Punctuation Exercise

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Grade 8 English Home Language Worksheet

Punctuation exercise

ACTIVITY 1

Punctuate the following to make meaning clear.

1. last saturday the street children set out as usual to see what they could scrounge
they headed for the local bakery always an attractive destination telling themselves
that if they could please the owner he would give them the previous days bread and
maybe even a pie on their way they were noticed by some men vagrants like
themselves who decided to follow them so that if the children were successful they
could use their size and force to steal from them the men has been keeping an eye
on the children and knew their ways. (5)

2. what are you doing here the lifesaver asked you know that the pool is closed for the
winter you should not be here please sir said the little boy its the first of September
and I thought the pool would be open you thought stop thinking little man and come
back in a weeks time all right thank you sir sorry sir
(5)

ACTIVITY 2

Into the following sentences, insert commas where appropriate.

1. Yesterday afternoon we went to a movie.


2. At the movie house we bought colddrinks large and frothy; popcorn with salt and
butter; and chocolates that got sticky in our hands.
3. By the end of the movie we all felt slightly ill.
4. We came out washed our hands and threw all the rubbish a bin nearby.
5. In future we shall be more sensible and less greedy!
6. Immediately the pirate ran along the deck attacked the officer shouted to his
comrades
and leapt overboard.
(10)

ACTIVITY 3

Complete the sentences below.

1. I love him;
2. The music is irritating me:

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Grade 8 English Home Language Worksheet
3. We stopped in horror –
4. He called to us, “
5. The children moved forward,
(10)

ACTIVITY 4

Insert punctuation where necessary, and paragraph the following correctly.

early on saturday morning i had to meet my dad in town, my aim was to travel by train just
as i arrived at the station i found people standing in a queue patiently waiting for the train
the only thing i realised when i first saw them was that they were angry because the train
was not on time i was suddenly approached by the ticket examiner who asked me where are
you going so early in the morning i said i am going to meet my dad in town he said join the
queue right at the back just as i was on my way to join the queue i saw the train coming in
to the station

(20)

ACTIVITY 5

The following has been adapted from the article, “Walking from Belgium to Berlin for
bread”, published in the Cape Argus, on July 17 2009. Punctuate it correctly.

a police spokesperson has announced a belgian man who popped out to his local
bakery to buy bread rolls took a wrong turn and ended up 400km away in
germany

the absentminded pensioner spent several hours driving along the belgian and
german motorway network before running out of fuel near the small town of
waldaschaff in bavaria on thursday.

other motorists spotted the man walking aimlessly in his slippers along the hard
shoulder and alerted police they towed away his car and took him with them to
the nearest police station where he was later collected by family members

the mans daughter told police my father often gets lost while driving, but he has
never strayed as far as germany

(10)

Edupstairs Grade R - 9 Learning www.edupstairs.org


Grade 8 English Home Language Worksheet
Suggested Solutions

ACTIVITY 1

1. Last Saturday the street children set out as usual to see what they could scrounge.
They headed for the local bakery - always an attractive destination - telling
themselves that, if they could please the owner, he would give them the previous
day’s bread and maybe even a pie. On their way, they were noticed by some men
(vagrants like themselves) who decided to follow them so that, if the children were
successful, they could use their size and force to steal from them. The men has been
keeping an eye on the children and knew their ways. (This sentence would be in
brackets) (5)

2. “What are you doing here?” the lifesaver asked. “You know that the pool is closed
for the winter. You should not be here.”

“Please, sir,” said the little boy, “it’s the first of September and I thought the pool
would be open.”

“You thought! Stop thinking, little man, and come back in a week’s time.”

“All right. Thank you, sir. Sorry, sir.”


(5)

- ½ for every error until you get to 0. [10]

ACTIVITY 2

1. Yesterday afternoon, we went to a movie.


2. At the movie house, we bought colddrinks, large and frothy; popcorn with salt and
butter; and chocolates, that got sticky in our hands.
3. By the end of the movie, we all felt slightly ill.
4. We came out, washed our hands and threw all the rubbish a bin nearby.
5. In future, we shall be more sensible and less greedy!
6. Immediately, the pirate ran along the deck, attacked the officer, shouted to his
comrades and leapt overboard.
(10)

ACTIVITY 3

1. I love him; (the next sentence must be closely related to this one)
2. The music is irritating me: (the sentence after the colon will probably give a reason
for the

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Grade 8 English Home Language Worksheet
irritation)
3. We stopped in horror – the dash introduces a climax, a change of though or an
afterthought.
4. He called to us, “ (the direct speech must be punctuated correctly)
5. The children moved forward, (this must introduce a series of main clauses)

1 mark for writing a complete sentence. 1 mark for using the punctuation mark correctly.
(10)

Suggestions:

1. I love him; he is my brother.


2. The music is irritating me: I hate House.
3. We stopped in horror – the car has vanished.
4. He called to us, “Don’t forget to phone your father!”
5. The children moved forward, collected their box of KFC, and settled down on the
grass to eat.
(10)

ACTIVITY 4

Early on Saturday morning, I had to meet my dad in town. My aim was to travel by train.
[new paragraph]

Just as I arrived at the station, I found people standing in a queue, patiently waiting for the
train. The only thing I realised, when I first saw them, was that they were angry, because the
train was not on time.
[new paragraph]

I was suddenly approached by the ticket examiner who asked me, “Where are you going so
early in the morning?”
[new paragraph]

I said, “I am going to meet my dad in town.”


[new paragraph]

He said, “Join the queue right at the back.”


[new paragraph]

Just as I was on my way to join the queue, I saw the train coming in to the station.

-½ for every error, until you get to 0. [20]

Edupstairs Grade R - 9 Learning www.edupstairs.org


Grade 8 English Home Language Worksheet
ACTIVITY 5

-½ for every error until you get to 0.

A police spokesperson has announced, “A Belgian man who popped out to his local bakery
to buy bread rolls took a wrong turn and ended up 400km away in Germany.”

The absent-minded pensioner spent several hours driving along the Belgian and German
motorway network before running out of fuel near the small town of Waldaschaff in Bavaria
on Thursday.

Other motorists spotted the man walking aimlessly in his slippers along the hard shoulder
and alerted police. They towed away his car and took him with them to the nearest police
station where he was later collected by family members.

The man's daughter told police, “My father often gets lost while driving, but he has never
strayed as far as Germany.”

[10]

Edupstairs Grade R - 9 Learning www.edupstairs.org

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