There are days when I thank all that's good that we don't have to use punctuation when we speak out loud. However, these little annoying marks seem to be the only thing that keeps order in our written language. They're our bread and butter. I've come to embrace them. But there are so many, and their rules can get complicated. So ... what's the best way to approach the stuff?
Use humor to remember them. There's funny stuff all over the internet that can help you remember the basics. Thanks to "The Oatmeal" (a beautiful website that's already been referenced once in this article) and other funny internet sources, I've put a few pics up here for everyone to see. There are three punctuation marks discussed below: the apostrophe, the comma (in its Oxford comma use), and the semicolon.
Of course, these examples aren't all that the apostrophe, comma, and semicolon can do, but they're excellent examples of fun ways to jog the memory concerning punctuation. Good punctuation is crucial to making good papers. If you're ever in doubt about a mark, don't be afraid to look up what it does. Learning punctuation is always a continual process; even professionals screw it up sometimes. And, if you have to, find funny ways like these to remember how they work.
- Amanda
