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Year 8 English — Punctuating complex sentences

Place the commas, semicolons and full stops that a sentence of more than one clause needs.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Each sentence joins a subordinate clause to a main clause. Sort by whether a comma is needed at the join.

    Groups: A comma is needed · No comma is needed

    • If you finish early you may go home.
    • The children ran out when the bell rang.
    • We called a plumber because the tap was leaking.
    • When the bell rang the children ran out.
    • You may go home if you finish early.
    • Because the tap was leaking we called a plumber.

  2. 2.Sort each sentence by whether its punctuation is correct.

    Groups: Correctly punctuated · Wrongly punctuated

    • Because the road was closed, we took the long way round.
    • We waited for an hour, the train never came.
    • The gate was locked, so we climbed over the wall.
    • The gate was locked so, we climbed over the wall.
    • Because, the road was closed we took the long way round.
    • We waited for an hour; the train never came.

  3. 3.Where does the comma belong? "When the results of the district competition were finally announced the whole class cheered."

    • a) after "announced"
    • b) after "class"
    • c) after "When"
    • d) after "competition"

  4. 4."The lights went out, we finished the game by lamplight." Three of these corrections work. Which one leaves the sentence still wrong?

    • a) The lights went out, we finished the game, by lamplight.
    • b) The lights went out. We finished the game by lamplight.
    • c) The lights went out; we finished the game by lamplight.
    • d) The lights went out, so we finished the game by lamplight.

  5. 5.Joining two complete sentences with nothing but a comma has a name. Write the two words for it.

  6. 6.Which sentence is punctuated wrongly?

    • a) The rain stopped; the match began.
    • b) The rain stopped, and the match began.
    • c) The rain stopped, the match began.
    • d) The rain stopped. The match began.

  7. 7.Which mark joins these two closely linked sentences without any joining word? "The library was silent. Nobody had come in all afternoon."

    • a) a comma
    • b) a semicolon
    • c) an apostrophe
    • d) a hyphen

  8. 8.Put the cards in order to make one correct sentence.

    • Although
    • we found
    • on the list.
    • the shop was crowded,
    • everything

Answer key — Year 8 English — Punctuating complex sentences

  1. 1. Because the tap was leaking we called a plumber. → A comma is needed; We called a plumber because the tap was leaking. → No comma is needed; When the bell rang the children ran out. → A comma is needed; The children ran out when the bell rang. → No comma is needed; If you finish early you may go home. → A comma is needed; You may go home if you finish early. → No comma is needed
  2. 2. We waited for an hour; the train never came. → Correctly punctuated; We waited for an hour, the train never came. → Wrongly punctuated; Because the road was closed, we took the long way round. → Correctly punctuated; Because, the road was closed we took the long way round. → Wrongly punctuated; The gate was locked, so we climbed over the wall. → Correctly punctuated; The gate was locked so, we climbed over the wall. → Wrongly punctuated
  3. 3. a) after "announced"
  4. 4. a) The lights went out, we finished the game, by lamplight.
  5. 5. comma splice
  6. 6. c) The rain stopped, the match began.
  7. 7. b) a semicolon
  8. 8. 1. Although 2. the shop was crowded, 3. we found 4. everything 5. on the list.