Punctuation Essay: A Pause In Life

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A Pause in Life As people go through life, they as humans, tend to sort things into two categories: simple and complex. Simple things are those that they can be sure of or that have been figured out, or so they think. Complicated things are the ones that take a little more time to understand. If one would sit down and take the time to think about the complex things, then he or she may come to realize that they are not as complicated as once thought. The seemingly complex concept of punctuation marks proves to be more simplistic than many initially take at face value. Punctuation allows readers to understand the meanings and attitudes that are expressed in the written text. The punctuation marks, including apostrophes, colons, dashes, and …show more content…

It should be used to introduce a list of items unless the list flows with the sentence. Moreover, the use of the colon is to emphasize a word or a phrase at the end of a sentence. (An em dash can be used for the same purpose and is commonly preferred, but the colon is grammatically correct as well.) Not only does the colon have a similar function to the em dash, but it also possesses a similarity with the semicolon. This likeness occurs anytime that it is used to separate two independent clauses when the second sentence illustrates, explains, or expands upon the first sentence. The two vertical dots indicate what is to follow is worthy of one's attention, indicating something specific. However the writer chooses to identify the colon, it speaks as a command, with an eager mind ready to listen. Although colon provides the readers with a small moment in time to prepare for what is to come, there are other punctuation marks that provide the reader with the same …show more content…

Similarly to Fallon's overuse of semicolons in "Semicolons: How to Use Them, And Why You Should," the overuse of ellipsis can be a worthy comparison. Today's society of hurried lifestyle accentuates the need for hurried interruption in our communication. The overuse of the ellipsis is often the "go to" punctuation representing unfinished thoughts. Appropriate application of the ellipsis is to show the omission of words from quoted material. This allows the reader to pause in thought and grasp what is both said and unsaid. The concept of the ellipsis is simple: start the sentence normally, take out the undesired text and replace with an ellipsis, and continue the sentence. When a text is abbreviated with an ellipsis, the sentences should still be complete. Another rule of thumb when using the ellipsis is to abbreviate the material without changing the meaning of the original text to be quoted. An additional use of the ellipsis, commonly found in informal writings, can show hesitation or unfinished thought in

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