They force the writer to express his ideas directly, to eliminate unnecessary hedges, to forgo smart-aleck asides. Periods and commas are lovely because they are simple. I have fantasies of writing an essay punctuated solely with periods and commas. The missing comma before the “and” introducing the last item in a series is merely the most obvious example. The comma, as noted, was once over-used, but it now suffers from relative neglect. I seldom see a piece of prose that shouldn’t, I feel, have more periods and fewer of those obtrusive marks that seem to have usurped its natural place. These are the only lovely marks of punctuation, and of the two the period is the lovelier, because more compact and innocent of ambiguity. Let me now introduce my dramatis personae. Precisely such emotional responses, I believe, are what most writers lack, and their indifference accounts for their errors. With these principles in mind, and on the basis of reading what now passes for acceptable writing, I have developed a set of emotional responses to individual marks of punctuation. It has the secondary responsibility of being as invisible as possible, of not calling attention to itself. Punctuation has the primary responsibility of contributing to the plainness of one’s meaning. My punctuation is informed by two ideals: clarity and simplicity. My colleague, you might say, is a Platonist in punctuation, while I am an Aristotelian. Given my character, my own philosophy is more legalistic. But I can respect it as guided at all times by what I consider philosophical principles. Consequently his punctuation lacks strict consistency. That is, he seeks to reduplicate patterns of speech, to indicate through his punctuation how a sentence is supposed to sound. A colleague of mine, whom I consider a fine writer, punctuates, as it were, by ear. A single page of Thomas Garlyle, or any 19th-century writer, reminds us, for instance, that a comma between subject and verb-for me the most offensive of all punctuation errors was once perfectly acceptable. I recognize legitimate alternatives, and I’m quite aware that punctuation has a history. I say “a” philosophy, because I’m not yet so opinionated as to insist that everyone adopt my own. I have also suffered no little distress seeing that comma removed from my own prose after it has been sent to the New York Times Book Review or (yes, I’m sorry to say) The New Republic, both of which clearly have adopted policies of eliminating this serial comma so beloved by purists. Better than that, I have inserted the missing comma in countless sentences written by students and colleagues of mine. Rule Number 2: “In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.” I couldn’t agree more heartily, and I love the quaint formulation. In my very favorite book, The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. One approach to punctuation is by way of rules. A mania for punctuation is also an occupational hazard for almost any teacher, as hundreds of our hours are given over to correcting the vagrant punctuation of our students. Good punctuation, we feel, makes for clean thought. We anal folk keep neat houses, are always on time, and know all the do’s and don’ts, including those of punctuation. The subject is naturally attractive for all with character structures of the sort Freud dubbed anal, and I readily confess to belonging to that sect. Punctuation absorbs more of my thought than seems healthy for a man who pretends to be well adjusted.
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