GrammarPhile Blog

Everyone everywhere is talking about goals and expectations for the new year. We’re all being bombarded online with inspirational fluff and hustle culture exhortations and lists of predictions for every industry and every aspect of life.

Well, we like to stand out. Not just for the quality of our proofreading and copyediting work, but for our unique approach to a new year. Today, instead of being fueled by resolutions with a half-life of 17 seconds or lofty aspirations for the perfect physique, how about being driven by rage? Good old-fashioned disgust centered around punctuation mistakes that make you want to throw a baby tantrum and toss dirty dishes out the kitchen window. We’ll go first.

In no particular order, here are six common punctuation mistakes that drive us crazy:

1. The “You don’t need an apostrophe, for the love!” apostrophe, also known as the grocer’s apostrophe, also known as the “Am I using a plural word? Then I’ll slap an apostrophe on to cover all my bases” apostrophe. For example:

-Avocado’s on sale! Buy two for the price of a little less than two.
-His coin’s are jingling like tiny flat bells.
-The Smythe’s live here.
-I know so many teachers’ who are sad winter break is over.

Punctuation is used in writing to establish clarity, tone, meaning, and structure. Consider this sentence without punctuation, and you’ll quickly remember why we need to use it.

maybe you dont always want to use commas periods colons etc when youre writing sentences when I am in a rush tired cold lazy or angry I sometimes leave out punctuation marks grammar is unnecessary anyway I can write without it and wont ever need it my aunt Jane once said she wasnt very good with writing and I never understood a word she wrote to me I think ill just learn enough punctuation not too much enough to write to Aunt Jane needs some help

Using punctuation properly helps your readers understand the message you’re attempting to convey, and ensures they don’t read one thing while you intend another. Punctuation promotes effective communication, which is why it’s so important in marketing and business writing.

Do you think you’re already a pro with punctuation? Test your punctuation knowledge with our quiz and get your answers on-screen when you complete the quiz. After you complete the quiz, the correct answers will be highlighted.

A Very Brief History of Punctuation

Did you know that some early Greek and Latin texts lacked any punctuation whatsoever? There often weren't even distinct line breaks or paragraphs either. It was up to the reader or orator to figure it out. Can you imagine reading dense philosophy or a mathematics lesson without the information being separated into paragraphs with sentences? Yikes!

Any proofreader worth their salt will tell you that a single punctuation mark can mean the difference between success and disaster. (If you don’t believe us, just ask a constitutional lawyer about the Great Semicolon Debate of 1787.)

More often, incorrect punctuation sends a message to your audience, and it’s not the one you intend. It signals that you’re sloppy in your written communications and don’t care enough to make it right. And if you’re careless in that area of your business, prospective clients will wonder if you’re sloppy in other areas. Can you afford to take that chance?

When we proofread documents for our business clients, we often find that writers don't know how and when to use an apostrophe. Today, let's explore some rules about using an apostrophe when writing the names of organizations and products that contain words that could be considered either possessive or descriptive terms.