Punctuation Rules Chart — Free Printable PDF

Eight punctuation marks, the rule for each one and an example you can point at — period, comma, semicolon, colon, apostrophe, quotation marks, dash and ellipsis. Hit Print or Download PDF for the whole chart on one page, no signup.

Aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2b through L.9-10.2b · Conventions of standard English

Orientation

Prints on one US Letter page in portrait. Set margins to "None" for the sharpest result.

Punctuation Rules Chart

The eight marks — when to use each one, with an example

Period

L.K.2b · L.1.2b

Ends a statement. School starts at eight.

Ends a command or a request. Please close the door.

Ends most abbreviations. Dr. · Mrs. · a.m. · Ave.

One period is enough — a sentence that ends in an abbreviation does not get a second one. We left at 6 p.m.

Its two siblings: ? ends a question, ! ends an exclamation. Are we late? Watch out!

Comma

L.1.2c · L.4.2c · L.5.2b

Separates three or more items in a series. We packed apples, cheese, and bread.

Follows an introductory word or phrase. After the game, we walked home.

Goes before and, but, or, so when they join two complete sentences. I knocked, but no one answered.

Sets off an aside you could lift out. My brother, who is six, lost a tooth.

Sets off the person being spoken to. Come here, Sam.

Splits dates and place names. July 4, 1776 · Austin, Texas

;

Semicolon

L.9-10.2a

Joins two complete sentences that belong together, with no and or but. The rain stopped; we went outside.

Sits before however, therefore or in fact when they link two sentences. It rained; however, we still played.

Separates list items that already contain commas. Austin, Texas; Reno, Nevada; and Erie, Pennsylvania

Colon

L.9-10.2b

Introduces a list after a complete sentence. Pack three things: socks, a hat, and gloves.

Introduces an explanation or a quotation. She had one rule: finish what you start.

Never follows a verb or a preposition. We need: milk ✗ We need milk ✓

Also splits hours from minutes, and ratios. 7:30 · 2:1

’

Apostrophe

L.2.2c · L.3.2d

Makes a contraction, standing in for the missing letters. do not → don’t · we are → we’re

Shows one owner — add ’s. the dog’s bowl

Shows more than one owner — add ’ after the s. the dogs’ bowls

Never makes a word plural. two tacos ✓ two taco’s ✗

its = belonging to it. it’s = it is. It’s cold. The cat licked its paw.

“ ”

Quotation Marks

L.3.2c · L.4.2b · L.5.2d

Enclose someone’s exact words. “Wait for me,” she said.

A comma sets off the speaker tag. She asked, “Are we late?”

In US style, commas and periods go inside the closing mark. “I’m ready,” he said.

Mark titles of short works — songs, poems, stories, articles. “The Road Not Taken”

—

Dash

L.6.2a · L.8.2a

The em dash (—) sets off a sharp break or an aside. She grabbed her coat—it was freezing—and ran.

A pair of dashes emphasizes an aside; parentheses play it down; commas are neutral.

The en dash (–) shows a range. pages 12–18 · Monday–Friday

The hyphen (-) joins words into one. well-known author · twenty-one

…

Ellipsis

L.8.2b

Three dots show words left out of a quotation. “We hold these truths … to be self-evident.”

Shows speech trailing off or a pause in dialogue. “I thought you knew …”

Always three dots — never four or five — with a space on each side.

Four Slips to Watch For

Comma splice

It was late, we went home. Two complete sentences need a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus so.

Apostrophe in a plural

Taco's $2 → Tacos $2. An apostrophe means owns or is missing letters, never more than one.

its vs. it's

Read it as it is. If the sentence still works, write it's; if not, write its.

The serial comma

red, white, and blue or red, white and blue — both are accepted. Pick one and use it all the way through a piece of writing.

Standard codes are CCSS.ELA-LITERACY · printablepolly.com/punctuation-rules-chart

CCSS Alignment — When Each Mark Is Taught

Punctuation lives in the Common Core language standards under "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling" (L.x.2). Every mark on the chart is tagged with the standard that introduces it, so the sheet can be matched to a unit or attached to a lesson plan.

Standard	Grade	What it asks for	Mark
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2b	K	Recognize and name end punctuation.	Period
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.2b	1	Use end punctuation for sentences.	Period
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.2c	1	Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2b	2	Use commas in greetings and closings of letters.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2c	2	Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.	Apostrophe
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2b	3	Use commas in addresses.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2c	3	Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.	Quotation marks
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2d	3	Form and use possessives.	Apostrophe
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2b	4	Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.	Quotation marks
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2c	4	Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2a	5	Use punctuation to separate items in a series.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2b	5	Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2c	5	Use a comma to set off yes and no, to set off a tag question, and to indicate direct address.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2d	5	Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.	Quotation marks
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.2a	6	Use punctuation — commas, parentheses, dashes — to set off nonrestrictive elements.	Dash
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.2a	7	Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives.	Comma
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2a	8	Use punctuation — comma, ellipsis, dash — to indicate a pause or break.	Dash, Ellipsis
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2b	8	Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.	Ellipsis
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.2a	9–10	Use a semicolon to link two or more closely related independent clauses.	Semicolon
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.2b	9–10	Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.	Colon

How to Use the Punctuation Chart

1. Teach one box at a time

The eight boxes are not eight lessons for one week. A first grader needs the period and the comma boxes and nothing else; the semicolon and colon boxes are ninth-grade standards. Pin the whole chart up as a reference, then cover everything except the box being taught and have students find that mark in a book they are already reading.

2. Use the examples as the test

Every rule on the sheet comes with a sentence that shows it working. Read the example aloud with the punctuation stripped out and ask what changed — "Come here Sam" against "Come here, Sam" is a faster lesson on direct address than a paragraph of explanation. For older students, hand back the four slips at the bottom as an editing checklist before a draft is turned in.

3. Pair it with the grammar sheet

This chart goes deep on the eight marks; the grammar cheat sheet covers the parts of speech, sentence structure and commonly confused words around them. Printed side by side they make a two-page writing reference that answers most questions a student has mid-draft.

Printable PDF

The chart above is the whole thing — all eight marks with their rules, examples and standard codes on one US Letter page, black-and-white friendly. Print as many copies as you need for a classroom or a binder. No signup, no watermark.

More Printable Language References

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Grammar Rules

Parts of speech, sentence structure & confused words

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Spelling Worksheets

Word lists and practice pages by grade

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1st Grade Writing

Sentence practice where the marks get used

FAQ

What are the 8 punctuation marks on this chart?

Period, comma, semicolon, colon, apostrophe, quotation marks, dash and ellipsis. The question mark and exclamation point are covered in the period box, since all three are end punctuation and are taught together.

When do you use a semicolon instead of a colon?

A semicolon joins two complete sentences that could each stand alone: “The rain stopped; we went outside.” A colon points forward to whatever follows — a list, an explanation or a quotation: “Pack three things: socks, a hat, and gloves.” If the words after the mark cannot stand alone as a sentence, you want a colon, not a semicolon.

What grade is each punctuation mark taught in?

Under the Common Core language standards, end punctuation comes in kindergarten and first grade (L.K.2b, L.1.2b), commas in series and dates in first grade (L.1.2c), apostrophes for contractions and possessives in second (L.2.2c), quotation marks for dialogue in third (L.3.2c), dashes and ellipses in eighth (L.8.2a–b), and semicolons and colons in ninth and tenth (L.9-10.2a–b). The full mapping is in the CCSS table on this page.

Do commas and periods go inside or outside quotation marks?

In American usage they go inside the closing quotation mark, whether or not they belong to the quoted words: “I'm ready,” he said. British style places them outside unless they are part of the quotation. US school assignments and the Common Core standards follow the American convention.

What is the difference between a hyphen, an en dash and an em dash?

A hyphen (-) joins words into one, as in well-known author. An en dash (–), the width of an N, shows a range: pages 12–18. An em dash (—), the width of an M, sets off a break in a sentence or an aside. Only the em dash acts as punctuation between clauses.

Is this punctuation chart free to print?

Yes. Click Print or Download PDF and the whole chart comes out on one US Letter page — no signup, no watermark, and no limit on copies for a classroom or a writing binder.