History Main / PunctuationChangesTheMeaning

* When Creator/MichaelJFox joined the Screen Actors Guild, there was already a Michael Fox in the SAG. He thought about using his middle initial "A" (for Andrew), but he wanted to avoid headlines like "Michael, A Fox!" (or [[CanadaEh "Michael 'Eh?' Fox"]]), so he adopted the middle initial "J" in homage to actor Creator/MichaelJPollard.

* In a bit of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fan art by Jargon Scott, [[https://www.derpibooru.org/images/2369475 Trixie wears a t-shirt with the message "NO FAT CHICKS"]]. In the followup picture, Twilight objects to the shirt and tells Trixie to change it--and Trixie complies by adding a comma and exclamation mark: [[https://www.derpibooru.org/images/2369490 "NO, FAT CHICKS!"]]

[[folder:Film--Animated]]

* In ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream,'' the introduction to the ShowWithinAShow, delivered by carpenter Peter Quince, is punctuated so that every sentence means the opposite of what is clearly intended (the implication being that Quince is nervous or just plain bad at line delivery). It's {{Lampshaded}} by the InUniverse audience.
-->If we offend, it is with our good will.
-->That you should think, we come not to offend,
-->But with good will. To show our simple skill,
-->That is the true beginning of our end.
-->Consider then we come but in despite.
-->We do not come as minding to content you,
-->Our true intent is. All for your delight
-->We are not here. That you should here repent you,
-->The actors are at hand and by their show
-->You shall know all that you are like to know.

-->1. "Fuck bitches, get money" -- disregard women and instead focus on aquiring [sic] currency
-->2. "Fuck bitches, get money" -- have affairs with women and get paid
-->3. "Fuck bitches, get money" -- disregard women, have an understanding of finances
-->4. "Fuck bitches, get money" -- have affairs with women and an understanding of finances
-->5. "Fuck, bitches get money" -- damn, women are getting paid
-->6. "Fuck, bitches get money" -- damn, women have a profoud [sic] understanding of finances
-->7. "Fuck, bitches, get money" -- damn it, women, go acquire currency

* In a 1787 letter from Angelica Church to UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton, she addressed him as "Indeed my dear, Sir?" In his reply, Alexander teasingly pointed out the mislaid comma with "Adieu ma chère, soeur", (Good-bye my dear, sister.) since in French the word for "sister" sounds a bit like "sir".

* In 2018, a Federal Court sided with three drivers from a dairy in Maine in their lawsuit for overtime pay. Maine law made "The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of: (1) Agricultural produce; (2) Meat and fish products; and (3) Perishable foods." exempt from overtime. [[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/08/584391391/maine-dairy-drivers-settle-overtime-case-that-hinged-on-an-absent-comma As NPR points out]] the problem was with ''"packing for shipment '''or''' distribution of"'' - is this one activity or two that are barred from overtime? The comma cost the dairy '''$50,000''' for each driver in back overtime pay.

->'''Katrina''': The man was a pedophile/murderer.\\

'''Katrina:''' No Tom, not a pedophile ''dash'' murderer. A pedophile ''slash'' murderer!\\

* ''Series/TheElectricCompany'' has sketch about the importance of punctuation takes place in a courtroom. The plaintiff is a farmer who is charging a man who fished in his pond with trespassing and fishing in a posted no fishing zone. He holds up a sign that he had posted in the pond that says, "PRIVATE PROPERTY NO FISHING ALLOWED." He says he meant the sign to say "Private Property. No Fishing Allowed." The defendant says that since the sign had no punctuation, he assumed that it meant "Private Property? No, Fishing Allowed."

* In a 1787 letter from Angelica Church to Alexander Hamilton, she addressed him as "Indeed my dear, Sir?" In his reply, Alexander teasingly pointed out the mislaid comma with "Adieu ma chère, soeur", (Good-bye my dear, sister.) since in French the word for "sister" sounds a bit like "sir".

* In 2006, the "[[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-2-million-comma/article18169907/ $2-million comma]]" allowed Alliant Inc. to end a contract with Rogers Communications early and surprise them with a rate hike. The court agreed that the second comma allowed the contract to be ended during its initial term, which Rogers hadn't intended:

* There's a bot on Website/{{Reddit}} that takes cues from the [[https://xkcd.com/37/ xkcd comic]] by automatically searching for phrases with "[descriptor] ass [thing]" in posts and replying to them with the same phrase but with a hyphen placed after "ass" so it reads, "[descriptor] ass-[thing]".

* This can occasionally happen with trope names on Website/TVTropes, thanks to the custom title system which allows punctuation to be added to trope names without altering the URL. For instance, StopHavingFunGuys was originally meant to be the kind of thing that type of person would say: "Stop having fun, guys!" But through custom titling, the name was changed to refer to the kind of people who have that attitude.

* When Creator/MichaelJFox joined the Screen Actors Guild, there was already a Michael Fox in the SAG. He thought about using his middle initial "A" (for Andrew), but he wanted to avoid headlines like "Michael, A Fox!" (or [[CanadaEh "Michael 'Eh?' Fox"]], so he adopted the middle initial "J" in homage to actor Michael J. Pollard.

* When Creator/MichaelJFox joined the Screen Actors Guild, there was already a Michael Fox. He thought about using his middle initial "A" (for Andrew), but he wanted to avoid headlines like "Michael, A Fox!" (or [[CanadaEh "Michael 'Eh?' Fox"]], so he adopted the middle initial "J" in homage to actor Michael J. Pollard.

* A cartoon from ''Magazine/TheNewYorker'' has a teacher object to a child's drawing subtitled "Happy Mothers' Day" instead of "Happy ''Mother's'' Day." The child clarifies that he HasTwoMommies.

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: After 11 years off.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "lovin that cali lifestyle!!"

* ''Literature/EatsShootsAndLeaves'' teaches the difference between "eats, shoots and leaves" and "eats shoots and leaves". The panda does the latter after either misreading a wildlife guide or reading a wildlife guide that included the comma after "eats".

* In ''Series/BigTimeRush'', the hotel manager tried to ban children and teens from swimming in the pool by putting up a sign: "Private No Kids Allowed." The protagonists scribbled on the sign with a marker to make it say "Private? No! Kids Allowed!" so they can use the pool.

-->We do not come as minding to contest you,

* In''{{Theatre}}/AMidsummerNightsDream,'' the introduction to the ShowWithinAShow, delivered by carpenter Peter Quince, is punctuated so that every sentence means the opposite of what is clearly intended (the implication being that Quince is nervous or just plain bad at line delivery).

-->'''Katrina''': The man was a pedophile/murderer.

->-- ''WesternAnimatiob/BoJackHorseman'', "lovin that cali lifestyle!"