Most of what I write is nonfiction--that means it's all true. But the first two books I wrote were fiction. Alfie the Apostrophe and Penny and the Punctuation Bee are imaginary stories about punctuation marks. In these books, different punctuation marks have jobs or talents related to what they do in a sentence. Alfie, an apostrophe, is a magician. Why? Because he replaces letters after he makes them "disappear." Penny, a period, is a safety patrol. That's because she stops a sentence, just like a safety patrol stops children from crossing the street. And Quentin the question mark? He's a school newspaper reporter who asks a lot of questions.
When I visit schools, I ask students what punctuation mark they think they are. Some know right away; others aren't so sure. If you want to find out which punctuation mark you are, take the quiz below. *
*And just in case you want to know, I am an asterisk.
When I visit schools, I ask students what punctuation mark they think they are. Some know right away; others aren't so sure. If you want to find out which punctuation mark you are, take the quiz below. *
*And just in case you want to know, I am an asterisk.
QUIZ: What Punctuation Mark Are You?
1. Which job would you like best?
(a) Newspaper reporter.
(b) Movie star.
(c) Cheerleader.
(d) Clockmaker.
(e) Um, well, I’m not sure.
2. In class, do you…
(a) ask a lot of questions?
(b) know all the answers?
(c) encourage others?
(d) watch the clock?
(e) wait and answer carefully?
3. You are invited to a party…
(a) You first find out where and when.
(b) You put on your sparkliest clothes.
(c) Yay!
(d) What time?
(e) You make a list of who’s invited.
4. Which food do you like best?
(a) spaghetti
(b) ring pops and candy necklaces
(c) hot dogs
(d) fried eggs
(e) shrimp
5. Your dream vacation would be…
(a) Visiting Presidential birthplaces.
(b) Hollywood.
(c) Someplace with a great sports team.
(d) Greenwich, England
(e) Um, I have to make a list.
How to score the quiz:
If you have three or more (a)’s – Question mark. You are curious and would make a good journalist.
If you have three or more (b)’s – Asterisk. You are sparkly and fun and love parties.
If you have three or more (c)’s – Exclamation point. You are enthusiastic and cheer for your friends.
If you have three or more (d)’s - Colon. You like to be on time and worry about the future.
If you have three or more (e)’s – Comma. You are thoughtful and careful.
If you don’t have three or more of any one letter, you are an interrobang:
He said what?!
(a) Newspaper reporter.
(b) Movie star.
(c) Cheerleader.
(d) Clockmaker.
(e) Um, well, I’m not sure.
2. In class, do you…
(a) ask a lot of questions?
(b) know all the answers?
(c) encourage others?
(d) watch the clock?
(e) wait and answer carefully?
3. You are invited to a party…
(a) You first find out where and when.
(b) You put on your sparkliest clothes.
(c) Yay!
(d) What time?
(e) You make a list of who’s invited.
4. Which food do you like best?
(a) spaghetti
(b) ring pops and candy necklaces
(c) hot dogs
(d) fried eggs
(e) shrimp
5. Your dream vacation would be…
(a) Visiting Presidential birthplaces.
(b) Hollywood.
(c) Someplace with a great sports team.
(d) Greenwich, England
(e) Um, I have to make a list.
How to score the quiz:
If you have three or more (a)’s – Question mark. You are curious and would make a good journalist.
If you have three or more (b)’s – Asterisk. You are sparkly and fun and love parties.
If you have three or more (c)’s – Exclamation point. You are enthusiastic and cheer for your friends.
If you have three or more (d)’s - Colon. You like to be on time and worry about the future.
If you have three or more (e)’s – Comma. You are thoughtful and careful.
If you don’t have three or more of any one letter, you are an interrobang:
He said what?!
