Punctuation: Part 1

The guidelines for punctuation are like the Terms and Conditions paper.  Everybody knows about it, and for the most part we all have a pretty decent understanding of what it says and how to follow it.  However, very few people want to sit down and nitpick through every little detail of what it all it says so we quickly press the “Agree” button and move on with our lives.  Well today I look at the details of how to use commas, semicolons, and colons laid out in the “Terms and Conditions.”

Zipnon. "Punctuation" 5/20/2015 via Pixabay. Public Domain.

Unnecessary Commas

Commas have to be used according to convention, not necessarily where you think there needs to be a pause.  Thus is the case when combining clauses that are not independent clauses.  Just because a pause sounds nice before the coordinating conjunction, a comma does not belong.

In addition, commas should not be used when the change the meaning of the sentence or take away the importance of a clause.  Often modifiers are essential to the message of the sentence and cannot be hidden away with commas.

The Semicolon

A semicolon has three main places: replacing a coordinating conjunction, preceding a transitional expression, and indicating the relative weight of a pause if a comma is already in the sentence.  In some cases, semicolons can be used to added emphasis to a pause when the distinction between clauses is great.

The Colon

A colon has standard conventions such as when writing time or indicating a ratio.  It also sets apart lists, quotations, and summaries.  However, all these must be preceded by independent clauses.


Reflection:

After reading my peers' drafts, I realized how much we take punctuation for granted.  When I write my draft, I know the intention of the sentence and the right inflection and the correct understanding.  However, this is easily lost when the punctuation is incorrect.

In Zayla's draft, she wrote, "In a successful effort  to minimize the effectiveness of the sanctions and inform her audience of the misconceptions about the economy ; the author evokes sympathy and disapproval within her readers through the use of dreary tone, thought provoking narratives, and interviews from the citizens involved."  The semicolon indicates a large break or pause in the sentence, which disrupts the flow and understanding.

In Jovanka's draft, she wrote, "Rhetorically it makes a lot of sense when you think about what kind of message he wanted to get across; he wanted his readers to come up with their own opinion and have their own thoughts."  Although the sentence seems to read correctly, the use of a colon would help the reader understand that she is introducing an explanation.