Florida - Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking:
ELA.6.C.3.1
Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.
6th Grade Writing - Punctuation Lesson
Colons
Colons should only be used after complete sentences. They are often used to introduce a list or short example.
Example:
LISTS/EXAMPLES
Pick up these groceries from the store: green grapes, broccoli, cilantro, and white bread.
Kristin's new dress was two of her favorite colors:
blue and pink.
Colons can also be used to connect two independent clauses when the second clause explains or illustrates the first clause in some way.
Example:
EXPLANATIONS/ILLUSTRATIONS
My dog Scooby is more than a pet to me: he is a crucial part of my family.
No one can beat Wilma at running: she's held the fastest time for months now.
Hyphens
Hyphens are often used in compound words
Certain compound nouns, such as "mother-in-law" or "sign-off," are hyphenated. It's best to check with a dictionary to be sure whether a compound noun should be hyphenated.
Compound adjectives are made up of a noun + an adjective, noun + a participle, or an adjective + a participle. When compound adjectives come right before a noun, they should be hyphenated.
Example:
COMPOUND WORDS
The editor-in-chief at the newspaper has to approve all stories before they can be published.
The ice-cold coffee belongs to that good-looking man over there.
Mrs. Horner's ten-year-old daughter is in my sister's fifth grade class.
Certain prefixes should always use a hyphen when combined with a base word.
The prefixes, self-, ex-, all-, and great-, should always be hyphenated.
When a prefix is combined with a proper noun, it should always be hyphenated.
Example:
PREFIXES
Tessa, the self-appointed leader, spoke to the teacher on behalf of all the other students.
Harold's great-grandmother invented the first portable ice cream maker.
Hyphens should be used when the numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine are written out.
Example:
NUMBERS
After counting again, Trevor realized he only had forty-nine dollars, not fifty.
There's still twenty-one mini apple pies left for sale at the bakery.
Commas - Dashes - Ellipses
Commas, dashes, and ellipses are used to indicate a pause and to separate extra information in a sentence.
Commas
Commas are used around extra information in a sentence. They are used to indicate a pause.
Example:
Last Halloween, the three siblings, even the teenager, went trick or treating.
Dashes
A dash indicates a stronger pause than a comma. Dashes are used around extra information added into a sentence.
Example:
Jerry suggested—or should we say, insisted—that we get Chinese food for dinner.
Ellipses
An ellipsis is used to show a pause or indicate an omission. Ellipses indicate a longer pause than a comma.
Example:
“I guess . . . I could come over tonight. . . if you really want me to,” Daisy said to her mother.
6th Grade Writing - Punctuation Lesson