Hedgie's English Quest
Map › Ch 13 · Spoken and Written Expression; Punctuation
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Chapter 13 · Book pages 43–45

💬 Spoken and Written Expression; Punctuation

Say the right thing at the right time, and dress your sentences in the right punctuation.

By the end of this lesson, you can…
  • choose a polite, suitable reply for greetings, thanks, apologies, requests and offers
  • pick the reply that fits both the meaning and the grammar of a conversation
  • use capital letters for sentence starts, I, names, places, days, months and festivals
  • end sentences with the right mark: . ? !
  • use commas in lists, apostrophes in short forms and for ownership, and quotation marks for speech
Start the story →Jump to quiz
Polite words open doors, and punctuation marks are the traffic signals of writing. Let's learn both! 🚦
📖 Story time

Hedgie's Postcard from Delhi

Hedgie went on a trip to Delhi with Ollie. He sent a postcard home to Bela Bunny.

HedgieHere it is! “dear bela today i saw the red fort and the qutub minar it was amazing whats for dinner on sunday”
🐰
Bela BunnyThank you for the postcard, Hedgie! But… where does one sentence end and the next begin? I had to read it four times.
🐢
Tara TortoiseRules, rules, lovely rules! Writing without punctuation is like a road without traffic signals. Everything crashes!
🦉
Ollie the OwlHoo! Let's fix it. Names of people and places, days, and the word I always wear a capital letter hat: Dear Bela, I, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Sunday.
HedgieAnd I need a full stop when a sentence ends… and It was amazing is so exciting, so an exclamation mark! It was amazing!
🦉
Ollie the OwlAnd the last part asks something, so it needs a question mark. Also, whats is short for what is, so it needs an apostrophe: What's for dinner on Sunday?
🦊
Fizz the FoxPfft, who cares about little dots? Hey Bela, give me your carrot. Now.
🐰
Bela BunnyHmm. That wasn't very polite, Fizz. How about: “Could you please share your carrot?”
🦊
Fizz the FoxOh… sorry, Bela. Could you please share your carrot? Thank you!
🦉
Ollie the OwlSplendid! Today we learn two kinds of good manners: polite words when we speak, and punctuation when we write.
💡 Big ideas

Let's learn it

Read each card, try the example sentences out loud (tap 🔊), then answer the Quick check.

1

🤝Polite words for every situation

The Olympiad gives a short conversation and asks for the most suitable reply. First ask: what is happening? Is someone greeting, thanking, saying sorry, asking for something, offering something or sharing news?

SituationSuitable reply
Greeting: Good morning!Good morning! How are you?
Thanks: Thank you for the gift.You're welcome. / My pleasure.
Apology: I'm sorry I'm late.That's okay. Please be on time next time.
Request: Could you lend me your eraser?Sure, here it is.
Offer / invitation: Would you like to come?I'd love to! / No, thank you.
Good news: I came first!Congratulations! / Well done!
Bad news: I lost my bag.Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that.
  • Requests sound kinder with please, could you, would you, may I. Could you please open the door?
  • Asking someone to repeat: Could you please repeat that? / Pardon? never just “What?”
  • Saying no politely: No, thank you. / I'm sorry, I can't. say why, if you can
Hedgie's trickHedgie's magic words: Please, Thank you, Sorry, Excuse me. If an option has none of these and sounds rude, it's almost never the answer. ✨
Olympiad trap!Rude or unhelpful replies like “Ask someone else”, “I don't give” or “Poor you” are put there to trick you. Choose the reply a kind, polite person would say.
🧐 Quick check
Zoya: Thank you so much for helping me with my project! Kabir: ______
2

🎯Choosing the most suitable reply

A reply must fit two things:

  1. The meaning and mood: happy news → happy word (Wow!), pain → Ouch!, sad news → Oh no!
  2. The grammar of the question: the helping verb in the reply matches the question.
QuestionMatching reply
Did you understand?Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
Do you like milk?Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
Can you swim?Yes, I can. / No, I can't.
How do I use this?Press the green button. (a method)
  • Wow! A new puppy? · Ouch! I hurt my knee. · Alas! The bird died. interjections show feelings: Wow = surprise/joy, Ouch = pain, Alas = sadness
  • The match was called off because of rain. called off = cancelled
  • Please be on time. · I'd like a sandwich and some juice. fixed phrases: on time; a + one thing, some + liquids
Hedgie's trickLook at the answer part of the conversation for clues. If the reply is “Press the green button”, the question was about how. 🔎
Olympiad trap!Watch the tense! Did you…? needs didn't, not don't or won't. Match the helping verb.
🧐 Quick check
Dev: Did you watch the cricket match? Meera: No, I ______. I was asleep.
3

🔠Capital letters

A capital letter is like a crown 👑. Use it for:

  • the first word of every sentence
  • the word I (always!)
  • names of people and pets: Meera, Mr Rao, Bruno
  • places and monuments: Delhi, India, the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Chandni Chowk
  • days, months, festivals: Sunday, January, Diwali, Pongal
  • the first word inside quotation marks: Riya said, “We won!”
  • On Sunday, I visited the Red Fort with Aarav. 5 capitals: sentence start, day, I, monument (2 words), name
  • January is the month of the harvest festival. months get a capital; harvest festival is a common phrase, so no capitals
Hedgie's trickAsk: “Is it the name of ONE special person, place, day or month?” If yes, it wears a crown. 👑
Olympiad trap!Don't add capitals in the middle of a sentence to common words like festival, month, school. Festival of harvest mid-sentence stays small.
🧐 Quick check
Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?
4

🛑End marks: . ? !

Every sentence needs a stop sign at the end.

MarkUse it forExample
. full stoptelling sentences & polite ordersI live in Pune. Please sit down.
? question markasking sentencesWho is at the window?
! exclamation markstrong feelings: joy, surprise, fearWhat a big cake! Hurray!
  • Why don't you check the date? starts with a question word (why) → question mark
  • He is the right person, isn't he? a question tag at the end makes it a question; comma before the tag
  • Reema knew what would happen. contains what, but it's telling, not asking → full stop
Hedgie's trickQuestion words: who, what, where, when, why, how, and helping verbs at the start (Is, Are, Do, Can, Did…) usually mean a ? 🙋
Olympiad trap!A sentence with what or if in the middle is not always a question. “I know what you did.” is telling, so it takes a full stop.
🧐 Quick check
Choose the correct end mark: Hurray, we won the match
5

✏️Commas: little pauses

A comma , tells the reader to take a tiny breath.

  • Lists: put commas between items; use and before the last one: pasta, sandwiches, ice cream and cake.
  • After Yes / No at the start: Yes, I'm coming.
  • After a starting phrase: In the rainy season, it's all flooded here.
  • Before a question tag: You're ready, aren't you?
  • Before speech: Rita said, “Let's go.”
  • Rajat, Meena and Jatin are in the play. list of three names
  • She will visit the Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Chandni Chowk. comma between list items, none before 'and' here
  • No, thank you. comma after No
Hedgie's trickRead it aloud. Where you naturally pause between list items, put a comma. Where you don't pause (January is the month), don't! 🗣️
Olympiad trap!Don't put a comma between a subject and its verb: January, is the month is wrong. And a semicolon (;) is not used in simple lists.
🧐 Quick check
Which sentence uses commas correctly?
6

💬Apostrophes and quotation marks

Apostrophe ' has two jobs:

  • Short forms (contractions): it takes the place of missing letters: do not → don't, it is → it's, he will → he'll, I would → I'd.
  • Ownership: Meera's bag (one owner) · the girls' room (many owners ending in s).

Quotation marks “ ” go around the exact words someone says. The comma or end mark stays inside: Rita said, “I will go hiking this Sunday.”

Long formShort form
do not / did notdon't / didn't
is not / will notisn't / won't
it is / let usit's / let's
he will / I wouldhe'll / I'd
  • “Yes,” Ben said, “He'll be home by evening.” two parts of speech, each inside its own quotation marks
  • It's raining. · The cat licked its paw. it's = it is · its = belongs to it (no apostrophe!)
Hedgie's trickTest it's: say it is instead. “It is raining” works, so it's. “The cat licked it is paw” doesn't, so its. 🐱
Olympiad trap!Missing apostrophes are a favourite Olympiad trick: dont, isnt, its, hell. Scan every short word in the options for its apostrophe!
Fun factWon't is a strange one: it comes from an old form, wol not. That's why it isn't willn't! 😄
🧐 Quick check
Which is correct?
🗺️ Mind map

The whole chapter on one page

Tap a branch to focus on it. Can you explain each bubble to someone at home?

🃏 Flashcards

Flip & remember

Say the answer in your head before you flip. Be honest — "not yet" cards go to your Review Burrow for later.

📘 Book mission

Now practise in your workbook

Use a pencil. Do each set, then check with the answer key and tick it off here.

📗 Open the answer key
🎁 Wrap-up

Remember these

  1. In conversations, first decide the situation, then choose the polite reply that also fits the grammar (Did? → didn't).
  2. Magic words: please, thank you, sorry, excuse me, could you. Interjections show feelings: Wow, Ouch, Alas.
  3. Capital letters: sentence start, I, names, places (Red Fort, Qutub Minar), days, months, festivals.
  4. End marks: . telling, ? asking, ! strong feeling. Commas separate list items and go after Yes/No and before question tags.
  5. Apostrophes show missing letters (don't, it's) or ownership (Meera's). Quotation marks hold the exact spoken words.

🦔 Teach Hedgie!

Hedgie wrote: “yes said hedgie its my birthday on monday”. Rewrite it with correct punctuation and explain to Hedgie why you added each mark.

Explaining something in your own words is the best way to make it stick.

How do you feel about this chapter?

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