ABSTRACT
This chapter brings together some of the features of written English that do not depend upon spoken English, ranging from the linguistics level of grammar to the typographical level of layout, all part of the English writing system. This chapter moves towards writing produced by mechanical means, that is, keyboards, whether typewriter, computer or printing proper, rather than handwriting. Much of the discussion is about professional presentation by ‘experts’ — journalists, editors, novelists and the like. The punctuation and layout of informal ‘amateur’ writing has been little studied or commented on. Why punctuation matters
You don’t want to look stupid! (VanDyck 1996)
The problem with poor punctuation is that it makes life difficult for the reader who needs to read what you’ve written (Trask 1997)
Intellectually, stops matter a great deal. If you are getting your commas, semicolons, and full stops wrong, it means that you are not getting your thoughts right, and your mind is muddled (Archbishop William Temple)
Good punctuation, we feel, makes for clean thought (Robinson 1980)
Punctuation is cold notation; it is not frustrated speech; it is typographic code (Bringhurst 1992: 84)
