One fellow who contributes often to a forum I read is guilty of this manner of ending sentences with question marks - hardly ever meaning it is an actual question. I use it here just to highlight the fact that punctuation is important.
The comma is the feisty little punctuation mark that I have always found helpful in writing. Yet over the last few dacades, critics of "good writing" have tried to limit the use of commas, thinking that people have fallen into an over-use of this punctuation. But a comma, properly placed, can clarify meaning. Commas can aid in allowing a reader to virtually hear the little nuances in the spoken word.
I was startled this morning when I happened to read again a post of mine from two years ago - startled because in my effort to limit my use of commas in that writing, I left myself misunderstanding my own sentence. Had to laugh out loud.
An early line of my post was: "My sweet wife found out back in December that the awesome child prodigy was to perform . . ."
When I began to read it this time, the meaning was lost after the first few words, in the comical idea that "my wife was found in December - out back." Out back of what? Or maybe at the Outback Steakhouse? So now I wish that I had used, more freely and correctly, the commas I am prone to employ. Meaning, the sentence would be more properly read as: "My sweet wife found out, back in December, that the awesome child prodigy . . ." That is much to be preferred over the humorous misread of: "My sweet wife, found (out back) in December, . . ."
My sweet wife can be found right here, right out front in my daily life; the need for commas was found out, back in December! (Actually, found out just today, but - you get my drift.)
No comments:
Post a Comment