t permit it."

On the last morning of his life he wrote these words:--"I
have named none to their disadvantage. I thank God He hath
supported me wonderfully."

The colon and the dash are used together where the quotation is
introduced by formal words such as the following:--"He spoke these
words," "he spoke as follows," "he made this speech." But, in the
first sentence quoted above, the introductory words are grammatically
incomplete without the quotation, which forms the object of the verb
"says"; the colon accordingly is the strongest point that can be used.
Sometimes the connexion between the introductory words and the
quotation may be so close, or the quotation itself may be so short, as
to make the comma sufficient.

He kept repeating to us, "The world has sadly changed."

Short phrases quoted in the course of the sentence need not have any
point before them.

It was a usual saying of his own, that he had "no genius for
friendship."

XXVIII. The colon may be placed after such words and phrases as the
following, when used in marking a new stage in an argument:--Again,
further, to proceed, to sum up, to resume.

To sum up: If you will conform to the conditions I have
mentioned, I will sign the agreement.

But to bring this sermon to its proper conclusion: If
Astrea, or Justice, never finally took her leave of the
world till the day that, &c.

After these words, we have a choice of the comma, the colon, and the
full stop. The comma will generally be used if the argument be
contained in a single sentence; the full stop, if the argument be of
very considerable length.

THE POINT OF INTERROGATION

XXIX. The point of interrogation is placed after a direct question.

Where are you going, my pretty maid?

Whether of them twain did the will of his father?

The question may end in the middle of a sentence:

Is he happy? you ask.

We have sometimes the choice of putting the point of interrogation in
the middle or at the end of the sentence.

You would not consent to that, by whomsoever proposed.

You would not consent to that?--by whomsoever proposed.

There is a slight shade of difference in meaning; in the second form,
"by whomsoever proposed" is added as an afterthought.

XXX. Indirect questions are not strictly questions at all, and
therefore should not be followed by a point of interrogation.

He as