Your words are your most powerful weapons, yet it’s easy to undermine yourself when it comes to writing by violating some very simple rules of punctuation and grammar. Sometimes when we read letters or e-mails containing errors, we scoff wondering if the writer bothered to proofread.
Here are seven of tips inspired by “The Everyday Writer” by Andrea Lunsford:
1. Commas and semicolons are not the same.
Use the semicolon when you want to link two independent clauses; otherwise, use a comma.
2. Never use more than one exclamation point.
You’ll only exhaust yourself!!!
3. :)
Emojis are cute, and they’re a good hedge against the tonal impressions of emails. I probably use them more than I should, but they aren’t punctuation.
4. Apostrophes
There are so many rules here, but in short: Plurals usually don’t have apostrophes; possessives often do.
5. It’s important to learn the difference between it’s and its.
It’s is a contraction of it is. Its, on the other hand, signifies that “it” possesses something.
6. Quotation Marks
Simple rule - if you are including exact words someone said, put them in quotes. If you are paraphrasing, do not use quotes.
7. Do not use run-on sentences because they tend to go on forever and make the reader think that you do not know about the most basic rules of punctuation and grammar and also they just are not much fun to read or to write for that matter.
Enough said.