Printable Grammar and Punctuation Rules Reference Sheet

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This reference sheet organizes essential grammar and punctuation rules into clear sections with brief examples. It is designed for printing and quick consultation during writing tasks. The sheet covers parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, common punctuation marks, and a quick-check list to review work. Practice exercises and a worked example help apply the rules. All content is original and intended for instructional use.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Parts of Speech

Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas. Examples: teacher, city, book, freedom.

Verbs express actions or states of being. Examples: run, is, seem, become.

Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns. Examples: happy, blue, three, careful.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Examples: quickly, very, well, yesterday.

Pronouns replace nouns. Examples: he, she, it, they, we.

Prepositions show relationships between words. Examples: in, on, under, between, with.

Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses. Examples: and, but, because, although.

Interjections express emotion. Examples: wow, oh, hey, alas.

1. Identify the main noun in a sentence by asking who or what performs the action.
2. Locate the verb by finding the action or state of being.
3. Check for adjectives by looking for words that describe the noun.
4. Find adverbs by looking for words that describe how, when, or where the action happens.
5. Replace repeated nouns with pronouns to test pronoun use.
6. Circle prepositions and conjunctions to see how ideas connect.

Subject-Verb Agreement

A singular subject takes a singular verb. Example: The cat sleeps.

A plural subject takes a plural verb. Example: The cats sleep.

Compound subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb. Example: The cat and the dog play.

Subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor' take a verb that agrees with the nearest subject. Example: Neither the cat nor the dogs are outside.

Collective nouns (team, family) usually take a singular verb when acting as one unit. Example: The team wins.

Indefinite pronouns like everyone, each, and nobody are singular. Example: Everyone is ready.

1. Find the subject by asking who or what the sentence is about.
2. Decide if the subject is singular or plural.
3. Check the verb form: singular verbs often end in -s in present tense.
4. For compound subjects, apply the 'and' or 'or/nor' rule.
5. For collective nouns, decide if the group acts as one unit.
6. Read the sentence aloud to catch agreement errors.

Punctuation Rules

Periods end declarative sentences. Example: The book is on the table.

Question marks end direct questions. Example: Where is the book?

Exclamation marks show strong emotion or emphasis. Example: Watch out!

Commas separate items in a list, set off introductory phrases, and join independent clauses with a conjunction. Example: I bought apples, bananas, and oranges.

Semicolons join closely related independent clauses without a conjunction. Example: The rain stopped; we went outside.

Colons introduce lists or explanations. Example: She brought three items: a pen, a notebook, and a ruler.

Apostrophes show possession or contraction. Example: the dog's bone; it's raining.

Quotation marks enclose direct speech. Example: She said, "I will help."

1. Check the end of each sentence for a period, question mark, or exclamation mark.
2. Look for lists and insert commas between items.
3. Identify introductory phrases and add a comma after them.
4. Find two independent clauses joined without a conjunction and consider a semicolon.
5. Check for colons before lists or explanations.
6. Verify apostrophes for possession or contractions.
7. Ensure quotation marks surround direct speech and punctuation is placed correctly.

Quick-Check List

Use this list to review writing before submitting.

Each item is a simple yes/no check.

1. Does every sentence have a subject and a verb?
2. Do subjects and verbs agree in number?
3. Are periods, question marks, or exclamation marks used correctly at sentence ends?
4. Are commas used in lists and after introductory phrases?
5. Are semicolons used only between independent clauses?
6. Are colons used before lists or explanations?
7. Are apostrophes correct for possession and contractions?
8. Are quotation marks used for direct speech?

Worked example

Correct the following sentence: 'The dogs runs quickly and jumps over the fence.'

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Using a plural verb with a singular subject, such as 'The cat sleep.' Match the verb to the subject: 'The cat sleeps.'
• Joining two independent clauses with only a comma (comma splice). Use a period, semicolon, or conjunction: 'The rain stopped; we went outside.'
• Placing an apostrophe before the 's' for a plural noun, such as 'apple's' when meaning more than one apple. Use 'apples' for plural and 'apple's' only for possession or contraction.
• Putting quotation marks around indirect speech, such as She said that "she was tired." Use quotation marks only for direct speech: She said, "I am tired."

Self-check rubric

• Subject-verb agreement is correct in all sentences.
• Punctuation marks are used correctly at sentence ends.
• Commas are used appropriately in lists and after introductory phrases.
• Semicolons and colons are used correctly.
• Apostrophes are correct for possession and contractions.
• Quotation marks are used correctly for direct speech.
• The quick-check list is applied to identify and fix errors.

Questions and answers