“Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language:
they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.”
? Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves:
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
I find bad punctuation amusing.
For example, this sentence never fails to make me smile:
Let's eat Grandpa.
I hope the writer meant: Let's eat, Grandpa.
Speaking of eating unusual dinners, do you remember that cover of Tails Magazine with Rachael Ray? Just a few missing commas made everyone wonder about her cooking! (You can see the original and photoshopped version sans commas side by side.)
Since today (September 24) is Punctuation Day, I thought I'd share a few funny links:
- 16 Unfortunate Misues of Punctuation
I love the hunting photo best. - Apostrophe Catastrophes
Need I say more? - The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotes
These signs from the real world will show you why few employees should be trusted to write their own signs.
- Cake Wrecks
Not specifically focused on punctuation, but these cakes encompass all kinds of wording, spelling, or other mistakes. - The Oatmeal Grammar Pack
Tips on how to use apostrophes and semicolons from a popular cartoonist.
Quotation source: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. You might enjoy the book review I wrote in 2011.
About the photo: I made these bold punctuation earrings with exclamation point (!) and question mark (?) charms and hammered copper discs. Do they look like they're in the right order to you (!?) or would you have switched them (?!)?