ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with punctuation for meaning and effect, including commas to separate grammatical units in a sentence; commas, dashes and brackets to indicate parenthetical information; colons and semi-colons to convey shades of subtlety; and commas and hyphens to avoid ambiguity in writing. The chapter also recaps aspects of basic punctuation such as the use of the apostrophe and punctuation to indicate direct speech, as well as common errors such as the comma splice. It suggests ways of dealing with misconceptions and emphasises the importance of proof-reading.
