In this article, the author talks about the use of punctuation and describes a study that confirmed her growing sense that all students need exposure to and instruction on the full repertoire of punctuation. In an attempt to assess how much of the eleventh graders know about the way professionals use punctuation, all teachers at Webster Thomas High in upstate New York began with a newspaper column. They selected an excerpt and removed all punctuation marks, replacing them with empty boxes. They then asked more than 200 juniors--the majority of the class--to read the article and to decide which punctuation marks fit best in the boxes. The study helped the author to confirm her more recent thinking: Although one always needs to be sensitive to readiness, one should ultimately hold nothing back from the writers. Punctuation is an important tool of expression. The author suggests that educators need to teach the full repertoire of punctuation so the weaker students feel empowered.