Missing punctuation can cause ambiguity, meaning the writer isn’t able to deliver a clear, concise message in his/her write-up. For that matter, one has to be conscious on how to deliver the message clear using the right punctuation.
Samples of Punctuations That Change the Meaning
1. Wrong: A woman: without her, man is nothing. Correct: A woman without her man is nothing.
2. Wrong: In conducting annual assessment, training providers should seek help. Correct: In conducting annual self-assessment training, providers should seek help.
3. Wrong: The man dropped, the bullet in his mouth. Correct: The man dropped the bullet in his mouth.
4. Wrong: We order, merchandise and sell the products. Correct: We order merchandise and sell the products.
5. Wrong:
Sources (FOR SAMPLE PURPOSES ONLY): http://cmgm.stanford.edu/~lkozar/punctuation.html
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Jane
Correct:
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to bring useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feeling whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy– will you let me be yours?
Jane
These are only some samples illustrating how a wrong use or a wrongly placed punctuation can change the entire meaning of text. The same you can find in grammar, that is why we offer you sentence grammar checker.You can avoid them if you would be mindful on how you use punctuation and how you place them correctly in your sentences. Otherwise, you have to review and revise your content in order to achieve and convey the right meaning you want to tell someone reading what you have written.