Year 2 English · Key Stage 1 · Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation – English Appendix 2

Year 2 punctuation: commas in lists and apostrophes

Year 2 is when children’s punctuation becomes more secure and more varied. They learn to mark every sentence with a capital letter and the right ending (a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark), to use commas to separate items in a list, and to use apostrophes in two ways: to show where letters are missing, as in don’t, and to show that something belongs to one person or thing, as in the girl’s name. Comma and apostrophe are words they are expected to know.

Commas in lists and apostrophes, explained

In Year 1, children begin to use capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks. In Year 2 they are expected to use them more consistently and to choose the right ending for each sentence. A full stop closes a statement, a question mark closes a question, and an exclamation mark closes an exclamation, such as “What a loud noise!” or a command said with feeling. Teachers often say that exclamation marks are for real surprise or strong feeling, and that a page full of them stops working. Reading a sentence aloud with the right voice is the best way for a child to decide which one fits.

Commas are introduced for one job: separating items in a list. “We packed sandwiches, apples, crisps and juice.” The comma stands in for the word “and” between each pair of items, and the real word “and” is kept before the last item. Most schools teach children not to put a comma before that final “and” at this stage, so your child’s writing will probably read “red, blue and yellow”. A comma can’t join two whole sentences together, but you may see a child run two ideas into one sentence with a comma where a full stop belongs. That’s a common slip and a good thing to talk about.

The apostrophe has two jobs, and they are taught separately. The first is to mark missing letters when two words are squashed together. Do not becomes don’t, with the apostrophe sitting where the o was, and I am becomes I’m. Children learn that the apostrophe replaces the letters that have gone, not that it goes between the two words. The second job is possession for a single owner. The girl’s name means the name belongs to the girl, and the dog’s bone belongs to the dog. A useful trick is to ask “who does it belong to?” and put the apostrophe straight after that one owner, before the s. Possession with more than one owner, like the girls’ names, comes later in school, so don’t be worried if your child hasn’t met it.

Teachers mainly check punctuation in your child’s everyday writing. They look for whether the child uses these marks without being reminded, which is why reading work back aloud is one of the best habits you can encourage.

Words your child will hear

Capital letter: The large form of a letter, used at the start of a sentence and for names.
Full stop: The dot that ends a statement.
Question mark: The mark that ends a question: Where is my coat?
Exclamation mark: The mark that ends an exclamation or a strong command: What a mess!
Comma: A small mark that separates items in a list: apples, pears and plums.
Apostrophe: A mark that shows missing letters (don’t) or that something belongs to one owner (the girl’s name).
Contraction: Two words shortened into one with an apostrophe, such as can’t or I’m.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Year 2 says:

Pupils should be taught use of capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks to demarcate sentences
Pupils should be taught commas to separate items in a list
Pupils should be taught apostrophes to mark where letters are missing in spelling and to mark singular possession in nouns
Pupils should be taught to recognise and use the grammatical terminology: apostrophe, comma

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: adding the punctuation

Add the missing punctuation to this passage: do you like my sisters hat it is red blue and yellow i dont want a plain one

Read the passage aloud and listen for where the voice stops. There are three sentences: “do you like my sisters hat”, “it is red blue and yellow” and “i dont want a plain one”. Each one starts with a capital letter, and the word “I” is always a capital, wherever it comes in a sentence.
Decide the ending of each sentence. The first one asks something, so it takes a question mark. The other two are statements, so they take full stops.
Look for the list in the second sentence: red, blue and yellow. Put a comma after red, because the word “and” already joins blue and yellow.
“Sisters” should show who owns the hat. Ask “who does it belong to?” The answer is my sister, one owner, so the apostrophe goes straight after sister and before the s: sister’s.
“Dont” is two words squashed together: do not. The letter o has gone, so the apostrophe goes in its place: don’t. Check that the apostrophe is where the missing letter was and not in the gap between the words.

Do you like my sister’s hat? It is red, blue and yellow. I don’t want a plain one.

Common mistakes and how to help

Using an apostrophe to make a plural: “apple’s for sale”

Children see the s on the end of a word and an apostrophe nearby on signs and packaging and link the two. Apostrophes have two jobs and a plural isn’t either of them.

What helps: Ask the two questions: is a letter missing, or does something belong to someone? If the answer to both is no, the word needs no apostrophe.

Putting the apostrophe in the wrong place in a contraction, such as “do’nt”

Children sense the apostrophe belongs near the end of the word but forget it stands in for the letter that has been removed.

What helps: Write the two words out (do not), cross out the missing letter, then put the apostrophe where the letter was and close the gap: don’t.

Using a comma where a full stop belongs: “It was late, we went home.”

Children hear a short pause when they read aloud and use the comma to mark it. In Year 2 the comma has only been taught for lists.

What helps: Ask if each part could stand alone as a sentence. If it could, it probably needs a full stop and a capital letter.

Mixing up it’s and its

Children who have just learned the possessive apostrophe expect every word that shows ownership to have one. But its, meaning belonging to it (the dog wagged its tail), has no apostrophe. It’s, with an apostrophe, is short for it is.

What helps: Try saying “it is” in the sentence. If that works, use it’s. If not, use its. This pair is tricky for adults too, so be patient.

How to help at home

Shopping list commas. Ask your child to write the shopping list as a sentence: “We need milk, eggs, bread and butter.” Check there is a comma between each pair of items and none before the final “and”.
Whose is it? Pick up items around the house and ask “Whose is it?” Then say, and write, the answer: “Mum’s keys”, “the cat’s bowl”, “Grandad’s hat”. Always use one owner at this stage.
Squash and stretch. Write a short sentence on a piece of paper, such as “I do not like peas”. Then squash it into a contraction: “I don’t like peas”. Let your child cross out the missing letter and draw the apostrophe in.
Read it with the right voice. Read a favourite picture book aloud and ask your child to listen for the punctuation. Make your voice go up for a question mark and loud for an exclamation mark. Then swap and let them do it.

Builds on

Leads on to

Year 3: Prefixes, a or an, and word families
Year 3: Time, place and cause
Year 3: Paragraphs, headings and the present perfect
Year 3: Speech marks and direct speech

More on vocabulary, grammar and punctuation – English Appendix 2

Year 2: Sentence types, noun phrases and joining
Year 2: Past and present tense
Year 2: Suffixes: nouns, adjectives and adverbs

Everything in Year 2 English

Updated 20 October 2026.