Why is punctuation important?

When we speak, we can pause or emphasize certain words and phrases to help
people understand what we are saying.

In our writing, we use punctuation to show pauses and emphasis. Punctuation

marks help the reader understand what we mean. Punctuation also shows how the
sentence should be read and makes the meaning clear.

A punctuation mark is a mark, or sign, used in writing to divide texts into phrases
and sentences and make the meaning clear.

Consider the following sentences:

1. Let us eat, daddy.

2. Let us eat daddy.

In the first sentence daddy is being called for dinner. However, in the second
sentence, daddy himself has become an item to be eaten. Omission of comma in
this case has converted the first sentence to complete non sense.

1. Hang him, not let him free

2. Hang him not, let him free.

In above sentences, just shifting comma by one position has completely changed
the meaning of the sentence.

The following pairs of sentences should convince you that the correct use of
punctuation marks is important:

1. The murder protested his innocence an hour after he was hanged.

2. The murder protested his innocence. An hour after, he was hanged.

The first sentence without comma is a complete nonsense. It means that the
murderer protested his innocence after he was hanged!
1
 Why is punctuation important?
1. Private- No swimming allowed.
2. Private? No. Swimming allowed.

In the second sentence, addition of a question mark and full stop has converted a
private property to public property.

1. I am sorry you cannot come with us.

2. I am sorry. You cannot come with us.

1. The butler stood by the door and called the guests’ names.
2. The butler stood by the door and called the guests names.

1. The criminal, says the judge, should be hanged.

2. The criminal says, the judge should be hanged.

Shifting the comma by just one place has completely changed the meaning of the
sentence. In the second sentence, it is not the criminal but the judge who should be
hanged.

REFERENCES

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-punctuation-marks-sarwan-singh
 https://partsofspeech.net/importance-of-punctuation-marks/
 https://blog.lingoda.com/en/importance-of-punctuation-english