Making Sense of Complexity

"Geoffrey West doesn't eat lunch. His doctor says he has a mild allergy to food; meals make him sleepy and nauseated. When west is working- when he's staring at some scribbled equations on scratch paper or gazing out his window at the high desert- he subsists on caffeinated tea and the occasional sugar cookie. His gray hair is touseled ,and his beard has the longish look of neglect. It's clear that West regards the mundane needs of everyday life- feeding the body , trimming the whiskers- as little more than annoying distractions that draw him away from much more interesting problems. Sometimes West can seem jealous of his computer, this silent machine with no hungers or moods. All its needs is a power cord."

This passage from Imagine includes particularly interesting punctuation choices that the author made to engage the reader. First of all, the very first sentence ended after only five words. A short sentence is a dramatic way to catch the readers attention by briefly changing the tone of the writing. Choosing to use an end punctuation after only a few words works well to do so. Next, the semicolon that was used provides a pause in the passage for some clarifying information. In the middle of the passage, the author uses a set of hyphens twice. This also pauses the writing in order to emphasize some interesting characteristics of the man whom he is describing. The author also tends to use a great amount of commas. Lastly, the passage ends with another short-ish sentence.

The way this passage is punctuated reflects the way the author tends to write throughout this whole book well. His sentences are concise and to the point and as a result are easy to read. That being said, this book is very understandable and provides simple explanations and examples for a complex scientific subject. Although the writing is easy to read, it should be stated that sometimes the punctuation disrupts the flow. Constantly pausing to clarify and interject can be helpful, but also irritating. Punctuating like this is good in moderation but an excess can become too much.