Portuguese Year 2: Full stop, question mark and exclamation mark: the sign at the end of the sentence
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): Choose the sign that ends a sentence (. ? !) by what it says, start with a capital letter and use commas in a list.
A capital letter and a sign
A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a sign. The full stop (.) closes a sentence that tells something: «O gato dorme.» (The cat is sleeping.) The question mark (?) closes a question: «O gato dorme?» (Is the cat sleeping?) The exclamation mark (!) shows surprise, joy or fear: «Que gato tão grande!» (What a big cat!) Choose the sign by what the sentence means.
Writing has no voice
When you speak, your voice shows what you want: to tell, to ask or to be amazed. In writing there is no voice, so there are signs. Look: «Vens.» «Vens?» «Vens!» (You are coming. Are you coming? You are coming!) The letters are the same, but the meaning changes. The capital letter says a new sentence starts, and the final sign says it has ended.
Punctuating three sentences
No signs yet: «o rui abriu a mochila onde está o lápis que pena». Step 1: Split three ideas: he opened the backpack (tells), where the pencil is (asks), what a pity (feeling). Step 2: Choose the signs: full stop, question mark, exclamation mark. Step 3: Capital letter at the start of each sentence and on the name «Rui». Step 4: Write: «O Rui abriu a mochila. Onde está o lápis? Que pena!» (Rui opened the backpack. Where is the pencil? What a pity!) Step 5: In a list, commas separate: «pão, leite e ovos» (bread, milk and eggs).
Two signs, no capital, too many !
There are three common mistakes. One: a full stop at the end of a question, «Onde está o gato.» (Where is the cat?) Two: two signs together, «Onde está o gato?.» Three: forgetting the capital letter after the sign. And «!» is for strong feelings, not for every sentence. One sign is enough, in the right place.
Where you see these signs
You see these signs in books, in comics, in messages and on posters. They help you read aloud: the full stop asks for a pause, the question mark asks for a questioning voice and the exclamation mark asks for feeling. When you write, read it again at the end and check: does each sentence have a capital letter at the start and a sign at the end?
Test what you learned
Which sign goes at the end of «Onde está o meu chapéu» (Where is my hat)?
- a) The question mark (?)
- b) The full stop (.)
- c) The exclamation mark (!)
- d) The comma (,)
Correct answer: a) The question mark (?) — Yes: it is a question, so it ends with «?»: «Onde está o meu chapéu?»
«o gato subiu ao telhado que medo como vamos chegar lá» How is it punctuated correctly? (The cat climbed up to the roof. How scary! How will we get there?)
- a) O gato subiu ao telhado? Que medo. Como vamos chegar lá!
- b) o gato subiu ao telhado. Que medo! como vamos chegar lá?
- c) O gato subiu ao telhado! Que medo? Como vamos chegar lá.
- d) O gato subiu ao telhado. Que medo! Como vamos chegar lá?
Correct answer: d) O gato subiu ao telhado. Que medo! Como vamos chegar lá? — Yes: it tells (.), it shows fear (!), it asks (?), and each sentence starts with a capital letter.
Which pair of sentences is written correctly?
- a) Onde está o gato. Ele está no sofá. (Where is the cat? It is on the sofa.)
- b) Onde está o gato?. Ele está no sofá. (Where is the cat? It is on the sofa.)
- c) Onde está o gato? Ele está no sofá. (Where is the cat? It is on the sofa.)
- d) Onde está o gato? ele está no sofá. (Where is the cat? It is on the sofa.)
Correct answer: c) Onde está o gato? Ele está no sofá. (Where is the cat? It is on the sofa.) — Yes: «?» closes the question, and the next sentence starts with a capital letter, «Ele».
Keep exploring
Other languages
Loading MyLeoNes™…