Punctuation Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve punctuation marks, from comma and colon to hyphen and ellipsis, to what they do.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Punctuation vocabularyperiodcommaquestion markexclamation pointcolonsemicolonapostrophehyphendashellipsisquotation marksparenthesestwo rounded marks that enclosean added remarkthe mark that points ahead to alist or a quotationthree dots in a row marking aplace where words are missingthe pair of marks placed aroundsomeone's exact wordsa long horizontal line that sets apart of a sentence apartthe mark of a slight pause, asbetween words in a seriesa single dot placed where asentence comes to an endthe mark that links two completesentences into onethe short line that joins twowords or the parts of one wordthe raised mark that stands forownership or dropped lettersthe mark after words said withsurprise or strong feelingthe mark that closes a sentenceasking for an answer
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Punctuation vocabularyAnswer keyperiodcommaquestion markexclamation pointcolonsemicolonapostrophehyphendashellipsisquotation marksparenthesestwo rounded marks that enclosean added remarkthe mark that points ahead to alist or a quotationthree dots in a row marking aplace where words are missingthe pair of marks placed aroundsomeone's exact wordsa long horizontal line that sets apart of a sentence apartthe mark of a slight pause, asbetween words in a seriesa single dot placed where asentence comes to an endthe mark that links two completesentences into onethe short line that joins twowords or the parts of one wordthe raised mark that stands forownership or dropped lettersthe mark after words said withsurprise or strong feelingthe mark that closes a sentenceasking for an answer
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All 36 terms

Punctuation marks 12

  • apostrophe The raised mark that stands for ownership or dropped letters. As in: It's Maya's turn.
  • colon The mark that points ahead to a list or a quotation. As in: Bring three things: a pencil, a ruler and an eraser.
  • comma The mark of a slight pause, as between words in a series. As in: We packed apples, cheese and bread.
  • dash A long horizontal line that sets a part of a sentence apart. As in: The winner — to everyone's surprise — was the youngest player.
  • ellipsis Three dots in a row marking a place where words are missing. "We walked ... to the park" leaves out the middle of a longer sentence.
  • exclamation point The mark after words said with surprise or strong feeling. As in: Look out! What a goal!
  • hyphen The short line that joins two words or the parts of one word. As in: My sister-in-law is twenty-one.
  • parentheses Two rounded marks that enclose an added remark. As in: My cousin (the one from Ohio) is visiting.
  • period A single dot placed where a sentence comes to an end. As in: Our bus leaves at noon.
  • question mark The mark that closes a sentence asking for an answer. As in: Where did you leave your coat?
  • quotation marks The pair of marks placed around someone's exact words. As in: "Wait for me," said Ben.
  • semicolon The mark that links two complete sentences into one. As in: The rain stopped; the game went on.
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Marks at work 12

  • abbreviation A word cut short in writing, such as Ave. for Avenue. Dr. is an abbreviation of Doctor.
  • capital letter An upper-case letter, the kind that begins a sentence. The word Monday begins with a capital letter, M.
  • comma splice The fault of joining two sentences with only a comma. "It rained, we stayed in" is a comma splice.
  • compound word A word built from two or more words, such as sunflower. Bookshelf is a compound word made of book and shelf.
  • contraction A short form such as don't, with a mark for the lost letters. I'm is a contraction of I am, and can't of cannot.
  • direct speech A speaker's exact words, written just as they were said. In direct speech: Tom said, "I am hungry."
  • independent clause A subject and verb that make a full sentence by themselves. In "I laughed because he fell", "I laughed" is an independent clause.
  • possessive A form, such as Ana's or ours, that marks ownership. In "the dog's bowl", dog's is a possessive.
  • proper noun A naming word for one certain person, place or thing. Ohio and Maria are proper nouns; state and girl are not.
  • salutation The greeting at the head of a letter, like Dear Sam. The salutation of her letter was "Dear Grandma,".
  • sentence fragment A group of words that ends in a period but is incomplete. "Because it was late." is a sentence fragment.
  • serial comma The comma that comes right before "and" in a list of items. In "red, white, and blue" the serial comma follows white.

Sentences and editing 12

  • capitalize To write a word with an upper-case first letter. Capitalize the names of days and months.
  • compound sentence Two full statements joined into one by a word like and. "The bell rang, and the class stood up" is a compound sentence.
  • conjunctive adverb A word such as however that ties one clause to the next. In "It was late; however, we stayed", however is a conjunctive adverb.
  • dependent clause A subject-and-verb group that cannot be a sentence alone. In "We left when the rain stopped", "when the rain stopped" is a dependent clause.
  • edit To change and correct a text to get it ready for readers. Edit your story for missing periods before you hand it in.
  • hyphenate To link two words, or the parts of one, with a short line. Hyphenate mother-in-law in two places.
  • indirect speech A report of what someone said, not in the person's own words. In indirect speech: Tom said that he was hungry.
  • parenthetical An added remark set inside a pair of curved marks. In "Her brother (the tall one) waved", "the tall one" is a parenthetical.
  • punctuate To put the periods, commas and other signs into a text. Punctuate the sentence: where is my hat
  • quotation Words taken from a book or speech and repeated exactly. The essay opens with a quotation from the school song.
  • tag question A few words such as isn't it? tacked onto a statement. "You have met, haven't you?" ends in a tag question.
  • typo A mistake in typed or printed text, such as a wrong letter. "Scohol" for "school" is a typo.

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two references: the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Quotation marks and parentheses were read under quotation mark and parenthesis, and capital letter under capital in the second. Compound word, comma splice, serial comma, sentence fragment and conjunctive adverb have no entry in the second dictionary and were read in the articles Compound (linguistics), Comma splice, Serial comma, Sentence clause structure and Conjunctive adverb of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The answers under the list rest on the articles Colon (punctuation), Semicolon, Comma splice, Sentence clause structure, Serial comma and Dash. The example after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This punctuation vocabulary worksheet prints twelve marks down the left and what each one does, mixed up, down the right. It opens on the marks themselves, such as comma, colon and apostrophe. Two more sets cover terms for using them.

Read the full guide

Vocabulary punctuation worksheet: the twelve marks

Set opens on Punctuation marks: period, comma, question mark, exclamation point, colon, semicolon, apostrophe, hyphen, dash, ellipsis, quotation marks and parentheses.

Contraction, comma splice and editing terms

Marks at work prints capital letter, contraction, possessive, abbreviation, proper noun, direct speech, compound word, comma splice, serial comma, independent clause, salutation and sentence fragment. Sentences and editing has capitalize, hyphenate, punctuate, compound sentence, dependent clause, indirect speech, parenthetical, tag question, quotation, typo, conjunctive adverb and edit. Under the tool each term has an example, such as: It's Maya's turn.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a colon and a semicolon?

A colon often introduces what comes next: an explanation, a list or a quoted sentence. A semicolon most often links two independent clauses that are closely related in thought, and it gives the two ideas equal rank.

What is the difference between a run-on sentence and a comma splice?

A run-on sentence joins two independent clauses with no punctuation and no joining word such as and or but. A comma splice joins them with a comma alone. Most writers count the comma splice as one kind of run-on.

What is the Oxford comma?

Another name for the serial comma: the comma placed just before the conjunction in a list of three or more terms, as in "pens, paper, and glue". Without it the same list reads "pens, paper and glue".

What is the difference between an em dash and an en dash?

The em dash is the longer of the two. The en dash is traditionally half its width and is generally used for a range of values, such as dates, times or numbers.

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