Common Punctuation Marks
In this famous short skit, comedian Victor Borge (1909-2000) illustrates just how prevalent punctuation is (or should be) in language.
As you’ve just heard, punctuation is everywhere. While it can be a struggle at first to learn the conventions that come along with each mark, punctuation is here to help you: these marks were invented to guide readers through passages—to let them know how and where words relate to each other. When you learn the standardized uses of punctuation, you equip yourself with an extensive toolset so you can better craft language to communicate the exact message you want.
Different style guides have slightly different conventions for punctuation. This module of INTD 106 will cover the MLA conventions for punctuation, but we’ll also make note of conventions from other styles when they’re significantly different.
