Small marks between one word and another that punctuate sentences and delimit a thought: punctuation goes unnoticed, yet without its presence it would be impossible to read any text or fully enjoy its beauty.
What is punctuation for in a text?
From our school days we may remember multiplication tables, a poem, or the tributaries of the Po, but we’re unlikely to remember the basic rules of punctuation, partly because it’s very rare for them to be explained with the same attention devoted to grammar and spelling.
Why is that? Punctuation is often taken for granted or used as a natural pause to give the reader a breather, or even as a necessary evil to break up an overly long sentence.
We must also consider that grammatical rules evolve and change because Italian is a living language, and today we have the opportunity to stay constantly updated thanks to the internet and the many dictionaries available online.
Punctuation marks have, first and foremost, a precise logical function that gives meaning to the concept we want to express: a misplaced comma can completely change the meaning of a sentence.
The members of the association, who have not paid the additional fee, will not be able to attend the show.
The members of the association who have not paid the additional fee will not be able to attend the show.
In the example shown, the presence of commas implies a substantial change in meaning regarding the subject of the sentence.
In any case, in this article we don’t want to dwell on the syntactically correct use of punctuation, for which practical manuals exist, but rather on the effects it can have on text style.
It is nevertheless important to remember that punctuation marks perform essential functions:
- They clarify the meaning of the concept we want to convey;
- They guide the rhythm of the text;
- They bring out the expression and style of the writer.
Taking care of punctuation therefore means paying attention to those details that make the difference in a text and increase its quality and authority.
What are the most common style mistakes to avoid?
Today we write more, we write with keyboards and read on screens: commas and periods remain in the background of content published online when they are, in fact, tools to be used to communicate our style.
Even tone of voice, which is the expression of a brand’s communication identity, cannot stop at just writing words but requires the careful choice of tailored punctuation. We must remember that the reader—when not reading aloud—interprets rhythm and expression in their head, and therefore needs to be guided.
This is where the figure of the conductor comes in handy, without whom the musicians would have to manage on their own, with the risk of performing a piece of music in an arbitrary and disorganized way.
Certainly mastering writing at high levels, as great writers teach us, requires study and practice, and we certainly can’t compare a Facebook post to a literary treatise. However, we can start with the basics, because on these it will then be easier to build the communication style best suited to us and the emotions we want to convey.
Below we indicate the most common style mistakes to avoid:
- Using too many commas (they fragment the text excessively);
- Using very few commas (they make reading breathless);
- Limiting yourself to commas and periods to separate very short sentences (there are marks, used less and less, that enrich the possibilities of making the text more fluid);
- Scattering ellipses from top to bottom (they convey not only a sense of incompleteness but also the inability to connect sentences to each other);
- Overdoing exclamation points or question marks (you don’t get more emphasis, and they come across as intrusive).
Let’s remember one rule above all: when in doubt, aim for simplification—simpler, more natural writing also makes choosing punctuation easier. If, for example, we can’t figure out how to position commas, let’s try starting with the basic structure “subject + predicate + object” and add other elements later, once the core of the discourse is clear.
Practical examples
Let’s now interpret some examples, both positive and negative, that can help us better understand the potential of those small but mighty marks.
A comma that makes the difference
Notify me when it’s available again
Done! We’ll get in touch with you, soon.
The text shows the message that appears on Ikea’s e-commerce site when you request notification of a product’s availability.
The exclamation point suggests a conversational tone, like that of a friend who has just helped us get our car started again.
The comma before “soon” is the masterstroke in the sentence’s communication style: it inspires warmth, trust, and is a promise that extends a hand after a polite request; the rhythm is steady and calm.
Let’s try changing the punctuation to evaluate the effect:
Done. We’ll get in touch with you soon.
Or:
Done, we’ll get in touch with you soon.
The result is sterile and detached, almost annoyed. It seems to want to ask the customer to get out of the way quickly because they have other things to do.
This very short sentence demonstrates the importance of strategic positioning of punctuation marks to set the right tone of voice.
Clarity above all (part one)
The right words are the ones that work
With words, I help organizations solve problems and seize opportunities. Simplify language to be understood. Restructure documents to work better. Tune in to the recipient to win back the angriest customer. For example.
Luisa Carrada’s masterful use of periods and the single comma present is an example of great awareness of her own style and the message to convey. What, if analyzed superficially, might seem like broken and overly short sentences (see the list of most common mistakes), are instead precise choices for clarity.
The business writer carefully chooses the elements that should stand out to the reader’s eye, first and foremost “with words,” which represents the essence of her work.
The list of activities she performs is divided by periods: it suggests confidence and completeness; the rhythm is intense but well-paced and calibrated.
The expression “for example,” placed at the end after a period, is a note of measured irreverence, a demonstration of the ability to know how to go beyond the rules at the right moment, because “for example” is usually connected to the text—we’re not used to seeing it detached, almost on its own.
Clarity above all (part two)
Welcome to the Transparent Administration pages
Legislative Decree of March 14, 2013, no. 33 (Reorganization of the discipline regarding the obligations of publicity, transparency and dissemination of information by public administrations) defines the obligation for each administration to publish on its institutional website in a dedicated section that is easy to access and consult, called: “Transparent Administration,” the data, information and documents concerning the various aspects of administrative and institutional activity. Transparency is understood as total accessibility of information concerning the organization and activity of public administrations, in order to promote widespread forms of control over the pursuit of institutional functions and the use of public resources. The commitment to transparency therefore contributes to the realization of an open administration, at the service of the citizen.
Public Administration sometimes offers examples of suboptimal style management and, consequently, somewhat uncertain punctuation choices. The language in the example moves away from the primary purpose of communicating information to citizens in an understandable way. The rhythm is breathless, exhausting to sustain.
Let’s analyze the punctuation:
- The first sentence is too long and should be divided with commas;
- The colon is not necessary because the quotation marks are sufficient to highlight the name of the website section (the two marks, used together, generally indicate direct dialogue opening);
- Only the last comma is a correct choice because it separates and highlights “at the service of the citizen.”
The leap into the void
Maybe you can understand me too…
The clock was running fast…
And I felt a strong and burning desire inside me, the one that pushed me to start my freelance business, with great aspirations of what my life could be like one day…
But after 5 years, that desire had not yet managed to produce results… and those aspirations seemed increasingly difficult to achieve.
This is an example of a block of text inserted in the “About” page of a freelancer’s website.
First of all, we must remember that titles do not require punctuation. In such a short text, moreover, ellipses were used four times, even when sentences should have been connected. The reading falls into the void several times and the rhythm is interrupted, like stumbling at every step.
The result is a feeling of fragmentation, the discourse is not fluid and the text conveys no attempt at care or precision: it seems like writing more suited to an informal chat, and hardly adequate to convey an image of professionalism.
We don’t have to become puritanical champions of impossible perfection, but we do need to remember that writing is our calling card, and that punctuation is the container that shapes the form of content: for this reason it requires tailored design, thought out specifically for our tone of voice and the message to convey.
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If you enjoyed this article, you might also find Attention to detail: a signature for those who communicate online and What are Jungian Archetypes and how to choose them interesting.
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