"-,Punctuation."?'

So there was more than one occasion during this module that I could've sworn that I was breaking out in hives.  The reason being is that there are a lot of rules and necessary attention to detail when dealing with punctuation that it can get very confusing.  I'm now even feeling very self-conscious about making this blog post because I don't want my punctuation to be completely off base for the whole class to see.

The comma alone had me all tripped up for a while.  As a matter of fact, it still does.  Did I even use it right in my previous sentence?  I'll check the stylebook in a minute.  One tip that helped right off the bat actually came straight from the punctuation PowerPoint about nonessential and essential phrases.  I'm kind of looking at nonessential phrases as little bits and pieces of a sentence that can sort of be fenced off from the rest of the sentence.  They're unnecessary but can provide a sort of beautification to the sentence, if you will.  Think of it like this: if you have a really nice backyard with lush green grass, it's already good.  But if you cut out a section of your lawn and curb in a real pretty flowerbed, it adds to the appeal.  It's not really necessary, it's just supplemental to your already nice backyard.  Check out Purdue's Online Writing Lab too, there's all kinds of goodies there.

Another thing that I found helpful is to say the sentence out loud and accentuate the punctuation in your speech.  When you do this, and really pay attention to it, you can tell if what your saying is accurate to what you're seeing or writing.  It's surprising what kind of a mess can be made of an otherwise appropriate sentence.

I looked all over to try and find an editing mistake in the news or professional print that I could make an example out of, but I just couldn't find one.  I suspect that this might have been due to the fact that I was actively seeking an error.  I've encountered them in the past, but it's usually just out of happenstance when I do.