Articles > Academic magazines > Academic magazines > Writing! articles > November 2007

Article: A passion for punctuation.(grammar slammer)

Article from:
Writing!
Article date:
November 1, 2007
Author:
Copyright

Ask your friends how they feel about punctuation and you'll probably get a big yawn in reply. (That is, after they stop staring at you and wondering if they heard you correctly.) To most people, colons and commas are nothing more than dots and squiggles on a page. Writers. however, recognize the power of punctuation. They know that with just a few simple marks, they can

pause, stops. inquire? introduce an idea. convey anguish or elation! or prompt ... anticipation

Pity the Poor Apostrophe

Some people are downright passionate about punctuation. Consider the members of the Apostrophe Protection Society (apostrophe.fsneLco.uk). The group's goal is ... 







Read all of this article with a FREE trial
















Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:









  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Dictionary definition: exclamation point (!)

  
  The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style; 
   
  
  
 
  314 words
...exclamation point [!]. This punctuation mark is used after an exclamatory word, phrase, or sentence. It usually counts as the concluding full stop—e.g ... 







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Article: Punctuation mark helps clear up confusion on Ocean ...

  
  Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News; 
  August 12, 2004 ;  
  
  
 
  700+ words
... ... officials have made it easier to understand by adding one punctuation mark. Last week, members of a veteran's group said they ... the Mississippi Department of Transportation. But the punctuation mark is just a temporary fix until the signs can be replaced ... 







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Encyclopedia entry: PUNCTUATION MARK

  
  Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language; 
   
  
  
 
  265 words
...PUNCTUATION MARK. Any one of a set of conventional marks or characters used in organizing written and printed language, such as a comma (,) or an exclamation mark/point (!). See PUNCTUATION .







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Dictionary definition: punctuation mark

  
  Webster's NewWorld Dictionary; 
   
  
  
 
  132 words
...Webster's NewWorld Dictionary 01-01-1988 punctuation mark any of the marks used in punctuation, as a period or comma Copyright 1994, 1991, 1988 Simon & Schuster, Inc.







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Article: (RPT WITH PUNCTUATION-MARK CORR IN PARA 2) Citi's ...

  
  PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd.; 
  November 24, 2008 ;  
  
  
 
  700+ words
...(RPT WITH PUNCTUATION-MARK CORR IN PARA 2) Citi's toxic assets six times of Indian banks' total m-cap New York/New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) -- The ... 







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Article: Sex and the semicolon The punctuation mark that ...

  
  The Boston Globe; 
  August 10, 2008 ;  
  
  
 
  700+ words
... ... set us straight, the punctuation conversation has shifted its focus from the apostrophe to a more subtle and debatable punctuation mark: the semicolon. The credit probably belongs to Trevor Butterworth, who in 2005 - citing Truss as partial inspiration ... 







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Article: Anarchy and semicolons: a novel in which a punctuation ...

  
  New York; 
  May 12, 2008 ;  
  
  
 
  700+ words
... ... satellite picture of a hurricane. But the semicolon, in Hemon, takes on an even larger symbolic significance. It's less a punctuation mark than a total aesthetic program. As punctuation, the semicolon is a tweener--an awkward Frankenstein of the comma ... 







   
 




  




 

    

 
 
   
 


   
  
  Article: Neil recalls united stay Three and a half months is a mere ...

  
  Herald Express (Torquay UK); 
  August 16, 2007 ;  
  
  
 
  700+ words
...Three and a half months is a mere punctuation mark in the long saga of a managerial career which has so far lasted for more than a quarter of a century. But Neil Warnock admits ... 







   
 

























 



 





 






Newsweek
Harper's Magazine
The Washington Post
Chicago Tribune
Crain's Chicago Business
PRNewswire
Pediatric News
The Nation
Advertising Age
The Economist (US)
A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles!
Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!


  



Find articles, research, and archives