Punctuation is not really that important, right? WRONG! It’s very important, and a tiny, misplaced comma or question mark can cost millions of dollars or break someone’s heart.
Not convinced?
Take a look at some of these great examples of punctuation mistakes. If you didn’t previously recognize the importance of punctuation, you will after seeing these!
Here are some examples that show why punctuation is important. In these cases, the result of bad punctuation can be humorous, but at the workplace, be sure to double check your writing!
Punctuation Tip 1: Commas
Commas separate words, clauses, and ideas. Without commas, the meaning of a sentence changes drastically: I take great pleasure in eating my dog and my plants.
I take great pleasure in eating, my dog, and my plants.
Punctuation Tip 2: Quotes
Quotation marks show us what someone has said. They also indicate the title of a work, such as poetry, and imply an alternate meaning of a word:
“Guess who’s coming to your birthday? Trixie!” said my cousin Pam.
“Guess who’s coming to your birthday?” Trixie said. “My cousin Pam!”
Punctuation Tip 3: Hyphens
A hyphen joins words or parts of words. It can also join words acting as adjectives before a noun:
What would you rather have, 25 $1 bills or 20 $5 bills?
Twenty-five dollar bills.
Twenty five-dollar bills.
Punctuation Tip 5: Colons
Colons are used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or text, and clarify composition titles:
A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
See? Correct use of punctuation can make a tremendous difference in the meaning of a sentence. Remember to check that you’re using punctuation correctly! Otherwise, you can create some funny of horrifying situations.
