Many IELTS takers
disregard punctuation marks when they refine their writing skills. Don’t make
the same mistake.
Punctuation marks are essential
grammar elements. They contribute to a sentence’s structure as an individual
statement and as a paragraph component. Misuse them, and you’ll diminish your
writing’s clarity and transition, consequently dragging down your band score in
the IELTS writing exam.
So, study punctuation
during your IELTS review period. Here are some
of the mistakes that you can’t afford to make when you take the actual writing
test.
1.
Overusing commas
Inserting
commas into lengthy sentences is a tricky task. Place too much and you’ll
render the sentence grammatically incorrect. Comma splices are the most common
results of this blunder. They happen when two independent clauses are connected
with a comma. They are typically corrected by separating the independent
clauses with a more definitive punctuation. Here’s an example.
WRONG: Sally saw the movie,
her sister read the novel.
RIGHT: Sally saw the movie.
Her sister read the novel.
2.
Using colons and semicolons interchangeably
Here’s
a good rule of thumb. The only things that should come after a colon are
summaries, interpretations, elaborations, and quotations. Otherwise, stick to a
semicolon. Keep these in mind during your IELTS training period. Here’s an example.
WRONG: You’re missing three ingredients; celery, butter, and white wine.
RIGHT: You’re missing three ingredients: celery, butter, and white wine.
3.
Using commas and semicolons interchangeably
Commas
indicate a slight break between different portions of a sentence. Semicolons
also mark a pause. Unlike commas, however, they underline the relationship of
the independent clauses they separate. Here’s an example.
WRONG: My final exam is tomorrow, I can’t go out tonight.
RIGHT: My final exam is tomorrow;
I can’t go out tonight.
4.
Misplacing the punctuation in quotations
Should
you place the punctuation mark inside or outside the quotation? This is a
question that must be answered during your IELTS review.
The answer? It depends on the English style you favor.
If
you use American English, the period must be placed inside the quotation mark.
The location of question marks and exclamation points, on the other hand,
depends on their purpose. If they apply to the entire sentence, they should be
placed outside of the quotation marks. Here are some examples.
WRONG: “You must leave now if you want to get there on time”.
RIGHT: “You must leave now if you want to get there on time.”
WRONG: Did the dog bark every time she heard Mai say “let’s go
for a walk?”
RIGHT: Did the dog bark every time she heard Mai say “let’s go
for a walk”?
Make sure your
compositions are free of these errors during your IELTS
training period. It’s the best way to ensure you won’t make them on your
test date. Enroll in a top IELTS review center, like JRooz Review, to learn
more ways to elevate your writing performance.
Learn more for Part 1 https://ieltsfacts.blogspot.com/2019/03/4-punctuation-mistakes-you-cant-afford.html
Learn more for Part 1 https://ieltsfacts.blogspot.com/2019/03/4-punctuation-mistakes-you-cant-afford.html
References:
“10 Top
Punctuation Problems for Writers.” |Just Publishing Advice. January 14, 2019.
Accessed March 6, 2019. https://justpublishingadvice.com/10-top-punctuation-problems-for-writers/
Macfadyen,
Sarah. “8 Comics to Help You Avoid Unfortunate Punctuation Errors.” Inklyo.
October 22, 2015. Accessed March 6, 2019. https://www.inklyo.com/unfortunate-punctuation-errors/
Scocco, Daniel.
“Six Common Punctuation Errors that Bedevil Bloggers.” Copy Blogger. October 28,
2007. Accessed March 6, 2019. https://www.copyblogger.com/punctuation-mistakes/
Yang, Lucy.
“How to avoid 9 common punctuation mistakes that make you look dumb.” This Is
Insider. August 22, 2018. Accessed March 6, 2019. https://www.thisisinsider.com/common-punctuation-mistakes-dumb-2017-8
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