CBSE Class 8 English Chapter 26 Punctuations And Capital Letters
A) Punctuations or punctuation marks lend clarity to our writing. Without them we can misunderstand the meaning of the sentence.
B) The following are the principal punctuation marks
- Full stop (.)
- Comma (,)
- Semicolon (;)
- Colon (:)
- Question Mark (?)
- Exclamation Mark (!)
- Inverted Commas (“ ”)
- Apostrophe (’)
- Dash (-)
- Hyphen (-)
C) l. The Full Stop (.): It is the longest pause.
He reached home safely (.)
Full Stops were used after abbreviations — M.L.A., M.A. but now they are omitted.
2. Comma (,) : It is the shortest pause, and is used :
- To separate two or more parts of speech that come together like health, wealth, and peace or a series of words in the same construction; as,
- He lived wisely, peacefully, and honestly.
He wrote quickly, neatly and accurately. - To mark off words in apposition; as,
Alexander, the great conqueror of the world, died at the age of thirty two only. - To separate each pair of words connected by and; as,
Rich and poor, high and low, young and old, all must die. - To avoid repetition of a verb; as,
Hariprasad Chaurasia is a musician, Lata Mangeshkar, a singer. - To mark off words used in addressing people; as,
Sir, may I drink water? Santosh, where were you last night? - To separate words, phrases or clauses in a sentence; as,
Truth is, after all, the most important thing.
He, nevertheless, succeeded in persuading his brother to join the firm. - To separate a Subordinate Adverb Clause from the rest of the sentence; as,
If you have a cycle, please lend it to me for a while.
We only start when you are ready. - To separate short coordinate clauses of a compound sentence; as,
Men may come, men may go, but I go on forever. - To mark off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence.
Shayam said to me, “Beware of thieves!”
“Alice,” said John, “is a chatter box!”
“Go away,” he said to his sons, “and earn money with your own efforts.”
3. The Semicolon (;) : It represents a pause of greater importance than a comma :
- To separate the clauses of a compound sentence, if they contain commas; as,
As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;
as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him. - To separate a series of loosely connected clauses; as,
God gave her peace; her land reposed.
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; writing an exact man.
4. The Colon (:) : It represents a pause still longer than that indicated by a semicolon. It is used.
- Before enumeration; as,
J.K. Rowling’s Potter series are : Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Golden Goblet, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows. - To introduce a quotation; as,
Bacon says: “Reading maketh a full man.”
5. The Note of Interrogation (?) : It is used in Direct questions; it should not be used in Indirect Speech; as,
She said, “Who are you?”
Why is she not at home?
6. The Note of Exclamation (!) : It is used after Interjection, Exclamatory phrases and Exclamatory sentences; as,
Alas! Bravo! Hurrah!
What luck! How splendid!
Is she stupid!
7. Inverted Commas (“ ”) : They mark the exact words of a speaker, or a quotation; as,
“You must run,” she said,” “or you will miss the train.”
Shakespeare says, “Frailty, thy name is woman.”
8. Apostrophe (’) :
(1) The apostrophe is used to show possession; as,
The children’s toys, My father’s books, The horses’ legs
(2) We use apostrophes to mark short forms; as,
aren’t, won’t, isn’t, doesn’t
(are not) (will not) (is not) (does not)
He’s I’d can’t
(he is) (I would, I had) (cannot)
(3) It’s and Its
It’s is it is.
It’s hot today.
Its = belonging to it
What a beautiful bag, what is its price?
Remember an apostrophe is not used with the following words; as,
Yours, ours, hers, theirs, whose,
yours affectionately, whose house
Is this yours? It is theirs.
9. The Dash (—)
- A dash is used to introduce an explanation in the middle of a sentence; as,
None — the audiences, the critics, the fans — liked the film. - It is used after a list of items when the list is followed by an explanation.
10. The Hyphen (-)
- A hyphen is used with compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine; as, Thirty-seven, eighty-eight, ninety-seven
- It is used in writing compound words; as,
passer-by, mother-in-law, maid-servant - It is used in compound adjectives :
a multi-storeyed house, winter-wear garments
D) Capital Letters
Examples of unpunctuated and punctuated passages.
1. Unpunctuated
Have you finished your lesson george said mr smith to his son no father replied george hanging down his head why not my son because it so difficult father i am sure i shall never leam it
Punctuated
“Have you finished your lesson, George?” said Mr Smith to his son.
“No, father,” replied George, hanging down his head.
“Why not, my son?”
“Because it is so difficult, father, I am sure I shall never leam it.”
2. Unpunctuated
Rani would you like to go to a movie tonight asked rohini what a lovely idea lets go and see jodha akbar oh but i have already bought the tickets for om shanti om all right rohini, 111 go with you said rani
Punctuated
“Rani, would you like to go to a movie tonight?” asked Rohini.
“What a lovely idea! Let’s go and see, ‘Jodha Akbar’.”
“Oh! But I have already bought the tickets for ‘Om, Shanti, Om\”
“All right Rohini, I’ll go with you,” said Rani.”
3. Unpunctuated
They had played together in infancy they had worked together in manhood, they were now tottering about and gossiping away in the evening of life and in a short time they will probably be buried together in the neighbouring churchyard
Punctuated
They had played together in infancy; they had worked together in manhood; they were now tottering about and gossiping away in the evening of life; and, in a short time, they will probably be buried together in the neighbouring Churchyard.
Exercise-1
Insert Commas where necessary :—
Question 1. When most people think of Goa India they think of beautiful beaches they do not think of heat or other discomforts.
Answer: When most people think of Goa, India, they think of beautiful beaches; they do not think of heat or other discomforts.
Question 2. Yesterday I bought a new battery for my C.D. player.
Answer: Yesterday, I bought a new battery for my C.D. player.
Question 3. It took us about 80 minutes to finish the yellow trail as we were in no hurry. We could have gone faster but there was a lot of traffic with so many people in the trail. We heard the calls of various birds felt the crunch of gravel beneath our shoes the roughness of tree’s bark and the softness of moss. We smelt herbs such as lemon grass and mint and fruit such as jack-fruit and mango.
Answer: It took us about 80 minutes to finish the yellow trail, as we were in no hurry. We could have gone faster, but there was a lot of traffic with so many people in the trail. We heard the calls of various birds, felt the crunch of gravel beneath our shoes, the roughness of a tree’s bark, and the softness of moss. We smelt herbs, such as lemon grass and mint, and fruit, such as jack-fruit and mango.
Question 4. Fortunately we had good weather today and everyone enjoyed themselves. Infact today was one of the loveliest days we spent on this island.
Answer: Fortunately, we had good weather today, and everyone enjoyed themselves. In fact, today was one of the loveliest days we spent on this island.
Question 5. “Please Sita don’t forget about bringing a camera with you so that you can take pictures” said Ravi. “Good idea” said Sita “What about food?” she asked after a few minutes pause. “Let’s take something practical” said Ravi. ‘Let’s take some sandwiches some biscuits and fruits then we won’t need to cook.”
Answer: “Please, Sita, don’t forget about bringing a camera with you, so that you can take pictures,” said Ravi. “Good idea,” said Sita. “What about food?” she asked after a few minutes’ pause. “Let’s take something practical,” said Ravi. “Let’s take some sandwiches, some biscuits, and fruits; then we won’t need to cook.”
Exercise-2
Place a full stop, note of interrogation or exclamation and comma, wherever necessary:—
Question 1. How exciting your climb on the Everest must be
Answer: How exciting your climb on the Everest must be!
Question 2. Oh yes, it was a marvellous adventure
Answer: Oh yes, it was a marvellous adventure.
Question 3. You carried oxygen with you, didn’t you
Answer: You carried oxygen with you, didn’t you?
Question 4. Are there more bundles to be tied up and sent to the godown
Answer: Are there more bundles to be tied up and sent to the godown?
Question 5. What a delightful movie it was
Answer: What a delightful movie it was!
Question 6. Who has run away with my camera
Answer: Who has run away with my camera?
Question 7. How I wish I hadn’t agreed to his proposal
Answer: How I wish I hadn’t agreed to his proposal!
Question 8. Would you mind moving away your car
Answer: Would you mind moving away your car?
Question 9. “Where have you been” she said to me
Answer: “Where have you been?” she said to me.
Question 10. “Ouch” he said “Why did you hurt me so much nurse”
Answer: “Ouch!” he said. “Why did you hurt me so much, nurse?”
Exercise-3
Punctuate the following passages by putting in the necessary punctuation marks and capital letters:
Question 1. Before reading on there are two things you should know about ghosts according to an unwritten international convention they will not make themselves visible to people who do not believe in them.
Answer:
Passage 1:
Before reading on, there are two things you should know about ghosts. According to an unwritten international convention, they will not make themselves visible to people who do not believe in them.
Question 2. The professor was silent whod produce his favourite foods the moment it was time but of course i believe in you mrs guff he said comfortingly do you she asked and vanished how tiresome women can be he thought fancy going off like that in the middle of an argument do you believe in me mrs gruff asked out of the air swinging from the ceiling fan of course i do but not when you do foolish things come down at once or you 11 break your neck
Answer:
Passage 2:
The professor was silent.
“Who’d produce his favourite foods the moment it was time? But of course, I believe in you, Mrs. Guff,” he said comfortingly.
“Do you?” she asked and vanished.
“How tiresome women can be,” he thought. “Fancy going off like that in the middle of an argument!”
“Do you believe in me, Mrs. Gruff?” asked out of the air, swinging from the ceiling fan.
“Of course I do, but not when you do foolish things! Come down at once, or you’ll break your neck!”
Question 3. Mrs sarojini naidu called for prayer before the march started she exhorted them gandhis body is in gaol but his soul is with you indias prestige is in your hands
Answer:
Passage 3:
Mrs. Sarojini Naidu called for prayer before the march started. She exhorted them, “Gandhi’s body is in gaol, but his soul is with you. India’s prestige is in your hands.”
Exercise-4
Punctuate the following dialogue between the Wolf and Grandma and Red Riding Hood. Use capital letters where required.
wolf may i come in
grandma (terrified) : he’s going to eat me up, help.
(grandma was absolutely right he ate her up in one big bite.)
red riding hood comes in, she stopped she stared and then she said.
what big ears you have grandma all the better to hear you with the wolf replied what big eyes you have Grandma said little red riding hood.
all the better to see you with the Wolf replied.
Answer:
Wolf: “May I come in?”
Grandma (terrified): “He’s going to eat me up! Help!”
Little Red Riding Hood comes in. She stopped, she stared, and then she said:
The Wolf replied: “All the better to hear you with.”
Little Red Riding Hood said: “What big eyes you have, Grandma!”
The Wolf replied: “All the better to see you with.”