Do you have blind spots in your punctuation?

HappyLady Level 1

November 29, 2018, 5:13 am

47

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Do you have blind spots in your punctuation?

It happens to me in almost everything I write. I go back to edit and discover questions with no question mark. Yet at the time, I am convinced I typed them. Life is better since the advent of Grammarly and similar tools, but I am always shocked at the absence of the question mark.

The brain can trick you into seeing what is not there, which is why self-edition is a poor choice for any book. However, if you know the mistakes you are liable to make it helps.

Do you have punctuation marks you miss like this? Is there one you find missing when you check what you write?

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I am currently having an issue with the comma that is being tagged as error by the grammar checker of the word processor. For example, this is a sentence that has a comma after the word example but the grammar checker tags it as not appropriate. I have so many mistakes with the comma which is the opposite of your problem with the question mark. You tend to forget the question mark but for me I tend to put in a comma which should not be there. My other problem is the preposition that I often type a mistake but that is another issue.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

Oh, it's the same with me. I also have problems with the usage of comma in my sentences.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I can relate. I find it troublesome to correct comma mistakes. I'm not even fond of using them. I'm only putting them because they're necessary for the sentence construction. Such as in dialog where the speaker describes something before speaking.

6 years ago

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Wenkx03

Wenkx03

I have this kind of problem to. Also I have a problem using apostrophe and exclamation point. I always have to read it again for assurance.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I feel like punctuation is a tricky subject. You can easily neglect them as well as confuse their use. Not to mention how often we mistake them while typing quickly on the keyboard.

Good thing we learn gradually as we continue to write.

6 years ago

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Bravosi

Bravosi

Myself, my greatest problem with punctuation would be, apart from commas, is the right usage of these signs: ":", ";".
I simply avoid using them, for example when I'm listening a numerous amount of something, then I simply forget to put ";", which I just don't feel comfortable doing.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

I too have the same problem. I am never too sure when to use the semi colon. I have this feeling that whenever I use the semi colon, my sentences get too long. But if I chopped them down into separate sentences, I feel like they fail to convey what I was trying to say. I almost always have this dilemma whenever I feel the need to use the semi Colon.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

Hahahaha. The me about it. You have met another individual that is ever confused about the usage of the two punctuation marks.

6 years ago

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Wenkx03

Wenkx03

Exactly. That is why I'm always avoiding using this. I don't really know when is the right time use semi solon and colon.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

I also tend to go around it In the manner that when I am faced with a situation that I have to use the mark I look for alternatives. Sometimes I can even change the wording.

6 years ago

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burgosmichael24

burgosmichael24

I agree with you. Most of the time we make mistakes in writing without knowing it or unconsciously. I also have that mistakes in my works sometimes but the most often is I thought I write the sentence completely until I found out that I forgot to write some words.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

Yes, we make mistakes in writing and it would be highly impossible to be always perfect. That's why even the most successful writers hire someone who can proofread their work.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

Yeah that is a nice point to think about. Even the most famous writers have their own set of editors that review their work before publishing them. After all writers are all human and we are bound to make mistakes.

6 years ago

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Alymae

Alymae

I have experienced this too. I am so frustrated this keeps happening to me even if I check again and again. I ended up checking a lot of times to make sure that I don't commit this types of mistakes. Grammarly really helps in correcting this types of error.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

These sites that check grammar for us really helps a lot. Especially for me me who is a non-native English speaker. In almost every project I work on, I use Grammarly and other similar sites. I can't recount how many times those sites saved me big time.

6 years ago

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Jelineex

Jelineex

I guess mistakes is always a part in everything we do. We are not made with perfection. Mistakes will always help us grow and strengthen our skills and knowledge. I allow myself for mistakes. This will remind me to check and review every work I do. My mistakes mostly are lacking of words and apostrophe. I often overlook it especially when I'm in a hurry.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

I agree with you. With mistakes being inevitable, we are always aiming to become better. Thus, we improve ourselves.

6 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

Reading this is such a relief for me. I have been having this problem and I thought for a while that it was just me and that I am getting to old to write without the aid of grammar tools. It is kind of a relief to know that this is something that happens to common writers.

6 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

I have missed question marks all my life. It cannot be an age thing at all. The brain tricks you into seeing the mark on the page although it is not there. It is a common thing and a reason why we need others to proof read and all these Grammar tools.

6 years ago

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jaymish3

jaymish3

I also have many problems with my punctuation. I also have many a problem with putting commas where they are not meant to be. If you have ever done transcription you know that punctuation is a big problem and every site that you work with has its own rules on punctuation and sometimes its hard to follow them. I also find that if you have the free version of Grammarly then it does not correct all your mistakes. Punctuation is a hard area yet some sites punish you harshly for the way that you use it. Even people who have been proofreaders are still learning the rules to punctuation.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

I agree. Commas are also my problem as I am not sure if I should put one or not. Even after using a tool, I still feel uncomfortable to where it should be placed.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

I do not know how the world would look like without the likes of Grammarly and other ingenius applications that are infused into keyboards to help with spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I see the red indications long after i have typed a complete sentence and I am always happy to be corrected since some of the errors are hidden and I could even have proofread without the help of the app and not found them.

6 years ago

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Novelangel

Novelangel

Missing punctuation is less of a problem for me than incorrect punctuation. I will often create these horrid run-on sentences that would be cured by breaking them up into smaller ones with periods as opposed to commas. I have to go back and review nearly every single line I type for this reason. Much of the time, if I would simply take more time with my writing, this problem wouldn't exist, but of course, I struggle with it on a daily basis.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

I have the same problems. I mean, I am not perfect, but I'm trying to improve in areas that I lack at. However, I there will always be times that I forget or even make mistakes in the usage of commas in sentences.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Blind-spots with my punctuation? No. Blind-spots with my spelling at times? Yes.

6 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

Glad you don't have problems with punctuation mistakes, as I do experience them all the time. And you are not alone with the spelling mistakes my friend, count me in too.

6 years ago

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anyone01

anyone01

Restrict yourself to at least one idea per sentence. And this isn't a brief exercise. Obey this rule each time you write. It clarifies. It simplifies. It is effortlessly readable. And because it might be the way you talk, it is natural.

6 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

This is the reason why I always go back and check my whole writing. As my thoughts keep on flowing, there are times that I forget to put a word or punctuation that will complete my sentence. This results to some grammar lapses in my writing. Usually with punctuations, I tend to forget to finish my sentence with the right punctuation because I often got carried away by the topic.

6 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

The thing is, you can check. But the brain has registered what you thought you wrote there, and it is not there at all. This means even if you are checking, you could miss something because you think it is there.

6 years ago

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axl2468

axl2468

Not really. The only frequent errors that I make during writing are writing typos, especially when I'm writing quickly. This has posed a major problem to me as I have developed a habit of checking my writing every 2-5 sentences as I have a severe anxiety problem. Pretty annoying, really.

6 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

I think that most of the time I am having an issue with regards on the comma and the period in each sentence. I usually forget to put some punctuation whenever I am in a hurry typing for my articles. The good thing is that I still check my writings and spend a few minutes looking on some errors and to check as well on the completeness of the data that I had made. It is really annoying to see that because of typing very fast we mostly commit some clerical errors which prohibit us from having a fast and accurate writings especially if we have some deadline that we need to fulfill.

6 years ago

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knnon

knnon

I think it happens because we are so focused on putting our thoughts into words that we just forget about putting that the right punctuation after the sentence. Don't worry I'm sure it happens to all of us. That's why it's always a good idea to re-read and check everything before starting on a new chapter.

6 years ago

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Bravosi

Bravosi

Another great thing would be to have a grammar punctuation checking programm/application. My friend who is a Freelancer uses that sort of application before submitting her writing work. I believe that application also instantly rates your job and gives you an approx rating.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I’ve heard a lot about the Grammar checking app called Grammarly and I really need to start using it. I think everyone can benefit from that kind of software!

6 years ago

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YoloBoy

YoloBoy

The problem I got with punctuations has to be ";" and ":". These are the two basic ones I really have a hard time with because I am not so good using them unless they are emoji eyes. I am not so sure if I would be using them that often anyways. Need some tips on this, anyone got any good ideas when to use these? Thanks.

6 years ago

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Jeane

Jeane

I'm very much like you. The question mark is something I frequently forget to add. Even after reading what I've written the first time I may not even notice that there isn't a question mark where it is supposed to be. Since I know this, I often read what I've written out loud, slowly. This way I usually catch and fix many punctuation mistakes.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I know what you mean, sometimes I too would put a period at the end of a question whenever I'm in a hurry to finish an article.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I know what you mean, sometimes I too would put a period at the end of a question whenever I'm in a hurry to finish an article.

6 years ago

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Franzel2oo

Franzel2oo

Every writer should definitely have this problem. You will have to be the most perfect man on earth to write without grammatical errors and typos. It's great to have tools like grammarly. It's also important to read over your work, and even more so, to have others read through to help you detect and fix such errors. One thing is clear. You are not alone in this.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I think the main cause of blind spots in punctuations is writing too fast.
Whenever a piece is hurriedly finish it's common to make some mistakes in punctuations.

6 years ago

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hstinscdln

hstinscdln

I too fail to check the punctuation marks of my works and I even miss out commas sometimes. There are also times that I commit mistakes as to what punctuation mark to use, especially if they have similar usage. I just apply what I have learned and what I think would sound best if I read it. Some say use translators such as google translate and have them read your work and listen to it very carefully to see if you missed out punctutation marks or used the wrong one. Haven't tried it though but I think it's pretty useful and helpful.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I rarely miss punctuations. But sometimes when I'm writing in a hurry, I would miss out on some punctuations like apostrophes and colons. That's why I would always check my written draft before sending it.

6 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

It happens to me all the time, and it's usually about the comma. I typically write long sentences without putting breaks between them, good thing I have a software that tells me those mistakes.

6 years ago

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cjctm11

cjctm11

I am having a hard time when it comes to the punctuation. There are times that I am confuse if I would put comma or a dot. It was helpful to read again your work so you could possibly spot those blindspot punctuations.

6 years ago

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rlpzbeermoney

rlpzbeermoney

I've always had troubles with punctuation. Specially when touse : ; and `. I'm glad tools like Grammarly exists to correct my work. When
I'm working, I worry more about the content than the punctuation and spelling.

6 years ago

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