When it comes to punctuation, the educational institutions only teach the basics. However, there are rules and exceptions in punctuations. You can learn to punctuate sentences the way it allows you to express yourself accurately, precisely, and clearly. That is the main reason why punctuations in any language are for.
Are punctuations always wrong?
There are different rules of punctuations owing to the fact that languages are dynamic. That is the reason conventional rules of grammar and correct punctuations vary. Rules of correct punctuation never lose their way but change with time.
Even the experts have different types of views regarding punctuations and often disagree on each other’s points for right punctuation.
Why are punctuations used at all?
Punctuations are pauses and continuations. They are actually a series of conventions to help the readers follow the train of thought of the writer. For example, a full stop (.) always signifies the completion of a sentence. A small pause in the flow of thought of the author can be denoted by a comma (,). A semi colon (;) is another punctuation mark to signify a longer pause than a comma. Then there are exceptions. So, you learn the rules and also learn the ways the rules can be broken.
Why do you need to punctuate?
Students especially hate punctuation. It is probably one of the only things that make them lose marks in an English exam. To be able to punctuate correctly in a manner that exhibit meaning, you need to understand the purpose of it at first.
If you are a writer, you need to put punctuations to get your point across. You need to guide the readers to read the lines according to your train of thoughts – pausing where you would and laughing where you should. Punctuations also make writing clear and easily understandable. For example, a specific thought can be expressed in one line and then, another thought in the next line. And, between these lines there should be a stop. Thus, you need punctuation marks.
Without correct punctuation sentences become hilarious!
Incorrect punctuations can completely destroy the meaning of a sentence. The meaning is never clear, and often people get mislead. The results of writing sentences without punctuations are hilarious. Given below are some examples to understand that:
“Unable to eat diarrhea” is a sentence that sounds gross. However, if the same sentence is punctuated properly, it gives a proper message on the illness of a person. With the right punctuation the sentence should have been “unable to eat. Diarrhea.” So from this message it is clear that even though the sentence is incomplete, the message is clear because of the right punctuation.
In another sentence like “It’s time to eat children” it feels to be a scary message to get across. However, what the writer actually meant was “Its time to eat, children!” So, you can see that the right punctuation marks are always useful for bringing out the true meaning of sentences. It can be said that correct punctuation will never lose its position and it will be always there to make reading easy and convenient. That is the reason you need to learn to punctuate.
How to avoid punctuation mistakes?
You should proofread your write-ups to make sure there are no basic punctuation mistakes. You should familiarize yourself with the basic punctuation patterns. Often giving too much punctuation can also lead to wrong meaning of sentences. So, do not overdo it.
Make a list of punctuations that are commonly used in the English language. You can then use the punctuation marks to check your writing. Carefully read through the sentences you’ve written and check where punctuations need to be given. You should read your writing, one sentence at a time. This will let you find errors in the punctuation. Make sure that the prose you’ve written has a logical flow to it to be read.