Tip 7: Use proper punctuation
There’s a well known example of a sentence that can be punctuated in different ways to produce very different meanings: A woman without her man is nothing. Consider the different interpretations that emerge when this sentence is punctuated.
- A woman, without her man, is nothing.
- A woman: without her, man is nothing.
Punctuation is not merely a decoration. Rather, it is used to help show the intended relationships between different elements in a sentence. If punctuation is missing or incorrect, the entire meaning of a sentence can change. If we are working quickly or not paying enough attention, it is easy to overlook punctuation. Fortunately, there are a number of tools available to help, such as the grammar checker built in to your word processor or text editor, or free online tools such as Reverso or Grammarly. Be sure to run your text through a basic grammar checker before finalizing the text.
Find out more:
- For additional tips on punctuating texts correctly, check out the Purdue OWL site on Punctuation exercises.
- To practice, you can also visit the Language Portal of Canada’s selection of quizzes on punctuation.
Now YOU try!
