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Para educadores: slides de aula, resumos de revisão prontos para usar de Accurate punctuation (English Language, Writing) — use na sua aula ou rode o tópico como atividade interativa de turma que seus aprendizes jogam como um jogo ao vivo.
Every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
A comma splice joins two main clauses with only a comma ("It was late, we went home"). Fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a conjunction ("It was late, so we went home").
Repair the comma splice
Commas
Commas separate list items and may mark introductory adverbials where they aid clarity. A short introduction such as “Today we leave” may not require a comma.
Enclose supplementary information with paired commas: “My brother, who is ten, plays chess.” A defining clause identifies its noun and is not set off in the same way: “The brother who lives nearby plays chess.”
A comma before a coordinating conjunction often helps separate two independent clauses; short unambiguous clauses may not need it. Never place a comma between a subject and its verb merely because you pause there.
Apostrophes
Contraction: shows missing letters ("don't", "it's" = it is).
Possession: singular owner adds 's ("the dog's bone"); plural ending in s adds only an apostrophe ("the girls' coats"); irregular plurals add 's ("the children's toys").
Possessive “its” has no apostrophe; “it’s” means “it is” or “it has”. Ordinary plurals take no apostrophe: “apples”, not “apple’s”.
Apostrophes change meaning
Direct speech
Use inverted commas around the spoken words, with punctuation inside, and start a new line for a new speaker: "Come here," she said.
Other punctuation
A colon can introduce a list or explanation after a complete clause. A semicolon can link related independent clauses or separate complex list items. Paired dashes and brackets can enclose an aside. An ellipsis may mark trailing speech, hesitation or omitted quoted material.
Use a complete opening clause
Slides
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