by Lisa Beach

Created on: July 24, 2008   Last Updated: July 31, 2009

Good punctuation can be as subtle as a wink and a smile, or as harsh as a brag and a fist, depending on how one uses it. Commas are used for small pauses, semi-colons for longer pauses; and colons to tie 2 sentences together that are related, but require a much longer pause; almost a stop.

Of course there are other punctuation marks. The dash - more of a pause as if in the midst of speech - has its place as well. As in:

"Let's go to the store - oh wait a minute - let's go see Sally first. "

Apostrophes are used to show two words contracted. Like: can't, won't, don't - and the one that causes the most trouble - it's [It is]. Apostrophes also show a person owns something, like: "Patty's car, Ethan's book, or Sam's tickets to the fair."

If the possession is for more than a person or unit of a few, the apostrophe goes on the outside of the word, as in: "The swimmers' coach had left them new challenges to learn".

But the real art, is in knowing how to use punctuation so smoothly, it goes unnoticed. The reader pauses and/or stops just where the writer intends, making the piece a work of art in its own right. One must be careful however, because readers are savvy enough these days to pick up on the fact that something's off-kilter. If a favored journalist is "off" enough times, a reader who formally looked for his/her pieces may become disillusioned.

Punctuation is just one of those things that makes English students groan because it is so basic; but is an art form for writers seeking perfection in what they write. That is where it becomes art. One writer's personality and style will not be the same as the next. Maybe the first writer tends to use choppy sentences, but another does not.

If one is after eloquence and poise, s/he might use words that have fuller meaning than his/her regular style; maybe tailor the words and meanings to fit the tone of the article being written. But in any case one uses that punctuation almost without thought. The sentences become the softer wink and smile [light and fun], or the brag and fist [adventure or dark tale] mentioned above.

All writers delve into what they do best. Wherever their emotions and hearts lie; their excellence in knowledge or form comes into play; that is where one will find them - with their fingers flying across keyboards, maybe even with a smile.

I love writing what I know about. I work at punctuation that helps clarify points I make within story, and I love reading the same. Those are articles that offer knowledge of a subject in a way most readers understand, are just as long or short as needs be, and are a delight to read.

It is the art of punctuation that does this. Mundane as it may seem, without the commas, colons, dashes and the like, writing would merely be on long gasp: like a gigantic run-on sentence.

A good article or story is like an opening flower, with punctuation its seed and substance for growth. That's what most writers want, whether they realize it or not - an article that breeds success in getting read, and prose that sings "come read me, here I am".

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