By Janine Ferren

Get ready for September 24: It’s National Punctuation Day! I’m confident that no one reading this article would have written “its” instead of “it’s” in the prior sentence. In fact, I’m willing to bet that it grates on the nerves of most of you when you see something like that.

Why is punctuation so important? Simply put, it can completely change the meaning of a sentence and it’s said that it can save lives. How can it save lives? Consider the sentence “Let’s eat, Grandma!” Leaving out the comma — “Let’s eat Grandma!” — completely changes the meaning of that sentence, and proves that, indeed, punctuation saves lives.

While many people may not have consciously considered punctuation since their elementary school days, it is a foundation of the court reporting industry. Court reporters sometimes (often) (frequently) obsess over comma placement, whether something should be quoted or hyphenated, or whether this is one of those opportunities where a semicolon is appropriate. And then it hits us: Does anyone care as much as we do about this stuff? Probably very few people do, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon ship and give up on proper punctuation. It does matter!

Here are a few more examples where incorrect or missing punctuation saves lives:

• “I like cooking my family and my pets.”
• A sign that reads “Hunters Please Use Caution When Hunting Pedestrians Using Walk Trails.”
• “We’re going to learn to cut and paste kids.”

And these two sentences are an example of how powerful punctuation is:

• “A woman, without her man, is nothing.”
• “A woman: Without her, man is nothing.”

What can you do to make sure you have good comma sense? Take the punctuation quiz at Britannica.com. Don’t worry; it’s just a game. There is no fear of losing lives over incorrect punctuation. Go ahead and use #NationalPunctuationDay in your social media posts. Be sure you know all 14 punctuation marks. Finally, remember not only to spellcheck but also to proofread so that you don’t send out a transcript containing an error that is “to embarrassing.”

Janine Ferren, RMR, CRR, is a freelance court reporter from Fishers, Ind. She serves on NCRA’s Proofreading Council and Contests Committee. She can be reached at janine@ferrenfamily.com.

· The EV360 theory prepares students for realtime careers.

· Rules of writing are the same as the English equivalent whenever possible; therefore, they are easily remembered and logical.

· Adults do not have the same capabilities of memorizing as compared to youngsters; therefore students are not required to memorize long lists of rules, lists of steno outlines, and lists of briefs. All rules are based on logic and common sense which eliminates burdensome memorizing.

· Initial and final sides are taught in the same lesson. Example: initial K- and final -K are taught together, therefore, the letters are more logical and easier to remember.

· Briefs are presented in a logical way as each new theory rule is taught. Briefs are taught beginning with the first lesson and relate to the rule in that lesson. Example: the brief for "can" is taught in the lesson introducing "K" along with other briefs many words using the letter "K."

· Phrases are also taught in a systematic, logical, and sequential manner.

· All states and contractions are written in one stroke employing a basic, logical, and easily remembered rule. As a result students learn one rule instead of 50 different outlines.

· Proper names are taught using a basic rule, and they are introduced and reinforced in every lesson.

· Adults need continuous review and reinforcement. Every new concept is repeated throughout the text, and every 5th lesson reviews and reinforces all previous material without introducing any new rules.

· Adults learn best when material is presented from the simple to the more complex and relates to previously learned concepts. Letters and new rules are introduced so that students learn to write automatically without thinking why or how a word is written.

· CAT technology is incorporated thereby eliminating many of the rules contained in other theories.

· The basic theory takes 15 weeks to learn. By the end of one term, students are able to write any English word; and most are writing good, clean notes at 80 words a minute.

· Punctuation and other common words are taught using both hands to eliminate stacking. Example: The period uses both index fingers: both initial and final R (R-R).

· Each lesson contains drills for finger dexterity and reinforcement.

· Number rules are gradually introduced throughout the textbook.

· CAT software is available for the EV360 theory.

· Advanced theory books include phrases and rules for conflict resolution.

· EV360 speedbuilding books are used to develop skill from 80 to 240 words per minute.

By: Kay Moody, Founder of CCR