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Course: Grammar > Unit 6
Lesson 1: Introduction to commasThree ways to end a sentence
David and Paige, KA’s resident grammarians, introduce the three ways to end a sentence: the period, the exclamation point, and the question mark.
Want to join the conversation?
- I though you can use a ? mark for excitement! Like, "Mom! Are you proud of me for getting 100 points?"(84 votes)
- I am pretty sure that you can use both. For example: "Mom! Are you proud of me for getting 100 points?!(20 votes)
- Do you always use exclamation marks with commands?(20 votes)
- No. You use exclamation marks whenever you feel like the sentence needs one. Use exclamation marks sparingly because the more you use them on a page, the less impact each exclamation mark with have.(22 votes)
- I need help! If someone was to ask me a question, like "Are you not going to eat that cookie?" I answer "No" meaning I do want to eat the cookie, but people think I do not. Should I answer this question differently?(7 votes)
- Often in English when one is asked a negative question, it is answered in the same way as a positive question. For example
Aren't you 16 yet?
would be answered the same way asAre you 16 yet?
i.e.Yes
if one is over 16 andNo
if one isn't.
It's a bit counterintuitive, but that's how English works sometimes. Sorry!(17 votes)
- Could you use a ! for a fact that your excited about?(11 votes)
- Hey ya yo do for ANYTHING that you are excited about (OR you are yelling at a sibling)(5 votes)
- "Horray! The village is saved!"
Shouldn't the "the village is saved" part of the sentence end in a period? I mean the excitement part was the "Horray!" one
Also after an exclamation do we capitalise?
P.s: this is from the K.A practice test(8 votes)- I'd do it, "Hooray, the village is saved!" Both are worthy of exclamation.(9 votes)
- Since this is called "Three ways to end a sentence", are there more? If so, what are they?(5 votes)
- The interrobang is another way to end a sentence. Read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang(9 votes)
- If there is a script does that mean they are actors?(3 votes)
- It's not a script, it's a transcript. A script is something actors use, for reading their parts and dialogue in a scene. A transcript is a translation of words and their time they're said (captions, in short).(12 votes)
- can u put question mark and peroid in the same sentence(5 votes)
- No. You can't combine final punctuation. (Although, a case can be made for the combination of question and exclamation marks, but they come out as a single symbol, the interrobang. Look it up.)(5 votes)
- 2:31why do you ask yourself that everyday(7 votes)
- If you want to yell out your question do you still use an exclamation point or do you sea a question mark? How do I right that?
Example: "Mom! Where is the car!" or "Mom! Where is the car?"(4 votes)- I would use a question mark, and maybe use a dialogue tag to indicate volume.
"Mom? Where's the car?" Taylor hollered.(6 votes)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Hello
grammarians and hello Paige. - Hi David. - So today, we're gonna talk about the three different
ways to end a sentence. This is what we call a terminal
punctuation of English. Paige, what are those three ways? - So, the first is a period. - Okay. - And then exclamation point. - Poom. - And a question mark. - Swoosh. Poom. - A period is just sort of the standard
ending to a sentence. - Sure. - Right, it's... It goes at the end of,
I think, most sentences. I would say that all of the sentences that we have spoken so far
would probably end in periods. - So what's a good example sentence that we can use a period at the end of? - My mom ate a cookie. - So that's just sort of a straight up, regular ol' sentence? - Yeah. - Just a standard declaration of a fact. - Exactly. - This is a thing that is
true. My mom ate a cookie. - Yes. - Cool, and then we just
put this period there to say that's the end of a... End of line. So then what is, what is
an exclamation point for? What would we use that for? - Yeah, so an exclamation
point is pretty much if someone is excited
about what they're saying. - Okay. - So if I were to say I'm gonna eat so much
candy when I get home! I think that was probably an exclamation. - Sure. - And ends in an exclamation point. - But its not just like
good excitement either. It's not just like, wooh, this is awesome! - Totally. There can
be, you know, anger like go to your room! - Right. - Or like fear. If you said... - Aaah! - Yes. Exactly. - We have the period,
which kind of all purpose terminal punctuation you
can just say a regular declarative sentence. Here is a fact, my mom ate a cookie. Or you can use exclamation points to demonstrate excitement or strong emotion whether good or bad, so
like an interjection like aaah! Or a command like go to you room! Or if your super excited,
I'm gonna eat so much candy! What is this thing used for? Huuuh? - Well, I think that was a perfect example but that thing is used for... That is a question mark which
goes at the end of a question. So it basically just signifies I don't know the answer to this thing and I would like an answer to it please. - So okay. So Paige,
what's an example question that we can throw out
using a question mark? - How about, is this edible? - Well it's the eternal question. (Paige laughs) - I ask myself that everyday. (David laughs) - Okay so we have periods,
just statement of facts, exclamations, expressions
of strong emotion, or question marks, which
ask a question? I guess? (Paige chuckles) - Yeah. - Cool. Thanks Paige. - Thank you for having me. - You can learn anything. David out. - Paige out.