Punctuation.?!

“Evaluate the significance of punctuation.”

I’m sure that a great percentage of people asked that question would respond that punctuation is very important and adds emotion, meaning, and clear expression of thought in a piece of writing. I would too. We’ve been using it since kindergarten and we can’t really find anything wrong with it because it is ingrained in our formal writing style. I mean what is punctuation? It’s a variety of symbols that indicate a pause, separation of ideas, and even a continuation of an idea. It was made to help deliver a writer’s thought clearly without misunderstandings, like “lets eat grandma” instead of “let’s eat, grandma!” However, it is obvious that no one wants the complete eradication of punctuation; the opposition only gives a lower value to punctuation. Lewis Thomas describes the usefulness of each main symbol of punctuation and states that “there are no precise rules about punctuation.” Why then, do I get marked down on an essay for not having correct punctuation? The simple answer is that incorrect usage of punctuation can negatively impact your writing and its meaning. You aren’t controlled by punctuation, but you can use punctuation however you want to express your ideas and emotions. I hate to see “fights” regarding this “very sensitive” topic. If I didn’t use quotation marks in the previous sentence, you might not have sensed my sarcasm. (That example was a joke, please don’t hurt me) Unfortunately, we can’t come to a compromise in this debate and the answer isn’t “Why not both?” But in all seriousness, I believe that punctuation isn’t something to be toyed with because using it correctly effectively conveys a common message to be understood by both the readers and the writer.