While this section was once again very dense to get through, I found myself also interested in the importance of punctuation. Like many have pointed out, being an English major means having to go through the painful process of learning very precise grammar rules. However, the ways you can use punctuation to your advantage, whether through casual communication or a formal paper, far outweigh the task of learning the correct way to use it. As Kress points out, " Punctuation is the framing of an overall organization...It is a necessary condition of communication. 'Without framing, no meaning', we might say."
An example of the importance of communicating through punctuation is AIM. It sounds a lot different if you say something like "good luck with that" as opposed to "Good luck with that!! :)"
The whole tone is changed by adding exclamation points. I often find that is why things said on AIM can be very misinterpreted--if a person doesn't use punctuation to express their tone or attitude it can be very easy to take something the wrong way or not understand their subtle hints. This also applies to things like facebook wall posts and txt messages. The whole manner of the communication can be changed by "friendly" punctuation. Or using ellipsis to communicate the fact that you don't understand something.
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