Contractions (I am -> I'm)
Punctuation Rules
About Reference exercises
Contractions and punctuation are the focus here. The exercises run from A2 to B2 and use multiple choice and gap fill. The topics are contractions, apostrophes, commas, semicolons, colons, hyphens, dashes, question marks, exclamation marks and ellipsis, so one place holds most of the written marks you need.
Many punctuation mistakes come from a small set of rules. An apostrophe shows a missing letter (it's means it is) or possession (the dog's bowl). Its without an apostrophe is the possessive form: The dog wagged its tail. A comma separates items in a list and comes before a coordinating conjunction that joins two full clauses. A comma alone cannot join two clauses, which gives a comma splice. A semicolon can join two related clauses, and a colon introduces a list or an explanation. Hyphens join words in compound adjectives such as well-known author. Em dashes and en dashes are different marks with different jobs. Read the rule in the feedback, then check your own writing for the same pattern. Use the A2 exercises first if contractions are new to you.
- Expanding and forming contractions (I am to I'm)
- Apostrophes: possession or contraction
- Commas in lists and the comma splice
- Semicolons and colons
- Hyphens, en dashes and em dashes
- Question marks, exclamation marks and ellipsis