Punctuation :-)

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Today’s daily prompt is about punctuation. This is an interesting subject, as I find that my punctuation has changed having become a blogger. There are additions of  🙂  and 😀 and many more, with my favourite ❤ . Not only with these changes, but also with exclamation marks; I would not use in my more serious writing yet I use liberally in posts. Is this a sign of changes afoot? Maybe the semicolon will become a thing of the past? I do hope not, as it does help when reading to have ‘correct’ punctuation. The computer is telling me to revise my semi colon use…. I use them when it needs more than a comma and less than a full stop. Isn’t that what it is supposed to do? I’ve now lost confidence in my own judgment.

My children send me messages on their mobiles; the abbreviations are quite a new language. Blogs too use abbreviations; M-R introduced me to ROFL and I had to Google it to find what it meant. I printed off a couple of pages of abbreviations and now they have disappeared into the detritus of papers that surround me.

It seems that most take these changes in their stride. I struggle to keep up. There are so many changes and I’d love to get on top of things. The computer is an awesome appliance, but I still hesitate to change my blog. I’d love to be able to separate my posts into categories, so that I can put, for instance, children’s stories into one folder. My children live such busy lives, and when they visit, there never seems time to waste on the computer…

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By the Dots

We all have strange relationships with punctuation—do you over use exclamation marks? Do you avoid semicolons like the plague? What type of punctuation could you never live without? Tell us about your punctuation quirks! Ben Huberman

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/by-the-dots/

 

 

28 thoughts on “Punctuation :-)”

  2. bkpyett Post author

    Joanne, I found exactly the same thing with my first M/S. I had to go through the whole book and change to One Space after a full stop. Now I do One space… forever changing rules. 🙂

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  3. joannesisco

    I read this post with considerable interest. Although I’ve always been somewhat ‘loose’ with the use of punctuation, I still considered myself to have reasonably good grammar. That changed about a month ago when I read another post about the editing process on a book the blogger had written. I was SHOCKED to discover that it is now considered ‘old fashioned’ to have 2 spaces after a period. Modern writing has only one space and we apparently date ourselves when we use two.
    With so many other things *dating* us, it never occurred to me that my punctuation could do the same thing!!
    *Sigh* … I’ve resigned myself to being old fashioned whether I’m aware of it or not. 🙂

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  4. debhuntinbrokenhill

    Oh how wonderfully simple your explanation was on how to use semi-colons – I’ve never known what to do with them yet I’m always tempted to use them; I’m drawn to them in some way. I’m hoping that was an appropriate usage!

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    1. bkpyett Post author

      Yes! Hilary gave a really good explanation too, it’s dividing two thoughts. ( I think that is what she said!)
      Thanks for your comment, I do like to use them too.

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    2. bkpyett Post author

      ‘Re semi-colon, it can be used between two linked statements, where a full stop would be odd and using a comma would actually be wrong.’ this was written from hilarycustancegreen
      I found this helpful too, so just passing it on!

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  5. glenn2point0

    Hi Barbara, you can put your themed posts into categories so that when someone clicks on the category they will see all your posts marked as such. You have categories list in your right hand column and currently only have “General” and “Uncategorized”. You can add as many new categories as you like. Just make sure that you select the category you want your posts files under. You can also go back and revise the categories of your old posts.

    On to the punctuation. With my two nephews in Melbourne many years ago I suggested that they distinguish their use of language and grammar depending in the forum they are writing in: use abbreviations in texts but use proper grammar without abbreviations in emails.

    I used to work with a woman back in the early 2000’s and she was doing a computer course and was being taught that language was going through an evolutionary change and that text speak would become the new standard. I saw it as a bit lazy and as yet it has not come into full play. Newspapers and magazines still use the full versions of words, which is comforting to know.

    Like you I have had to check the internet for the acronyms and have found that some have dual meanings such as lol being laugh out loud and lots of love. I’m not sure why people say them in normal daily speech though: I mean it’s not as though they don’t have time to say those few extra words.

    Perhaps the final outcome will depend upon what teachers children have? Those that embrace literacy and those who lack it.

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    1. bkpyett Post author

      Hi Glen,
      Thank you for such a comprehensive comment! I do appreciate it, especially your help with categories. I shall have a look at that and see if I can master it. It probably isn’t as difficult as I’d assumed it must be.

      Your thoughts on language I really appreciate too. Let’s hope children are getting good teachers. Our present government is not putting an emphasis on education, which is very short sighted. We’ve been lucky to have had a reasonable grounding. It would be sad to see so much language disappear through lack of appreciation.

      Happy writing Glen and all good wishes, Barbara

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  6. hilarycustancegreen

    When I submitted a draft of my first novel to a literary consultant, I received a 17 page report in which my grammar and punctuation (along with other features) came in for some tough love. In spite of a classical grounding in these subjects (and a PhD), I had a lot to learn. I still have, but enjoy using these tools more now. Re the semi-colon, it can be used between two linked statements, where a full stop would be odd and using a comma would actually be wrong.

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    1. bkpyett Post author

      Hilary, it is interesting to hear of your experience. Yes, our education is only a starting point.
      Writing has become an ongoing learning process for me too, but an enjoyable one. Thanks for the semi- colon example. A seventeen page report sounds very daunting!

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  7. avian101

    I believe that blogging was invented having in mind the opportunities that would provide entry writers or amateur writers not so much for seasoned great writers. Blogging should have certain latitude on the language rules and the creation of new styles of writing. More inclined to general public.

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    1. bkpyett Post author

      Thanks HJ for your ideas about blogging. I like to think of it as a fun way of learning more about language, as well as getting to know different attitudes from around the world. We’re in a privileged position with such a fast means of communication. It will be interesting to see where it takes us! 🙂

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  10. Elaine @ foodbod

    I’m a stickler for punctuation, I can’t cope with shorthand text language, and M-R has taught me quite a few abbreviations too! I do however like emoticons, I like to be able to add emotion to my words ☺️☺️☺️

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      2. bkpyett Post author

        Harliqueen, it’s so good to hear you succeeding, it gives me hope that I too will one day succeed! Thanks for your visit.

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