The reason it's worth standing up for punctuation is not that it's an arbitrary system of notation known only to an over-sensitive elite who have attacks of the vapours when they see it misapplied. The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning.
This is a short interpretation of the quote. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nisl mi, vestibulum quis ligula vel, feugiat finibus risus. Integer quam ligula, consectetur eget ante et, posuere laoreet erat.
This is a more detailed analysis of the quote. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nisl mi, vestibulum quis ligula vel, feugiat finibus risus. Integer quam ligula, consectetur eget ante et, posuere laoreet erat. Aenean sit amet erat sed elit consectetur tincidunt. Praesent sed quam placerat, egestas magna a, vestibulum nisi. Proin cursus elit lorem, in laoreet tellus tristique eu. Nunc vel tortor luctus, venenatis lectus sit amet, ultricies velit. Proin tincidunt hendrerit elit nec sagittis. Donec ut dictum risus.
Etiam sollicitudin magna vitae neque efficitur, in ullamcorper nibh tempus. Aenean laoreet facilisis ex sit amet vehicula. Vestibulum placerat velit in eleifend feugiat. Nullam vulputate sed odio vel vestibulum. Etiam pellentesque, arcu sed accumsan aliquet, risus neque interdum mauris, non vulputate nulla purus a est. Duis lacus metus, scelerisque ut justo vitae, dignissim ullamcorper massa. Duis tempor pharetra sagittis. Nam et aliquet metus.eet erat.
The rule is: the word 'it's' (with apostrophe) stands for 'it is' or 'it has'. If the word does not stand for 'it is' or 'it has' then what you require is 'its'. This is extremely easy to grasp. Getting your itses mixed up is the greatest solecism in the world of punctuation. No matter that you have a PhD and have read all of Henry James twice. If you still persist in writing, 'Good food at it's best', you deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave.
It should come as no surprise that writers take an interest in punctuation. I have been told that the dying words of one famous 20th-century writer were, "I should have used fewer semicolons" - and although I have spent months fruitlessly trying to track down the chap responsible, I believe it none the less. If it turns out that no one actually did say this on their deathbed, I shall certainly save it up for my own.
The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.
The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning.
Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.
Proper punctuation is both the sign and the cause of clear thinking.
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