The Importance of Punctuation

Throughout an ever-changing world the importance of having a standard form of punctuation is essential to formulate structure and clarity of the work; and thus exemplifying the author’s individuality.

Time is unchangeable concept, and as modern era progresses as does society; therefore the language of the society is also influenced. Yes, it is true that American literature has dramatically progressed throughout the centuries, yet the punctuation rules have remained constant. The purpose of having a fixed guideline of punctuation is not to slow down the process of evolution, which in itself is a natural process regardless, but instead to enhance the literature in an evolving world. By setting a universal standard of structure for writing the message of many authors and literature works are easily conveyed and captured to the reader. For example, if an author writes “Panda eats shoots and leaves”, then the reader understand that the author is talking about a Panda’s diet; but without proper punctuation the sentence can be easily misinterpreted as “Panda eats, shoots, and leaves”. Additionally, punctuation is used even in daily speech. Whenever a person speaks, there are unmarked punctuations taking place conveying the message of the speaker. The reason why students are taught these punctuation rules is to set a mutual known understanding of speech and intent of the author. As a writer progresses, they are able to expand further from these rules and take them into their own contexts. The mere purposes of punctuation rules are not to restrict the individual, but to organize and express themselves. Similarly to the Metric System, punctuation is a systematic form of language. Despite the varying worldly perceptions, these well-established rules create a mutual understanding of concepts; thus allowing everyone to communicate evenly. Punctuation acts the same way in which it, itself is a language. Punctuation is part of literature as well as communication and voice itself. Regardless of rules, punctuation is always there; therefore the difference lies in the sophisticated and coherent flow of purpose that the set standards provide toward the writer.