Punctuation: the Ultimate Guide

<p>Grammar consists of many things, and one of the more important is punctuation. It is like the Rosetta Stone, providing the key to how writers want a reader to interpret what they wrote.</p><p>Punctuation is even present when we speak. A slight pause is similar to a comma, a longer pause akin to a semicolon, and a stop equals a period. Question marks and exclamation points can be heard in the cadence of a person's speech pattern and where the emphasis is placed and on which words.</p><p>Almost all punctuation marks are represented in everyday speech, and therein lies the key to great dialogue&#8212;knowing how to use punctuation correctly with dialogue.</p><p>There are some writers who are masters at it. Elmore Leonard was one of the best. Read his books, or listen to a few of the movies made from his books, and you'll see a genius's work.</p><p>Never be fooled into thinking you use _any_ punctuation mark in error. Get the easiest and most comprehensive guide to *all* punctuation marks&#8212;all fourteen of them: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis.</p><p>Learn when and how to use commas properly, how to use and punctuate parentheses and quotation marks, and the secrets to making semicolons effective.</p><p>This book explains how to use punctuation in an easy-to-grasp manner.</p>