Grammar consists of many things, and one of the more important is punctuation. It is like the Rosetta Stone, providing the key to how writers want a reader to interpret what they wrote.
Punctuation is even present when we speak. A slight pause is similar to a comma, a longer pause akin to a semicolon, and a stop equals a period. Question marks and exclamation points can be heard in the cadence of a person's speech pattern and where the emphasis is placed and on which words.
Almost all punctuation marks are represented in everyday speech, and therein lies the key to great dialogue—knowing how to use punctuation correctly with dialogue.
There are some writers who are masters at it. Elmore Leonard was one of the best. Read his books, or listen to a few of the movies made from his books, and you'll see a genius's work.
Never be fooled into thinking you use _any_ punctuation mark in error. Get the easiest and most comprehensive guide to *all* punctuation marks—all fourteen of them: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis.
Learn when and how to use commas properly, how to use and punctuate parentheses and quotation marks, and the secrets to making semicolons effective.
This book explains how to use punctuation in an easy-to-grasp manner.
