punctuation do we need it
i was intrigued by tiggers mums comment and also bobs that punctuation was overrated and not needed so i thought i would attempt to write a post without any im no e e cummings so dont expect too much or anything really
already i can see difficulties full stops clarify where sentences finish two spaces between sentences dont seem enough and contractions are unclear so i am going to leave four spaces between sentences and dispense with contractions questions should seem fairly obvious do you not think
i imagine that it requires more careful reading and it certainly feels stilted in addition i am having to override words intelligence in capitalising and inserting apostrophes maybe by the end of this brief passage it will have learned the new rules and cease such automatic and grammatical behaviour
the last time i remember having to think in a different way when writing was when i had to write an essay in ita the initial teaching alphabet which was intended to revolutionise the way children learnt to read basically it required the use of a longer alphabet of 45 symbols which was meant to make learning to read easier
enough of this tomfoolery i cannot live without punctuation im too long in the tooth for such escapades and in truth cannot express myself sufficiently without recourse to full stops exclamation marks commas colons semicolons inverted commas question marks en dashes em dashes ellipses hyphens and any others i may have neglected to mention
Call me elderly and old fashioned but I can't read papers without punctuation. And proper punctuation at that. I didn't reduce students' marks for mistakes, but I did warn them it didn't put me in a good mood.
ReplyDeleteTypos are not a problem, however.
Lack of punctuation annoys me, and so does 'text speak' like 'c u l8r'
Deletei hope your crusade for eliminating punctuation catches on with the public at large your invention of replacing full stops with four spaces is sheer genius you may become as famous as leonardo da vinci
ReplyDeleteSomehow, I don't think it will catch on!
DeleteI've just managed to read your last post about the missing full stops & I must say - I do prefer punctuation myself. English was the only subject I was any good at at school & full stops were a must!! My husband uses no punctuation at all & it does drive me a bit more bonkers than I already am. I do hope your husband is feeling better as each day passes Janice. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie! One of my nieces doesn't use much punctuation and her spelling is a bit off, too, so I feel my hackles rising when I try to read anything she's written - I'm just a miserable old bat, really!
DeleteGreat sense of humor here. So it was E.E. Cummings, who wrote a whole book with out punctuation and then put 2 pages of punctuation marks in the back of the book and told us to pick out what we wanted. We just have to have punctuation. Unfortunately it's not taught anymore. Grammar isn't taught either.
ReplyDeletePunctuation and grammar are not hard to teach and make communication so much easier for all parties!
DeleteI prefer punctuation too, things are easier to read when you know where sentences end. I almost never type a post in Word, I just type directly onto the "new post" page. Saves all that copy/paste business.
ReplyDeleteI agree - it's not supposed to be an obstacle course!
DeleteRed, don't you believe it - grammar and punctuation are very much taught in UK state schools and there's a SAT at the end of year 6 that specifically tests Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG).
ReplyDeleteWe definitely need punctuation. Simple sentences are easy enough to read without but, as soon as there's more complex or compound construction, punctuation is needed for clarity of meaning. xx
Absolutely, Joy, although I do think grammar is taught rather heavy-handedly sometimes! Do we really need to know what 'fronted adverbials' are and do they increase our comprehension? Michael Rosen is very interesting on this subject!
Deletethat was surprisingly difficult to understand for me but I do read quite quickly and at times miss detail i had to backtrack at times and still struggled i am not sure if I always use commas correctly but i try and it makes comprehension so much easier and meanings clear some things can be very misinterpreted without comma use do you normally double space after a full stop i used to when I used a typewriter but i was quickly told when wrote on the internet that double spacing after a full stop was stylistically wrong and old fashioned i dont mind be old fashioned in some areas but not always
ReplyDeleteI have an advantage in that, having taught young children for many years, I am accustomed to making sense of unpunctuated, badly spelt scrawl! I don't double space after full stops - and I've lost my full stops again!
DeleteAndrew's comment proved that correct punctuation is essential!
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteI agree with you, if you write punctuation is a must.
ReplyDeleteIt is, or we cannot understand so readily
DeleteOnly ignorant people dismiss the importance of good punctuation. It is there out of kind consideration for one's readers, helping to clarify meaning. If you leave punctuation out or you are simply careless with it, your readers have to work harder to understand what you have written.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more!
DeleteI think if your texting you can get away with it a lot more. Saying that I found your blog post very easy to read today.
ReplyDeleteTexting is a language on its own, it seems!
DeleteI read your post, I read all the comments, and the one thing I noticed that you said is, it does seem Stilted! and I sometimes forgot to breathe, as though I were reading the post out loud. I am a person who talks with punctuation. and hands. I do make mistakes in my old age of what to use where and have blogger set up to warn me if misspelled or using the wrong thing. it insists in some things of adding a semi-colon and I have never known when to use that one..... I do tend to write longer sentences than are correct... one thing I do know , is we do need punctuation. is your full stop still missing?
ReplyDeleteWe do need punctuation and as you say, we punctuate when we speak, through inflection and gestures! Yes, my full stop has gone walkabout again!
DeleteI don’t think I can trust the anti-punctuation crowd. 😀🤓
ReplyDeleteDo you have a separate number pad? That ‘period’ key night work.
DeleteNor can I!
DeleteI haven't got a separate number pad on this keyboard - just when it might be useful!
DeleteI was mostly being snarky. I love some good punctuation because it helps you assess what's being said and how it's meant.
ReplyDeleteI adore a good semi-colon!
I need it for clarification, but it's interesting when people try to dispense with it!
DeleteThank you, I love this post! Punctuation has always seemed rather bossy, essential., but overly concerned. I generally get it wrong. Like proper grammar , so uppity - just another reason for judgement, I reckon. Though, when my ear hears things like "It don't matter" I cringe. Rather than "proper" , it is just programming. We are programed to drive on the correct side of the road- we can all agree that a bit of printed paper with the most recent royal visage on it is worth exchange for goods. Programmed, not particularly brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThere has to be some programming, or we would crash into each other, physically or metaphorically! The trick is to not stifle individuality!
DeleteI like punctuation. It shows intelligence.
ReplyDelete'Eats, shoots and leaves'
Delete"Let's eat Grandma"
Delete"Let's eat, Grandma"
I see punctuation like traffic signals for written language. There's a book that was popular here in the United States several years ago called Eats Shoots and Leaves. Just think of the two different meanings this title could have, depending on where you place punctuation.
ReplyDeleteTraffic signals is a good analogy for punctuation.
DeleteHi Janice - I have to be around to read more ... but I really need punctuation - though I know it was never part of our written text. I'm about to do my talk on Magna Carta - which was written without punctuation - no breaks between the clauses. I look forward to coming back to read this properly - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read/hear your talk on Magna Carta, Hilary. I hope it's well-received.
DeleteWhat a fun and thought-provoking post! It's fascinating how much punctuation shapes the clarity and flow of our writing. Without it, language becomes a puzzle that requires extra effort to understand. I can definitely relate to your conclusion – punctuation is essential for conveying meaning and expressing ourselves fully!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most of my commenters agree with you, Melody.
DeleteOh no! It was painful to read that! Your use of extra spaces helped but, no, no, don't abandon punctuation!
ReplyDeleteI won't willingly abandon it!
DeleteThe four spaces between sentences combined with your larger blog font helped a bit - and if you also started a new sentence with a capital letter it would probably help even more to (temporarily) make up for the lost "full stop" sign :)
ReplyDeleteI noticed that with Andrew's comment in smaller font and no extra spaces I immediately felt "lost", though!
Adjusting to something unfamiliar takes more brain effort and that is tiring. Even a small amount of brain effort is often too much for me:-))
DeleteYes to punctuation :-) xxx
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteYes to punctuation, but also a big (LOWER or upper case) yes to ee cummings' brilliance (no period inserted here intentionally)
ReplyDeleteYou like cummings' work, I take it?
DeleteI do prefer punctuation :)
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
So do I!
DeleteI didn't have too much trouble reading your post, but punctuation would have made it even easier.
ReplyDeletePunctuation is like road-markings - it makes it easier to see where you're going.
Delete