Content is like a Rollercoaster

byTrueStory

315 followers

11 years ago

The importance of punctuation

I'm noticing that a lot of people are not using punctuations in their content, other than the typical period (.), and the comma (,).

If a content writer wants to engage their audience in what they are writing, then they definitely need to brush up on their punctuation skills.

Its really not hard to do, or put into practice. If you ask a question, add a question mark. If you are quoting someone, add quotation mark. If you are trying to make a point, and you say something with conviction, how will your reader know what you are trying to say with know punctuation.

Look at content as a roller coaster.

For example; there are two roller coasters side by side. The first rollercoaster only goes straight. Thats all it does.

The other goes straight, up, down, upside down, backwards, etc.

Now. If you don't add any punctuation to your content (straight roller coaster), the reader is only going straight thru your content. Doesn't know when you're quoting someone, and doesn't know when you're trying to make a point. Therefore, the reader gets kinda bored with the content, and moves on.

On the other hand, when the reader knows you're asking a question, when you're trying to make a point, are quoting someone (rollercoaster with all the turns, etc.), they engage. When they know you're trying to make a point, and they can actually see your perspective, they don't only engage themselves, they actually understand what you are trying to say. When they know that you are quoting someone, you just gave them a reference. And so on.

Sometimes you can get so into the content that you are writing, as good as it is in your brain, that you don't think about the punctuations being placed where they need to be.

A punctuation allows the reader to understand what they read in a certain perspective. In your perspective.

A few examples on why it's important to use punctuations.

Example 1.

Mom tells junior that it's time for dinner.

Junior texts grandpa and says, (Lets eat grandpa).

Do you know that grandpa thought that junior was playing a game called, (Lets eat grandpa).

So naturally, grandpa hides from junior, so that he wouldn't get eaten.

Now. The correct way to write that would have been, ( Lets eat, grandpa.) Letting grandpa know that it's time to eat. Adding the comma makes a difference..

See the difference..

Example 2.

(Heather loves cooking her friends and her cat.)

Now. A reader is going to think that Heather lost her marbles. They don't want anything to do with Heather. So, they leave your site and try to read something that doesn't have to do with cooking humans, and/or cats.

Now. If the right punctuations would have been used, then the sentence becomes more clear to what the writer is trying to say. And this is how it should have been punctuated.

(Heather loves cooking, her friends, and her cat.)

Big difference for such a small punctuation, right?

•So, you want your sentence to mean only 1 thing. Not multiple choice.

•You DO NOT want the reader to wonder at all ("does it mean this, or does it mean that"). Only 1 meaning to what you are saying.

•Anytime the reader has to wonder about meaning, the reader is not understanding what the content/sentence actually means.

•They are doing other things other than understanding the content.

I hope that this can put a little light on this very important subject. Especially the newbies.

Have a wonderful and blessed day..

True Story . ..