Do you have a child who struggles with using commas, question marks, colons, and other punctuation marks? I have two punctuation mnemonics today that might help him out.
These mnemonics come in the form of a riddle and a poem. The riddle you may have heard of, but, the poem goes back to the 1800’s so it might be something new to you and your child.
Here they are.
Punctuation Mnemonics
Let’s start with a riddle that will not only help your child use commas, but also teach him two homophones.
Riddle: What’s the difference between a cat and a comma?
Answer: A cat has claws at the end of its paws and a comma is a pause at the end of a clause.
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Here’s an old poem from the 1800’s that teaches some of the principles of proper punctuation.
Principles of Punctuation: Or, The Art of Pointing Familiarized
by Cecil Hartley
The stops point out, with truth, the time of pause
A sentence doth require at ev’ry clause.
At ev’ry comma, stop while one you count;
At semicolon, two is the amount;
A colon doth require the time of three;
The period four, as learned men agree.
That’s all the punctuation mnemonics that I have for you today.
Know of anyone else who has a child or teen struggling with punctuation? Feel free to share this post with them.
Many blessings,
