Punctuation at Work - by Richard Lauchman (Paperback)

About the Book

Are drafting memos, composing emails, and other forms of written communication taking up too much of your workday? Discover the 18 commonsense punctuation principles that convey your meaning in a timely and professional manner.

Book Synopsis

Through his company the Lauchman Group, author Richard Lauchman has trained professionals in the area of business writing for over thirty years. Now, in this essential guide, he reveals how good punctuation is the key to clear written communication and to emphasizing ideas without the help of vocal tone or facial cues. Using eighteen common-sense grammar principles to live by, he teaches readers how to improve their business writing and provides them with the tools to make the whole process go a lot faster--doing away with time-wasting fretting over the placement of a mark and any confusion or accidental unprofessionalism in your compositions. In Punctuation at Work, you'll discover how to utilize all of the most important marks--from hyphens to semicolons to brackets to quotation marks . . . to ellipses--as well as how to overcome the eternal struggle between using "that" and "which," and much more. With hundreds of examples taken from today's workplaces, this book explains the many ways correct punctuation makes successful business writing a breeze.

From the Back Cover

You'll never be perplexed by punctuation again! With 19 easy rules of thumb and hundreds of illuminating examples, Punctuation at Work shows you how to wield commas, semicolons, dashes, quotation marks, apostrophes, and more with the precision you need to get your message across--clearly, accurately, and instantly.

Advance Praise for Punctuation At Work

"No longer is 'painless punctuation' a contradiction in terms. Richard Lauchman makes it not only painless, but actually fun, to think of commas, colons, semicolons, and apostrophes not as mysterious volatile substances that are likely to explode in your face, but rather as useable and helpful navigational tools, a global positioning system for the bewildering thicket we call English syntax." -- Michael E. Geisler, Ph.D., Vice President for Language Schools, Schools Abroad, and Graduate Programs and C.V. Starr Professor in Linguistics and Languages, MiddleburyCollege

"Who would ever have thought that a book on punctuation would make one laugh out loud!?! Dr. Lauchman has produced an important (and entertaining) guide for those who wish to write clearly. Well done!" -- Paul M. Hottle, Vice President of Human Resources and Dean of Retail Leadership Programs, Chevy Chase Bank

"Here at last is a book that explains punctuation in the way it should have been ex-plained all along. It clarifies many matters of style I now realize I had never truly understood. Reading it is like listening to a patient blacksmith explain his craft--simply, thoroughly, and most of all, practically. I recommend Punctuation at Work to all who care about the clarity and precision of their writing." -- Peter Zou, Vice President of Planning, Forecasting & Analysis, Freddie Mac

Through his company The Lauchman Group, Richard Lauchman has trained professionals in the area of business writing for over 25 years. He is the author of Plain Style and Write for Results, as well as The Plain Language Handbook, a resource widely used by both government agencies and corporations.

Review Quotes

"The book made me laugh out loud a number of times - something I thought impossible for a book about punctuation. Launchman employs powerful examples that make proper punctuation easy to understand and to put into practice." -- About.com Online Business/ Hosting

About the Author

RICHARD LAUCHMAN through his company The Lauchman Group, has been training professionals, in the area of writing, for over 25 years.