Punctuating with Purpose
Rules matter. Clarity matters more.
Punctuation is part of correctness alongside grammar, mechanics, and spelling. Most writers treat punctuation as a set of rules to follow. But strong writers see punctuation as tools for clarity. They treat it as an element of style—a series of choices about where to stop or pause, what to separate, and how to signal emphasis.
Here, I offer my thoughts on punctuation choices. I cover the most common punctuation marks—periods, commas, semicolons, colons, hyphens, dashes, apostrophes, and quotation marks—and show how to use each one to guide the reader. The goal is not to follow every rule, but to write clear, readable, and precise sentences.
The full stop (.)
Writers underestimate and underuse the period. As a result, many of their sentences run longer than they should. Shortening them with a period grants two benefits. First, it makes writing clearer. Short sentences are easy to read and understand. Second, it reduces errors. A short sentence with one noun and one verb means no keeping track of clauses, commas, conjunctions, and the like. Fewer parts means fewer chances to mess up.
Despite the period’s many benefits, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Many short sentences give the writing a stiff, staccato feel. Use a longer sentence now and then to break things up. For those, you’ll need commas.
The short pause (,)
Who among us has not been chastised for misplaced commas? English majors use this meek, humble mark as a cudgel to thump the rest of us. Worse, the beatings don’t help—comma rules still feel like black magic.
The solution? Use your ear. If you hear a pause, use a comma.
Sentences can be short, medium, or long.
A long, confusing sentence is hard to read.
John’s writing is hard to read, but I know he’s trying to improve.
My students, despite being college graduates, struggle to write concisely.
Would you pause at the commas? I would. Your ear will tell you where the commas belong, solving about 90% of comma problems. Fix the remaining 10% with a grammar checker or trusted editor.
The medium pause (;)
Many writers misunderstand the semicolon. Some fear it; others overuse it. But used well, the semicolon provides a stylish way to join ideas that’s stronger than the comma but without the drama of a colon or em dash (more on that later).
Use a semicolon to join two closely related complete sentences. If you could use a period or a comma and conjunction, the semicolon is appropriate.
The meeting was long, and everyone left exhausted.
The meeting was long. Everyone left exhausted.
The meeting was long; everyone left exhausted.
While all these choices are correct, using a semicolon suggests a cause-and-effect relationship between the meeting and everyone’s exhaustion.
Semicolons are also handy for separating items in a complex list—especially when the list’s elements include commas.
We’ve visited Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Eustis, Virginia; and Fort Irwin, California.
Semicolons require a bit of skill. Use them sparingly, and when in doubt, fall back to the period.
The long pause (:)
The colon announces what’s next. It tells the reader to pay attention. A complete sentence precedes the colon, and after it, a list, definition, explanation, restatement, or another complete sentence.
We had everything we needed: food, water, and plenty of ammunition.
Leadership is simple: providing purpose, direction, and motivation.
The soldiers faced a clear choice: stay and fight, or withdraw and regroup.
Grant offered his terms: unconditional surrender.
He knew the truth: they had been caught unprepared.
Colons add punch. But like semicolons, use them sparingly. No one likes constant public announcements. Once again, if unsure, fall back on the tried and true full stop.
The glue (-)
The hyphen is the first member of the hyphens-and-dashes family. Think of the hyphen as word glue. It sticks words together to form compound terms like well-known or self-aware. Hyphens also show when two words work together to modify a noun. For example, decision making (two words) acts as a noun.
Good decision making improves results.
Whereas decision-making (hyphenated) acts as an adjective before a noun.
She has strong decision-making skills.
This distinction matters for clarity. A small-business owner owns a small business, whereas a small business owner might be a five-foot-tall, 105-pound corporate titan.
The bridge (–)
The en dash follows the hyphen in the hyphens-and-dashes family. Slightly longer than its sibling, the en dash bridges related ideas or shows a number range (think to or through).
We took the New York–London flight.
The 2024–2025 school year was our best ever.
Read pages 25–50.
Our team won 3–2.
When will the Russia–Ukraine war end?
Many writers mistakenly use a hyphen where an en dash belongs. In scholarly work with formal citations, the distinction matters greatly. But most regular readers don’t know the difference. Still, that’s no excuse to default to the hyphen. Knowledgeable readers will spot the error (maybe your boss, the English major). Besides, properly used en dashes show that you’re a precise writer with an eye for detail and respect for conventions.
The spotlight (—)
The em dash is the longest member of the hyphens-and-dashes family. It spotlights key words or phrases by drawing attention, adding emphasis, or setting off a break.
The results—which surprised everyone—changed our entire approach.
The choice was simple—stay and fight, or withdraw and regroup.
The em dash is the Swiss Army knife of punctuation. It can replace commas, parentheses, or colons to create emphasis, signal breaks, or add extra information. You undoubtedly noticed that the examples above could use alternate marks.
The results, which surprised everyone, changed our entire approach.
The choice was simple: stay and fight, or withdraw and regroup.
In the first sentence, the em dash separates a clause. Commas and parentheses can do this too, but with different tone and emphasis. Commas set off information gently, signaling that the clause is part of the flow but not the main focus. Parentheses add extra details or side notes, creating an even softer break and suggesting the information is less important or more of an aside. Em dashes create the strongest break, spotlighting the the clause by adding emphasis or drama.
How should we choose?
The results, which surprised everyone, changed our entire approach.
The results (which surprised everyone) changed our entire approach.
The results—which surprised everyone—changed our entire approach.
In the above example, all choices follow the rules, but some choices are better or worse. Better choices match the punctuation to the content’s tone.
The results (which we expected) confirmed our approach.
The results, which were a bit surprising, shifted our approach.
The results—which surprised everyone—changed our entire approach.
Likewise, an em dash can stand in for a colon, providing extra drama. In the second sentence from the original example, a colon or em dash works, but the em dash is a better choice for more dramatic content.
The choice was simple: stay and fight, or withdraw and regroup.
The choice was stark—fight and die, or retreat in disgrace.
(By the way, grammar checkers may flag the commas in the sentences above. But I hear a pause between the choices, so the commas stay.)
The em dash is a powerful, adaptable mark that adds emphasis and drama. But it’s easy to overuse. Too many em dashes make writing feel choppy or overly dramatic. Use them intentionally, matching the content and tone.
The landmine (’)
Apostrophes cause more writing casualties than any other punctuation mark. Military writers are constantly blowing themselves up by misusing apostrophes.
The most common error: Mixing up plurals and possessives.
Plural words indicate more than one of something and omit apostrophes.
Correct: The officers reviewed the plan.
Wrong: The officer’s reviewed the plan.
More than one officer (plural)—no apostrophe.
Possessives show ownership and require an apostrophe.
Correct: The soldier’s rifle jammed.
Wrong: The soldiers rifle jammed.
The soldier owns the rifle (possessive)—use an apostrophe.
However, the possessive its doesn’t require an apostrophe.
Correct: The unit found its objective.
Wrong: The unit found it’s objective.
Things grow more complex with plural possessives, joint possessives, and singular words that look plural (see The Punctuation Guide for more). But writers can avoid most apostrophe landmines by understanding plurals versus possessives.
The wink (" ")
Quotation marks show when someone else said or wrote something.
The general said, “We must protect the civilians.”
They also mark the first use of a technical term (but drop the quotes after the first mention).
“Convergence” was a key theme in his remarks. In later discussion, convergence became a major point of disagreement.
Some writers add quotation marks to cast doubt, signal irony, or show sarcasm—commonly called scare quotes. They suggest the writer doesn’t believe the word fits but won’t say so outright.
He claimed to be an “expert.”
The unit achieved “success” in the operation.
Scare quotes weaken the writing and confuse readers. Was he not really an expert? Did the operation fail? Instead of hinting at what you mean with punctuation, just say it plainly.
He claimed to be an expert, but his actions told a different story.
The unit completed its mission but suffered 70% casualties.
If you need to emphasize a word, consider italics. Scare quotes make writing seem lazy, passive-aggressive, or unclear. Avoid them.
Conclusion
Punctuation matters for correctness and style. Skilled writers treat punctuation as a set of tools to guide the reader, clarify meaning, control pace, and signal emphasis. Although some punctuation rules can be confusing, use your ear to guide you. Read sentences aloud. Listen for emphasis, pauses, and breaks. Match punctuation to the writing’s meaning, pace, and tone. Punctuate for the reader, not the rulebook.
I've bookmarked this post and I'm already referencing it again today as I sit down to write. 👏