Everything is blooming after a cold, wet winter. For some people, this means pollen allergies.
But this spring, in my editing work, I’m noticing another kind of allergy:
A punctuation allergy.
Those who suffer from this condition have this primary symptom: They refuse to punctuate—not even a period. Every sentence runs into another. I have to put a puzzle of words together, and I’m left with questions about their intended meaning.
The root of this condition might be fear of writing taking too much time or the idea that people have become so used to texting that they think writing a complete, punctuated sentence is unnecessary. Maybe the blossoming of technology is contributing to this allergy by making people think it’s okay to stop using punctuation.
There are some instances where lack of punctuation can be helpful. I once had a college professor who sometimes requested that we write without punctuation. We used a stream-of-consciousness style of writing to capture our thought process on paper. We didn’t stop to organize our words. This was intended to help us learn how to read analytically and become better thinkers and writers. But we weren’t publishing what we wrote. It was a tool to take us to the next step in our learning process.
Most of the time, lack of punctuation is unhelpful. It’s important to organize your thoughts and divide your words into sentences so your readers can understand what you’re saying.
You already know what happens to people who have spring allergies: They feel lousy. But do you know what happens to people who have punctuation allergies?
- Their ideas are difficult to follow.
- Their meaning is misinterpreted.
- They are judged by their lack of ability to communicate clearly in writing.
- They lose their readers.
If you have a pollen allergy, your stuffy nose and cough might make it hard for you to speak clearly. If you have a punctuation allergy, your avoidance of using punctuation will make it hard for you to write clearly.
Remember that punctuation helps with clarity, and clarity in communication is key.
Here’s my antidote to your punctuation allergy:
- Take your time with each sentence; even if it’s your first draft.
- Read your words aloud.
- Ask yourself whether your readers will know when each sentence ends and where to pause.
- Find an editor. He or she will show you how to punctuate and why it matters.
