Traditional Punctuation: The only way to provide clarity

The traditional use of punctuation is essential because it not only allows authors to convey their voice in ways that cannot be expressed through words but also benefits readers by making text more structurally organized. In an ever-changing world, it is more important than ever to make information easier to communicate to a large audience and the traditional use of punctuation is necessary to allow for this easier communication

Traditional punctuation makes literature much easier to read because it provides structure to the text that would be lost if there was no punctuation. It “clarifies meaning”(Hitchings) while also adding to the authors voice. Literature without punctuation creates an ambiguity that prevents the reader from understanding where they are in this ocean of text. Elizabeth Austen writes  “[a semi-colon] with the commas a poser at the bar feigning liberation with one hand tightening the leash with the other”(Austen), yet it is ironic that the lack of punctuation actually hinders the reader from clearly finding their way through the piece more than any colon or semi-colon.  Punctuation is also “highly important”(Thomas) for scientific literature according to Lewis Thomas, a graduate of Harvard Medical School. Clarity in scientific literature is an “essential flavor”(Thomas) because it is important to communicate research findings and other significant information to the world. This clarity can only be provided by traditional punctuation rules