Punctuation for Effect

From a short story: 'I've got something to tell you,' said Grace. 'It's about the car. And the garage door. And… well. You know the garage door?' Her brother looked up slowly from his book. 'What about it?' 'It's not exactly a door any more.'

What does the ellipsis in 'And… well.' suggest about Grace?

• AShe has forgotten what she was going to say about the car
• BShe is interrupted by her brother before she can finish
• CShe is hesitating because she is reluctant to admit what happened✓
• DShe is speaking very quickly because she is so excited

Answer: The ellipsis marks a trailing pause before the filler 'well', showing Grace putting off the confession. Her brother does not speak until after her question, so he does not interrupt.

From a short story: 'I've got something to tell you,' said Grace. 'It's about the car. And the garage door. And… well. You know the garage door?' Her brother looked up slowly from his book. 'What about it?' 'It's not exactly a door any more.'

How does the punctuation of Grace's first speech help to create humour?

• AExclamation marks show Grace shouting angrily at her brother
• BShort sentences ending in full stops delay the confession piece by piece✓
• CSemicolons link her ideas into one long, calm explanation
• DBrackets add the narrator's comments on the damage to the car

Answer: Breaking the speech into fragments ('It's about the car. And the garage door.') makes Grace reveal the disaster in small, reluctant steps, so the reader enjoys the build-up to the punchline. There are no exclamation marks, semicolons or brackets.

From an essay written in 1858 by an invented writer, Thomas Harker, on the pleasures of walking. The rich man rides; the poor man walks. The rich man sees the countryside through a carriage window; the poor man smells the hay, hears the lark and feels the road beneath his boots. I do not envy the carriage. Let the rich keep their cushions; I will keep my legs.

How do the semicolons help the writer make his point?

• AThey introduce lists of the items that the walker carries with him
• BThey set the rich and the poor side by side in contrast✓
• CThey mark the places where words have been left out of quotations
• DThey separate the speech of two different characters in a dialogue

Answer: Each semicolon divides a sentence into two balanced halves, one about the rich and one about the poor, so the reader compares them directly. They join related main clauses; they do not introduce lists or speech.

From an essay written in 1858 by an invented writer, Thomas Harker, on the pleasures of walking. The rich man rides; the poor man walks. The rich man sees the countryside through a carriage window; the poor man smells the hay, hears the lark and feels the road beneath his boots. I do not envy the carriage. Let the rich keep their cushions; I will keep my legs.

What attitude does the final sentence, 'Let the rich keep their cushions; I will keep my legs.', reveal?

• ABitter envy of the comfort the rich enjoy inside their carriages
• BProud contentment with walking, which he prefers to riding✓
• CRegret that he cannot afford to buy a carriage of his own
• DSympathy for the rich, whose legs have grown weak from riding

Answer: He has just said 'I do not envy the carriage', and the final sentence dismisses 'cushions' as a poor exchange for the sensory pleasures he listed. His tone is satisfied, so envy and regret are ruled out.

Why might a writer use a semicolon rather than a full stop in 'The storm passed; the damage remained.'?

• ATo introduce a list of the different kinds of storm damage
• BTo mark the place where words have been missed out
• CTo show that the damage belongs to the storm
• DTo link two closely related ideas while keeping a pause between them✓

Answer: A semicolon joins two main clauses that are closely connected, here setting the passing storm against the lasting damage. A full stop would separate them more sharply.

In 'She packed three things: a torch, a map and a knife.', what is the colon doing?

• AJoining two equal clauses
• BMarking direct speech
• CShowing omitted words
• DIntroducing a list✓

Answer: The colon points forward to the three items promised by 'three things', so it introduces a list.

Which sentence uses a pair of dashes to add extra information?

• A'The bus was late, so I walked into town.'
• B'My aunt – who hates cats – adopted kittens.'✓
• C'I bought the basics: eggs, milk and bread.'
• D'It's raining hard outside; take a coat with you.'

Answer: The pair of dashes encloses extra information ('who hates cats'), which here also adds humour. The other sentences use a comma, a colon and a semicolon.

'The film (all three hours of it) was worth watching.' What is the effect of the brackets?

• AThey introduce a quotation from the film's director
• BThey join two separate main clauses together
• CThey mark where words have been left out
• DThey add an aside: a wry comment on its length✓

Answer: Brackets (parentheses) hold extra information that can be removed without breaking the sentence; here the aside adds a dry joke about the film's length.

From a twenty-first-century local news article: The new cycle lane, which cost £2.3 million and took eighteen months to build, is 400 metres long. It begins at a roundabout, ends at a bus stop and is interrupted – twice – by lamp posts that nobody thought to move. Local cyclist Joe Barnes was blunt: 'It's a lovely bit of paint. Shame about the planning.'

What is the effect of the dashes around 'twice'?

• AThey show the writer is unsure how many lamp posts there are
• BThey mark the start and end of a quotation from Joe Barnes
• CThey isolate the word to stress how poor the planning was✓
• DThey join two separate sentences into one long sentence

Answer: The pair of dashes forces a pause before and after 'twice', making the reader dwell on how absurd it is to hit lamp posts more than once in 400 metres. The quotation is marked by inverted commas later on.

A student quotes a text as: 'The house was … silent as a tomb.' What does the ellipsis show here?

• AThe original writer hesitated while writing
• BWords have been left out of the quotation✓
• CThe quotation is really a question
• DThe house is part of a list of places

Answer: In a quotation, an ellipsis shows that the student has cut some of the writer's words. It does not mean the original writer paused.

From a twenty-first-century local news article: The new cycle lane, which cost £2.3 million and took eighteen months to build, is 400 metres long. It begins at a roundabout, ends at a bus stop and is interrupted – twice – by lamp posts that nobody thought to move. Local cyclist Joe Barnes was blunt: 'It's a lovely bit of paint. Shame about the planning.'

What is the function of the colon after 'Local cyclist Joe Barnes was blunt'?

• AIt introduces a list of the faults with the new cycle lane
• BIt separates two contrasting statements of equal weight
• CIt introduces the quotation that shows what 'blunt' means✓
• DIt marks a pause where the writer has left out some words

Answer: The colon points forward to what Barnes actually said, which illustrates his bluntness. What follows is a quotation, not a list.

From a short story: Where was Leo? He had been right beside her at the ice-cream van. Right beside her! Shona spun round. Faces, pushchairs, a man in a gorilla suit handing out leaflets. 'Leo?' Nothing. 'LEO!' A woman turned to stare. And then, from somewhere near her knees, a small sticky voice said: 'I got sprinkles.'

What do the question marks and exclamation marks in the first part of the extract convey?

• AShona's anger at the man in the gorilla suit
• BShona's excitement at buying an ice cream
• CShona's calm attempt to work out where she is
• DShona's rising panic as she searches for Leo✓

Answer: The questions ('Where was Leo?') and exclamations ('Right beside her!', 'LEO!') speed up and grow louder, showing alarm. The gorilla suit is just one of the things she sees as she spins round.

From a short story: Where was Leo? He had been right beside her at the ice-cream van. Right beside her! Shona spun round. Faces, pushchairs, a man in a gorilla suit handing out leaflets. 'Leo?' Nothing. 'LEO!' A woman turned to stare. And then, from somewhere near her knees, a small sticky voice said: 'I got sprinkles.'

How does the punctuation of the final sentence change the mood?

• AThe colon introduces a list of dangers that make the mood worse
• BThe colon shows that Shona is still shouting Leo's name in panic
• CThe colon marks a change to a formal and serious mood
• DThe colon sets up a calm, comic reveal that ends the tension✓

Answer: After the frantic short sentences, the longer, smoother final sentence pauses at the colon before the anticlimax 'I got sprinkles.', which reveals Leo was safe all along. The words after the colon are Leo's, not a list or Shona shouting.

From a letter written in 1849 by an invented young woman, Kitty Vaughan, to her cousin. Oh Lydia – such news! – Captain Hartley has asked Papa for my hand, and Papa has said yes – yes! – and I am to be married at Michaelmas. I can scarcely hold the pen. Mamma says I am too young, and Aunt Jane says he is too old, and I say nothing at all, but only smile until my cheeks ache.

What do the dashes and exclamation marks in the first sentence suggest?

• AKitty's anger that her father has refused the proposal
• BKitty's breathless excitement as she rushes to share her news✓
• CKitty's careful, formal manner of writing to her cousin
• DKitty's confusion about whom she is going to marry

Answer: The dashes break into the sentence with sudden outbursts ('such news!', 'yes!'), as if Kitty cannot wait to finish it, and she says 'I can scarcely hold the pen'. Papa 'has said yes', so there is no refusal.

From a letter written in 1849 by an invented young woman, Kitty Vaughan, to her cousin. Oh Lydia – such news! – Captain Hartley has asked Papa for my hand, and Papa has said yes – yes! – and I am to be married at Michaelmas. I can scarcely hold the pen. Mamma says I am too young, and Aunt Jane says he is too old, and I say nothing at all, but only smile until my cheeks ache.

How does the punctuation of the final sentence differ from the first, and why?

• AIt adds more dashes and exclamation marks to show Kitty's growing anger
• BIt uses question marks to show that Kitty now doubts the whole match
• CIt flows through commas and 'and' with no dashes, as Kitty calmly reports others' views✓
• DIt uses brackets to show Kitty hiding her real feelings from her cousin

Answer: The last sentence has no dashes or exclamation marks; a smooth chain of commas and 'and' gives a gentler, amused rhythm as Kitty reports her mother's and aunt's objections and her own smile. There are no question marks or brackets.

From a speech at the reopening of a community hall: Ten years ago this building had no roof, no windows and a tree growing through the stage. They told us it couldn't be done. They told us it was too expensive. Too risky. Too late. Well, look around you. This hall – this beautiful, restored, crowded hall – is our answer.

What is the effect of the full stops in 'Too risky. Too late.'?

• AThey show the speaker agrees that the project was too risky
• BThey break the objections into blunt fragments, stressing each one✓
• CThey mark questions that the audience is expected to answer
• DThey link the objections into one smooth, flowing sentence

Answer: Ending each phrase with a full stop makes the doubters' objections sound like a series of hammer blows, which the speaker then overturns with 'Well, look around you'. The speaker is quoting the doubters, not agreeing.

From a speech at the reopening of a community hall: Ten years ago this building had no roof, no windows and a tree growing through the stage. They told us it couldn't be done. They told us it was too expensive. Too risky. Too late. Well, look around you. This hall – this beautiful, restored, crowded hall – is our answer.

What is the purpose of the dashes in 'This hall – this beautiful, restored, crowded hall – is our answer'?

• ATo show that the speaker has lost track of the sentence and stopped
• BTo introduce a list of the people who criticised the project
• CTo show that the speaker is quoting the people who objected
• DTo insert a proud, emphatic description before the speaker's final point✓

Answer: The pair of dashes interrupts the sentence to repeat 'hall' with three admiring adjectives, delaying and heightening the climax 'is our answer'. The sentence is completed, so the speaker has not lost track.

From a twenty-first-century novel written as a teenager's diary: Day 4 of being grounded. Mum says it's 'for my own good' (it isn't). Dad says it's 'only a week' (it's actually ten days, I've counted). My little sister says nothing but keeps walking past my door eating crisps very loudly (deliberately). I am writing this diary so that future historians understand what I went through.

What is the effect of the brackets in this extract?

• AThey give the parents' exact words as they were actually spoken
• BThey mark facts that the narrator has checked in a reference book
• CThey show the narrator agreeing with the parents' decision
• DThey add the narrator's sulky private comments, for humour✓

Answer: Each bracketed aside ('it isn't', 'deliberately') undercuts what the family says or does with the narrator's resentful view, which is funny. The parents' words are in inverted commas, not brackets.

From a twenty-first-century novel written as a teenager's diary: Day 4 of being grounded. Mum says it's 'for my own good' (it isn't). Dad says it's 'only a week' (it's actually ten days, I've counted). My little sister says nothing but keeps walking past my door eating crisps very loudly (deliberately). I am writing this diary so that future historians understand what I went through.

Why are 'for my own good' and 'only a week' placed in inverted commas?

• ATo show these are titles of books the narrator is reading
• BTo show these phrases were invented by the narrator
• CTo quote the parents' words, suggesting the narrator doubts them✓
• DTo mark the words the narrator believes are most true

Answer: The inverted commas show these are the parents' own phrases, and the brackets straight after ('it isn't', 'it's actually ten days') show the narrator disputing them.

From a twenty-first-century magazine article. (The survey is invented.) The survey asked 2,000 teenagers what worried them most. The answers were not what the researchers expected. Exams came fourth. Social media came third. Money came second. And the thing that worried them most of all was something adults rarely ask about: sleep.

What is the effect of the colon before 'sleep' at the end?

• AIt introduces a long list of the teenagers' different worries
• BIt creates a pause that builds anticipation before a surprising answer✓
• CIt separates two independent clauses of exactly equal weight
• DIt shows that 'sleep' is a quotation from one of the teenagers

Answer: The colon holds back the answer for a moment, so the single word 'sleep' lands with emphasis, fitting the build-up that 'The answers were not what the researchers expected'. Only one word follows it, so it is not a list.

From a twenty-first-century magazine article. (The survey is invented.) The survey asked 2,000 teenagers what worried them most. The answers were not what the researchers expected. Exams came fourth. Social media came third. Money came second. And the thing that worried them most of all was something adults rarely ask about: sleep.

How does the writer use short sentences and punctuation to organise the results?

• AA list in brackets gives every answer in order of importance
• BA countdown of short sentences delays the top answer until the end✓
• CExclamation marks show the writer's shock at each answer
• DA series of questions invites the reader to guess each answer

Answer: The results are given from fourth to second in separate short sentences, like a countdown, keeping the reader waiting for first place. There are no brackets, exclamation marks or questions.

From a twenty-first-century short story: and the bus was late again and the rain was coming in sideways and her phone was dying and she had the interview at nine and her shoes were already wet through and she thought if one more thing goes wrong today just one more thing I will sit down on this pavement and never get up

Why has the writer left out almost all punctuation in this extract?

• ATo show that the character is calm and thinking things through slowly
• BTo make it clear that the character is speaking aloud to other people
• CTo show that the passage is a list of instructions for the reader
• DTo mimic the rush of the character's thoughts as her stress builds✓

Answer: Without full stops or commas, problem after problem runs together, as in a stream of consciousness, so the reader feels the pressure mounting. There are no speech marks, and the thoughts move fast, not slowly.

From a twenty-first-century short story: and the bus was late again and the rain was coming in sideways and her phone was dying and she had the interview at nine and her shoes were already wet through and she thought if one more thing goes wrong today just one more thing I will sit down on this pavement and never get up

What is the effect of having no capital letter at the start and no full stop at the end?

• AThe thoughts seem to begin and end mid-flow, with no escape from them✓
• BThe passage seems to be a formal letter that has been copied out
• CThe passage seems finished, with every problem neatly solved
• DThe missing capital shows that the character's name is unknown

Answer: Starting with a lower-case 'and' suggests the worries were already running before the passage began, and the missing full stop suggests they carry on afterwards. The lack of an ending works against any sense that problems are solved.

From a twenty-first-century charity appeal letter: Dear Friend, Could you sleep tonight in a doorway? In January? With nothing but a sheet of cardboard between you and the pavement? Last winter, hundreds of people in our city did exactly that. Your gift of £15 could give one of them a warm bed for a night. Please, give what you can today.

What is the effect of the series of questions at the start of the letter?

• AThey push the reader to imagine the hardship for themselves✓
• BThey show the charity does not know where people sleep
• CThey are survey questions to answer and send back
• DThey make the letter seem light-hearted and comic

Answer: The rhetorical questions use 'you' to put the reader in the doorway, so the hardship becomes personal before the request for money. The charity goes on to state what happened last winter, so it is not asking for information.

From a twenty-first-century charity appeal letter: Dear Friend, Could you sleep tonight in a doorway? In January? With nothing but a sheet of cardboard between you and the pavement? Last winter, hundreds of people in our city did exactly that. Your gift of £15 could give one of them a warm bed for a night. Please, give what you can today.

Why does the writer split the opening into separate questions: 'Could you sleep tonight in a doorway? In January? With nothing but…'?

• AEach fragment corrects a mistake made in the question before it
• BEach fragment adds a harsher detail and builds the reader's discomfort✓
• CEach fragment names a different charity the reader could support
• DEach fragment slows the letter down to make it sound relaxed

Answer: Punctuating each addition as its own question makes the reader pause on it: first a doorway, then the cold of January, then only cardboard. The details intensify rather than correct one another.