Lesson 07: Punctuation

Teach Me how to pronounce punctuation

What is Punctuation?

Punctuation is a system of symbols (.,?!-:; etc) we use to separate sentences, clauses and phrases in order to make the meaning clear. The symbols are called punctuation marks.

Punctuation in Writing 

Using punctuation marks whenever necessary is vital, in any piece of writing - be it an academic essay or a status on facebook! 

The correct use of punctuation shows where sentences start and finish, clarifies their meaning and makes it easier for the reader to go through and understand your piece of writing.

Pronounce Punctuation 

Punctuation plays an equally important role in reading and speech too, as it indicates aspects of the intonation* and meaning. 

*We will go into intonation in more depth later on, but for you to get an idea, intonation is simply defined as the rise and fall of the voice in connected speech.

Now start reading a text. Aloud. Seriously. Just do this. Good. Go on. A bit more. Okay.

Did you notice? Hopefully, you paused whenever you encountered a punctuation mark in the text.

Pronouncing punctuation helps with the intonation, rhythm and flow of your speech while at the same time making it easier for the listener to understand, process and take in the information you're sharing.



Remembering things is one of my weaknesses I guess. No matter how hard I try to prevent it from happening, I always forget things in the end. I've tried many things: having a personal organiser, making to-do lists, setting reminders on my phone all the time.. but there's always that detail that will slip my mind at the very last moment. Most of the time, I forget small things like birthdays or, say, my scarf on the bus; but sometimes I forget important ones, too, like paying the bills or work-related stuff. Last week, after making some chips, I forgot to turn off the stove burner and the frying pan was still on it! If it weren't for my roommate, I'd be in a very dire position right now.

Different Punctuation, Different Meaning

Below are pairs of sentences whose only difference is their punctuation. The use of different punctuation typically conveys different meaning.

-What I love the most in life is cooking, my family, and my dog.
-What I love the most in life is cooking my family and my dog.


-"Was that the question?" he asked.
-"Was that the question he asked?"


-Woman, without her man, is nothing.
-Woman: without her, man is nothing.


-The chicken wandered outside of the coop. Half an hour after, its head was cut off.
-The chicken wandered outside of the coop half an hour after its head was cut off.