Chapter 5: The Writing Process 4: Editing
Learning Objectives
- Identify and correct punctuation errors involving commas, apostrophes, colons and semicolons, parentheses and brackets, quotation marks, hyphens and dashes, question and exclamation marks, and periods.
- Plan, write, revise, and edit short documents and messages that are organized, complete, and tailored to specific audiences.
- Apply proper use of sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.
- Use a systematic approach to edit, revise, and proofread.
- Spell, punctuate, and use vocabulary correctly.
- Edit and proofread documents to eliminate errors.
- Revise documents to improve clarity, correctness, and coherence.
As the little marks added between words, punctuation is like a system of traffic signs: it guides the reader towards the intended meaning of the words just as road signs guide drivers to their destination. They tell the reader when to go, when to pause, when to stop, when to go again, when to pay close attention, and when to turn (Truss, 2003, p. 7). They’re also crucial for avoiding accidents. A paragraph without punctuation—no periods, commas, apostrophes, etc.—quickly spins out into utter nonsense and kills the reader’s understanding of the writer’s meaning.
Punctuation that’s merely missing or unnecessary here and there can confuse a reader and even lead to expensive lawsuits if they plague contentious documents like contracts. To anyone who knows how to use them, seeing punctuation mistakes in someone else’s writing makes that other person look sloppy and amateurish. Punctuation errors by adult native English speakers look especially bad because they reflect poorly on their education and attention to detail, especially if they’re habitual mistakes. The critical reader looks down on anyone who hasn’t figured out how to use their own language in their 20+ years of immersion in it. Not knowing the difference between a colon and semicolon, for instance, is like not knowing the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini; sure they look alike from a distance, but they’re completely different species and serve different culinary functions. If you don’t know these differences by the time you’re an adult, however, it doesn’t take much to learn.
In this section, we focus on how to spot and correct common punctuation errors, starting with commas because most problems with people’s writing in general are related to missing and misused commas. The goal is to help you avoid making mistakes that can potentially embarrass you in the eyes of people who should be taking you seriously.
Complete List of Punctuation Covered in This Chapter Section
- 5.3.1: Commas ( , )
- 5.3.2: Apostrophes ( ’ )
- 5.3.3: Colons ( : )
- 5.3.4: Semicolons ( ; )
- 5.3.5: Parentheses ( )
- 5.3.6: Brackets [ ]
- 5.3.7: Quotation Marks ( “ ” )
- 5.3.8: Hyphens ( – )
- 5.3.9: Long Dashes ( — )
- 5.3.10: Question Marks ( ? )
- 5.3.11: Exclamation Marks ( ! )
- 5.3.12: Periods ( . )
5.3.1: Commas
Most punctua