One of my students once told me that when she writes something she always puts a comma wherever she thinks someone should take a breath. She defended this by saying this is what they do in a musical ...

Let’s hear it for the exclamation point! And what about the comma, and its cousin, the semi-colon? Without punctuation our language would be as difficult to read as an unedited “Trivially Speaking” ...

Punctuation is a set of specific marks or symbols that we used to express the meaning of our sentences clearly and to make the flow of the text smooth. It shows us where we need to pause, it separates ...

There's a well-worn joke that if you call a copy editor anal-retentive, he'll look that up to see if it's hyphenated. It is, I am, and it's my job. Many people can give dignified one-word answers to ...

Punctuation marks are pretty objective in their purpose within the world of written (and spoken) language. But in an age dominated by the internet, memes and the universal need for speed, these marks ...

You probably already know the interrobang, thanks to its excellent moniker and increasing popularity. Though the combination exclamation point and question mark can be replaced by using one of each ...

Sept. 24 is National Punctuation Day, a time to think about all those lowly, little dots, lines, and squiggles that adorn the written word. One of the websites promoting the occasion announces, ...

She didn’t mean it. It was an innocent mistake. Lilly wrote “Let’s Eat Grandma,” then became upset after realizing what it meant. “I don’t want to eat my abuela!” A simple change clarified her ...

Opinion articles provide independent perspectives on key community issues, separate from our newsroom reporting. She didn’t mean it. It was an innocent mistake. Lilly wrote “Let’s Eat Grandma,” then ...