Reading: Reading Fluency & Strategies (Beginnings): Lesson 2: Recognizing Basic Punctuation (Full Stop, Question Mark)

Reading: Reading Fluency & Strategies

Lesson 2: Recognizing Basic Punctuation

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize the full stop (.) and the question mark (?) and understand how they change your voice when reading.

Before You Read 🧠

Key Vocabulary

Knowing these words will help you understand the lesson.

Punctuation

Special marks in writing (like . or ?) that help us read.

Full Stop

The mark `.` that shows a sentence has finished. Also called a period.

Question Mark

The mark `?` that shows a sentence is asking something.

Intonation

The way a speaker's voice rises (goes up) and falls (goes down).

The Traffic Signals of Reading 🚦

Punctuation marks are the "traffic signals" of reading. They tell us when to pause and how our voice should sound.

.

This is a Full Stop.
It means: STOP. The sentence is finished.
For your voice: Your intonation goes down ↘.

My name is Dara. I live in Kampot.

?

This is a Question Mark.
It means: ASK. The sentence is asking for information.
For your voice: Your intonation goes UP ↗.

What is your name? Are you a student?

Let's Compare!

Listen carefully to the difference in the audio.

Her moto is blue. (Statement - voice goes down ↘)

Is her moto blue? (Question - voice goes up ↗)

Practice What You Learned 🎯

Quiz: What's the mark?

1. Read the sentence. Does it need a full stop (.) or a question mark (?)?

The market is busy today__

→ Answer: It needs a full stop (.) because it is a statement telling you something.

2. What about this sentence?

Do you like durian__

→ Answer: It needs a question mark (?) because it is asking something.

Key Vocabulary Reference

• Punctuation (Noun) | វណ្ណយុត្តិ
  Special marks in writing (like . , ?) that help us read and understand.
• Full Stop / Period (Noun) | ចំណុច (.)
  The mark `.` that shows a sentence has finished.
• Question Mark (Noun) | សញ្ញាសួរ (?)
  The mark `?` that shows a sentence is asking something.
• Intonation (Noun) | សម្លេងឡើងចុះ
  The way a speaker's voice rises (goes up) and falls (goes down).

Your Reading Mission ⭐

Write and Read!

1. In your notebook, write one sentence that tells something about your day. End it with a full stop (.).
2. Write one sentence that asks a question about your friend's day. End it with a question mark (?).

Practice reading your two sentences aloud. Remember to make your voice go down for the full stop and up for the question mark.