Hiranandani Foundation School International
2025-2026
SUBJECT: English Language GRADE – VIII DATE: 19th September, 2025
STUDENT`S NAME: TOPIC – Punctuations - exercises Worksheet: 19
Ex. 1. Commas, Colons, and Semicolons
1. Although he was tired he continued to work on his project.
Corrected Sentence:
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2. She bought apples oranges grapes and bananas from the market.
Corrected Sentence:
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3. The meeting will start at 930 AM on Monday September 5th 2023.
Corrected Sentence:
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4. I have a big test tomorrow therefore I can’t go out tonight.
Corrected Sentence:
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5. These are my favourite books To Kill a Mockingbird 1984 and The Great Gatsby.
Corrected Sentence:
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Ex. 2. Apostrophes and Quotation Marks
6. The dogs collar was blue and red.
Corrected Sentence:
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7. "Its going to rain today said the weatherman."
Corrected Sentence:
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8. The students dont like the teachers new rule.
Corrected Sentence:
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9. She said "I cant believe we won the game!"
Corrected Sentence:
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10. The boys and girls locker rooms are on the left.
Corrected Sentence:
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Ex. 3. Capitalization and Full Stops
11. in january we are going to france to visit the eiffel tower
Corrected Sentence:
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12. the river nile is the longest river in the world
Corrected Sentence:
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13. my favourite subjects in school are mathematics and history
Corrected Sentence:
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14. mr smith is our science teacher
Corrected Sentence:
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15. during the summer holidays, i read three novels
Corrected Sentence:
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Ex. 4. Hyphens, Dashes, and Parentheses
16. My mother in law is visiting us next week.
Corrected Sentence:
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17. He gave me a friendly warm smile.
Corrected Sentence:
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18. The play which was written by Shakespeare is a masterpiece.
Corrected Sentence:
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19. She is coming to our house after work around six o’ clock.
Corrected Sentence:
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20. I am going to visit my grandma my dad’s mom today.
Corrected Sentence:
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Ex. 5. Punctuate the given passage.
Note: You can rewrite the corrected words (words with capitalizations, apostrophes, etc.) above the words
you are correcting in the passage:
mirrors have been used since ages it is said that archimedes used huge mirrors to focus the heat of the suns
rays on enemy ships to burn them the same principle is used in solar cookers where mirrors are used to reflect
and focus the suns rays onto cooking containers astronomers use huge concave mirrors to focus starlight the
mirrors used in telescopes are polished by giving a thin coat of silver or aluminium to the glass with the
telescopes astronomers can see the heavenly bodies but even without the telescopes one can see the moon a
full moon shining overhead is a beautiful sight but it is also a puzzle because if the sun and the moon both
give the same light then why is the moonlight more pleasant
fresh snow is the best reflector of sunlight in nature as a highly reflective substance snow dramatically
increases uvb exposure near the earths surface as it reflects most of the radiation back into the atmosphere
where it is then scattered back toward the surface by aerosols and molecules fresh snow can reflect as much
as 94 percent of the incoming uv radiation the bright light reflected by it can dazzle and harm your eyes
mountaineers therefore use dark glasses
4
Ex. 6. Read the given excerpt from a short story written by the author Jack London and answer the
questions:
A Piece of Steak
With the last morsel of bread, Tom King wiped his plate clean of the last particle of flour gravy, and chewed
the resulting mouthful in a slow and meditative way. When he arose from the table, he was oppressed by the
feeling that he was distinctly hungry. Yet he alone had eaten. The two children in the other room had been
sent early to bed in order that in sleep they might forget they had gone supperless. His wife had touched
nothing, and had sat silently and watched him with solicitous eyes. She was a thin, worn woman of the
working-class, though signs of an earlier prettiness were not wanting in her face. The flour for the gravy she
had borrowed from the neighbour across the hall. The last two ha' pennies had gone to buy the bread.
He sat down by the window on a rickety chair that protested under his weight, and quite mechanically he put
his pipe in his mouth and dipped into the side pocket of his coat. The absence of any tobacco made him
aware of his action, and, with a scowl for his forgetfulness, he put the pipe away. His movements were slow,
almost hulking, as though he were burdened by the heavy weight of his muscles. He was a solid-bodied,
stolid-looking man, and his appearance did not suffer from being over-prepossessing. His rough clothes
were old and slouchy. The uppers of his shoes were too weak to carry the heavy resoling that was itself of no
recent date. And his cotton shirt, a cheap, two-shilling affair, showed a frayed collar and ineradicable paint
stains.
But it was Tom King's face that advertised him unmistakably for what he was. It was the face of a typical
prize-fighter; of one who had put in long years of service in the squared ring and, by that means, developed
and emphasized all the marks of the fighting beast. It was distinctly a lowering countenance, and, that no
feature of it might escape notice, it was clean-shaven. The lips were shapeless and constituted a mouth harsh
to excess, that was like a gash in his face. The jaw was aggressive, brutal, heavy. The eyes, slow of
movement and heavy-lidded, were almost expressionless under the shaggy, indrawn brows. Sheer animal
that he was, the eyes were the most animal-like feature about him. They were sleepy, lion-like – the eyes of
a fighting animal. The forehead slanted quickly back to the hair, which, clipped close, showed every bump
of a villainous-looking head. A nose twice broken and moulded variously by countless blows, and a
cauliflower ear, permanently swollen and distorted to twice its size, completed his adornment, while the
beard, fresh-shaven as it was, sprouted in the skin and gave the face a blue-black stain.
Glossary:
half penny: a discontinued British coin worth half of one penny
prepossessing: tending to invite favour; attracting confidence, or love
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1. How does the use of commas in the sentence "His movements were slow, almost hulking, as though he
were burdened by the heavy weight of his muscles" contribute to the overall effect?
- A) The commas slow down the pace of the sentence, mirroring Tom's heavy, burdened movements.
- B) The commas create a feeling of hesitation in Tom's actions.
- C) The commas separate unrelated ideas, creating confusion.
- D) The commas make the sentence feel fragmented and disjointed.
2. Why does the author use an em dash in the description "They were sleepy, lion-like – the eyes of a
fighting animal"?
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3. The author uses many compound words in this passage. Give at least two examples of compound words in
this passage and explain how they make the passage descriptive.
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Answer Key
Ex. 1
1. Although he was tired, he continued to work on his project.
2. She bought apples, oranges, grapes, and bananas from the market.
3. The meeting will start at 9:30 AM on Monday, September 5th, 2023.
4. I have a big test tomorrow; therefore, I can't go out tonight.
5. These are my favorite books: To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, and The Great Gatsby.
Ex. 2
6. The dog's collar was blue and red.
7. "It's going to rain today," said the weatherman.
8. The students don't like the teacher's new rule.
9. She said, "I can't believe we won the game!"
10. The boys' and girls' locker rooms are on the left.
Ex. 3
11. In January, we are going to France to visit the Eiffel Tower.
12. The River Nile is the longest river in the world.
13. My favourite subjects in school are Mathematics and History.
14. Mr. Smith is our science teacher.
15. During the summer holidays, I read three novels.
Ex. 4
16. My mother-in-law is visiting us next week.
17. He gave me a friendly, warm smile.
18. The play—which was written by Shakespeare—is a masterpiece.
19. The well-known artist will be holding an exhibition in the city.
20. She bought a three-year-old car last month.
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Ex. 5
Mirrors have been used since ages. It is said that Archimedes used huge mirrors to focus the heat of the
sun’s rays on enemy ships to burn them. The same principle is used in solar cookers, where mirrors are used
to reflect and focus the sun’s rays on to cooking containers. Astronomers use huge concave mirrors to focus
starlight. The mirrors used in telescopes are polished by giving a thin coat of silver or aluminium to the
glass. With the telescopes, astronomers can see the heavenly bodies, but even without the telescopes one can
see the moon. A full moon shining overhead is a beautiful sight. But it is also a puzzle, because if the sun
and the moon both give the same light, then why is the moonlight more pleasant?
Fresh snow is the best reflector of sunlight in nature. As a highly reflective substance, snow dramatically
increases UV-B exposure near the Earth’s surface, as it reflects most of the radiation back into the
atmosphere, where it is then scattered back toward the surface by aerosols and molecules. Fresh snow can
reflect as much as 9.4 percent of the incoming UV radiation. The bright light reflected by it can dazzle and
harm your eyes. Mountaineers, therefore, use dark glasses.
Ex. 6
1. Ans. A) The commas slow down the pace of the sentence, mirroring Tom's heavy, burdened movements.
2. The author uses an em dash to draw a strong connection between the comparison "lion-like" and the
phrase "the eyes of a fighting animal." The em dash serves to emphasize the animalistic nature of Tom
King's eyes, highlighting the idea that his gaze is not just similar to a lion’s but is an integral part of his
identity as a prize-fighter. The em dash adds a dramatic pause, allowing the reader to fully absorb the
intensity of the description.
3. Examples: "working-class"
"clean-shaven"
Explanation: The compound word "working-class" effectively conveys Tom King’s social background,
adding context to his situation and struggles. It provides a quick and clear description of his wife’s social
standing without needing further elaboration. The word "clean-shaven" vividly describes Tom’s appearance,
emphasizing the starkness and severity of his face. Both compound words enhance the descriptiveness of the
passage by combining words to convey detailed imagery and deeper meaning.