Punctuation, Part 2

Jelte, "Semicolon" 6/12/05 via Wikipedia Commons, Public Domain

Punctuation is one of the most important aspects to a piece of writing. As per the famous example, there's a huge difference between "the panda eats shoots and leaves", and "the panda eats, shoots, and leaves." In this post I will be analyzing punctuation in my own writing.

1. The comma- The comma helps segment writing to help shape and aid the flow of the writing. It is clear to me when to use commas in lists or when using appositives, but it is not as clear when to use commas otherwise. For instance, using a comma after an introductory clause, as described in 32b of Rules for Writers, is something I often forget to do. And I also regularly fail to use commas to join independent clauses correctly. An example of this from my own writing is when I say  "[l]et’s say you’re about to go skydiving." This sentence does not stand well alone, and should have been joined with the sentence that follows through the use of a comma, to help the piece flow better.

2. The apostrophe- Apostrophes appear easy to employ in writing. All one really has to remember is to use apostrophe's when making something possessive. EX: "It is Molly's room." But apostrophes are also useful in contractions and abbreviations for numbers. The most common mistake in most writing is the misuse of the apostrophe, or placement of it in the wrong place. For instance, I didn't know it was incorrect to use an apostrophe when forming the plural of numbers and letters, such as the 1960s.

3. Other punctuation marks- I do not often use many, if any, other punctuation marks in my writing besides the question mark. The example using a question mark from my piece is "what does neuroscience and gender equality have in common?" It is effective because it adds some variation in the punctuation and tone of the writing. Partially I avoid other punctuation because I find things like dashes, ellipses, and exclamation points difficult to fit into my writing. However, I want to look back over my writing now and add some variation in my punctuation.