Quote

If a period is a stop sign, then what kind of traffic flow is created by other marks? The comma is a speed bump the semicolon is what a driver education teacher calls a “rolling stop” the parenthetical expression is a detour the colon is a flashing yellow light that announces something important up ahead the dash is a tree branch in the road.

Roy Peter Clark

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Roy Peter Clark
Age: 54
Teacher
Writer
New York City
New York
Education
Flow
Yellow
Bump
Semicolon
Light
Periods
Branches
Bumps
Colon
Important
Mark
Calls
Branch
Detour
Kind
Created
Sign
Marks
Announces
Something
Expression
Ahead
Driver
Comma
Tree
Speed
Traffic
Flashing
Teacher
Period
Drivers
Detours
Stop
Road
Rolling
Dash

More quotes by Roy Peter Clark

Image
Riffing on language will create wonderful effects you never intended. Which leads me to this writing advice: 'Always take credit for good stuff you didn't intend, because you'll be getting plenty of criticism in your career for bad stuff you didn't mean either.'
Roy Peter Clark
Image
Writing is not magic. It’s a craft, a process, a set of steps. As with any process, things sometimes break down. Even in a good story, the writer runs into problems. So the act of writing always includes problem solving.
Roy Peter Clark
Image
Without a serious study of journalism, there can be no understanding of citizenship, democracy, or community.
Roy Peter Clark
Image
Everyone should read, we say, but we act as if only those with special talent should write.
Roy Peter Clark
Image
Express your most powerful thought in the shortest sentence.
Roy Peter Clark
Image
For what good is freedom of expression if you lack the means to express yourself?
Roy Peter Clark