Help with Punctuation
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Re: Help with Punctuation
Punctuation is a rather moot point atm; the jury is out regarding the value and purpose of the semi colon (which I use all the time) and SATS markers for this year's KS3 exams have been instructed to censure the use of exclamation marks.
Re: Help with Punctuation
Did you mean KS2? The KS3 exams finished in 2008 ...
Re: Help with Punctuation
Doh! yes of course, KS2. I'm tired.....
Re: Help with Punctuation
Hi all,Proud_Dad wrote:I can imagine a child correctly assuming what the examiner meant (i.e. 2 visitors), but then getting the answer "wrong" by ommitting the comma after mother (because they've been taught the rule that you don't have a comma before 'and'), but then this could still be deemed correct as the other meaning (i.e. 3 visitors) is technically possible!PurpleDuck wrote:I agree - this particular question is somewhat ambiguous. Children shouldn't have to try and guess what the question 'had in mind' before answering it.
If that makes sense!
I think this is testing the child's knowledge of the Oxford comma. This comma is inserted before 'and' to clarify meaning. I saw one of them in one of the GL practice papers. I haven't seen it anywhere else.
OP, where is the question from?
Re: Help with Punctuation
As implied by a couple of previous posts, this would be an alternative means of punctuating the sentence:
Judy (my mother) and Tomy (my father) went to visit Grandpa.
Personally, I wouldn't add any further commas (ie, after the brackets), but I'm not sure what the current diktats would have a child do.
Judy (my mother) and Tomy (my father) went to visit Grandpa.
Personally, I wouldn't add any further commas (ie, after the brackets), but I'm not sure what the current diktats would have a child do.
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Re: Help with Punctuation
According to the current Y6 English workbook we have, there wouldn't be a need for commas in this case - one can use commas, brackets or dashes for parenthesis.Y wrote:As implied by a couple of previous posts, this would be an alternative means of punctuating the sentence:
Judy (my mother) and Tomy (my father) went to visit Grandpa.
Personally, I wouldn't add any further commas (ie, after the brackets), but I'm not sure what the current diktats would have a child do.
Edit: English, not 'Enlish'...
Last edited by PurpleDuck on Tue Mar 22, 2016 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Help with Punctuation
Piggys, I know about the exclamation mark and have adjusted accordingly but what is being said about the semi colon? DG
Re: Help with Punctuation
It's more of a row in literary circles as opposed to teaching ones; the row has been rumbling on for ages now and centres on whether or not the semi colon ought to be abolished - - or retained. I have read a few articles over the years in the TLS and broadsheets about this conflict! and there I go again with my exclamation mark!
I'll try and dig up some of the articles and link to them but I'm not much good at the linking side of things.....
I'll try and dig up some of the articles and link to them but I'm not much good at the linking side of things.....