Improve your writing with this helpful punctuation guide

True story: I’m a big fan of playing around with language and punctuation in my professional writing.

I like using a more colloquial tone in my content marketing because I feel it’s sometimes easier to read and understand ideas that are presented in a less formal way.

As informal as my writing is, I still want to know what’s up when it comes to basic rules, like knowing when to use a comma versus a semi-colon. So when I read about The Punctuation Guide via Lifehacker, I was like, “Yes, I will check this out.”

I was not disappointed. The Punctuation Guide is pretty legit.

What The Punctuation Guide Looks Like

Created by Jordan Penn, a “longtime enthusiast of American language, usage, and style,” The Punctuation Guide is super easy to use.

On the main page, you’ll see a collection of punctuation marks:

Click on each one, and you’ll get a great explanation of how to use the mark, with examples.

Interrobang‽ I mean, come on. How cool are you if you drop that word into conversation at a party? (VERY COOL)

If you hover over the headings at the top of the page, you see explanations of what each term means. Like with “Terminal Points,” as seen below (click to enlarge):

Other Features of The Punctuation Guide

The Punctuation Guide follows the rules of American grammar, and it takes care to explain the difference between American and British grammar. (I did not know there was a difference.)

There also is a section titled “Top Ten Punctuation Tips,” which gives you advice on topics such as “Use apostrophes correctly” and “Use commas to indicate nonessential information.”

I can’t help but think this guide will set straight those of us who always wondered about punctuation usage but didn’t want to sift through long, dry explanations.

What do you think?