Punctuation Introduction

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Like grammar nerds like to say, punctuation is a matter of life and death. There's a huge difference between "Let's eat, Grandma" and "Let's eat Grandma."

Ba-dum ching!

Yes, grammarians can also be cornballs. But grammar truly is a matter of life and death… of your dignity as a writer. And as a human being.

You could write that, "Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog." Oof.

You could post a sign in the disabled/family restroom at your establishment that reads "Attention: toilet only for disabled elderly pregnant children." Oof. Oof. And also—what?!

And it ain't just commas that spell the difference between cannibalism and family dining or embarrassment and writing proficiency.

Without periods, you could end up writing "I have two hours to kill someone come hang out." (Terrifying.)

Overindulgence in quotation marks could have you saying that your restaurant serves the best "chicken" in town, leading hungry would-be patrons to think "Uh, what is that chicken really made out of?"

Basically, all punctuation is there for a reason. It shows degrees of separation and emphasis. In fact, when you think about it, punctuation symbols are a lot like road signs. No, they're not huge and green. They tell your reader when to look alive and anticipate, when to slow down, and when to come to a complete stop.

Simply put, punctuation symbols are a powerful tool. Use them to get your audience to read your writing exactly how you want it to be read. Feel the power!

Disclaimer

Punctuation is, uh, kind of made up.

See, it was originally used to help people know when to pause in a sentence. Comma was a short pause, semi-colon was a longer pause, and period was a full stop. So who are we to tell you that YOU CANNOT USE A COMMA THERE?

Plus, with the thousand ways we now have to communicate, punctuation is always changing. Remember when a period didn't mean you were angry? Those were the days.

Bottom line: take everything everyone says about punctuation with a grain of salt. Yes, you need to pass your grammar exam, but you don't need to deal with grammar tyrants.

Quiz Yourself on Punctuation

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How would you correct the following passage?


The week before homecoming, Hannah and I were in study hall, which is held in the school library under the watchful eye of our evil librarian. You are technically not allowed to talk, but how many people actually follow that rule? We certainly do not. Hannah leaned over and whispered quietly in my ear, "My boyfriend just texted me and said one of his friends wants to ask you to the dance"! We got kicked out of study hall with detentions in hand soon after that.


(A) Delete the comma after "hall"
(B) Change the question mark to a period after "rule"
(C) Shift the exclamation point inside the quotation mark after "dance"
(D) I wouldn't change a thing

Identify the option that does not retain the author's original intent in the passage.


For this short writing assignment, I would like to share a story about how my friend Vanessa saved me from total humiliation, not to mention a pulled muscle. Last Friday, we were dancing at my older sister's party. I have a huge crush on one of her friends, so I was trying to impress him with my dance moves. At one point, I accidentally lunged too far and would have ended up in the splits if not for Vanessa, who caught my arm and pulled me to safety. I did not win the affection of my crush, so maybe my moves are not actually all that great. However, I did realize that I have an incredible friend who will always have my back.


(A) "…my friend Vanessa saved me from total humiliation… I did not win the affection of my crush… However, I did realize that I have an incredible friend who will always have my back."
(B) "…I would like to share a story about how… I did not win the affection of my crush, so maybe my moves are not all that great."
(C) "At one point, I accidentally lunged too far and would have ended up in the splits if not for Vanessa… maybe my moves are not actually all that great."
(D) "For this short writing assignment, I would like to share a story about how my friend Vanessa… will always have my back."

Chester is writing a horror short story for her English class. Which of the following choices uses ellipses most effectively?

(A) Arya ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She leaned against it, panting. She could hear footsteps approaching. Her pursuer moved quickly yet deliberately, and with each thud of his boots, Arya's eyes widened with fear. He reached the door and then… nothing. Total silence. What was he waiting for?
(B) Arya ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She leaned against it… panting. She could hear footsteps approaching. Her pursuer moved quickly yet deliberately, and with each thud of his boots… Arya's eyes widened with fear. He reached the door and then nothing. Total silence…. What was he waiting for?
(C) Arya ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She leaned against it, panting. She could hear footsteps approaching… Her pursuer moved quickly yet deliberately, and with each thud of his boots, Arya's eyes widened with fear. He reached the door and then nothing. Total silence. What was he waiting for?
(D) Arya ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her… She leaned against it, panting…. She could hear footsteps approaching…. Her pursuer moved quickly yet deliberately, and with each thud of his boots, Arya's eyes widened with fear. He reached the door and then… nothing. Total silence. What was he waiting for?

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

(A) Sally went to the beach: and collected over 284 seashells in just one day!
(B) Just one second: where do you think you're going with all appetizers?
(C) The previously winless basketball team is on a rampage: they've won twenty games in a row!
(D) During the ride, please hold on to: anything that might fall out of your pockets, as well as your mommy's hand.

You were late to class today, and you hate being late to class. You wanted to explain your tardiness to your teacher, so you wrote a short note during free write time. Keeping in mind conventions of formality and proper grammar, which note should you submit?

(A) I would like to apologize profusely for my tardy arrival this morning. I would have been on time if not for my little brother who likes to sleep in past his alarm and refuses to be woken up by anyone unless they bring him breakfast in bed. He really is quite frustrating sometimes… especially when I am trying to make something of myself through education!
(B) If you had been in my house this morning, you would understand why I was late. Let me set the scene for you… mom cooking eggs, bacon, and toast all at the same time… sister complaining because she really wanted pancakes… dad talking to his business partner on the phone… brother practicing the drums downstairs… It was not a peaceful start to the day, to say the least.
(C) I am very sorry for arriving late to class today. I know that it is disrespectful, but I hope you will allow me to explain… My dog is quite old, and this morning he could barely stand. I was worried about him. I was sitting there petting him when I realized that I had missed the bus. Thankfully my mom was able to come back and get me, but by then it was already too late… Again, I am very sorry.
(D) I hope you can forgive me for being late to class today… I know that it is rude to be late, but I had a really rough morning… I could not stop coughing when I woke up, and to make matters worse, my older brother also woke up feeling ill. My mom decided that we had to stop at the store for medicine… Otherwise I don't think we would have made it through the day… I promise it will not happen again!

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