Here are two letters in which the words are exactly the same, and in the same order. The only difference is punctuation. Which one would you prefer to receive?

LETTER ONE:

Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy–will you let me be yours?

Sally

LETTER TWO:

Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?

Yours,

Sally

Here’s another joke that relies on punctuation:

An English professor wrote the words: "A woman without her man is nothing" on the board and asked his students to punctuate it correctly. All of the MALES in the class wrote: "A woman, without her man, is nothing." While All the FEMALES in the class wrote: "A woman: without her, man is nothing."

It just goes to show how important punctuation is!