This is not an English class!

by Renee Tonquist

Health Science Curriculum Coordinator

Do your students know those keys on the keyboard they use to make smiley :) faces are actually punctuation marks? Sometimes they forget when they are texting and writing in what appears to be a foreign language.

If punctuation is not used in writing, it can't be understood, or is very difficult to understand. Using proper punctuation helps control the flow of writing. Punctuation also helps to accurately convey your message. When there are errors, the reader focuses on your grammar instead of what you are trying to communicate.

Consider the following unpunctuated statement: a woman without her man is nothing

Now, here are two different examples of how to punctuate this statement:

A woman, without her man, is nothing.

or

A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Punctuation is powerful.

You may wonder how you get your students interested in properly punctuating. Well, practice makes perfect and they do tend to be more motivated when they are recognized for excelling.

Here is a quick tutorial on the basic parts.

·    Period – Use the period to mark the end of a declarative sentence and the end of an imperative statement that gives a command. A period is also used as a decimal point when writing amounts of money and at the end of an abbreviation.

·    Question mark – Use the question mark at the end of a direct question.

·   Exclamation point – Use the exclamation point at the end of a sentence that expresses strong feelings.

·    Comma – A comma may precede a coordinating conjunction that links main clauses. A comma usually follows introductory words, phrases, and clauses. Use commas to separate items in a series

·    Semicolon – Use the semicolon between main clauses not linked by a coordinating conjunction and between coordinate elements containing commas.

·    Colon – Use the colon as a formal introducer to call attention to what follows and as a mark of separation in scriptural and time references and between titles and subtitles.

·    Parentheses – Use parentheses to surround information that is additional but may be unnecessary and unrelated to the main thought of the sentence.

·    Hyphen – Use a hyphen to connect two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun. A hyphen is also used to join a prefix to a word that begins with a capital letter and when writing numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine.

·    Apostrophe – Use the apostrophe to show ownership, to mark omissions in contractions, to form certain plurals, and to indicate contractions. The apostrophe is often used in medical reporting.

·    Italics – Use italics for emphasis or explanation.

Finally, here is an assignment that might spark some interest. Punctuate the following letter.

Dear Tom I want a man who knows what love is all about you are generous kind thoughtful people who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior you have ruined me for other men I yearn for you I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart I can be forever happy will you let me be yours Sheila

(Below are two samples of this letter with different meanings depending on the punctuation.)

Resources

Cunyus, J. (1990). Harbrace college handbook. Harcourt.

Villemaire, D, & Villemaire, L. (2005). Grammar and writing skills for the health professional. Delmar Pub.

(But you must write correctly!)