Exploring the Impact of Punctuation on Writing Meaning
Delve into the nuances of punctuation and its role in shaping meaning in writing. Discover how varying punctuation can alter emphasis and interpretation in sentences. Explore examples from renowned works like "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen to grasp the profound effects of punctuation on conveying emotions and imagery.
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Y9 Language Detectives Investigating how language works: punctuation for meaning
Punctuation for meaning Let s eat grandpa A woman without her man is nothing It s all over my friend colon comma : ; ? , . ... ( ) semi-colon full stop question mark ellipsis exclamation mark brackets ! - dash inverted commas
Punctuation for meaning: how should you say these lines from poems about the First World War? Gas! Gas! Quick boys! And thud! flump! thud! down the steep steps came thumping And splashing in the flood, deluging muck The sentry's body.
How can we use punctuation to shape meaning in our writing? Punctuation is used to mark off words, phrases and clauses in a sentence, to give them emphasis and meaning: In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. Experiment with arranging the grammatical units in this sentence in a different order. How does this alter emphasis and meaning? E.g. Guttering, choking, he plunges at me, in all my dreams, drowning, before my helpless sight.
How can we use punctuation to shape meaning in our writing? Punctuation is used to mark off words, phrases and clauses in a sentence, to give them emphasis and meaning and to give the reader clues about how to read the text aloud: Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Why is it hard to read this sentence quickly? Count how many different grammatical units there are in this one sentence. Which of these units: Give vivid descriptions of what the the soldiers look like or how they move? Slow down the pace to emphasise the soldiers weariness?
Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.
Punctuation for meaning in Dulce et Decorum Est Single words and short sentence with exclamation marks sounds as though someone is shouting; emphasises sudden action and sense of panic. Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . Dash emphasises shock of the attack a dramatic pause before they realize what s happening and reach for gas masks. How many different punctuation marks does Owen use here? Can you name them all? How does the punctuation emphasise the meaning and sound of the lines? What is the ellipsis for? Is it too awful to describe? Is it suggesting that the victim is disappearing from sight in the gas?
Punctuation for meaning in Dulce et Decorum Est The long sentence piles up the horror of the gas attack. Commas demarcate the hideous details and make us dwell on them. If clauses, demarcated with semi-colons, build up the argument that war is obscene, not glorious. If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori. Why is there a capital letter here ? Is it to show the enormity of the lie? The colon introduces the Latin quotation but also makes a very close connection between two ideas that the sentiment It is a sweet and fitting thing to die for one s country is a huge and shocking lie. The final section of the poem consists of one long sentence. True/False/Not sure
