Yes, a comma can save lives

On July 23, Twitter users were shocked to read this tweet from AP:

The Associated Press        ✔ @AP Follow

BREAKING: Dutch military plane carrying bodies from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash lands in Eindhoven.

Nine minutes later, there was a clarification:

The Associated Press        ✔ @AP Follow

CLARIFIES: Dutch military plane carrying Malaysia Airlines bodies lands in Eindhoven.

But during those nine minutes, Twitter users must have been under the impression that there had been yet another aircrash.

And, as the Bangalore-based NewsMinute portal pointed out, some of the over three million followers of AP on Twitter took notice of the error and were quick to respond:

Khang @KhangSports Follow

Commas can save lives. RT @AP: BREAKING: Dutch military plane carrying bodies from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash, lands in Eindhoven.

Read the NewsMinute post in its entirety here: "How Associated Press created a flutter by missing a comma in a tweet".

• ADDITIONAL READING: "Everything you always wanted to know about the usage of punctuation marks (but were afraid to ask)".