said Asha.

When the speaker is named first, put a comma before the quotation: Asha said, “We came for fish.” The spoken sentence still needs its own full stop inside the marks.

Worked example 2

Where does the comma go in Asha’s speech about the fish?

Show me how

The spoken words are We came for fish.

The tag said Asha comes after.

Write: “We came for fish,” said Asha.

Apostrophes

A contraction joins two words and hides a letter. Do not becomes don’t. It is becomes it’s. The apostrophe sits where the letters left.

Its without an apostrophe shows ownership: the net and its rope. It’s with an apostrophe means it is. This pair is a classic mix-up.

One owner takes an apostrophe and s: Asha’s palms. Do not use an apostrophe just because a word is plural. Crabs means more than one crab. Crab’s would mean belonging to one crab.

Watch out! A common mistake

A common mistake is to put quotation marks around a whole paragraph that is not speech, or to write its when you mean it is.

Try it

TRY ITPunctuation lab

Let’s practise

Work each one in your copybook. Open Hint if you are stuck, then open Show answer to check.

1. Fix the capitals: mayaro is in trinidad.

Hint

Sentence start and places.

Show answer

Mayaro is in Trinidad.

2. Add the list comma: mangoes bananas and limes.

Hint

Comma after the first item.

Show answer

Mangoes, bananas and limes.

3. Write the speech: We came for fish. The speaker is Asha, named after the words.

Hint

Comma inside the quotes.

Show answer

“We came for fish,” said Asha.

4. Write the contraction of do not.

Hint

A letter is missing.

Show answer

Don’t.

5. Choose its or it’s: ___ time to pull.

Hint

It means it is.

Show answer

It’s time to pull.

6. Choose its or it’s: The net lost ___ rope.

Hint

The rope belongs to the net.

Show answer

The net lost its rope.

7. Why is crab’s wrong if you mean more than one crab?

Hint

Plural or owner?

Show answer

More than one crab is crabs, with no apostrophe.

8. What do quotation marks hold?

Hint

Think of speech.

Show answer

The exact words someone said.

Quiz

Lesson quiz: 10 questions

Answer every question, then press Check my answers. Score 8 or more to earn the Punctuation Pro badge.

Recap

  • Capitalise the start, I, and proper nouns.
  • Use commas in lists and with said.
  • It’s means it is. Its shows ownership.
  • Quotation marks hold exact speech. Plurals do not need an apostrophe.

Words to know

capital letter
A large letter used for starts, I, and names.
Example: Mayaro starts with a capital letter.
comma
A mark that separates parts of a sentence or items in a list.
Example: The list used a comma.
apostrophe
A mark for a missing letter or for ownership.
Example: Don’t uses an apostrophe.
quotation marks
Marks that hold the exact words someone said.
Example: Asha’s words sat inside quotation marks.

Try it at home

  • Copy a short family conversation as two lines of speech with said.
  • Hunt for its and it’s in a page of a book and say which is which.
  • Write a shopping list as one sentence with commas.

Test tips

Tips for class tests

  • Say the sentence aloud. The pauses often show where commas go.
  • If you can replace the word with it is, use it’s.
  • Check names and sentence starts in a last-minute capitals sweep.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

  • Capitalise a sentence with a day, a person and a place.
  • Punctuate one line of speech.
  • Choose its or it’s in three sentences and explain.

Speech punctuation in this lesson uses the comma-inside pattern taught above. If a school sheet uses a slightly different house style, follow the sheet for that test and keep this pattern for the course.

Quiz scores and badges are saved only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere. If the browser data is cleared, or another device is used, the badges will be lost.

Previous: Poetry: Imagery, Simile, Metaphor and Personification
Next: Sentence Types: Simple and Compound Sentences
Course: Standard 3 English

Updates

2026/11/06
– Published this lesson and linked the previous and next lessons.
– First draft of this English lesson, with a hands-on lab, practice, quiz badge and worksheet.

Attributions to media used in this post:

No third-party pictures or recordings. The diagrams in the activity are original drawings for this lesson.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

Neat Handwriting and Capital Letters – Infants 2 English

Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Neat handwriting helps everyone read your work. Today we practise our letters and learn when to use capital letters.

Get ready to write

  • Sit up straight with feet flat on the floor.
  • Hold the pencil between your thumb and first finger, resting on your middle finger.
  • Hold the paper still with your other hand.
  • Start letters at the top and go down.

Tall, small and tail letters

Some letters are tall (b, d, h, k, l, t). Some are small (a, c, e, m, n, o). Some have a tail that goes below the line (g, j, p, q, y). Keep your small letters the same size.

When do we use capital letters?

  • at the start of every sentence: The dog ran.
  • for the word I
  • for names of people and pets: Keisha, Rover
  • for places: Trinidad and Tobago, San Fernando
  • for days and months: Monday, August
  • for festivals and special days: Divali, Eid, Christmas, Carnival

Ending a sentence

A telling sentence ends with a full stop ( . ). An asking sentence ends with a question mark ( ? ).

TRY ITWrite it neatly

Choose a game. Trace with your finger or a mouse.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Fix it: “ravi lives in arima.”

Show answer

Ravi lives in Arima.

2. Which letters have tails below the line? Name two.

Show answer

Any two of g, j, p, q, y.

3. Does “thursday” need a capital?

Show answer

Yes: Thursday.

4. Add the mark: “Do you like rice”

Show answer

Do you like rice?

5. Write your full name with capital letters at the start.

Show answer

For example: Aaliyah Mohammed.

Quick check

1. Name three things that always start with a capital letter.

Show answer

Any three: the start of a sentence, I, names, places, days, months, festivals.

2. Which mark ends an asking sentence?

Show answer

A question mark.

3. Where do we start most letters?

Show answer

At the top.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

capital letter · small letter · full stop · question mark · sentence · tall letter · tail

Try it at home

  • Write a shopping list with a grown-up. Check the capital letters on brand names.
  • Practise letters in sand, flour or with a wet finger on a chalkboard.
  • Write the names of everyone in your family, each starting with a capital.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

  • hold a pencil correctly and sit well for writing
  • form upper- and lower-case letters and numbers neatly with the right starting point, direction and size
  • use capital letters for sentence starts, I, names, places, days, months and festivals
  • end sentences with a full stop or question mark

Short, frequent practice (5 minutes) beats long sessions. Tracing on screen is a warm-up; real pencil-and-paper practice matters most.

Previous: Stories and Poems: Anansi and Friends
Next: Building Sentences

Updates

2026/10/05
– Fixed the answer buttons so capital and small letters show correctly.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.