Practice
English punctuation: make sentences easier to read
A message can have the right words and still feel hard to read. A capital letter and a full stop show where one clear thought begins and ends.
Use capital letters, full stops, question marks, list commas, and common apostrophes to make short English sentences clear.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Where is the nearest pharmacy? /weər ɪz ðə ˈnɪərɪst ˈfɑːməsi/
The short answer
Begin a sentence with a capital letter and finish a statement with a full stop. Use a question mark for a direct question, commas to separate items in a simple list, and apostrophes in common contractions or to show possession.
My sister works in Bristol.
Why it works: My begins with a capital letter, Bristol has a capital because it is a place name, and the full stop closes the statement.
5 more examples
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On Monday, I start my new course.
Monday and I use capital letters. The comma after a short opening phrase is optional in some short sentences, but it can make the opening easier to read.
Not this:
on monday istart my new course What changes: Without capitals and a full stop, the sentence looks unfinished and names are harder to spot. -
Where is the nearest pharmacy?
This is a direct question, so it ends with a question mark.
Not this:Where is the nearest
pharmacy.What changes: A full stop makes the question look like a statement. -
Please bring your passport, ticket and phone.
Commas separate items in this simple list. British English often does not use a comma before the final and unless it helps avoid confusion.
Not this:Please bring your
passport ticketand phone. What changes: The reader may need to pause and work out where one list item ends. -
I'm waiting for the bus outside the library.
The apostrophe replaces the missing letter in I am.
Not this:
Imwaiting for the bus outside the library. What changes: Without the apostrophe, the contraction is not written correctly. -
The child's coat is hanging by the door.
's shows that the coat belongs to one child.
Not this:The
childscoat is hanging by the door. What changes: The missing apostrophe hides the relationship between the child and the coat.
Read the full guide
Read each sentence as if you are helping a busy reader. Where does the sentence start? Is it a statement or a question? Is there a short list? Does a word show ownership or a contraction? Those questions lead you to the punctuation that matters.
Start a new sentence clearly
A capital letter tells the reader that a sentence begins. Use one at the first word of every sentence, even when the sentence begins with a short word such as I, We, or The.
We meet at the station at eight.
We has a capital because it is the first word of the sentence.
I sent the email this morning.
I is always written as a capital letter in English.
Which word needs a capital letter at the beginning: please call me later.
Please. The first word of a sentence begins with a capital letter.
Use capitals for particular names
Use a capital letter for a particular person, place, day, month, language, or country. These are proper names. A general noun does not need a capital unless it begins the sentence.
Fatima speaks English and Arabic.
Fatima is a person's name, and English and Arabic are language names.
Our meeting is on Friday in Manchester.
Friday is a day name and Manchester is a place name, so both begin with capitals.
Choose the correct form: august or August for the month.
Use August. Months have capital letters in English.
Close a statement with a full stop
A full stop closes a complete statement. It shows that one idea has finished. Use it in messages, forms, emails, and short notes when you write a statement.
The shop opens at nine.
This gives information, so a full stop comes at the end.
My train leaves from platform four.
The sentence is complete after four, so it needs a full stop.
Which mark ends this statement: The keys are on the table
Use a full stop: The keys are on the table.
Use a question mark for a direct question
Use a question mark when you directly ask for information or ask someone to choose. A question mark replaces the full stop at the end of that question.
What time does the film begin?
What time asks for information, so the sentence ends with a question mark.
Can you help me with this form?
Can you help me asks another person a direct question.
Which mark completes this question: Are you free this evening
Use a question mark: Are you free this evening?
Separate items in a simple list
When you list three or more similar items, commas help the reader see each item. Put a comma after each item before the final item. The word and usually joins the final two items.
I bought apples, rice and milk.
The commas show that apples, rice, and milk are three separate things.
The class needs notebooks, pencils and rulers.
Each comma separates one item in the list from the next one.
Add commas to this list: We need soap towels and toothpaste.
Write: We need soap, towels and toothpaste.
Use apostrophes for contractions and possession
An apostrophe can show missing letters in a contraction. It can also show that something belongs to a person or thing. Learn common contractions as whole words, then check where the apostrophe goes.
We're late because the bus is slow.
We're is short for we are. The apostrophe marks the missing a.
The doctor's office is near the park.
Doctor's means the office belongs to or is used by the doctor.
Do not add an apostrophe just because a noun is plural. Write three chairs and two buses. Use an apostrophe only when it has the job of a contraction or possession.
Choose the correct plural: two phone's or two phones?
Use two phones. An ordinary plural does not need an apostrophe.
Before you go
Remember this
Start sentences and proper names with capital letters. Use a full stop for a statement and a question mark for a direct question. Put commas between clear list items. Use apostrophes for contractions and possession, but not for ordinary plural nouns.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English punctuation: make sentences easier to read"
When do I use a capital letter in English?
Use a capital at the start of a sentence and for particular names. For example, Fatima speaks English and Arabic uses capitals for a person's name and language names. Days, months, countries, and cities also begin with capitals.
on monday i start my new course
What is the difference between a full stop and a question mark?
A full stop ends a statement, while a question mark ends a direct question. The shop opens at nine. gives information. What time does the film begin? asks the reader or listener for an answer.
Where is the nearest pharmacy.
Where do commas go in a simple list?
Put commas between separate items in a clear list. In I bought apples, rice and milk, the commas help the reader identify each item. Use the word and before the final item in this ordinary list pattern.
Please bring your passport ticket and phone.
Why does I'm have an apostrophe?
I'm is a contraction of I am. The apostrophe shows where letters have been left out. In I'm waiting for the bus outside the library, the apostrophe is part of the standard spelling of the short form.
I'm waiting for the bus outside the library.
Should I use an apostrophe to make a word plural?
No. Ordinary plural nouns do not take an apostrophe: two books, three chairs, and several buses. Use an apostrophe when it shows possession, as in the child's coat, or when it forms a contraction.
Im waiting for the bus outside the library.
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