☕️Punctuation Basics:☕️
! Exclamation mark- Shows alarm, surprise, anger, extreme happiness.
. Full stop- Ends a sentence.
" Speech marks- Show what is said.
, Comma-Separates items in a list or shows a break in a sentence.
; Semi-colon- Joins two main clauses together.
: Colon- Introduces a list or indicates dialogue in a script.
' Apostrophe- Shows possession, also can be used in place of letters in shortened phrases.
[] Brackets- Used to show quotes that weren't the speakers original ideas, can be used to correct an error.
—Single dash-Separates independent clauses.
? Question mark-Asks a questions, whether rhetoric or an actual question to be answered.
- Hyphen-creates compound adjectives. For example: Emily submitted a six-page document.
• Bullet point- Highlights points in a list.
() Parenthesis- Contains further information that explains or clarifies an idea but isn't a necessary part of the sentence.
/ Slash-Shows a choice or alternative. Also used to separate lines in poetry.
... Ellipsis- Indicates a pause or interruption in a sentence.
Tenses:
Past tenses- Past tense is good for reflecting on the plot in your novel.
Present tense- Is more difficult to convey background knowledge. However, it can be good if done well. Present tense helps the reader to feel part of the story because events are happening at the same time as the reader is reading about them.
Top Tips for punctuation and tenses:
Make sure there is punctuation in dialogue. Use quotation marks when a character is speaking. This could confuse readers because they may not be able to tell the difference between what the character is saying and what the character is thinking. Make it clear for the reader. Make sure there are spaces after a comma.
When a character is speaking you will want to put in a new line, the same if the topic changes. When you change POVs double space. When time is skipped or location is changed you should double space or use*******. Only do this if you are not going to write how the character gets to that location.
Don't switch tenses it gets confusing. Also if you change to write in another character's perspective make it clear.
Make sure there are capital letters for places, names and at a start of a new sentence.
Avoid excessive use of punctuation such as: WOW!!!!!!!! How many exclamation marks do you need?
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