Using punctuation for effect
In this example, look at how the writer uses punctuation to signal to the reader to feel a particular way towards a character.
His eyes filled up with tears as he looked around him in shock. Red balloons danced before his eyes like autumn leaves in the breeze. Mesmerising. How had they known? His lips moved to the words; he sang to the familiar tune, smiling. "Happy Birthday to you!" they chorused. This was easily the best moment of his life.
A one-word sentence does break the normal rules of grammar, but it is allowed when the style demands it. Here, ‘mesmerising’ helps the reader fully appreciate the character’s intense feeling. This is followed with a rhetoricalA question asked just for effect with no answer expected. question which also signals the shock and surprise felt. The writer uses a semi-colon to link two sentences that share the same topic (ie singing happy birthday).
Things to remember
- Take special care over using commas. Check whether a full-stop or semi-colon would be more effective.
- Check by reading back that the work would be clear and make full sense to your reader.
- Avoid excessive use of exclamation marks!
- Be ambitious – practise using sophisticated punctuation such as semi-colons and colons.