Punctuation is one of the most commonly discussed topics when it comes to language and writing. Be it any language, adding punctuation to your writing has always created a break and meaning to it. Punctuations have always been an integral part of the language and writing process.
While the contemporary punctuation rules apply to every form of writing, there are some exceptions that work against the rules and tend to break or bend the traditions. And here, we are talking about poems. Poems have arguably the most free-flowing writing styles of all time, and if you are a poet, you have the freedom to experiment with all kinds of punctuation and grammar things.
Most poets experiment with the rules to uncover new meanings and nuances in their writing. Others prefer to maintain the rules and play by the game. However, when you choose to break the rules of punctuation, it’s essential to know the correct ways to manipulate what you have without detracting from the meaning or the concept.
Poetry is about freely flowing words and feelings, and you need to maintain certain standards when you decide to play with punctuation. While using punctuation might not be a common game among poets nowadays, it is always an essential component of writing.
In this blog, we will discuss the rules of punctuation in poetry, the best practices, and common mistakes that you need to avoid.
Understanding The Significance Of Punctuation In Poetry
There are certain rules that you need to follow while using punctuation in poetry. This is to ensure that the flow of the poem remains intact and there is no break. Below are some common rules that you can use to properly use punctuation in your poems and still make them sound amazing –
Commas for Brief Pauses in Stanzas
Commas are the best punctuation to use if you want to show pauses in your poem. Why commas work best is because they put a break in the flow of the sentences without actually putting a full stop, thus dividing the poem’s meaning as and when required.
For example – “As the Sun sets, the winds chime, and the waves roll, we see the dark, cleansing light.”
As we use commas correctly, the flow of the sentence is divided, making the readers focus and read each part carefully.
End Your Ideas Using Periods
While writing a poem, you can end the ideas by simply using a period. A period is a full stop that ends the sentence as and when required, ending the ideas for the readers to understand before reading and processing the next one.
For example – “The sea became silent yet again. This time, it was the wind that had done the magic.”
The period in the above sentence indicates to the reader where the flow has stopped. This helps them identify where the idea ends and the next begins.
Put an Emphasis on Dashes
A lot of people do not even know the actual use of dashes in poems – these punctuation symbols are used to add more depth to the sentence or create a specific focus point. Once you add a dash at the end of a sentence, it automatically creates a focus point and the readers are made to stand and check what is created.
For example – “She was waiting at the door – to find no one coming home.”
The dash in the above sentence makes the readers focus on what the poet wants to convey, about the character waiting at the door to find no one coming, but more emotionally and dramatically.
Use Colons for Introducing Ideas
Colons can be used in a poem to either introduce a new idea following the existing one or enter an extended version of the existing idea in the sentence. But what is the primary use? Once you put a colon in the middle of a sentence, it adds a more expectation angle to the sentence.
For example – “He told the cow: we don’t belong to the world”
Basic Practices of Punctuation in Poetry
There are certain basic practices that you can follow to perfectly fit the punctuation in their place. These practices help you navigate the use of punctuation marks in the correct places, creating just the meaning you want to achieve –
The Tone of a Poem & Punctuation Work Simultaneously
Make sure that the punctuation you use in your poems matches the tone of your poem. Different poem tones have different uses of punctuation, and you need to align them to maintain the tone throughout the writing piece.
For example – Love poems need small and subtle pauses with commas like “She looked through the window, to glance at him, inching closer to her embrace”
Dramatic poems need more dashes and should be short like “He flamed in anger – the girl of his dreams was long gone”
Try to Use Less Punctuation
As goes the trend, sometimes less punctuation usage brings out the best meaning and tone of the poem. The primary use of punctuation is to create divisions in ideas, but minimal punctuation ensures that the readers take their time to understand the pauses just through their understanding.
For example – “The river poured in
Bringing solace to the heart,
Clearing doubts off the mind
& Pains of the heart”
Ideas & Punctuations Go Hand-in-hand
Keep in mind that the punctuation you use in your poems should reflect the ideas and their division clearly. Since poems are free-flowing writing structures, readers need to be aware of the line breaks to understand the tone and message of the writer. In place of punctuation, line breaks can do the job without creating element clutters.
For example –
The winds blow,
The fires burn
Bringing in the cold & warmth
As the tides return.
Maintain Punctuational Consistency
Consistency is the key to getting things done successfully, and the same phenomenon works for poems and punctuation as well. If you aim to create a good poem, you need to maintain consistency and skip toggling between originality and experiments. Using punctuation heavily at the start and then skipping them completely by the end is not the way of writing.
Test Your Own Writing
One of the best practices to determine whether or not your poem has consistency and tonal accuracy is to recite your poem once it is done. You, as a writer, know where you want the line breaks and idea changes. So reciting and revising regularly is essential to bring out the best in your poem.
Avoid Some Common Mistakes In Poetry That Mentioned Below
There are a lot of common mistakes that writers tend to make while using punctuation in their poems. Some rules need to be followed, but below are the common grammatical errors that you need to avoid while preparing your poem –
Do Not Overuse Punctuation
This is one of the most common issues that writers tend to make while using punctuation in their poems. While punctuation symbols should be used as and when required to enhance the feel of the poem, most poets tend to overuse them. Putting something in a place it does not deserve anyhow makes it look and sound odd.
Missing Commas
Commas are primarily the most commonly used punctuation symbols. Commas mostly help in breaking the lines and adding stops to the flow of the poem without actually breaking them. So, missing out on commas can make your poem miss out on the needed breaks too.
Pointless Quotation Usage
Quotation marks are mostly used to quote an important aspect of the poem. But using them pointlessly for anything and everything random makes no sense and hampers the authenticity of the poem.
Excessive Use of Commas
We talked about the use of commas right above, where these punctuation marks create breaks in the flow of the poem. But a poem can’t have a lot of breaks, right? A lot of poets tend to overuse commas, putting them now and then. This hinders the flow of the poem and deviates the readers from the actual meaning of the writer.
Final Conclusion
It always depends on the writers if they want to follow the contemporary and traditional rules of using punctuation in their poems or want to experiment with limited or no use of punctuation. But, while using those, certain rules need to be followed so that the feel of the poem is not hampered.
Keeping this in mind can work a long way in creating an impact in the mind of the readers.
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