Punctuation, or the lack of it, totally changes the meaning of things.
These examples are funny–even if you’ve heard them before.
“A woman: without her man is nothing.” Or, “A woman, without her man, is nothing.”
“Let’s eat mom.” Or, “Let’s eat, mom.”
“I love cooking my family and my pets. Or, “I love cooking, my family, and my pets.”
You get the point.
In 2017, a $5,000,000 lawsuit was decided by a judge in the state of Maine over one misplaced comma. He determined that the law’s punctuation made it unclear if “packing for shipping or distribution” is one single activity or if “packing for shipping” is separate from “distribution.” His decision meant $50,000 was paid to each of the five delivery drivers who knew enough about punctuation to file the suit. Read the full story at https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/think-commas-don-t-matter-omitting-one-cost-maine-dairy-n847151
Succeed in life and avoid being sued for millions by,
1) taking care when you write
2) taking time to proofread, and
3) making sure your words say exactly what you want them to.
Your turn. Share any example of a message you sent or received that said something very different than expected. How did it get fixed? (Or did it?)
And have a great month!
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