5 Free Resources for Teaching Punctuation

In today’s blog, I will describe five online resources that you can use to help your students learn more about the use of punctuation marks in their writing.

1. Guide to Grammar and Writing

This resource can be useful for preparing your lessons on punctuation marks, as it provides detailed explanations with numerous examples. However, learners can also find this resource useful for their individual studies, because they can receive immediate feedback on the quizzes and practice activities included in the punctuation section.

2. Paradigm Online Writing Assistant

This website is designed for students at beginning levels and focused on helping writers compose effective sentences. The section on punctuation includes several pages, each devoted to one punctuation mark, and includes a short description of the punctuation mark, a few example sentences, and a practice activity. The activities include revising sentences by using correct punctuation, punctuating sentences, as well as composing sentences with the target punctuation mark. As these activities do not provide answer keys, they would be the best to use in class.

3. Purdue Online Writing Lab

This comprehensive online resource for writers offers a rich section on punctuation with clear explanations and lots of examples. The materials are suitable for both teachers and learners. Each section can be converted into a printable handout and used as a classroom material.

4. The Excelsior College OWL

As I mentioned on one of my older blogs, this is my favorite online writing lab. I like it because of its attractive interface, clear organization, and lots of interactive features. Each punctuation mark is described in clear and accessible language and supplemented with example sentences. For some punctuation marks, the website also provides tips from professors and even video lessons! Learners also can assess themselves by completing exercises provided at the end of the section.

5. Using English for Academic Purposes: Writing

Just like the other resources described here, the punctuation section on this website includes short definitions and example sentences. But what I particularly like about this resource is that after completing practice activities, learners can receive immediate feedback by checking the answer keys. Therefore, this resource is great to recommend to students for their individual study.

There are certainly lots and lots of resources out there, so please feel free to share your favorite websites on teaching punctuation in the comments section, below.