He was given a new bike for Christmas. Now he’s set to
win the Olympics!You mustnotuse a full stop as well as an exclamation mark.
Neither is it correct to use several exclamation marks for
emphasis. Use them rarely or they will lose their effect.
Checklist
◆ A semicolon can separate main clauses.
◆ Do not use a comma instead of a semicolon or full stop.
◆ Do not use a capital letter after a semicolon or a colon.
◆ Don’t forget the question mark after a question.
◆ Don’t overuse the exclamation mark.
Practising what you’ve learnt
Punctuate the following passage:
David flung open the office door and sat down at his desk
he had a great deal to do would he complete the report
in time he knew he should not have left it till the last
moment switching on the computer he keyed in the pass-
word and started to list the items to be included the state-
ment from the assessors the secretary’s report the year’s
accounts and the government recommendations crash he
started what was that rushing to the window he looked out
two men or was it more were running across the road.See page 156 for suggested answers.
MAKING SENSE OF PUNCTUATION / 95