Do you think punctuation is paramount in written language?

“A woman without her man is nothing”

• Can you punctuate this sentence?
  


• Can you think of more that one way of punctuating the sentence, which would produce a complete change of meaning?
  
  
  
  With the dawn of the Internet, the birth of Internet slang, and the growing age of SMS, many individuals are forgetting the fundamental aspects of both English and Spanish punctuation.
  
  
  
• In which ways do you think punctuation is important?
  

Punctuation is everything in written language other than the actual letters, including all punctuation marks, inter-word spaces, capitalization, and indentation. In the world of email and text messages, proper punctuation is in danger of becoming a lost art, yet, when writing for business, social reasons or just plain pleasure, punctuation is critically important.

Let’s have a look at some videos that explain the most relevant uses of some punctuation marks in English.

We’ll start with one of the most problematic punctuation mark when writing in English as a foreign language: THE COMMA

• Which of the uses of commas mentioned in the video are also used in Spanish? Is there any use that’s different? If not, can you think of some differences?

Are you confused about when to use COLONS and SEMI-COLONS? Let’s learn how, when and why to use them by means of the following video:

• Which new things did you learn from watching this extract? Can you figure out any connection with Spanish?
  

Another thorny issue of punctuation concerns the use of CAPITAL LETTERS in English, especially when you first become acquainted with the language. So, why don’t you have a look at the explanations provided below?

• Which are the differences you can point out as regards the use of capital letters in English and Spanish? In which cases do we use capital or upper-case letters in English and lower-case letters in Spanish?
  

QUESTION AND EXCLAMATION MARKS are used in English to convey different meanings. One significant difference from the Spanish use of them is that they are brought into play just at the end of the sentence.

• Do you know why? Can you come to light the reason?
  
  

Let’s examine the videos and answer the questions as well.

• Do you consider we use each of these punctuation marks more in English than in Spanish, or in the other way around? Why do you think so?
  
  

QUOTATION MARKS, in turn, are very much used in English. Would you like to learn a bit more about them?

• Have you ever thought about the difference between ‘single’ quotation marks and “double” quotation marks? Does it happen the same in Spanish?
  
  

PARENTHESES and SQUARE BRACKETS are another type of punctuation marks.

• Which of the two is more commonly found in written papers? What about Spanish? Do we use square brackets at all?

There are also some punctuation marks that are not so widespread because their uses are not so typical in language. One example is the case of THE SLASH.

Therefore, I’ll invite you to analyse the following video, which deals with the uses of the slash punctuation mark in English.

• Do you use the slash in Spanish? In which situations? Can you provide some examples?

Another type of punctuation mark that is not so commonly used is the case of HYPHENS and DASHES.

Are you acquainted with the difference between hyphens and dashes? Can they be interchangeable or not?

Let’s listen to a podcast about them to check your previous knowledge about the topic. Then, you can watch a video as well.

• Do we make distinctions between a dash and a hyphen in Spanish?

Up to here, we’ve been working on the uses of some punctuation marks in English, and you’ve have been encouraged to think about possible connections between English and Spanish punctuation systems.

Now, it’s your turn to carry out both an on-line and out-of-line, in deep research about punctuation in both languages. The aim is to create a COMPARATIVE CHART to show similarities as well as differences between English and Spanish uses of each punctuation mark, including examples in both languages that show those relationships and disparities. You can use the information collected so far, and add more as a result of your search-and-analysis-of-information process.

Have a look at the following slideshow to see which aspects you should include in your assignment. -----> -------> -------> --------> Click here.

Remember to send your work to my e-mail address: melib86@hotmail.com

Finally, here you have some webpages you can consult:

• Use English Punctuation Correctly
• Exploring English Punctuation
• Guide to Writing with Precision
• Punctuation
• Spanish Punctuation
• Punctuation in Spanish
• Comparing English and Spanish Punctuation Marks
• Spanish Punctuation Marks
• Spanish Spelling System

BREAK A LEG!!!! =) =) =) CU!