Lesson 6: Writing : Guided Writing and Using Punctuations
Dear learner, here are brainstorming questions or activities to help you with guided writing and using punctuation effectively:
1. Punctuation Puzzle
- Activity: Create a set of sentences with missing or incorrect punctuation marks.
- For example: “Let’s eat grandma” (missing comma) or “She said she would come but she didn’t” (missing comma before “but”).
2. Guided Writing Prompts with Punctuation Focus
- Activity: Provide a set of guided writing prompts that focus on different punctuation marks (e.g., commas, periods, colons, semicolons, dashes). For instance, “Write a short paragraph about your favorite hobby using at least three different punctuation marks.”
3. Sentence Structure Swap
- Activity: Write a series of sentences with varying punctuation (e.g., “I can’t wait to see the movie. It’s going to be amazing!”)
These activities will help you practice and refine your writing skills, focusing on both the structure and punctuation to enhance clarity and expression.
Short Note on the use of sentence connectors
When you plan to write a paragraph (a group of sentences that explains one main idea), you have to use different sentences. To make the paragraph meaningful, your sentences need to be joined with different connectors. Otherwise, the ideas in your paragraph do not give clear meaning to your reader. For detail, read the short notes given here below:
- When you want to join two sentences that show reason, you use such connectors as; “because”, “due to”, “owing to”, “on account of”, etc.
Example: We arrived home late owing to engine problem.
- When you want to further explain your ideas with examples (illustrations), you use the connectors such as for example, for instance, suppose, the case in point, etc.
Example: Some wild animals are threatened with extinction; Wallia Ibex is the case in point.
- Some languages are used for a variety of purposes; English is the case in point.
- When you want to add more information to the preceding idea, you use the connectors such as moreover, furthermore, in addition, etc
Example: Hunduma is an outstanding and diligent teacher; moreover, he is polite and patient.
- To connect two contrasting (opposite) ideas, you use the connectors such as though, however, nevertheless, whereas, on the other hand, on the contrary and the like
Example: Mazengia likes to read; however, he does not make notes about the lessons he got from different books
Using Punctuations
Use period (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark(!)
NB: Study the note given below to understand their use clearly
- We use full stop (period) at the end of any statement (a sentence that gives us clear information)
Example: Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
- We use a question mark at the end of a sentence that asks a question.
Example: Do you live to eat or eat to live?
- We use an exclamation mark to express our strong emotions or when we are happy, sad, excited, surprised, etc.
Example: I wonder how our English teacher is a hard working person!