Language is either to be heard or to be seen; it is either oral or visual. Actually, in our society it is both. We hear spoken language; we see written language. But human communication is not so simple. We also hear inside our heads what it is we read. What we hear also inside our heads also influences what we see, what we write. Very few aspects of communication are simple.
Punctuation — as you might suspect — also operates both visually and orally. Even though there is no punctuation in spoken language, punctuation has been very much influenced by speech.
| PUNCTUATION OPERATES BOTH ORALLY AND VISUALLY |
ORAL: Punctuation operates along with our breathing; we pause when we speak, and those pauses are indicated in writing by punctuation marks.
Comma , A small pause in our breathing
Semicolon ; A larger pause
Period . A full pause
Colon : Stop, a list is coming up (or a pause like a semicolon)
Dash — Like an aside in drama; a clarification is coming
Parentheses ( ) Another aside; something added, additional meaning though not essential
VISUAL: Punctuation operates as a sign. Writing is a linear activity; one thing follows another in a (mostly) predictable way. Visually, punctuation announces what is to come; punctuation helps develop the anticipatory reader, a reader who expects writing to follow rules.
Comma , Part of a list, an "and / but / or" might be coming
Semicolon ; Another closely related sentence is attached; items that contain commas are separated
Period . End of the sentence; full stop
Colon : A series coming up or a related but subordinate sentence attached
Dash — Extra emphasis, more than a comma; an aside
Parentheses ( ) Extra information added (no place else to put it)Of course, unfortunately, there is more to punctuation than these examples indicate. Punctuation is complicated because it is an essential part of the writing process, and the writing process is complicated because it is an essential part of human communication. Punctuation follows and establishes conventions that have little to do with meaning but much to do with illustrating that a writer has "joined the club" of other writers.
Even the notorious comma splice, the error most irritating to English teachers, rarely changes the writer's meaning. Meaning is rarely the issue. Joining the club is the issue. And since students for the most part have little interest in joining, they have almost no interest in punctuation. And yet. Yet, the rules of punctuation must be adhered to for the student to succeed as a writer. Go to the Quotation Exercises for some sentences to punctuate that illustrate some of the most common difficulties with getting into the writing club.
Below are the three most common punctuation mistakes. Avoiding these mistakes will mean that you have avoided probably 90% of the most common punctuation mistakes. Here are some examples:
APOSTROPHES
- The boy's glove means one boy owns the glove.
- The boys' glove means that two or more boys own the glove.
- It's only means "it is" except the rare ocassion when it means "it has" (as in "It's been good to know you"). If you write: The dog lost its collar, think of the similariy to the use of his or hers. We don't use apostrophes for these words, andwedon't use them for its when its is possessive.
SEMI-COLONS
- The main use of the semi-coon is to separate & join two closely related sentences. The semi-colon separates them because they are two distinct sentences, but the separation is not as strong as a period since the sentences are closely related. For example: I went to the store; I brought home the groceries. Here's another example: I went to the store; however, I forgot the coffee. Don't be confused about the word "however" (or similar words likes moreover and therefore. They have little to do with the semi-colon. You could just as easily have written the above sentence like this: I went to the store; I, however, forgot the coffee.
COMMAS BEFORE CONJUNCTIONS
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