Punctuation chart
A punctuation chart lists each mark with its name, what it does and a sentence that uses it. The first table is the three end marks a 1st grader learns; the second adds the comma, apostrophe and quotation marks; the third is the marks of the upper grades.
Free printable PDF, 1st grade to 6th grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
End marks (1st grade)
| Mark | Name | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| . | Period | Ends a statement or a command. | The dog is asleep. |
| ? | Question mark | Ends a question. | Is the dog asleep? |
| ! | Exclamation mark | Ends a sentence said with feeling. | The dog is on my bed! |
Inside the sentence (2nd and 3rd grade)
| Mark | Name | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| , | Comma | Separates items in a list, a date, a city and state, and the parts of a sentence. | We packed apples, pears, and grapes. |
| ' | Apostrophe | Shows a missing letter in a contraction, or who owns something. | Don't touch Maya's kite. |
| " " | Quotation marks | Show the exact words someone said, and the titles of short works. | "Come in," said Dad. |
The upper grades (4th to 6th)
| Mark | Name | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| : | Colon | Introduces a list or an explanation after a complete sentence. | Bring three things: a hat, water, and lunch. |
| ; | Semicolon | Joins two complete sentences that belong together. | The rain stopped; the game went on. |
| ( ) | Parentheses | Add a side note the sentence can do without. | The bus (the late one) finally came. |
| - | Hyphen | Joins the parts of a compound word. | a well-known singer, twenty-one |
| ... | Ellipsis | Shows words left out, or a trailing pause. | I thought you said... never mind. |
How the chart is arranged
The marks are in the order the grades meet them. First grade ends sentences with the three end marks and that is the whole first table. Second and 3rd grade add the comma in lists and dates, the apostrophe in contractions and possessives, and quotation marks around speech. The third table is 4th to 6th grade: the colon and semicolon, parentheses, the hyphen, and the ellipsis. The dash is left off on purpose; the house style of this site writes around it, and most school programmes teach it last, if at all.
Every row gives one example sentence, chosen so the mark is doing the one job named beside it.
Using it
Read a sentence from a book and have the child find every mark on the chart. Dictate a short sentence with no punctuation and ask which marks it needs. For an older child, the semicolon row is the one to point at: two complete sentences that belong together, and nothing else.
Common questions
- Which marks does a 1st grader need?
- The first table: period, question mark and exclamation mark. The rest of the chart is for later years and can be folded under.
- Why is the dash not on the chart?
- It is the mark most programmes teach last, and the site's own copy avoids it. The hyphen, which children need for compound words, is there.