Tricky Punctuation in Cartoons. Lidia Stanton
NOSES HURT MORE THAN BAD LANDING
THEY INTERFERE WITH MY ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
C
TAKE A BOW
What would others say? Stories with unexpected twists and turns can be very exciting. In this one, you are reporting what you and others said (or what they would have said if they could talk). Don’t forget to start every quotation (what was said, word for word) with a capital letter.
It all happened so quickly. I simply said, ‘My homework can wait.’
Mum stopped typing and asked, ‘Would you like some help?’
In my mind’s eye, I saw Jack Sparrow wink at me and shout,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .!’
At that moment, the movie stopped playing, but my PlayStation made a whirring noise, which to me sounded like a perfect question,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?’
To my left, Harry Potter’s face on my pencil case whispered,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
Just then my phone rang, and my best friend yelled,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .!’
I hope that’s what he said because I was distracted by my sister’s dance shoes marching out of the shoe cupboard and crying,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
Luckily, Dad walked in and restored order by announcing,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
I swear I could hear the Prime Minister on Dad’s newspaper front cry out,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
I immediately thought of my old teacher, who used to say,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
C
Then Yoda looked down from my ‘Star Wars’ poster and pronounced,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
I’m not a Jedi, but I thought it was polite to reply to Yoda, so I said,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
In the end, the only thing I could possibly say to Mum was,
‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..’
STOP AND CHECK
Did you start all direct quotations with a capital letter?
A BRAND NAME starts with a capital letter.
It’s silly to give cats Kellogg’s cereals, unless it’s Mice Krispies.
IS STAR WARS A TITLE OR A BRAND NAME ASKING FOR R2-D2
C
LEMON SQUEEZY
Check for all missing capital letters, then re-write the sentences in full.
i just got hit on the head with a power tool. i was sitting there minding my own business, the next thing I know, bosch!
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samsung, iPhone or motorola – i can’t picture myself without a camera phone.
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honestly, ice hockey is just a bunch of people fighting for the last oreo.
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if apple built a house, would it have windows?
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i just stepped on some cheerios on the floor. you can call me a cereal killer!
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why did the yellow m&m go to school?
because it wanted to be a smartie.
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there’s a new a travel guide highlighting towns and cities with badly laid paving slabs. it’s called tripadvisor!
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