Hello and welcome to strategy three technique for technique four is still part of structures and structures is a broader term that encompasses paragraphs in some cases, but it can also emphasize smaller units of information in sentences and words or it can also emphasize larger ones that might be multiple paragraphs within a larger work. technique for states allow punctuation to set the pace, allow punctuation to set the pace. I once wrote a piece of nonfiction and it was satire and I use each type of punctuation as a character and each character followed the characteristics that is given in grammar in language and in sentences. For example, a question mark is a hunched over bent over tired person who doesn't ever have any confidence and doesn't declare anything straight out and then an excellent mation point is erect, sure, confident, loud, and in some cases too aggressive. And so each particular kind of punctuation obviously emphasizes a particular kind of rhythm, a particular kind of lyric, a particular kind of emotion or a particular kind of emphasis.

And so allow punctuation to set the pace. The explanation here is punctuation isn't just rules, it sets the readers pace and groups, words, phrases and sentences. So it's not just grammatical rules, but there's a finer craft to it that you want to think about in terms of the context of the situation making the right choice. It's not always right or wrong, even though in many cases it is because it's grammar, but it's also technique, just like we're talking about here through this whole series of talks. Use punctuation creatively, periods, create stops, commas, create pauses, dashes, create longer pauses. pauses for emphasis, and semi colons stop ideas for a moment.

So an example here, you've probably seen on Facebook or in other places, some of those silly means about how important punctuation is. So I'll use one of those note the difference. Neither one is correct or incorrect, but the meaning is different because of the punctuation in this one. When do we eat grandma? Question mark? When do we eat grandma?

And then the other one, when do we eat comma, grandma? When do we eat grandma? In that case, commas are very important because I don't know about you, but I'm not going to eat my grandma. And then in the other case, grandmother is obviously cooking dinner and you're asking her when are we going to eat, and that one is fine. So punctuation can save lives in many cases, but it also emphasizes something different in the sentence. In this case, grandma becomes the thing or the person that is being eaten.

And I don't think we want that. So the comma makes her the object of the question. And this is the best. here's, here's another example, where the change of the punctuation changes the emphasis of what you're saying, it actually changes the meaning. This is the best time of your life to thrive and create something for yourself, period. Love yourself and have fun.

So this sentence is talking about maybe someone who's young or someone who's in a period of their life, where they're free, and they're saying, you know, this is a time where you should really basically live it up, thrive, have fun, love yourself. And then here's another sentence, same words, set of sentences. It's the same words, but it's a different emphasis slightly different. This is the best time of your life period, to thrive and create something for yourself, comma, love yourself and have fun. So this one emphasizes the Like lifestyle or the mindset that you want to have, instead of the time of your life, this is the best time of your life period to thrive and create something for yourself, comma, love yourself and have fun. And so that's someone giving life advice to someone about how to do that.

And so you can see the emphasis is different. And so for strategy three, keep in mind that punctuation can set the pace of a sentence or a set of sentences. And so think about what each particular kind of punctuation does, where it's appropriate. For example, if you use a semi colon, instead of a dash, you're going to have more of a stop in the middle of a sentence. A dash is more of a long pause. So think about how we're your line breaks, your sentence breaks and your different punctuation in the particular situation where it might be corrected more than one way, think very consciously about the kind of punctuation you're putting in in terms of the pace and the emphasis.

It's like driving is it Stop sign, is it a speed bump? Is it a, maybe a roadblock? So think about how you need to pace that for the emphasis and for the emotional effect, the rhythm, the poetry and the lyrics of your sentences. And that is strategy three technique for