1. Why Punctuation Matters

2. Explanation:
What follows are two letters. Each is exactly the same except for the fact that the punctuation in each is radically different. See if you can see if punctuation makes a difference to the letter’s meaning.

3. Letter 1
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can forever be happy—will you let me be yours?
Harriet

4. Letter 2
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can forever be happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Harriet

5. Why it Matters:
These letters tell us a lot about John and Harriet—but they tell us even more about the importance of punctuation. Change a comma here, move a period there … and the entire document is different. That's why punctuation matters; it creates meaning as much as words do.