How to Say Exactly What You Mean

When you’re talking to someone, and you want to make sure you get your point across, you have a variety of different ways at your disposal to help you do this. You might try to speak especially slowly and clearly at key points. You might raise your voice for emphasis, or hold eye-contact, or use gestures. If, while you’re talking, you happen to notice that the person you’re talking to seems confused by one of your points, then you can rephrase it. If they really don’t understand something, then they might ask you a question, which would allow you to clarify your point. In writing, punctuation carries out all of these tasks. You can use punctuation to emphasise your points, to guide your reader through complex information, and to make sure that you communicate your understanding clearly and logically. This chapter will make sure that you feel completely confident using punctuation to achieve this goal. Punctuation will be discussed in practical terms, in order to let you see exactly how and when to use it. After this, we will then move on to basic sentence structure. Again, practicality is key, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each type of sentence, and when you might want to use each kind in your writing to help you express yourself.