Punctuation worksheet • Teacha! - Free Printable

Let’s go through each sentence one by one and add the correct punctuation. We’ll think about what kind of sentence it is — a question, an exclamation, someone speaking, or just a normal statement.

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1. Have you marked your work the teacher asked the grade 6s

This is a question being asked by the teacher to the students. So we need:
- Quotation marks around what the teacher said.
- A question mark at the end of the question.
- A comma before “asked” because it’s reporting speech.
- Capital letter for “The” if we start with the quote (but here the quote starts mid-sentence).

Actually, better structure:
→ The teacher asked the grade 6s, “Have you marked your work?”

But the original order is: “Have you marked your work the teacher asked the grade 6s”

So we rewrite as:
→ “Have you marked your work?” the teacher asked the grade 6s.

Wait — that’s not quite right either. In English, when you report who spoke after the quote, you use a comma inside the quotation marks, and lowercase for the next part unless it’s a new sentence.

Correct version:
→ “Have you marked your work?” the teacher asked the grade 6s.

Yes — that works.

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2. The exams are about to start and I havent even started studying

Two things here:
- “havent” needs an apostrophe → haven’t
- This is a statement showing worry or urgency — could be an exclamation!
- Also, two clauses joined by “and” — maybe add a comma before “and” for clarity? Not always needed, but in this case, since it’s expressing emotion, let’s make it an exclamation.

So:
→ The exams are about to start, and I haven’t even started studying!

(We added comma before “and”, apostrophe in “haven’t”, and exclamation mark.)

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3. We have to study for English Afrikaans Maths and Natural Sciences in the first week

This is a list of subjects. When listing items, we separate them with commas.

Also, “Maths” might be written as “Math” depending on region, but we’ll keep “Maths” as given.

So:
→ We have to study for English, Afrikaans, Maths, and Natural Sciences in the first week.

(Note: Some style guides skip the last comma before “and” — called Oxford comma — but including it is clearer and often taught in schools.)

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4. My mom said You have to stop watching TV now

Someone is speaking — so we need quotation marks around what Mom said.

Also, since it’s a command, it should end with a period or exclamation. Let’s use exclamation for emphasis.

And capitalize “You” because it’s the start of the quoted sentence.

So:
→ My mom said, “You have to stop watching TV now!”

Added comma after “said”, quotes around the speech, capital Y, and exclamation mark.

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5. The children shouted Happy birthday to their teacher.

Again, someone is shouting something — so quotation marks around “Happy birthday”.

Also, “Happy Birthday” is usually capitalized as it’s a greeting.

And since they’re shouting, exclamation mark fits.

So:
→ The children shouted, “Happy Birthday!” to their teacher.

Wait — actually, the phrase is “shouted Happy birthday to their teacher” — so the whole thing is the action. Better to put the quote where the words are spoken.

Actually, more natural:
→ The children shouted, “Happy Birthday!” to their teacher.

Or even:
→ “Happy Birthday!” the children shouted to their teacher.

But the original structure is “The children shouted Happy birthday...”, so let’s keep that order.

Final:
→ The children shouted, “Happy Birthday!” to their teacher.

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6. Susan asked Why are you not studying for English yet

Susan is asking a question — so we need:
- Quotation marks around her question.
- Question mark at the end.
- Comma after “asked”.
- Capitalize “Why” because it starts the quoted sentence.

So:
→ Susan asked, “Why are you not studying for English yet?”

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7. Miss Marica asked Have you done your homework

Same as above — it’s a question being reported.

So:
→ Miss Marica asked, “Have you done your homework?”

Capital H in “Have”, comma after “asked”, quotes, question mark.

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Now let’s write all final answers clearly:

Final Answer:
1. “Have you marked your work?” the teacher asked the grade 6s.
2. The exams are about to start, and I haven’t even started studying!
3. We have to study for English, Afrikaans, Maths, and Natural Sciences in the first week.
4. My mom said, “You have to stop watching TV now!”
5. The children shouted, “Happy Birthday!” to their teacher.
6. Susan asked, “Why are you not studying for English yet?”
7. Miss Marica asked, “Have you done your homework?”