' [ ; : & † … Symboly Amazing … † & : ; ] '

If it werent for punctuation then sentences would have no structure and would go on and on until there was no space left to write or type however they do exist and they help us add pauses during a sentence quote someone or something and ultimately end a sentence

I'm a punctuation advocate; it's a cause that means a lot to me. I donate to it every year.* Without punctuation we'd be stuck with hideous sentence structures like the introduction above.

* Donations are not made in monetary form

Whenever I can use colons and semicolons in the correct manner (and not look like a colon while doing it) I'm a happy guy. I understand now that in order for the semicolon to be effective there has to be two related independent clauses with no coordinating conjunction; I wonder what that means.

My favorite punctuation mark, which wins in both categories of appearance and sound, is the ampersand (&). I just love the way it sounds: am-per-sand. Say that a few times and let it roll off the tip of your tongue. You may notice that this isn't your everyday word. Most people I meet refer to it as the "and symbol." I cringe when I hear that. I feel almost like ampersand is some historical language and that it is losing its influence and I have been appointed to save it: the ancient ampersand. You might see it in many places, but its name always goes unmentioned. Procter & Gamble, Barnes & Noble, Ben & Jerry's, and Tiffany & Co are just a few you see on a daily basis. When someone asks what I like to do on Sunday afternoon I say, "I usually hang out at Barnes ampersand Nobles." It's a popular to way to refer to places like that, at least to me.

My second favorite punctuation symbol, winning second in the appearance category, is undoubtedly the dagger (†). The dagger is something we're used to seeing in text books and usually accompanies a chart or graph. When there is an exception to some rule in the chart like "Mark McGwire: 70 Home Runs*" an asterisk will be seen first. When a second exception occurs such as "all men are created equal†" then a dagger can be employed. It's either that or a double asterisk. But who wants to apply a double asterisk when you can use a dagger? If a third exception exists then you will see the double dagger (‡)! But that's like winning the lottery†. I've never seen a double dagger appear anywhere except when I make up my own exceptions in writing.

† Odds of winning the lottery are greater than seeing a double dagger (‡)

My last favorite punctuation symbol, winning second in the way it sounds, is the apostrophe ('). What a stunning arrangement of letters: a-pos-tro-phe. The way an apostrophe looks is sort of dull, but I like saying it. I like it when other people say it, too. If you really want to make me happy, try to fit in the word "apostrophe" into our next conversation. I might reward you‡.

‡ No actual awards will be given

~Anthans