Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton.

I'm going to guide you through a learning journey today.

So grab a pen, laptop, whatever you're using for this lesson and let's get started.

So, today's lesson's called using a range of punctuation in descriptive writing.

We're going to examine how using different punctuation marks can affect the way that we as a reader interpret a text.

In order to do that, we're first going to look at how to use dashes, commas, and colons accurately.

And then we're going to look at how Lewis Carroll uses these punctuation marks for effect in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

So there's four words stay we're gonna focus on as our keywords.

They'll identified in bold throughout the learning material.

And I'll try to point them out to you as well when we come across them so you can see them used in context.

Now, first key word is effect.

Now, effect is a noun used to note a consequence, an outcome, a result, or an influence.

You'll often hear us talking about how a writer use language or structure in order to have an effect on the reader.

And what we mean by that is how has the writer used language or structure to influence the reader and how they interpret the text.

Our second key word is tone, and this means the general mood or feeling of a text.

The writer can influence the tone through the way they use language or structure.

Our third keyword is accurate, and that means to be correct, exact, and without any mistakes.

When we're using punctuation, we want to be accurate, because otherwise our meaning won't be clear.

Our final keyword is punctuation itself, and this means the marks, such as full-stops and commas, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.

So I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video and write them down now.

Great.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So two learning cycles in the lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to look at how to use dashes, commas, and colons accurately.

To do that, we're going to look at the rules for using each of these punctuation marks, as well as some examples so you can see them used in context.

For a second learning cycle, we're going to look at Lewis Carroll and how he uses these punctuation marks in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and consider what effect these punctuation marks have on us as the reader and why Carroll might have chosen to use them.

Now, Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is one of my favourite books.

So I'm excited to share parts with you today and hopefully you'll see some of the whimsical and fantastical nature of it.

So in today's lesson, we're going to look at how to use accurate punctuation and then explore how it can be used for effect.

We've met a few of our keywords there, so let's just remind ourselves of their definitions.

Now, accurate means to make no mistakes.

Punctuation means the marks used to clarify meaning within sentences, and effect means to influence.

So we're looking at how we can use punctuation marks with no mistakes in order to influence the reader.

Now, punctuation is something a lot of people feel a little bit tentative about, because there are lots of rules to follow and we can feel a little bit intimidated by it sometimes.

So, I'd like us to start off by thinking about which piece of punctuation do you find the easiest to work with and which piece of punctuation do you find the hardest to work with? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

Now, perhaps you might agree with Laura, who says that she finds the full-stop the easiest to use, So she knows it's used to end a sentence.

Because the full-stop is a fairly simple rule, it can be considered quite an easy punctuation mark to use.

The tricky part is knowing where the end of your sentence is.

Now, for the hardest part, you might agree with Andeep, who said that he thinks the comma is the hardest to use because there's so many uses, you're never quite sure if you're doing the right thing.

So we're going to begin by looking at dashes.

Now, I would go so far as to say this is my favourite piece of punctuation 'cause it's fairly simple to use and it can add a lot of tension and emphasis to your writing.

Now, a dash is commonly used to separate words to either indicate a pause, to add emphasis, to show an interruption, or to show an abrupt change of thought.

So let's look at an example.

Now, this example is taken from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.

This is one of my favourite books.

We're going to be looking at examples from this text throughout the lesson so you can see how punctuation is used in descriptive writing for effect.

And it reads, And yet what a dear little puppy it was," said at Alice, as she leant against the buttercup to rest herself, and fanned herself with one of the leaves.

"I should have liked teaching it tricks very much, if-it I'd only been the right size to do it." Now, here, the dash is used to emphasise a pause as Alice remembers that she needs to return to her correct size.

It's just that Alice has forgotten for a moment that she has been transformed and the dash represents that moment where she catches herself and reminds herself that she has been transformed and is not the correct size.

Now, dashes is are generally used to replace either brackets or colons.

Now, brackets are generally used to separate extra information from the main part of the sentence.

I'm gonna focus on them first and then we'll move on to colons.

So, dashes can replace brackets either in the middle or at the end of a sentence.

For example, "but when you have to turn into a chrysalis, you will someday, you know, and then after that into a butterfly." Here the clause, "you will someday, you know," is extra information that Alice has added, and therefore you can replace the brackets with dashes to show it's a subordinate clause within the sentence.

Dashes can also replace brackets at the end of a sentence.

"It's a very good height indeed!" said the caterpillar angrily, rearing itself upright as it spoke.

It's exactly three inches high." Here, the clause, "It was exactly three inches high," is a subordinate clause because that's extra information for the sentence and therefore can be replaced with a dash.

In this instance, you only need to use one dash at the start of the clause rather than having dashes either side of the clause because it's at the end of the sentence.

In each of these examples, using a dash rather than brackets adds greater emphasis to the added information.

You might think of brackets as almost hiding the information away, whereas the dash brings the information to the forefront.

You can also replace a colon with a dash.

Now, we're going to focus more on colons later, but essentially colons can be used to show the relationship between two clauses.

Now, replacing a colon with a dash adds stronger emotion to your writing because you're emphasising a pause before the explanatory clause.

So, for example, "It matters a good deal to me," said Alice hastily, "but I'm not looking for eggs, as it happens, and if I was, I shouldn't want yours.

I don't like them raw." Now, here, Alice explained she doesn't want the bird's eggs, she doesn't like raw eggs.

We can change that colon to a dash.

Now, using a dash rather than a colon creates more of an abrupt tone to your writing, as well as being more informal.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that dashes can be used to replace brackets in a sentence? Pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to justify that answer.

So, can they replace brackets because either using a dash adds greater emphasis to the extra information, or using a dash creates more a relaxed, formal tone? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is a, using a dash adds greater emphasis to the extra information.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now we're gonna think about commas, potentially the hardest punctuation to get right.

Now, you might have heard you should use a comma whenever you take a breath in a sentence, but I find it's often more useful to think of commas as a soft pause in a sentence rather than whenever you take a breath.

Commas separate words, clauses, or ideas within a sentence as opposed to a full-stop, which separates complete sentences.

And what we're gonna focus on today is using commas in compound and complex sentences.

So let's start with compound sentences.

Now, a compound sentence is where you've joined together two main clauses with either a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.

Now, if you use a coordinating conjunction, you need a comma before it to show that you've joined the two main clauses together.

For example, Alice sat down at the Mad Hatter's table, but the Mad Hatter hadn't invited her to tea.

Here, Alice sat down at the Mad Hatter's table is one complete clause and the Mad Hatter hadn't invited her to tea is the second complete clause since they both have subjects, verbs, and they form complete thoughts.

To join 'em together, you need to put comma before the coordinating conjunction.

The only exceptions with a conjunction and is this doesn't necessarily need a comma.

If you use a comma alone to join the two clothes together, that's grammatically incorrect and known as a comma splice.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me which one of the following compound sentences is punctuated correctly.

So is it a, Alice needs to become taller, so she a piece of the mushroom? B, Alice needs to be taller so she ate a piece of mushroom? C, Alice was very intrigued by Wonderland, but she missed her white cat, Dinah, terribly.

So pause the video and make your selection now.

The correct answer is a, because the comma here is before the coordinating injunction.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now let's look at complex sentences.

Now, a complex sentence is one where we have a main clause and a subordinate clause.

A main clause is a complete sentence that makes sense on its own, whereas a subordinate clause is piece of extra information that doesn't make sense on its own.

In a complex sentence, use compass to separate the subordinate clause from the main clause.

So an example of a complex sentence is, "Alice, because she was curious, decided to follow the white rabbit." In this sentence, Alice decided to follow the white rabbit is your main clause because of the subject.

Alice, a verb, decided and it forms a complete thought.

Because she was curious is the subordinate clause since it adds extra information, but it doesn't make sense in its own because we dunno what happens because Alice was curious.

Now, here, the commas go around the subordinate clause because it's in the middle of your complex sentence.

We can also move the subordinate clause to the beginning of the sentence.

"Because she was curious, Alice decided to follow the white rabbit." Here, the comma goes after the subordinate clause because it's at the beginning of the sentence.

We can also change it so it's at the end of the sentence.

Alice decided to follow the white rabbit because she was curious.

Now, here, if the subordinate clause goes at the end of the sentence, you don't need a comma, because you've got a subordinated conjunction.

In this case, because.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like to do is tell me which one of the following sentences uses commas accurately.

Is it a, because the Red Queen didn't like it, the March Hare was very disappointed in his performance?" B, "The March Hare was very disappointed in his performance, because the Red Queen didn't like it?" Or C, "The March Hare, because the Red Queen didn't like it, was very disappointed in his performance?" So pause the video and make your selection now.

The correct answer is a, "Because the red queen didn't like it, comma, the March Hare was very disappointed in his performance." Here, the subordinate clause is at the beginning of the sentence and therefore the comment needs to go after it.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now let's move on to looking at a colon.

So a colon is a punctuation mark that connects the main clauses together.

It puts emphasis on a word or phrase, or introduces a quote or an explanation.

Now, it can be useful to think of the colon as an arrow that is pointing to information or to think of it as replacing words such as because, or which is or are.

So, for example, Alice was scared of two things, which are the Red Queen and being trapped in Wonderland.

Now, here, we can swap which are for a colon.

Now, it's showing us the two things that Alice is scared of are the Red Queen and being trapped in Wonderland.

A colon can also be used to introduce a list.

For example, Alice met three important people in Wonderland, colon, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen.

Now, it might be helpful to think of it as silently being read like this.

Alice met three important people in Wonderland, and they are the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like to do is tell me which one of the following sentences uses a colon accurately.

Is a, Alice missed, colon, two things while she was in Wonderland, tea and her cat, Dinah? B, Alice missed two things while she was in Wonderland, colon, tea and her cat, Dinah, or c, Alice missed two things, colon, while she was in Wonderland, tea and her cat, Dinah? So pause the video and make your selection now.

The correct answer is b, Alice missed two things while she was in Wonderland, colon, tea in her cat, Dinah.

Here, the colon is telling us that the two things that Alice missed are tea and her cat, Dinah.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now at the first task of the lesson, where we're going to put our knowledge of punctuation marks into practise.

And what I'd like you to do is write a description of this image from lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

The picture is Alice sitting down for tea with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the door mouse.

And in your description, I'd like to use at least one of each of the following punctuation marks.

Now, remember to use dashes to show an interruption, an abrupt change of thought, or a pause, to use commas in compound and complex sentences, and to use a colon to connect clauses, place emphasis on a word, or introduce a list.

So pause the video and write your description now.

Amazing.

It was great to see people looking back at the examples we looked at to see how to use these punctuation marks in context.

Now, you might have said, while sitting in a comfortable armchair, comma, Alice looked down at the table.

She could see many items that one would expect to find at tea party, colon, a teapot, teacups, side plates, and cutlery.

However, comma, when she went to pour herself a cup of tea, comma, she found something she did not expect, colon, a door mouse in the teapot.

Alice drew back with alarm, dash, she was scared of mice.

Amazing work so far, everyone.

We're now at the second learning cycle, where we're going to look an extract from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and consider how he's used punctuation to affect the reader.

Now, affect is one of our keywords.

It means a noun used to note a consequence, an outcome, a result, or an influence.

So we're going to look at how Carroll uses punctuation to influence the reader.

So we're now gonna read an extract from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" together and examine how Carroll uses punctuation for effect.

And as I said earlier, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is one of my favourite stories 'cause it has such a whimsical nature to it.

The basic plot is that Alice sees a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and looking at a pocket watch.

She decides to follow it down a rabbit hole to Wonderland where nothing adheres to the laws of physics and logic and she meets fantastical creatures, such as the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter.

Now, this extract is taken from the beginning of the story where Alice is falling down the rabbit hole and you can find the extract in the additional materials.

"Down, down, down.

Would the fall never come to an end? I wonder how many miles have fallen by this time?" She said aloud, "I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth.

Let me see, that would be 4,000 miles down, I think.

For, you see, Alice had learned several things of this sort in her lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practise to say it over.

Yes, that's about the right distance, but then I wonder what latitude or longitude I've got to.

Now, Alice had no idea what latitude was, or longitude either, but thought they were very nice grand words to say.

So I'd like you to start off by doing is discussing how you think Alice is feeling at this moment in the story.

So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

Some great discussions about how you might feel if you were in Alice's current position.

You might have thought that Alice seems very unsure of where she is or where she's going to end up when she comes the end of the rabbit hole.

We might imagine we'd all feel quite unsure if we too are falling down this rabbit hole without any idea of where it leads.

Now, I'd like us to focus on the punctuation.

So what I'd like you to do is think about how Carol's use of dashes emphasises Alice's uncertainty.

So we've dashes after the word think, we've dashes before yes, we've dashed before but.

So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussion there.

You might have thought that the dashes show Alice pausing.

Specifically, the pause after I think shows she's unsure of what she thinks because she has to take a moment to collect her thoughts.

We can see Alice pausing throughout the extract, and that shows that she's constantly having to pause and reconsider, which demonstrates she isn't sure of what's happening around her.

Now let's carry on with the story.

Presently, she began again.

"I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth.

How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downwards.

The Antipathies, I think." She was rather glad there was no one listening this time 'cause it didn't sound at all the right word.

"But I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is.

You know, please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?" She tried to curtsey as she spoke.

Fancy curtseying as you're falling through the air.

Do you think you could manage it? And what an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking.

No, it'll never do to ask.

Perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere." So what I'd like you to do now is think about what is Alice thinking here? Where does she think she might end up? So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions.

It was great to see people reading back through the extract to really understand what Alice is thinking.

You might have said that Alice is considering the idea she might fall right through the earth to the other side of the world and end up in Australia or New Zealand.

Now let's consider the punctuation.

So, what I'd like you to do is think about why do you think Carroll uses an exclamation mark here? So the text says, "What an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking, exclamation mark." What do you think Alice is most concerned about here? So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

Some great discussions there.

It was great to see people recognising the exclamation mark indicates a strong emotion.

So that's just Alice is more concerned about looking ignorant rather than being unsure of where she's going.

Now let's read the final part of the extract.

Down, down, down.

There's nothing else to do, so Alice soon began talking again.

"Dinah will miss me very much tonight, I should think." Dinah was the cat.

"I hope they'll remember her saucer of milk at tea time.

Dinah, my dear, I wish you were down here with me.

There are no mice in here, I'm afraid, but you might catch a bat.

That's very like a mouse, you know? But do cats eat bats, I wonder?" And here Alice began to get rather sleepy and went on saying to herself in a dreamy sort of way, "Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?" And sometimes, "Do bats eat cats?" For, you see, as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't much matter which way she put it.

So, as with the other extracts, what I'd like to start off by thinking is, what is Alice thinking about here? So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Now, you might have said that Alice is wondering about how her cat will miss her and whether anyone remembered to feed her.

Now, let's focus on the punctuation.

So, what I'd like to think about is what is the effect of repeating the word down, down, down with commas in between? So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

You might have said, it allows the reader to feel as if they too are falling down the rabbit hole with Alice because it mimics the sensation of something going on and on, just as Alice's fall down the rabbit hole is.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me which of the following punctuation marks arguably indicates Alice's uncertainty.

Is it a, commas, b, exclamation marks, or c, dashes? So pause the video and make your selection now.

The correct answer is dashes because they indicate pause.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now at the final task of the lesson.

What I'd like to do is answer the following questions in order to show your understanding of how Carroll uses punctuation in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

So question one, why does Carroll use dashes in the extract? Number two, what does Carroll's use of an exclamation mark indicate? What does that tell us about the character of Alice? And three, why is Carroll's use of commas in down, down, down effective? So pause the video and answer the questions now.

Amazing work, everyone.

It was great to see people looking back at their notes on the punctuation marks, as well as their notes on the extract in order to answer the questions.

So, you might have said for question one, why does Carroll use dashes in the extract? And you might have said that Carroll uses dashes to indicate Alice's uncertainty.

Dashes can be used to create a pause in a text.

Therefore, Carroll's use of them indicates that Alice is continually pausing her ruminations of where she is, which suggest she actually isn't very sure about what's happening.

Now, for question two, what does Carroll's use of an exclamation mark indicate? What does it tell us about the character of Alice? And you might have said the exclamation mark is used to show strong feelings.

So here, Carroll is using it to show that Alice is more concerned with not looking ignorant than she is concerned about where she's going.

And that shows is that as a character, she's deeply concerned about what people think of her.

Finally, why is Carroll's use of commas in down, down, down, effective? And you might have said that it's effective because it mimics the sensation of falling down the rabbit hole and being uncertain of where or if the rabbit hole will end.

Amazing work today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

A dash can be used to indicate a pause, to add emphasis, to show an interruption, or to show an abrupt change of thought.

Dashes can be used to replace brackets or colons, commas are used to separate words, clauses, or ideas within a sentence.

Colons can be used to connect clauses, to add emphasis to a word or phrase, or to introduce an explanation, and colons can also be used to introduce lists.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

Goodbye.