Basic 6 · Ghanaian Language · Use of Punctuation
Using Punctuation Marks in Essays
In this topic you will use punctuation marks appropriately when writing essays.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Revise the uses of the main punctuation marks
- Use apostrophes, hyphens and semicolons correctly
- Punctuate an essay correctly
What you already know
- Capital letters after colons and question marks
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- Writing Convention
- Sub-strand
- Use of Punctuation
- Indicator
- B6.5.2.1.1-3 – Use punctuation marks appropriately in writing essays
Introduction
An essay is a longer piece of writing on a topic. Good punctuation guides the reader through your ideas, just as road signs guide a driver.
1. Punctuation Marks
| Mark | Name | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| . | full stop | ends a statement | We planted trees. |
| , | comma | separates items and parts of sentences | Yaw, Ama and Kofi came. |
| ? | question mark | ends a question | Who is there? |
| ! | exclamation mark | shows strong feeling | What a lovely day! |
| " " | quotation marks | show exact spoken words | "Come here," she said. |
| ' | apostrophe | shows ownership or missing letters | Ama's bag; don't |
| : | colon | introduces a list or explanation | We need three things: soap, water and a towel. |
| ; | semicolon | joins two closely related sentences | It rained; the match was cancelled. |
| - | hyphen | joins words | well-known, twenty-five |
| ( ) | brackets | add extra information | Kofi (my cousin) won. |
2. Apostrophes
Use an apostrophe for ownership: "the teacher's book" (one teacher), "the teachers' room" (many teachers). Use it for missing letters: "it's" means "it is"; "its" (no apostrophe) shows ownership: "The dog wagged its tail."
3. Punctuating an Essay
Example
Punctuate: "my favourite festival is homowo it is celebrated by the ga people of accra in august the word homowo means hooting at hunger"
- Capital letters for the sentence start and proper nouns: My, Homowo, Ga, Accra, August.
- Full stops to end statements.
- Quotation marks for the meaning.
Answer: My favourite festival is Homowo. It is celebrated by the Ga people of Accra in August. The word Homowo means "hooting at hunger".
4. Essay Writing Tips
- Start each paragraph on a new line or indent it.
- Use a comma after introductory words such as "Firstly," and "However,".
- Use full stops to avoid very long sentences.
- Read your essay aloud to hear where pauses and stops are needed.
Write a short essay of three paragraphs in your Ghanaian language on "My Favourite Festival", using at least six different punctuation marks correctly.
New words
- essay
- A longer piece of writing on one topic.
- apostrophe
- A mark showing ownership or missing letters.
- semicolon
- A mark joining two related sentences.
- hyphen
- A short line joining words.
- brackets
- Marks that enclose extra information.
- indent
- To start a line a little further in.
Summary
- Each punctuation mark has a specific use.
- Apostrophes show ownership or missing letters.
- Semicolons join related sentences; hyphens join words.
- Read your essay aloud to check punctuation.
Class activity: Essay Editing
- Swap essays with a partner.
- Check every punctuation mark using the chart.
- Correct errors and discuss them.
You need: Locally made punctuation cards, Sentence strips about local life, Exercise books, Pencils
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which mark ends a question?
- A. ?
- B. .
- C. ,
- D. !
Show answer
Answer: ?Question mark.2. Which is correct?
- A. The dog wagged its tail.
- B. The dog wagged it's tail.
- C. The dog wagged its' tail.
- D. The dog wagged it is tail.
Show answer
Answer: The dog wagged its tail.Its = ownership.3. Which mark joins two closely related sentences?
- A. semicolon
- B. hyphen
- C. apostrophe
- D. brackets
Show answer
Answer: semicolon;4. An apostrophe can show ownership.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: Truee.g. Ama's bag.5. "it's" means "belonging to it".
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseIt means "it is".6. The mark in "well-known" is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: hyphenJoins words.7. Punctuate: "kofi said i will come tomorrow"
Show answer
Answer: Kofi said, "I will come tomorrow."Capital, comma, quotation marks.8. Explain the difference between "the teacher's book" and "the teachers' room".
Show answer
Answer: The first belongs to one teacher; the second belongs to many teachers.Apostrophe position.
Homework
- Write a three-paragraph essay in your Ghanaian language and check its punctuation.