PHPunctuation isn't merely decoration added after writing.
A comma, dash, colon, or period can alter how a reader groups words and interprets a sentence.
This becomes especially noticeable in poetry and experimental literature, where punctuation can control pauses and rhythm.
Removing punctuation can also deliberately create ambiguity.
A reader may initially interpret a sentence one way before realizing that another grammatical structure is possible.
Writers can use this uncertainty intentionally.
The physical marks surrounding words can therefore influence meaning almost as much as the words themselves.
Sometimes a single comma is enough to turn a straightforward sentence into something completely different.
© Purdue Online Writing Lab
A comma, dash, colon, or period can alter how a reader groups words and interprets a sentence.
This becomes especially noticeable in poetry and experimental literature, where punctuation can control pauses and rhythm.
Removing punctuation can also deliberately create ambiguity.
A reader may initially interpret a sentence one way before realizing that another grammatical structure is possible.
Writers can use this uncertainty intentionally.
The physical marks surrounding words can therefore influence meaning almost as much as the words themselves.
Sometimes a single comma is enough to turn a straightforward sentence into something completely different.
© Purdue Online Writing Lab