Auburn University IEP (9-12-06)

Choosing Punctuation: A Look at Dawkins’ “Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool”

by Lauren Boone

Choosing Punctuation

Audience

Core 4-5 (writing and grammar class) Advanced students Already know a little about punctuation but still have

questions

I have found John Dawkins’ article to be very useful in explaining how good writers choose punctuation for maximum effect. This particular slide show is reduced from a more extended one I used to explain the dash.

Choosing Punctuation

Hierarchy of Functional Punctuation Marks (535-536) Mark Sentence final . ? ! Semicolon ;

Colon : Dash –

Comma , Zero (no punctuation)

Degree of separation Maximum (disconnected) Medium

Medium (anticipatory) Medium (emphatic)

Minimum None; connected

Separate independent

clauses

Separate independent or non-independent

elements from

independent clauses

Separates non-ind elements

from ind clauses

Choosing Punctuation

Punctuating Independent Clauses with Attachments (536-537) PatternsPattern I(Word/Phr/Cl) + pct + John laughed

aloud.

Pattern IIJohn laughed aloud + pct +

(word/phr/cl).

Pattern IIIJohn + pct + (word/phr/cl) + ptc +

laughed aloud.

“Rules”Only zero, commas,

dash, or colon are permissible.

All functional marks are permissible.

Only paired marks (comma, dash, parenthesis or zero) are permissible.

Choosing Punctuation

How does the writer choose when given the above choices? (537-540)

Writers must choose the punctuation mark to express their desired meaning: that mark that shows the emphasis and degree of connectedness sentence constituents have in that sentence.

Raising: choosing a pct. mark higher in the hierarchy to bring emphasis to the sentence constituent.EX: John asked for a date—when he got the nerve.

John asked for a date. When he got the nerve.

Lowering: choosing a pct. mark lower in the hierarchy to show the sentence constituents are more closely connected.EX: John asked for a date, when he got the nerve.

John asked for a date when he got the nerve.

Choosing Punctuation

Exercise 1: From the principles we just discussed, which punctuation mark would you choose and why? Curiously___ John laughed aloud.

Even though we’d thought to trick him, the joke was on us____ John laughed aloud.

I didn’t think he would. John ___ though___ laughed aloud.

John ___ who always did have a good sense of humor___ laughed aloud.

Choosing Punctuation

Is this what you suggested?

Choosing Punctuation

Exercise 2: You can choose to use commas or dashes. Which would you choose and why? John laughed aloud____ during the eulogy. (surprise)

John___even in the midst of his sorrow___ laughed aloud.

(change of tone)

John___ who shouldn’t have even been listening____ laughed aloud.

(aside)

John laughed aloud___ and I think that’s ok. (pause)

Choosing Punctuation

For more information on using Dawkins’ system, seeDawkins, John. “Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool.”

College Composition and Communication 46 (1995): 533-548.

Other Works CitedFulwiler, Toby and Alan R. Hayakawa. The Blair Handbook. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. 694-697.

Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers: A Brief Handbook. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. 341.

The Chicago Manual of Style. 14 ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1993.