Punctuation means using marks such as full stops, commas, and question marks to make writing clear.

Capitalization means using capital letters where required.

Mark	Name	Use	Example
.	Full stop / Period	Ends a statement.	I am a student.
?	Question mark	Ends a direct question.	Where are you going?
!	Exclamation mark	Shows strong feeling or surprise.	What a beautiful day!
,	Comma	Separates items or parts of a sentence.	I bought apples, bananas, and grapes.
'	Apostrophe	Shows possession or missing letters.	Rita's bag; don't
" "	Quotation marks	Show a person's exact words.	He said, "I am ready."
:	Colon	Introduces a list or explanation.	Bring three things: a pen, a book, and a ruler.
;	Semicolon	Joins closely related independent clauses.	It was late; we went home.
-	Hyphen	Joins words in some compound terms.	She is a well-known singer.
( )	Parentheses	Add extra information.	My uncle (a teacher) lives nearby.

Full stop (.)

Use a full stop at the end of a statement.

• She works in a bank.
• We are learning English.

Question mark (?)

Use a question mark at the end of a direct question.

• What is your name?
• Have you finished your homework?

Exclamation mark (!)

Use an exclamation mark to show strong emotion or emphasis. Avoid using too many in formal writing.

• Congratulations!
• What an amazing performance!

Commas help readers understand how parts of a sentence fit together.

• Lists: I bought pens, pencils, notebooks, and folders.
• Introductory phrases: After dinner, we went for a walk.
• Direct address: Rahul, please open the door.
• Extra information: My brother, who lives in Delhi, is visiting us.
• Before a coordinating conjunction joining two complete clauses: I was tired, but I finished my work.

A comma splice happens when two complete sentences are joined with only a comma.

Incorrect: It was raining, we stayed inside.

Correct: It was raining, so we stayed inside. Or: It was raining; we stayed inside.

Apostrophe (')

Use an apostrophe to show possession or contractions.

• Possession: This is Riya's book.
• Plural possession: The students' classroom is clean.
• Contractions: do not → don't; I am → I'm; they are → they're.

Quotation marks (" ")

Use quotation marks to show the exact words someone said.

• She said, "I am feeling better."
• "Where are you going?" he asked.
• The teacher said, "Please open your books."

Punctuation placement can vary between British and American styles. Follow one style consistently.

Rule	Incorrect	Correct
Capitalize the first word of a sentence.	my brother is here.	My brother is here.
Capitalize the pronoun “I”.	my friend and i are ready.	My friend and I are ready.
Capitalize people's names.	rahul met priya.	Rahul met Priya.
Capitalize cities, states, and countries.	i live in patna, india.	I live in Patna, India.
Capitalize languages and nationalities.	she speaks hindi and english.	She speaks Hindi and English.
Capitalize days and months.	we meet on monday in january.	We meet on Monday in January.
Capitalize names of organizations and institutions.	he studies at delhi university.	He studies at Delhi University.
Capitalize the main words in titles according to the style used.	the secret garden	The Secret Garden (title-style capitalization)

Incorrect	Correct	Reason
where are you going	Where are you going?	Capitalize the first word and add a question mark.
i live in bihar.	I live in Bihar.	Capitalize “I” and the place name.
Its raining today.	It's raining today.	It's = it is.
Ravi said "I am ready".	Ravi said, "I am ready."	Add a comma before the quotation; punctuation style may vary.
After lunch we went home.	After lunch, we went home.	Use a comma after this introductory phrase for clarity.
my birthday is in april.	My birthday is in April.	Capitalize the first word and month.

Rewrite each sentence with correct punctuation and capitalization.

1. my name is amit i live in patna
2. where are you going
3. on sunday we visited our uncle
4. riya said i am learning english
5. if you are free please call me
6. its a beautiful day isnt it
7. i bought apples oranges and bananas
8. my teacher who lives nearby walks to school

Choose the correct answer for each question.

1. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

a) where are you?

b) Where are you?

c) Where are you.

2. Choose the correct sentence.

a) my friend and i speak english.

b) My friend and I speak English.

c) My friend and i speak english.

3. Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

a) The dog wagged it's tail.

b) The dogs tail wagged.

c) The dog wagged its tail.

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