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"The Power of Punctuation"
Dr. Marguerite Connor
This works better over here in teams and I make it a "contest" in class. This is a relatively fun way of showing the importance of punctuation. Students usually enjoy it, and it makes them think about how punctuation is used. I find it a lot better than a number of drills. I usually precede this with a thirty minute overview of the major punctuation points courtesy of Russell Baker and International Paper Co. I can get a xerox to anyone whose interested.
The first ten sentences are from Writer's Digest Magazine and the second twelve are culled from an insurance company somewhere in New Jersey.
The choice of whether or not to punctuate makes a difference. Read the five sentences below all of them are perfect as they stand. Then punctuate them in such a way that the meaning is radically altered. Don't limit yourself to commas, and don't remove or delete any words.
1. A clever dog knows its master.
2. Call me fool if you will.
3. Woman without her man is nothing.
4. I saw a man eating lobster.
5. The butler stood at the door and called the guests names.
Now, here are five apparently confusing sentences. If you provide the proper punctuation, the sentences will make complete sense. (Well, they will be technically correct, at least.)
1. Other than that one thought he was not there.
2. Anne Boleyn kept her head up defiantly an hour after she was executed.
3. There should be more space between ham and and and and and eggs. (Spoken to a sign painter.)
4. Mary where John had had had had had had had had had had had the teacher's approval, Mary would have been correct.
5. That that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is.
The following mangled sentences are actual sentences from people's insurance forms, attempting to summarize their accidents. I wonder if they ever got paid. Do whatever you have to do to make them make sense.
1. Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.
2. A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
3. A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's face.
4. I thought my window was down, but I found out it was up when I put my head through it.
5. My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
6. To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I hit the pedestrian.
7. An invisible car came out of nowhere, hit my car, and vanished.
8. The direct cause of the accident was the little guy in the small car with the big mouth.
9. I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
10. I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.
11. The pedestrian had no idea which way to run so I ran over him.
12. I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
Answers:
1. A clever dog knows it's master.
2. Call me, fool, if you will.
3. Woman: without her, man is nothing.
4. I saw a man-eating lobster.
5. The butler stood at the door and called the guests' names.
1. Other than that one thought, he was not there. OR Other than that, one thought he was not there.
2. Anne Boleyn kept her head up defiantly; an hour later, she was executed.
3. There should be more space between "ham" and "and" and "and" and "eggs".
4. Mary, where John had had "had" had had "had had." Had "had had" had the teacher's approval, Mary would have been correct.
5. That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is not that it? It is.
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