I saw an illustrative sentence in a "wordplay" book (or maybe it was in a usage book) several years ago and the first point of the sentence(which was about 10 to 12 words long) was that it it made "sense" with a comma after the first word. Then the comma was placed after the second word, at which point the meaning was changed, but the sentence still made sense. Then the comma was moved to the third word, with the same type of resulting changes, and so on until the comma was placed after the penultimate word of the sentence,with the meaning still changing and the sentence still making sense. It was a most perfect illustration of the importance of punctuation and how it affects the meaning of a sentence. The problem is that I cannot remember where I saw it, although I know it is in a book which I own. I'll keep looking, but meantime, if anyone knows of this sentence or can find it through the usual or unusual sources, please advise or post it up.
BTW, as lawyers, perhaps more than most, are well aware, the placement of a comma in a contract -particularly in an insurance policy - is often the difference beween winning and losing a case. Case law is replete with instances of judges seeking to decipher (Construe) intent from the presence or absence of a comma or from its placement in the sentence. Enough, for me, about commas for now. Let's reserve discussion about the "Oxford comma/Harvard comma" until another day.
Here's another challenge. Punctuate the following sentences. Simultaneous note and hint. The joke (It's a bit dodgey and very, very old) only works with "American" punctuation, not, e.g. British "full stop". Here are the sentences.
Fun Fun Fun Worry Worry Worry
This one, Bobyoungblatt, dates from the era when we were in college.
