Question bank: Punctuation: Comma and Period

During the break, João went to the library and found a very interesting book about the adventures of an explorer. He became so engrossed in the reading that he didn't even notice the bell ringing. Read the following excerpt carefully and identify where it would be most appropriate to use punctuation with commas and a period to ensure the clarity and coherence of the text: 'Once upon a time, a brave explorer who, in his travels, discovered unknown lands, facing great challenges and dangers. João sat down and began to read eagerly the first page of the book, without stopping, fascinated by the adventure narratives, forgetting everything around him.'

In a story about a vacation trip, periods and commas are used to organize ideas into complete sentences and pauses. In the following passage: 'On the first day, we visited an amusement park with many rides and, on the second day, we went to the beach. There, we played, swam, and built sandcastles.' How could the passage be altered to improve the clarity and sequence of actions? Considering the appropriate use of punctuation, what would be the correct way to organize the information so that the text maintains its original meaning but with a more coherent and clear structure?

Imagine you are writing an invitation for your birthday party. Think of a short and special phrase to put on the invitation. Now, write this phrase paying attention to where you should use the comma and where to place the period so that the sentence is clear and beautiful.

During a Science class, students were challenged to write a short narrative text about an activity involving planting a tree at school. João, one of the students, wrote an enthusiastic text describing the moment the tree was chosen, the hole was dug, and the seedling was planted. However, João forgot to use punctuation correctly in some parts. Read the following excerpt from João's text and, based on punctuation rules, identify where commas should be inserted and where there should be a period so that the sequence of narrated actions makes sense within the grammatical norms of the Portuguese language. Then, classify the suggested pauses for the commas according to the communicative function they perform in João's text.

Imagine you are writing a letter to a friend. Write three sentences telling about your day. Remember to use commas and periods correctly to separate your ideas and end your sentences. Explain why you placed the comma and period in each place.