“The Importance of Punctuation!” by Emily Zeller As essay-writers, we can sometimes assume that the importance of our writing lies solely in the words we use. We can sometimes get lost in the moment and create page after page of what looks like pure genius. You go to class, hand your paper in, and spend the rest of class daydreaming about the large A+ adorning the top of your masterpiece… The next day, you strut into your classroom like a conquistador and sit down at your desk expecting nothing but praise for your wonderful work. But… Illustration: Camille Charles You look down and there are the dreaded red circles EVERYWHERE! They mass over your paper, they taunt you, and they turn your blood cold. You wonder why a magnum opus such as yours failed to impress. After all, you worked so hard on it! Thankfully, you wake up from your nightmare in a cold sweat. It must have been the pepperoni pizza last night. But then you remember that your paper is in fact due that very afternoon! Illustration: Camille Charles   In a panic, you rush to your computer and log into Exemplary English to learn about the importance of PUNCTUATION! If you are like me, you’ve been so deep into your writing that you sometimes forget those important little dots, dashes and exclamations. Now, if you’ve ever gotten a paper back from a teacher with all those little red circles, don’t worry!  Everybody has received them NUMEROUS TIMES in their learning experience. As a home-schooler, my mom was my English teacher and let me tell you, she didn’t go soft on me when I forgot my commas or periods. I had plenty of red circles on papers, but you know what happened? I just got better with my writing as I learned more about the importance of punctuation, you will too as you learn more about writing and grammar. Illustration: Camille Charles So just why do we punctuate? Take this sentence for example. “Come and eat people.” Wait WHAT!? You want me to eat WHAT?!!   Now read this sentence. “Come and eat, people.” See how much difference the two makes? Photo: Camille Charles Now unless you are part of a pride of hungry lions, the first sentence does look a little strange doesn’t it? But if you look at the second sentence, it is the same sentence, but it seems more like a casual call for dinner doesn’t it? When we speak, we have many ways to show our communication when we are talking to someone. But with regards to writing, we need to have a way to show the different emotions, feelings, actions etc. when expressing our communication to the reader. There is a lot more elaboration when we speak, raise or lower our voice, stress words, pause, repeat and even when we use hand signals and motions. Punctuation is the only thing we’ve got when writing. Fully understanding punctuation is vital when trying to get your point across in your paper. Here are a few helpful tips that I would like to share with you that helped me over the years to remember my punctuation. Run-on sentences: This was a common mistake that I would make when I was young and learning to write. A run-on sentence is two or more complete sentences without punctuation or conjunction. This can happen when you have a lot to say but don’t know how to break it down without leaving something important out. For instance, here is an example of a run-on sentence. My car is out of gas we need to get it to the gas station before it gets dark. Now this is not a long run-on, but the person writing it seems a bit out of breath. Illustration: Camille Charles Now try this. My car is out of gas. We need to get it to the gas station before it gets dark. Hear the difference?   Funny Bad Grammar Fact: In the short science fiction story “”Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison, there is an infamous paragraph that is almost entirely a run-on sentence. About what you may ask? It’s about jelly beans! If you are interested in reading the whole story you can find it by copying and pasting this link to your browser. http://compositionawebb.pbworks.com/   2.   Apostrophes: The apostrophe is used to form possessives. In other words, it signifies what or who something belongs to. For instance, Emily’s house, Ellen’s car, Mike’s computer, or Ranjeeth’s pizza. It is also used as a contraction, which means words that have a letter or some letters omitted, or taken out in order to combine two words together. For instance, I cannot becomes I can’t, I have not becomes I haven’t etc. Be careful! Don’t use apostrophes in possessive pronouns or plural nouns. For instance for possessive pronouns, the incorrect usage of apostrophes would be their’s, her’s, it’s, your’s.  Correct usage is theirs, hers, its, and yours.    For plural nouns, the incorrect usage would be as follows: video game’s, pizza’s and playground’s. The correct usage would be: video games, pizzas and playgrounds. 3.    COMMAS! Dear me, this little period with a tail was one of my biggest grammar foes while growing up! Sometimes I would put too many in, sometimes I’d forget them entirely! There are many appropriate rules for using commas. Here are a couple that I’ll point out for you. a)     If you like to make lists, you’ve often used commas to separate your items. Use commas to separate three or more words in a list. My Camping Checklist: Remember to pack up tent, food, sleeping bag, towels and my toothbrush. b)      The basic compound sentence.                          Emily watched a movie, and Mike read a book.  c)      Introductions. You should use commas when using introductory words or phrases. Dear Exemplary English, thank you for your help. Or Yes, I would like more cereal. In conclusion, punctuation is an important part of the writing process. While it may be tough to remember all the certain rules, keep in mind that even if you forget a period or a comma every so often, it’s all about the joy and pleasure of learning. Don’t give up! We here at Exemplary English encourage you to check out our website articles, games, videos, or courses or tutoring for more help. If you need more help or have any more questions about punctuation, leave a comment and I will answer you. Happy Writing! EZ