Words to Edit By
One of our fundamental principles of writing and editing:
Punctuation ought to clarify your intended meaning or emphasize your intended effect for the reader.
A Realist Take
Punctuation isn’t a matter of pedantic nitpicking. It’s about principled nitpicking, dagnabbit. Without well-chosen and well-placed punctuation, you might as well be a stormtrooper shooting at Ewoks in the redwood forest with your helmet turned backward. Err, I mean, hunting in the dark—throwing arrows by hand and trying to loose javelins from your bow. In other words, poorly punctuated writing creates confusion and looks ridiculous instead of accomplishing your actual aim.
For Instance
Below is a table of contents for our current and upcoming articles on editing for punctuation. Each of the hyperlinked articles encompasses a big editorial action step or subtopic. Those articles link (or will link), in turn, to additional articles covering smaller steps, specific guidelines, and practical tips. If there’s no link yet, the article is forthcoming.
Semicolons
Em dashes and parentheses
Ellipses
En dashes and hyphens
End punctuation
Double and single quotation marks
Quotation marks with other punctuation
Godspeed and happy rewriting!
Article: Your adventures in editing begin here!
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