Grammar and Punctuation: The Traffic Signals of

Language

HIST300: HistoriographyDr. Kristen Epps

Fall 2012

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

“I’m a panda,” he says at the door. “Look it up.”

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like animal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

So punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

• “Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language”

“Some grammarians use the analogy of stitching: punctuation as the basting that holds the fabric of language in shape. Another writer tells us that punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop…. Best of all, I think, is the simple advice given by the style book of a national newspaper: that punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers understand a story without stumbling.”

Eats Shoots and Leaves, p. 7

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

• “Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language”

• Both punctuation and grammar help you “communicate meaning”

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

Example #1:A woman, without her man, is nothing.

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

Example #1:A woman, without her man, is nothing.

A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

Example #2:Am I looking at my dinner or the dog’s?

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

Example #2:Am I looking at my dinner or the dog’s?

Am I looking at my dinner or the dogs?

South Africa, c. 1899

Jameson Raid Telegram “It is under these circumstances

that we feel constrained to call upon you to come to our aid should a disturbance arise here the circumstances are so extreme that we cannot but believe that you and the men under you will not fail to come to the rescue of people who are so situated.”

Eats Shoots and Leaves, p. 11

Jameson’s Interpretation “It is under these circumstances that

we feel constrained to call upon you to come to our aid. Should a disturbance arise here the circumstances are so extreme that we cannot but believe that you and the men under you will not fail to come to the rescue of people who are so situated.”

Eats Shoots and Leaves, p. 11

Intended Interpretation “It is under these circumstances

that we feel constrained to call upon you to come to our aid should a disturbance arise here. The circumstances are so extreme that we cannot but believe that you and the men under you will not fail to come to the rescue of people who are so situated.”

Eats Shoots and Leaves, p. 11

Why Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter?

• “Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language”

• Both punctuation and grammar help you “communicate meaning”

• Using them correctly demonstrates that you are conscientious and pay attention to details

Misplaced ApostrophesWhat do apostrophes do?

• Indicate a possessive in a singular noun (e.g. the cat’s tail, my daughter’s piano recital)

Misplaced ApostrophesWhat do apostrophes do?

• Indicate a possessive in a singular noun (e.g. the cat’s tail, my daughter’s piano recital)

• When the possessor is plural, but does not end in “s,” the apostrophe precedes the “s.” (e.g. her children’s bedroom)

Misplaced ApostrophesWhat do apostrophes do?

• Indicate a possessive in a singular noun (e.g. the cat’s tail, my daughter’s piano recital)

• When the possessor is plural, but does not end in “s,” the apostrophe precedes the “s.” (e.g. her children’s bedroom)

• Indicate a possessive in a plural noun (e.g. the girls’ favorite book)

Misplaced ApostrophesWhat do apostrophes do?

• Indicate a possessive in a singular noun (e.g. the cat’s tail, my daughter’s piano recital)

• When the possessor is plural, but does not end in “s,” the apostrophe precedes the “s.” (e.g. her children’s bedroom)

• Indicate a possessive in a plural noun (e.g. the girls’ favorite book)

• Signal that letters are missing (e.g. contractions like “they’re”)

Amount v. Number• The word “number” refers to nouns that

can be counted

Example: The number of friends I have on Facebook is 235.

Amount v. Number• The word “number” refers to nouns that

can be counted

Example: The number of friends I have on Facebook is 235.

• The word “amount” refers to nouns that cannot be counted

Example:What amount of milk would you like on your cereal?

Less v. Fewer• Use “fewer” for items that can be counted

Example:I have fewer than 236 Facebook friends.

Less v. Fewer• Use “fewer” for items that can be counted

Example:I have fewer than 236 Facebook friends.

• Use “less” for what cannot be counted

Example:Next time, put less milk on my cereal.

Its v. It’s• Its = possessive

Example:This tree is already getting its new leaves!

Its v. It’s• Its = possessive

Example:This tree is already getting its new leaves!

• It’s = contraction of “it is”

Example:It’s not time to catch the bus.

Their, There, and They’re• “Their” is the possessive form of they• “There” is an adverb (meaning "at that

place"), and it is often used as a pronoun to start a sentence

• “They're” is a contraction of “they are”

Their, There, and They’re• “Their” is the possessive form of they• “There” is an adverb (meaning "at that

place"), and it is often used as a pronoun to start a sentence

• “They're” is a contraction of “they are”

Example:There are three children in our family. They're all girls. Two of them are sitting over there, but their other sister is at home sick.

To, Two, and Too• The preposition “to” refers to a place, direction,

or position• “To” is also used before the verb in an infinitive• The adverb “too” means "also" or "excessively"• The word two is the written spelling for the

number “2”

To, Two, and Too• The preposition “to” refers to a place, direction,

or position• “To” is also used before the verb in an infinitive• The adverb “too” means "also" or "excessively"• The word two is the written spelling for the

number “2”

Example:Meg was too tired to walk home. I was tired, too. So we walked to a phone booth and called a cab.

Common Nouns v. Proper Nouns

• A common noun names general items (e.g. post office, stove, the states, her courses)

Common Nouns v. Proper Nouns

• A common noun names general items (e.g. post office, stove, the states, her courses)

• Common nouns are lowercased

Common Nouns v. Proper Nouns

• A common noun names general items (e.g. post office, stove, the states, her courses)

• Common nouns are lowercased• A proper noun names a specific item,

like a person’s name or a place

Common Nouns v. Proper Nouns

• A common noun names general items (e.g. post office, stove, the states, her courses)

• Common nouns are lowercased• A proper noun names a specific item,

like a person’s name or a place• Proper nouns are uppercased

Common Nouns v. Proper Nouns

Common nouns Proper nouns

cookie Oreocity Atlantadocument Magna Cartacountry Saudi Arabia

Comma-Splice and Fused Sentences

• A comma-splice sentence incorrectly joins two main clauses with a comma[Main clause] , [Main clause]Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle, her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

Comma-Splice and Fused Sentences

• A comma-splice sentence incorrectly joins two main clauses with a comma[Main clause] , [Main clause]Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle, her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

• A fused sentence has two main clauses joined with no punctuation at all[Main clause][Main clause]Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

Comma-Splice and Fused Sentences

Ways to fix these sort of problems include:1. Separate it into two sentences

Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle. Her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

Comma-Splice and Fused Sentences

Ways to fix these sort of problems include:1. Separate it into two sentences

Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle. Her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

2. Link them with a comma and coordinating conjunction Grandma still rides her Harley

motorcycle, and her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

Comma-Splice and Fused Sentences

Ways to fix these sort of problems include:1. Separate it into two sentences

Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle. Her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

2. Link them with a comma and coordinating conjunction Grandma still rides her Harley

motorcycle, and her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

3. Join them with a semicolonGrandma still rides her Harley motorcycle; her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.

Sentence Fragments• A sentence has to have three parts:

1) a subject2) a verb3) a complete thought

Sentence Fragments• A sentence has to have three parts:

1) a subject2) a verb3) a complete thought

• A fragment is missing one of these three elements

Sentence Fragments• A sentence has to have three parts:

1) a subject2) a verb3) a complete thought

• A fragment is missing one of these three elements

• Example #1: And yawned loudly enough to make everyone in class turn around.

Sentence Fragments• A sentence has to have three parts:

1) a subject2) a verb3) a complete thought

• A fragment is missing one of these three elements

• Example #1: And yawned loudly enough to make everyone in class turn around.

• Example #2: The boy sitting on the fire escape dropping water balloons on the pedestrians below.

Sentence Fragments• A sentence has to have three parts:

1) a subject2) a verb3) a complete thought

• A fragment is missing one of these three elements

• Example #1: And yawned loudly enough to make everyone in class turn around.

• Example #2: The boy sitting on the fire escape dropping water balloons on the pedestrians below.

• Example #3: After Gabriel ate half a box of Twinkies.

Passive VoiceA passive voice sentence occurs when the subject is not “doing” the verb

Example #1:The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson.

Passive VoiceA passive voice sentence occurs when the subject is not “doing” the verb

Example #1:The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson.Example #2:The Dust Bowl was a problem that was caused not only by nature but by the American society overusing and stripping the land.

Passive VoiceA passive voice sentence occurs when the subject is not “doing” the verb

Example #1:The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson.Example #2:The Dust Bowl was a problem that was caused not only by nature but by the American society overusing and stripping the land.

Fix by making the “doer” the subject.