Punctuation And Mechanics: Reading And Language Arts Terms Explained

Plain-language definitions of every punctuation and mechanics term your child meets in school, each with kid-friendly explanations, worked examples, and common mistakes to watch for.

Capitalization

Capitalization is using capital (uppercase) letters in the correct places in writing, such as at the beginning of sentences, for the word "I," and for names of specific people, places, and things.

Colon

A colon is a punctuation mark made of two stacked dots (:) that is used to introduce a list, explanation, example, or quotation, and in some number formats like time.

Comma

A comma is a punctuation mark (,) that shows a small pause in a sentence, separates items in a list, and helps make the meaning of a sentence clear.

Comma splice

A comma splice is a punctuation mistake that happens when two complete sentences are joined with only a comma instead of correct punctuation or a joining word.

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