What is Punctuation?
Punctuation tells the reader how to read a sentence to understand its meaning.
A period tells the reader where the sentence ends. A comma separates the sentence into meaningful parts, such as separating an introductory word or words from the main clause and marking off items in a series. A comma also tells the reader what information is incidental and not necessary to the main idea. Commas are used to separate a signal phrase from a quote.
An apostrophe tells the reader that something belongs to someone or something. Apostrophes also indicate if a letter or letters were omitted from a word. Quotation marks tell the reader which words were spoken or written by someone else.
These are just some examples of why punctuation is so important. However, to use grammar to communicate more effectively, we must learn the rules. Grammar usage is a skill, which means practice is required to learn and improve.
