Clarity is essential in life. A misinterpreted sentence, whether verbal or written, may have disastrous consequences. The importance of punctuation marks is clearly demonstrated in the difference ...

Commas don't just signify pauses in a sentence — precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. Commas are needed before coordinating conjunctions, after dependent clauses (when they precede ...

An independent clause close independent clauseAn independent clause is a group of words that work by themselves as a sentence. is a group of words that work by themselves as a sentence. A simple ...

For the last two weeks we've been musing over the fate of the punctuation mark known as the apostrophe, whose abolition from the English language some are calling for. However you feel about the ...

Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. The little word “and,” we probably all know, is a conjunction. It connects things: “She is tall and thin” means she is ...

With dialogue, specific punctuation is needed. Most often, commas and periods go within the quotation marks, but there are some forms of punctuation and examples that go outside of the quotation marks ...

Why is punctuation important? From emails to text messages, poetry to novels, punctuation guides readers, creates rhythm and brings clarity to even the most complex ideas. Imagine reading a sentence ...