RIC-6242 Primary Grammar and Word Study - Book C

Punctuation
Question marks and exclamation marks
Focus
Question marks and exclamation marks
Definitions
• Question marks are punctuation marks used to
indicate a question.
Example:
What are you doing?
• Exclamation marks are punctuation marks used
at the end of a remark to show strong emotion or
feeling.
Example:
Stop that! Wow!
Explanation
• A question is an interrogative statement, addressed
to someone in order to find out information. When
speakers ask a question, their voice is usually raised
at the end rather than going down or remaining the
same as it does for a sentence. A question mark
looks like an upside down hook and is used after a
direct question. Questions often begin with words
such as who, what, when, where, how and why.
• Exclamation marks usually indicate strong feeling,
such as surprise, misery, excitement, disgust,
anger or joy. Using an exclamation mark when
writing is like raising your voice when speaking.
An exclamation mark can be used at the end of an
interjection (Oh no!) or a command (Don’t touch!)
and to add emphasis.
Worksheet information
• Students will be familiar with full stops and question
marks and would have encountered exclamation
marks while reading.
• Read and discuss the explanation about question
marks and exclamation marks with the students.
Give examples of each and find some in shared
reading books, then ask the students to find others.
Emphasise the need for expression to reinforce the
fact that exclamation marks are used to indicate
strong feelings.
• Explain the instructions for Question 1 and allow
students to read the text, assisting with unfamiliar
vocabulary. Students may wish to use different
coloured pencils or markers to highlight the question
marks and exclamation marks. When highlighting
the exclamation marks, ask them to choose a
‘strong’ colour to represent ‘strong feelings’.
• To complete Question 2, students may need to
quietly say the sentences aloud to determine which
ones indicate strong feeling. Ask the students to
look for clue words, such as ‘who’, ‘what’ etc. to
help them identify questions. The use of exclamation
marks is in some cases subjective, but overuse can
reduce their impact.
Ideas for further practice
• Find and read sentences where the ‘questioning’
word such as ‘who’, ‘does’ etc. is not at the
beginning of a sentence.
• Make a list of the students’ favourite exclamations
and write them with the exclamation marks in a
bold, strong colour.
• Read plays that encourage the expression of strong
emotions.
Answers
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1. Teacher check
2. (a) exclamation mark, full stop
(b) full stop
(c) question mark
(d) exclamation mark
(e) question mark
(f) full stop
Primary grammar and word study 60
www.ricpublications.com.au R.I.C. Publications ®
ISBN 978-1-74126-766-2