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Black Thursday

Rostrum The ancient narrow pathway had become so bad that they could not find their way to their destination as the three moved in a grey Honda Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) being piloted by Dayo who was very mindful of the steering. It was on a Thursday. The 35-year-old Misters Dayo, Emeka and Okon were old time friends who reunited just a few days ago at Nsukka in Enugu State having lost contacts about eight years back, or thereabouts, after their graduation from one of the reputable higher citadels of learning in Nigeria situated in the Eastern part of the country, precisely University of Nigeria Nsukka popularly known by its acronym ‘U.N.N’. What occasioned the long-awaited reunion was the convention of their alma-mater’s alumni body themed ‘The homecoming of UNN Alumni’, which usually held once in a blue moon. Though they never studied in the same department, they were conspicuously best of friends during their school days that people within bega...

The Power of Punctuation Marks

RostrumNews
When you write, be mindful of how you punctuate your wording. Read through each line to x-ray the individual meanings.

A punctuation mark can make or mar your writing sense. Adding a certain punctuation to a clause, or forgetting to add, could make your entire sentence or speech meaningful or meaningless, as the case may be.

For instance, when you write:
-- Sir, Dan was in the office yesterday.
-- Sir Dan was in the office yesterday.

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The two sentences above aren't the same, hence do not make same sense. By forgetting to add/remove the "coma" could instantly change the intended meaning of the highlighted clause.

Though the above instance is targeted to written words, same measure is applicable to spoken words. When speaking, or expressing yourself via oral speech, you're expected to present your words in accordance with the punctuations contained in the entire sentence or address. Failure to adhere to this would alter the actual meaning of your presentation, thereby 'frustrating' your audience.

Hence, formal/public writers and speakers of any language in existence are expected to invariably remain cautious of punctuation marks while delivering their speeches, whether written or spoken, respectively.

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Fred Nwaozor
6:10:2025