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7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 8 of 15

Punctuation Power

Colons, however and ellipses

What your child practices

Using a colon before a quotation, a semicolon with words like however and therefore, and ellipses or dashes to show a pause, an omission or a break.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 7.10(D) · colons, conjunctive adverbs and ellipses

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Use a semicolon before however or therefore when it joins two sentences, and a comma after: “It was icy; therefore, we walked.”
  2. Use commas around however when it interrupts one sentence.
  3. Dashes show an interruption or break. An ellipsis (…) shows a pause or words left out. A colon can introduce a quotation.

Example: “The path was icy ___ therefore ___ we walked slowly.” What goes in the blanks? “Therefore” joins two complete sentences. Put a semicolon before it and a comma after. Answer: ; and ,

Punctuation Power in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 8 of 15 in 7th grade English Language Arts, after Poetry Lab and before Whose Story?.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence introduces a list correctly?

    • Pack these items: a flashlight, a map and a snack.
    • Pack these items; a flashlight, a map and a snack.
    • Pack: these items a flashlight, a map and a snack.

  2. Question 2

    Which mark best shows a trailing-off voice? “I just thought …”

    • colon
    • semicolon
    • ellipsis

  3. Question 3

    Which sentence uses commas around a conjunctive adverb correctly?

    • Our team however, won the game.
    • Our team, however, won the game.
    • Our, team however won the game.

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence uses commas around the conjunctive adverb correctly?

    • The trail, therefore was closed.
    • The trail therefore, was closed.
    • The trail, therefore, was closed.

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence uses a colon to introduce a quotation correctly?

    • Coach said; one thing “Never stop trying.”
    • Coach said one thing: “Never stop trying.”
    • Coach said one thing “Never: stop trying.”

  6. Question 6

    Which sentence punctuates the conjunctive adverb correctly?

    • I studied hard, however, the test was tough.
    • I studied hard; however the test was tough.
    • I studied hard; however, the test was tough.

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