Punctuation

[Dearelliot]

I need a good book on "How to punctuate sentences."

 

[SimonDoom]

Margaret Shertzer's The Elements of Grammar is a good, short grammar reference published by the same folks that published Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Chapter 5 is devoted to punctuation. You can get it on Amazon for $13 and change.

There are some how-to essays here at Literotica that you can read for free on the subject. If you are having problems with certain types of punctuation, like commas, you may be able to find articles that specifically address issues you have questions about.

 

[CalBishForNow]

I Googled "How to punctuate sentences," and this was the first hit, not counting the ads and AI-based stuff. I'd want to quibble with some details but it looks basically right to me.

 

[SimonDoom]

I Googled "How to punctuate sentences," and this was the first hit, not counting the ads and AI-based stuff. I'd want to quibble with some details but it looks basically right to me.

That's pretty good, and it has the advantage of being very short, too. Oddly, there's no section on periods.

 

[stickygirl]

That's pretty good, and it has the advantage of being very short, too. Oddly, there's no section on periods.

Men are uncomfortable talking about periods, so it gets left out.

 

[onehitwanda]

Men are uncomfortable talking about periods, so it gets left out.

Mon dieu, les Anglais sont arrivés!

 

[LisaMayTurner]

Sadly, most people don't write in sentences and paragraphs that are complex enough to use any punctuation. Rumor has it that by 2028 full-stops and commas will be gone in North America and 68.5% of all people will speak and write like Donald Trump.

 

[RocketGrunt]

Well, someone seems to have put a full stop on Literotica. Everything is 500 errors and 502 errors on the main site. I can't read stories or see my own control panel.

 

[CalBishForNow]

That's pretty good, and it has the advantage of being very short, too. Oddly, there's no section on periods.

To be boringly exact, my first hit was actually this, which seems to be a subpage of that, and I assume there are others that may also be useful.

 

[Bazzle]

That's pretty good, and it has the advantage of being very short, too. Oddly, there's no section on periods.

We don't often mention periods in erotica?

Hmmm

 

[SimonDoom]

Sadly, most people don't write in sentences and paragraphs that are complex enough to use any punctuation. Rumor has it that by 2028 full-stops and commas will be gone in North America and 68.5% of all people will speak and write like Donald Trump.

All that will remain is all caps and exclamation marks.

 

[Bazzle]

All that will remain is all caps and exclamation marks.

Best regards/wishes replaced by "I thank you for your attention on this matter."

 

[stickygirl]

Sadly, most people don't write in sentences and paragraphs that are complex enough to require punctuation. Rumour has it that by 2028, full stops and commas will vanish from North America and a large percentage of its people will speak and write like Donald Trump.

I think you may be correct

 

[TheLobster]

All that will remain is all caps and exclamation marks.

SAD!

 

[SimonDoom]

We don't often mention periods in erotica?

Hmmm

You people. You and Stickygirl had to go there.

You'd think we're at a smut site, or something.

 

[obladi]

Sadly, most people don't write in sentences and paragraphs that are complex enough to use any punctuation. Rumor has it that by 2028 full-stops and commas will be gone in North America and 68.5% of all people will speak and write like Donald Trump.

Way too true. I cringe all the time when reading postings on-line. I struggle to read what people are trying to sayjust because of missed punctuation that often leads to ambiguous meanings.

 

[TheLobster]

Way too true. I cringe all the time when reading postings on-line. I struggle to read what people are trying to sayjust because of missed punctuation that often leads to ambiguous meanings.

or capitalization. it's very important, especially when you want to say you helped uncle jack off a horse

 

[TheWritingGroup]

https://search.literotica.com/?query=punctuation &categories=8&page=1

Anything by @FrancesScott is a good choice.

--Annie

 

[AllenWoody]

Elements of Style, Strunk and White

A sentimental favorite because E. B. White wrote Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, two of my childhood favorites.

 

[Writer61]

I need a good book on "How to punctuate sentences."

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss approaches the subject with humour and examples. It was a #1 bestseller on the NYT when originally published.

 

[PB26385]

Sadly, most people don't write in sentences and paragraphs that are complex enough to use any punctuation. Rumor has it that by 2028 full-stops and commas will be gone in North America and 68.5% of all people will speak and write like Donald Trump.

God forbid!

 

[AllenWoody]

I might break out my "Silently Judging Your Grammar" t-shirt today in honor of this thread.

I'll need to wear it under a sweater, mind you.

 

[yowser]

Not a direct response, but there's a memoir by an editor from the New Yorker that speaks (most entertainingly) to the proof-reader side of the issue:

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris. Followup is: Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen.

Both excellent.

 

[SimonDoom]

If you're an American author of fiction, the most comprehensive and definitive guide on this subject is the Chicago Manual of Style. I have the 17th edition, but the latest edition, the 18th, is available at places like Amazon. It's also available online. It's far more in-depth than what the OP and most Literotica authors are probably looking for, but if you want "definitive" answers to punctuation questions, this is your best guide.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Well, someone seems to have put a full stop on Literotica. Everything is 500 errors and 502 errors on the main site. I can't read stories or see my own control panel.

I've only noticed the 500 errors when moving to the next page in a story. Sometimes using the "next" (right) arrow I'll see the error, and sometimes when selecting the next page number along the bottom. If one option doesn't work the other one always has.