skkn AN ACTION RESEARCH ON SECONDARY STUDENTS’ PUNCTUATION

GIA LAI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUNG VUONG GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL  ENGLISH GROUP AN ACTION RESEARCH ON SECONDARY STUDENTS’ PUNCTUATION By : ĐÀO NGUYỄN TIỂU QUYÊN Position: Secondary school teacher PART A: INTRODUCTION I Rationale Language is the most powerful weapon in communication It makes human beings different from animals It is the way through which we share our ideas and thoughts with others In the four skills of learning English, writing, as one of the communicative activities, has been neglected by English learners But in reality, writing is very important; writing and speaking help you express yourself Writing is how much of the world communicates Writing can be a great tool to help you know more about the way you think writing can solidify ideas and thoughts, and allow you to reflect on them better than if the ideas remained evolving in your head Writing is one of the ways that we translate our thoughts for other people Punctuation is one of the most important aspects of written English, and yet it is one that is taken the most lightly It is, in fact, this feature of writing that gives meaning to the written words… much like pauses and changes in tones of the voice when speaking An error in punctuation can convey a completely different meaning to the one that is intended.For example, “ Don’t Stop.” means carry on, you are not required to stop Rewriting the same words as ‘Don’t Stop’ means stop what ever is being done with immediate effect Definitely both sentences would be spoken in a different manner Let us look at another example: “He was bitten by a dog which hurt him.” is completely different from “He was bitten by a dog, which hurt him.” The first sentence means the dog hurt him The second sentence means the bite hurts him It’s the comma after the dog that has completely changed the meaning of the sentence It’s very important to know all the punctuation marks, their meanings, and when to use them in order to produce a good piece of writing – and more importantly, to convey the correct message Moreover, Good punctuation shows that a student or a writer has a good knowledge of grammatical structure And to understand the latter, you should obviously grasp what is a simple sentence, a complex sentence and the meaning of each punctuation marks and where to use them Good, correct use of punctuation is very important in your writing Punctuation often plays the same role as variations in your voice when you are speaking: full stops, colons, semi-colons and commas indicate various lengths of pauses; a question mark obviously indicates a question, whereas a rise or fall in your voice would this Lack of punctuation, therefore, or incorrect use of it, will result in your writing being difficult to follow, and your reader having to unnecessary work It could, in fact, be argued that correct punctuation is more important than correct grammar in making your writing easy to read It is convenient for Vietnamese to learn punctuation in English because Vietnamese and English have the same language system Their usage of punctuation is almost similar That is the reason why the students use some common punctuation marks in the habit Teaching punctuation at schools in general and high schools in particular is not mentioned much because in reality, this is not the curriculum Moreover, in the high school graduation examination and the entrance university examination, students only have to multiple-choice tests, which make them lazy to study punctuation Thus, beginning with the recognition of the importance of punctuation in writing and the practical teaching, we choose “An Action Research on Secondary Students’ Punctuation” as the topic of my research II Scope, objectives and research question of the research This research is aimed to investigate how and how much students at Hung Vuong Gifted High School in Gia Lai province use punctuation in writing The data collection and data analysis therefore are based on the information provided by written tests and the journals written by the students of Hung Vuong Gifted High School during the first semester from August to December 2012 The subjects of the study are the students of class 12C1 of Hung Vuong Gifted High School To be more specific, in realizing the study, the main objectives are: - To investigate how much the students use punctuation marks in writing - To investigate how the students use punctuation marks in writing - To give some pedagogical implications and suggestions for further development With those objectives, my research questions with sub-questions are: How much students use correct punctuation marks? - Are the students eager to use punctuation in writing? How accurately and purposefully students use punctuations mark? - Do they use the correct punctuation marks? What are the students’ attitudes towards the usage of punctuation marks? PATR B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW I.1 The concepts of punctuation Up to now, there have been many officially published materials on punctuation by English The best known book on this grammatical point in the English language is “Punctuation” by Robert Allen (2002) According to them, punctuation is the use of standard marks and signs in writing to separate words into sentences, clauses, and phrases in order to clarify meaning The marks or signs are called punctuation marks Punctuation marks are signals to readers When you speak, you can pause, stop, or change your tone of voice to make your meaning clear You cannot this when you write When writing, you must use punctuation marks such as commas and question marks to make your meaning clear Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the structure and organization of written language, as well as intonation and pauses to be observed when reading aloud (Wikipedia) In the book entitled “The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage,” Kingsley Amis states that punctuation is the system of signs given to a reader to show how the sentence is constructed and how it should be read Sentences are the building blocks used to construct written accounts They are complete statements Punctuation shows how the sentence should be read and makes the meaning clear I.2 The importance of punctuation According to Oxford dictionary, punctuation marks are essential when you are writing They show the reader where sentences start and finish and if they are used properly they make your writing easy to understand This section gives practical guidance on how to use commas, semicolons, and other types of punctuation correctly, so that your writing will always be clear and effective For example, "woman, without her man, is nothing" (emphasizing the importance of men) and "woman: without her, man is nothing" emphasizing the importance of women) have greatly different meanings I.3 Types of punctuation marks Period [.] (Full stop) - Use a period to show the end of a sentence Hockey is a popular sport in Canada The federal government is based in Ottawa - Use a period after certain abbreviations B.C is the province located on the West Coast Dr Bethune was a Canadian who worked in China The company is located at 888 Bay St in Toronto It is 4:00 p.m in Halifax right now 3.2 Question Mark [?] - Use a question mark at the end of a sentence to show a direct question How many provinces are there in Canada? Note: not use a question mark for indirect questions The teacher asked the class a question Do not ask me why 3.3 Exclamation Mark [!] Use an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence to show surprise or excitement We won the Stanley Cup! The forest is on fire! 3.4 Comma [,] - Use a comma to show a pause in a sentence Therefore, we should write a letter to the prime minister - Use a comma with quotation marks to show what someone has said directly "I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow." - Use commas for listing three or more different things Ontario, Quebec, and B.C are the three biggest provinces - Use commas around relative clauses that add extra information to a sentence Emily Carr, who was born in 1871, was a great painter 3.5 Apostrophe ['] - Use an apostrophe to show ownership of something This is David's computer These are the player's things (things that belong to the player) Note: For nouns in plural form, put the apostrophe at the end of the noun These are the players' things (things that belong to the players) - Use an apostrophe to show letters that have been left out of a word I don't know how to fix it 3.6 Quotation Marks ["] Use quotation marks to show what someone has said directly The prime minister said, "We will win the election." "I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow." 3.7 Colon [:] - Use a colon to introduce a list of things There are three positions in hockey: goalie, defence, and forward - Use a colon to introduce a long quotation The prime minister said: "We will fight We will not give up We will win the next election." 3.8 Semicolon [;] - Use a semicolon to join related sentences together The festival is very popular; people from all over the world visit each year - Use a semicolon in lists that already have commas The three biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, B.C 3.9 Dash [-] - Use a dash before a phrase that summarizes the idea of a sentence Mild, wet, and cloudy - these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver - Use a dash before and after a phrase or list that adds extra information in the middle of a sentence The children - Pierre, Laura, and Ashley - went to the store Most Canadians - but not all - voted in the last election - Use a dash to show that someone has been interrupted when speaking The woman said, "I want to ask - " when the earthquake began to shake the room 3.10 Hyphen [-] - Use a hyphen to join two words that form one idea together sweet-smelling fire-resistant - Use a hyphen to join prefixes to words anti-Canadian non-contact - Use a hyphen when writing compound numbers one-quarter twenty-three I.4 Teaching Punctuation Converting spoken words into a written form is a critical process If you fail to convey the exact intended meaning of what someone said, you are essentially conveying the message in a different form which may entail consequences Thanks to the punctuation marks, a writer can put his/her feelings into the message and make it more interesting and attractive to the readers So teaching punctuation is an on-going process in four-skill lessons According to Janet Angelillo, here are some guides to teach punctuation: - Starting With What Students Know and Notice: The class focuses on the author’s intentions and on noticing how the author wanted to shape our reading of the text Whole-class and small-group work suggestions show ways to meet students’ needs and extend student learning - Building on Students’ Knowledge: extend students’experience with punctuation beyond examining texts, practicing in notebooks, and discussing with peers By assessing your class’s needs, you may decide to plan additional punctuation study of an author, a genre, or deep study of one punctuation mark across content areas - “Hearing” punctuation: how reading aloud to students holds such owner for teaching them punctuation Through reading aloud, teacher teach students the way reading should “sound,” and we can model for them by thinking aloud about our decisions as readers when we see punctuation Punctuation is therefore a “code” which must be understood in the same way that the combinations of letters that make up words must be understood - Conferring With Children: conferring as a way to research and assess what students know about punctuation Conferring is a powerful tool for gathering information, and teachers should use the information to inform their teaching Ideas for later lessons can come from conferring It also includes groups of mini-lessons that grew from information gathered in conferences - Reading and Writing by the Book: Studying authors, not grammar texts, is what will teach students that punctuation is a powerful and complex tool Looking at authentic texts helps students learn punctuation and then holds them to a standard of punctuation use - Passionate about punctuation: supporting students who become fascinated by punctuation When students are treated as learners who can figure out most anything, they often take up the challenge and surprise everyone with their passion for any topic You will read about mid- and end-of-year studies in punctuation that push students to deepen their knowledge and improve their facility Independent study of punctuation and self- evaluation are also important pieces of a total punctuation immersion This is what teachers can when students want to know more about punctuation, and how to encourage them - Losing the red pen: evaluating Written Conventions Teacher will face the difficult question of how to evaluate punctuation Examining student writing while thinking about how the student has grown, what he or she is demonstrating about learning, or what he or she is attempting to make evaluation of writing much richer and provides validation for students I.5 Punctuation and intonation Punctuation, the use of special signs in writing to clarify how words are used; the term also refers to the signs themselves In every language, besides the sounds of the words that are strung together there are other features, such as tone, accent, and pauses, that are equally significant In English, stress, pausing, and tonal changes interlock in a set of patterns 10 Neglect of Full stop Most of the students forgot the usage of full stop in the end of the last sentence in a paragraph or after certain abbreviations - I love my family - We represent our family wherever we go, and my parents expect us to behave accordingly - Tell the truth Punctuation outside Quotes: In English, punctuation should always be placed within quotation marks, even if it’s not part of the quotation itself Look at what a student of mine write in their essays: “The amount of work that children contribute to the family is essential”, says my father The problem here is that when a comma separates two independent clauses, they must be joined by a conjunction Without a conjunction, it becomes a comma splice So the sentence must be corrected like this: The amount of work that children contribute to the family is essential,” says my father Another example: “I'm the one in power (ha-ha, you're not)”, “I'm an adult so I matter, you're a kid so you don't”, and “Just wait until you grow up Then you can break all the rules you want” must be written: “I'm the one in power (ha-ha, you're not),” “I'm an adult so I matter, you're a kid so you don't,” and “Just wait until you grow up Then you can break all the rules you want.” Missing Comma after introductory elements: Introductory elements of a sentence need a comma afterwards Some of my students forgot that So the sentence: 18 In my family my parents always set a rule should be changed into: In my family, my parents always set a rule Misplaced Apostrophes: Most of the students were confused whether they use apostrophes for possessives and conjunctions where appropriate Every home should have it’s own home rules it’s in the sentence is completely wrong in term of grammar, its is correct It's what anchors children's loyalty to their parents and brothers and sisters and forges a lifelong bond to their parents' convictions of right and wrong It empowers children's inner voice of conscience for life The message that the student wanted to convey through these sentences is meaningful but it is not appreciated because of the mistake of using apostrophes Here are the corrections children’s loyalty their parents’ convictions of right or wrong children’s inner voice Incorrect use of Cemicolons: Semicolons are frequently used incorrectly They connect two independent clauses that could be distinct, separate sentences This is one of the most difficult punctuation marks to use that the students tended to forget or use comma instead Wrong: We used to think that following family rules was hard however, we can now get it easy Right: We used to think that following family rules was hard; however, we can now get it easy 19 The sentence: Keep your rule list sparse, the fewer there are, the more power each rule will have should be written: Keep your rule list sparse; the fewer there are, the more power each rule will have Incorrect use of Semicolons: Influenced by Vietnamese, the students sometimes put colon after “such as” Wrong: Set regular times for certain activities such as: meals, homework, cleanup and bedtime Right: Set regular times for certain activities such as meals, homework, cleanup and bedtime Too many punctuation marks - Do you agree with me??? - I love my family!!! - Let me tell you all about my family riles… The students think that when they use three punctuation marks instead of one, the question becomes deeper, more mysterious and more impressive Too many punctuation marks distract the reader and make the text look sloppy They also render a pushy, in-your-face, or desperate tone The results from observations of the post-practice test For the post- practice test in unit of English 12 (Advanced level), the students were asked to write a paragraph about life in the future in about 200 words The requirement is to use as much punctuation as possible to make the paragraph more lively Here is the frequency of the thirty-two students’ usage of punctuation marks 20 Table 2: The frequency of students’ using punctuation marks in the postpractice test Punctuation marks Number of Percentage of punctuation marks’ punctuation marks’ occurrence / necessary occurrence places Period 444 / 458 97% Question Mark [?] 57 / 65 88% Exclamation Mark [!] 45 /48 94% 593 / 687 86% Apostrophe ['] 18 / 24 75% Quotation Marks ["] 12 / 15 80% Colon [:] 40 / 43 93% /5 100% Dash [-] / 10 90% Hyphen [-] 12 / 12 100% Comma [,] Semicolon [;] As the table show, the students tried to use more puctuation marks which account for more than 75% necessary places They know how to use some punctuation marks that used to be too strange for them; for example, hyphen, dask or semicolon So their writing were more effective and attracted the readers very much The students are confident to put more kinds of punctuation marks into their writing to enhance their writing skill III.2.2 The students’ attitudes of punctuation Beside the observation, the journals reveal the students’ attitudes to punctuation and interesting improvement in their usage of punctuation 21 Following are some of the students’ answers: - I am very sad because my letter I wrote last week is not good I did my best to write clearly, but I sometimes got up on commas Our English teacher spent a much on comma rules, so I think I know how to use them now - Wow! This is the first time I have known the semicolon, it is interesting - I like the game the teacher gave us today We can guess what the punctuation marks were via the passage that a student read in a good emotion - I think the lesson today was very interesting, We worked in groups of and put the right punctuation marks in gaps - The atmosphere of our speaking class this morning was very exciting The teacher recorded the students’ utterances and then we listened to them again, tried to get feed back about intonation and practice how to read punctuation - I am no longer afraid of writing because I can use the punctuation effectively - I like this way the teacher taught today With some individual words, she asked us to work in groups of and try to put as many punctuation marks as possible so that we could have many sentences - I like the reading lesson today We went to the laboratory and play the game “Trapped Punctuation”, it is a short fairy tale and we have put the correct punctuation marks The story is really interesting and it reminds us of our childhood Only a five-minute game, but we really think it is useful for us to warm up the lesson and learn how to use some punctuation marks - Oh, my essay was appreciated by the teacher and friends I felt confident when using punctuation How nice is it! 22 III.3 Findings The research findings have displayed that The tables show that the students have improved their usage of punctuation in both quantity and quality An important step in developing a mature writing style is the proper use of the full repertoire of punctuation marks In the pre-practice test, too many student letters contained nothing more than the standard mix of commas and periods (and even these often misused) After a semester, they all know how much better these essays would be if they employed also the power of the semi-colon, the colon, the dash, the parentheses, and even the exclamation mark From the journals of the students which reveal their feelings, attitudes towards punctuation, we can see that the more the students use punctuation marks correctly, the more confident they are not only in writing but also in speaking English Therefore, they are eager to use them to improve their language skills Understanding the functions of punctuation makes both teacher and students enthusiastic in learning English language, makes the lessons more interesting and effective 23 PART C: CONCLUSION Punctuation marks can make or match the meaning of a sentence They are a set of symbols, and are an integral part of written language There are specific rules for the usage of each Punctuation marks help put spoken words into writing One of the most important and difficult things to teach to students learning English as a second language is punctuation Punctuation marks are a set of symbols with specific rules for the usage of each one so a teacher can teach them in any lesson: reading, listening, speaking, writing and language focus Punctuation helps put spoken words into writing Punctuation helps bring the right kind of expression into writing for which voice intonation, volume, tone, pauses are used while speaking Nowadays, students tend to ignore punctuation Appropriate use of punctuation shows that a person has good knowledge of grammar A person likes to pay attention to what is being written and what is meant from the same It helps create clarity of meaning The research is hoped to make some valuable contributions to the teaching and learning of punctuation in English language It guides teachers to a new approach to teaching grammar It helps students master some features and usages of punctuation marks in order to avoid using them arbitrarily and utilize more punctuation marks instead of periods and commas Therefore, their writing texts become smooth, clear and coherent The research certainly has some weak points We would be willing to hear and grateful that the readers could give us constructive comments so that it would be improved 24 REFERENCES Books Allen, Robert (2002) Punctuation Oxford University Press Amis, Kingsley (1998) The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage HarperCollins Angelillo, Janet A Fresh Approach To Teaching Punctuation Fowler, Henry Watson; Francis George Fowler (2002) [1906] The King's English Oxford University Press Gowers, Ernest (1948) Plain Words: a guide to the use of English London Parkes, Malcolm Beckwith (1993) Pause and Effect: An Introduction to the History of Punctuation in the West University of California Press Websites http://www.englishpractice.com/common-mistakes/common2 http://www.teachtesol.org/postgraduate_courses.html http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly mistakes-punctuation-marks/#ixzz2MntIfYYw http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/10.asp http://www.skillsyouneed.co.uk/Write/punctuation_1.html#ixzz2MhmX http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/punctuation.html#ixzz2 http://chestofbooks.com/business/reference/Home-Cyclopedia-OfBusiness/Use-of-Punctuation-Marks.html#ixzz2N2xHBxpQ 25 APPENDIX Here are some games for teachers of English to help students improve their usage of punctuation marks GOTCHA! A PUNCTUATION READALOUD GAME What You Need:  Transparent “highlighting tape”—available at teacher supply stores  Pad of paper and pencil  Readaloud book that you and your child like and have read once before What to Do: First, get familiar with “highlighting tape.” This is a great resource for anyone, not just teachers, but you’ll probably need to find it at a teacher supply store Available in yellow, green, and sometimes other colors like orange and pink, the tape fits over letters and words in a text, and allows you to see through to them When you're done, the tape pulls off like an ordinary post-it Take out a book that you and your child enjoy, and invite her to be a “punctuation spy.” Together, go sentence by sentence to highlight how it ends If you've got an eager reader, go ahead and highlight commas, too Finally, if you've been able to find different colors of tape, it's wonderful to color code them Before you read the book, review the rules with your child: when you read aloud, you drop your voice to note a period at the end of a sentence; raise it for a question; emphasize for an exclamation, and pause for a comma Now it's time for some fun Have your second grader watch the page carefully as you read, and don't hesitate to move your finger on the page as 26 you go if it helps You read aloud…but make some deliberate mistakes! For a sentence that ends in a period, try making it sound like a question…and let your second grader pounce In fact, try putting a scorecard in his hand Every time he corrects you, give him a point Score of seven wins the round! This game should bring lots of laughter, and some good learning, too To finish it off, though, go back and read the whole book through correctly, so that the last memory of its punctuation is accurate You can still involve your punctuation detective: as you reach each one, you can have him peel off the highlighter tape He'll have a fat handful at the end of the book—a satisfying reminder of how much he really does know PLAY PUNCTUATION RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT What You Need:  pieces of construction paper, each one with one giant punctuation mark on it: a period, a comma, a question mark, and an exclamation point (you and your child can draw these or cut them out and put them onto the construction paper)  Flat, open field space  Some energetic first graders What to Do: Set it up: Explain to your child and her friends that because they are such "old pros" at Red Light, Green Light, you’re going to add a twist First, briefly review key first grade reading and writing skills in punctuation: periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points Line the children up across one side of your big, open space (this activity works best outside in a backyard or a park Then you will go to the other end of the space Make sure to leave enough space between you and those energetic first graders to give them plenty of room to run around 27 When you shout “green light, readers!” they can start running forward But when you shout, “yellow light, readers!” they need to look at you right away to see what sign you will hold up Hold up a sign, and they must immediately obey it or go back to the beginning The winner is the first one to make it across the finish line by following all the punctuation mark traffic commands  Comma means: slow down and WALK  Exclamation point means: Hop and wave your hands!  Question mark means: Stop, tilt your head, and put your hands on your hips  Period means: STOP right now! Above all, have fun They'll get great practice identifying key punctuation marks and their meaning This is an extremely important part of learning to read and write.& Moreover, this activity is a great way to demonstrate how punctuation isn’t just a flat, two dimensional part of learning to read and write We divide sentences as a way to communicate clearly—just as we use red and green lights to communicate clearly, so that we can all go about our world safely, without colliding ESSAY EDITING 101 What You Need:  Rough draft of writing piece (2 copies)  Sharpies What You Do: On a separate sheet of paper, write the following acronym, with each letter written in a different color: C _ U _ P _ 28 S _ Begin with “C” Scan your child's essay together (each with your own copy) looking only for capitalization errors Make corrections in the “C” color Once all capitalization errors have been identified and corrected, put a check next to the “C” Move on to “U” Follow the same process, but have the student read the writing piece aloud If there are errors, ask, “Does that sound right? Did you use the correct words? How can you make it sound better?” Make corrections in the “U” color and put a check next to the “U” Follow the same process for “P” and “S” Use corresponding colors when fixing punctuation and spelling errors CUPS is a useful strategy for helping your child become an independent writer It is a quick acronym students can jot down at the bottom of any piece of writing to help narrow their focus when making corrections In this way, revising and editing are made simple — and the steps are easy to remember — C-U-P-S! PUNCTUATE WITH PASTA! What You Need:  Pasta pieces shaped like various punctuation marks, for example: florentine for question marks, elbow macaroni for commas, rzo for quotation marks, spaghetti for exclamation points, small round pasta shapes for periods  A reading passage from your child's favorite book What You Do: Have your child read a sentence aloud from his favorite book To draw lots of attention to the punctuation, have him point to punctuation marks in the sentence, and place similarly-shaped pasta pieces on top of the written marks 29 Discuss what the effect of the punctuation mark is on the sentence For example, quotation marks tell the reader when someone is speaking They mark the beginning and the end of the words that a character says Repeat this process for subsequent sentences Once your child gets the hang of it, it's time for him to write on his own, using his punctuation pasta! Take the book you've been working with, and ask your child to write a new ending to the story Remind him to include dialogue, questions, and exclamation marks As he writes the story, ask him to place pasta pieces on the paper where he thinks the punctuation marks should go When he's finished, discuss his punctuation choices with him Ask him to explain why he's chosen to use question marks, commas, etc When he's sure that's where the punctuation needs to go in his story, glue the pieces down to the page and hang his story up for all to see! What's going on? First, you're giving your child a hands-on chance to see how punctuation changes a sentence Second, you're celebrating his growing ability to express himself clearly and to handle writing These are skills that form a foundation for success for all the grades to come And with silly pasta shapes, they're really fun to learn, too 30 TEACHING YOUNG PUNCTUATION MARKS LEARNERS READING WITH Teaching young children how to read with fluency and expression can be a challenge This mini lesson uses children's literature to help students learn to read with expression Hearing good literature is such an effective way to help children increase their ability to read fluently and expressively Use popular picture books along with this lesson to help your primary students learn punctuation marks and become better readers Lesson This is a sample of a mini lesson that you can use again and again by changing the passage that you use and shifting the focus You can use at the beginning of a guided reading lesson, literacy stations or readers' workshop Choose a short passage from a children's picture book that contains interesting punctuation Photocopy the passage onto an overhead transparency To begin the lesson, tell the class that you have part of a book that you want to read to them Read the passage in flat voice, ignoring any punctuation Ask the children what they think of your reading They will most likely be quick to tell you that it sounded boring or all ran together and was hard to understand Agree with them and tell them that you have been hearing some reading that sounds like that in class sometimes 31 Then place the transparency on the overhead projector so that everyone can see it If this is first time you have taught a lesson like this point out the punctuation and say something like, "These marks, periods, commas and questions marks, are the author's way of telling us how we should sound when we read." Point out some of the punctuation and what it means Then model reading the passage again with expression 32 ... writing and the practical teaching, we choose An Action Research on Secondary Students’ Punctuation as the topic of my research II Scope, objectives and research question of the research This research. .. PLAY PUNCTUATION RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT What You Need:  pieces of construction paper, each one with one giant punctuation mark on it: a period, a comma, a question mark, and an exclamation point... functions of punctuation makes both teacher and students enthusiastic in learning English language, makes the lessons more interesting and effective 23 PART C: CONCLUSION Punctuation marks can make