Grammar Bytes! The Writer's Guide To Grammar

Pesky Punctuation

  Punctuation is perhaps the most vital part of sentence structure. When used properly, it provides a necessary rhythm and cadence to words. Without punctuation, there is really no meaning to a sentence.

  We'll skip over the obvious marks like periods, question marks, exclamation marks, et cetera. I'm reasonably certain we all know those. I'm talking about the trickier ones-- semi-colons, dashes, colons, and the trickiest of all, commas.

  And why are commas tricky? We're all used to them. We all use a lot of them-- more of them, in fact, than any other (barring periods).

  Commas are tricky precisely because they are so very basic. How do you know how many commas is too many? Can you use a lot of them without your sentences being boring?
Well, let's answer that with the obvious: that they are, as stated, the most basic punctuation other than periods. This is, of course, because they are so very easy to use.

  So how many is too many? Really, the fact is, it's up to you. Assuming, of course, that run-on sentences are avoided. They're really the only instance in which a comma is incorrect as far as most sentences go.

  It's when you need something more than a comma can do that marks like semi-colons come into play. As clarified in the previous chapter, semi-colons represent a slightly longer pause, as necessary when joining two independent clauses in the same thought.

  An independent clause, for starters, is any statement that stands by itself without the need for a dependent clause. For instance: "The boy came into the house." Dependent clauses take the form of what is known as a sentence fragment: a statement that does not convey a complete thought on its own. Again, for example, the second part of the above sentence: "dirty from playing outside."

  In this case, the fragment "dirty from playing outside" modifies the statement "the boy came into the house." In other words, it adds a little clarification as to the tone of the situation. If the boy were to come into the house clean as a whistle, then his mother would not be telling him to wash up. That sentence fragment prepares the reader for the inevitable reaction that the boy's mother will have to his tracking in mud.

  And so, when joining an independent clause to a dependent clause-- a whole statement to a supporting statement, as it were-- a comma is not only most definitely correct, but it would be incorrect to use any other conjunctive punctuation.

  A semi-colon, however, is only used when joining two independent clauses without a conjunction such as "and" or "but," as is required with a comma.

  For example:

The boy had never seen a bluebird before, he smiled at it.

  These are two independent clauses. While you could just as easily correct the above sentence with a conjunction, a semi-colon is a little more to the point. More impact, fewer words.

  The boy had never seen a bluebird before; he smiled at it.

  The semi-colon takes a slightly more relaxed approach to the sentence, joining cause directly to effect much more vividly. You might even say that, rather than it just being one more statement of fact, you can almost experience the excitement the boy feels at having seen a bluebird for the first time.

  I must also say that semi-colons are not exactly mandatory, but can definitely spice up your syntax a bit as well as illuminating the story rather than just telling it. You might say that a semi-colon is the fancy dress form of a comma, adding that extra punch to the sentence.

  They are, however, necessary when forming a complex sentence-- a sentence that involves a mixture of independent and dependent clauses.

  For example:

He noticed a bluebird on the windowsill, which he had never seen before; he smiled at it as his mother told him to wash up.

  As you have likely noticed, I am changing up the structure of the example sentence in order to demonstrate that there are many different ways to communicate the same thing, based on your choice of punctuation. It allows me to make two points in one.

  So now you know the uses of a semicolon; they can also be used with compound conjunctions like "therefore," "afterward," "however," and many others. Again, these serve to spice up the sentences and make them more flavorful. Think of them like adding seasoning to a meal. The meal is just as much a meal without the seasoning, but it's far more interesting with it.

  Now, as for dashes. Some people use only one dash, while others-- like myself-- use two. What separates dashes from hyphens is their use as a punctuation. It really isn't any more correct to use just one dash rather than two. More of a pot-ay-to, pot-ah-to thing. Dashes are useful when setting apart a clarification, definition, or a side comment to what is being said. They function in much the same way as parentheses.

  Let me give an example.

The boy noticed a bluebird on the windowsill-- he had never seen one before-- and smiled at it.

  You notice how the phrase "he had never seen one before" seems to interrupt the otherwise complete thought that the boy noticed a bluebird and smiled at it, clarifying the significance of the bluebird to the boy. Dashes are useful in this way because, like the semi-colon, they provide a far more engaging description of what is happening than the humdrum drone of, "The boy noticed a bluebird on the windowsill. He had never seen one before. He smiled at it."

  These flavorful punctuations allow us to show what is happening, rather than just listing events in an endless series of facts.

  As for colons: think of colons like pointing to something. Colons are used to direct the reader's attention to a specific detail about something, or to list several things.

  Let me give another example.

The boy noticed a bluebird on the windowsill: he had never seen one before. He smiled at it.

  Or,

The shopping list was as follows:
Eggs, milk, bread, cheese.

  Notice that while it is technically correct to insert "and" before the last item in a list, it can be omitted to convey a picture of an actual shopping list in which the items are simply jotted down. This is an application of what is known as creative license-- playing with the rules a bit to make your story more immersive. To clarify, it's the difference between my reading out a shopping list, and your actually seeing it for yourself.

  Colons can also be used to list actions or events in order.

  He did four things before going to school: he got dressed, ate his breakfast, brushed his teeth, and gathered his homework.

  In this case, you cannot omit "and" except in a very special circumstance in which you follow directly with an independent clause. Like so:

  He did four things before going to school: he got dressed, ate his breakfast, brushed his teeth, gathered his homework-- he rushed out the door, seeing that he was almost late.

  This form of the sentence adds a little urgency to the scene, giving a sense that the boy is in a hurry. Remember, setting the tone of a scene is an important part of telling any story.

  Conclusion: not only does each individual punctuation add flair to a sentence, each in its own way-- but when they are combined in a paragraph, you can weave longer, more complex sentences that are far more than just the sum of their parts.

  Of course, you don't want to go overboard with any of them, and certainly it would not be desirable to strike up a predictable pattern of the same structure, with the same punctuations, every time. That doesn't just get boring. It gets downright irritating.

  So play around with your sentences a bit. Spice them up, with a little of this and a little of that, and never quite the same thing twice-- and don't be at all afraid to throw in a few plain vanilla sentences. They have their place too, and if you're all flash and flair with your sentences, readers will get a bit overwhelmed.