Full stops, question marks, exclamation marks
You learn which mark ends a sentence: a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark.
How to do the test
- Read the sentence.
- If it tells you something, end with a full stop.
- If it asks, end with a question mark.
- If it starts with What or How and shows strong feeling, end with an exclamation mark.
A worked example
Type the missing mark: full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Where is my coat ___
- The sentence asks something, so it ends with a question mark.
- You could answer it with yes, no or a fact.
- The missing mark is a question mark.
More examples
Type the missing mark: full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Can you swim ___
- The sentence asks something, so it ends with a question mark.
- You could answer it with yes, no or a fact.
- The missing mark is a question mark.
Type the missing mark: full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Why is the sky blue ___
- The sentence asks something, so it ends with a question mark.
- You could answer it with yes, no or a fact.
- The missing mark is a question mark.
Try it yourself
Type the missing mark: full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
How kind you are ___
Type the missing mark: full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
We went to the beach ___
Watch out
You put an exclamation mark on any lively sentence.
An exclamation starts with What or How. A sentence that only tells you something still ends with a full stop.
Tips
- If you could answer it, it ends with a question mark.
Why it works
The end mark tells the reader what kind of sentence it was. A sentence that tells ends with a full stop, a question that asks ends with a question mark, and an exclamation ends with an exclamation mark.