Punctuation Without Tears: Punctuate Confidently - In Minutes! (Paperback or Softback)

'A powerful little book: sure-footed, simple, feisty, funny, and profoundly helpful'' Five Stars (The Independent)

Punctuate with confidence the easy way! A quick, funny, illustrated guide to all the punctuation you’ll ever need to know. Whether you want to master punctuation for school, university, creative writing, journalism, business or anything else, this zany little book abandons complex rules and offers simple guidance for British and US English.

In an easy and engaging style suitable for all ages, this short guide goes through all the common punctuation marks, explaining how to use each one, and showing how to avoid some of the commonest errors.

Using funny, memorable examples, it allows you quickly to master all the common punctuation marks: periods (full stops), commas, colons, semicolons, exclamation marks, question marks, dashes, hyphens, apostrophes, quotation marks, brackets, and ellipses. It also has sections on how to handle two punctuation marks next to each other, numbers, -ize and -ise, and a wealth of other style advice. Many of the chapters are brought to life with whacky illustrations.

- British and US English
- No technical jargon
- Clear examples

This book is for:
- Writers (fiction and non-fiction)
- Schools and colleges
- Business
- All ages

‘I wish every one of my students would read this!’
Professor of Physics, Oxford University

‘What a wonderful book!’
Director, Author School

‘A magical manual!’
Editor, Leading UK newspaper

‘Made me laugh and cheer’
Award-winning TV producer

Dominic Selwood is a journalist and bestselling author. Delia Johnson is a book illustrator.

 

 

“I wish every one of my students would read this! Be clear! Be creative! Be consistent!”

Professor Stephen Tucker — Department of Physics, Governing Body Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, UK

 

“This book will set you free. As concise as the rules it espouses, this book will put a smile on your face and a confidence in your fingers to write just the way you have always wanted to. Selwood tells us punctuation is flexible; use it as you do your voice and your words will find their home. A magical manual.”

Tim Gow — Sports News Editor, The Daily Express, UK

 

“This book will be a wonderful tool for writers from every walk of life in every age group. — It’s a keeper!”

Nettie Verdon — Teacher, Dubai, UAE

 

“What a wonderful book! A must-read for everyone. The fear is removed and a whole world of wonderful opportunities awaits you as a writer, storyteller, editor, and lover of language!”

Helen Lewis — Director of Literally PR. Co-Founder of The Author School and Hashtag Press, UK

 

“Essential reading for anyone wanting to impress with their CV”

James Innes — Bestselling careers author, UK and USA

 

“Selwood has done the impossible: he has produced a short and funny book on punctuation. Whether you are eight or eighty, you will want this indispensable guide beside you, as a reminder of all those rules you have been told, but have long since forgotten.”

Dr James W P Campbell — Bestselling author and Fellow of Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, UK

 

“This is everything I want from a book about punctuation: it made me laugh and cheer. Our children are being taught the odious SPAG [Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation] with rigid rules and no creativity. We all should be embracing punctuation with Selwood’s passion.”

Henrietta Mcmicking — Award-Winning BBC Producer, UK

 

“Dominic Selwood demystifies the — often arcane — rules of modern punctuation. Written in a lively tone, with the focus firmly on the essentials, he’ll have you telling your commas from your semicolons in no time! Highly recommended to anyone seeking to write with accuracy and verve.”

Dr Levi Roach — Lecturer and Award-Winning Author

Department of History, University of Exeter. UK