Grammar Crammer: How to Write Perfect Sentences

7. Punctuation

7 PUNCTUATION* In speaking the English language, we use voice levels (loud and soft, as well as high and low pitch) and pauses to help show what our words mean. Punctuation in writing does the same job as those voice levels and pauses. If you say your sentences in your head when you write, you should get your punctuation correct nearly all the time. For guidance-or reassurance-here is a list of the major punctuation marks and how they compare to spoken equivalents. Although the period and question mark are rarely misused, let's begin with them for comparison. CLUE 1: PUNCTUATING BY EAR Period: The voice pitch and volume fall, then stop on a conclusive note to signal that a complete thought or series of related ideas has ended. Question mark: The voice pitch and volume rise, then stop as long as for a period. • Excerpted from Good Writing by Kesselman-Turkel and Peterson (Franklin Watts, 1981). 94 Punctuation 95 Comma: The voice pauses without its pitch or volume falling noticeablY, to signal that one idea segment within a sentence has ended and another one is beginning. If your meaning is unquestionably clear without a pause-or commathen the comma probably is not required,. At any rate (,) almost immediately (,) the bottom fell out of both her world and his. Colon: The voice stops abruptly, but with emphasis that shows that an elaboration of the just-completed idea will continue immediately. In most cases, the co-worker is not malignant in intent but just someone who wants something you have and really doesn't give a damn how you feel: a conflict where most learners have no difficulty in refusing to give reasons to justify or explain their behavior to the other person. Dashes: The voice pauses at the first dash, emphasizes slightly the material set between dashes, and resumes its former tone after the second dash, showing that another thought is interrupting the sentence's normal flow of thoughts. When the emphasized material ends the sentence, only the first dash is needed; a period ends both the emphasized portion and the entire sentence. As with all other forms of emphasis, when it's overused the dash loses its impact. Years ago dashes were little used, and parentheses preferred to commas. (That's why asides put between commas are still referred to in many grammars as parenthetical phrases.) Our modern system is a refinement in reader signals. Set between dashes, the interrupting idea is flagged by the author as important. Set between commas, it is shown to be neither more nor less important than its neighbors. Parentheses are for relatively unimportant asides. Another mistake novices make is to use the dash where a 96 THE GRAMMAR CRAMMER colon is the better choice. Keep in mind that the dash signals an emphasized aside, whereas a colon signals a to-the-point elaboration. I sat on the metal cot-there was no chair-and stared around my cell. Some writers use a great many dashes in their writing. This usually signals to the reader either that the writer has not organized his thoughts into logical units, or that he has not taken the time to decide what should or should not be emphasized . If lots of dashes creep into your writing, it's a signal to stop and decide whether all the asides are really important and, if so, whether they ought to be elaborated on separately. Parentheses: The voice pauses, then de-emphasizes the information set between parentheses. This punctuation device is supposed to clarify a thought without shifting the reader's attention to the clarification. It isn't as effective as most of our punctuation marks because it slows down the eye. often creating the emphasis it's trying to avoid. That's why it's a good idea to resist parentheses unless they're indispensable. Underline: The voice emphasizes the word or words underlined . Careful writers pick words and sentence constructions that emphasize naturally, and use underlining only as a last resort. Careless writers make it a crutch, attempting with it to impart dr~ma to a particular point that otherwise falls flat. The underline rarely appears in print; when a typesetter sees it, he substitutes italics. Exclamation point: The exclamation point is an attempt to instill drama into an entire sentence. But if the sentence itself isn't dramatic, no amount of flashing marquee lights...