Punctuation, Pt 1

1. Unnecessary commas
I've never had much trouble with commas, unnecessary or otherwise, but I did find one thing I didn't know about them. The restrictive clause is one of the more subtle rules of grammar. Depending on where they're placed, commas can change the meaning of a sentence without changing, adding, or omitting any words. That's a powerful writing tool.

2. The colon
For a long time, without knowing why, I thought of the colon as some sort of forbidden symbol. Not only did I avoid using it, I was always a little surprised whenever I saw one. I've noticed that the symbol has gotten more popular and now I use it quite a bit. I didn't see any examples of the way I use it in the chapter, so I might be misusing it without being aware of it.

3. The apostrophe
I didn't know how to use this symbol with single letters before I reviewed it in the chapter. It makes sense to use it only when it would be confused with another word, as in A's vs. As. The apostrophe can completely change the meaning of the letter. Conversely, the other letters in the alphabet don't need the apostrophe when being expressed in the plural.

4. Quotations
I didn't know that it's acceptable to use quotations and italics interchangeably to emphasize certain words. I don't like to use quotations any more than is needed, as they make sentences look crowded. I'll more than likely use italics in this way. In fiction, I've noticed that some writers use single quotes when writing dialogue. I think it looks cleaner and easier to read.

Reflection
In reviewing the drafts I learned that most of us aren't skilled in the finer points of punctuation, myself included. The most striking thing I noticed is that punctuation can alter the meanings of sentences in very subtle ways.

"conscientious eaters -- that healthy food"
I'm not altogether sure, but I think that double dashes are incorrect in this context.

"DHH students have two major choices for education; private and public school systems."
  
The use of the semicolon here is incorrect. The clauses on either side of the semicolon should be complete sentences.