The Art of Punctuation
&gt; But if the meaning is clear, I would ask students, why bother eliminating these mistakes? The answer is because not to do so is to risk offending people who know better, the educated, a small group, to be sure, some would even say an endangered species, but one that tends to be touchy about such matters.<p>I think you should &quot;follow the rules,&quot; not out of fear of offending someone but because following these guidlines results in writing that is easier to understand. Even when the &quot;meaning is clear,&quot; it can be made more clear (and have a greater result).<p>Compare<p>&gt; Hopefully, the professor will be able to seriously take the work on which I am presently engaged, which is, I believe, rather unique.<p>with<p>&gt; I hope the professor will take my unique work seriously.