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Whistles at the Rec Center: Punctuation in a Play

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Whistles at the Rec Center: Punctuation in a Play

Read a short play about a basketball referee and her helpers, then choose punctuation for effect.

Read the play

Game Day at Elm Park

1Setting: The gym at the Elm Park Recreation Center on a Saturday morning. Two youth basketball teams, the Hawks and the Comets, are warming up, and parents are finding seats on the bleachers. Ms. Adeyemi, the referee, is showing her two helpers, Jun and Bella, the scorer's table.

2MS. ADEYEMI: Thank you both for helping today. Jun, you will run the scoreboard. Bella, you will watch the game clock and tell me when time runs out.

3JUN: What happens if I push the wrong button?

4MS. ADEYEMI: Then you fix it. Everyone makes mistakes, even referees. Just take a breath and keep your eyes on the game.

5BELLA: (pointing at the floor near the door) Wait—is that a puddle?

6MS. ADEYEMI: (blowing her whistle) Stop! Nobody runs near that corner. Bella, please bring me the mop from the closet.

7COACH RAMOS: Good eyes, Bella. Someone could have slipped on that water. Thank you for speaking up so quickly.

8(Later in the game. The crowd is loud, the score is tied, and only ten seconds are left on the clock.)

9JUN: (counting under his breath) Ten... nine... eight...

10BELLA: (covering her eyes) I can't look. Did the ball go in?

11JUN: (jumping up) It's in! The Hawks win!

12MS. ADEYEMI: (in a steady voice) The final score is 24 to 22. Both teams, please line up and shake hands.

13BELLA: My hands were shaking the whole time. How do you stay so calm when a game is that close?

14MS. ADEYEMI: (smiling) A good referee keeps her voice steady... even when her heart is racing.

Punctuation in the play

Use the play to answer each question.

1.
In paragraph 5, Bella says, "Wait—is that a puddle?" What does the dash (—) show?
Question 1 options
2.
Read paragraph 6 again. Underline the sentence whose punctuation shows a sharp, loud command.

3.
In paragraph 9, Jun says, "Ten... nine... eight..." What do the ellipses (...) show?
Question 3 options
4.
Jun's lines in paragraph 11 end with exclamation marks. Ms. Adeyemi's lines in paragraph 12 end with periods. What does this show?
Question 4 options
5.
In paragraph 14, why does the writer put an ellipsis (...) before the words "even when her heart is racing"?
Question 5 options

Choose punctuation for effect

Think about how each line should sound. Then choose the punctuation that gives it that effect.

6.
Choose the mark from the word bank that fits the description in brackets. Write the mark in the blank.

(Bella cheers loudly) Great pass, Comets
(Ms. Adeyemi calmly explains a rule) Each team gets two time-outs
(Coach Ramos wants to know the score) What is the score now

7.
Sort the lines by how the punctuation makes the speaker sound.
8.
Coach Ramos is thrilled when a player makes a great shot. Which line shows his excitement best?
Question 8 options
9.
Jun is writing about the game for the rec center newsletter. He wants readers to feel the suspense of the last shot. Which sentence does this best?
Question 9 options
10.
Write one line Ms. Adeyemi might say to warn the players about something in the gym. Use punctuation that makes it sound like a warning. Then tell which mark you used and why.