ared to fit it to their needs.

Any treatise consisting, as this one necessarily does, mainly of rules
is practically useful only as a basis for constant and persistent drill.
It is, of course, valuable for reference, but the emergencies of the
day's work leave no time for consultation. These rules must be learned,
and not only learned but assimilated so that their correct application
becomes instinctive and instantaneous. This result can be secured only
by practice. Hence the emphasis laid on the exercises indicated in the
paragraphs introductory to the review questions.

CONTENTS

PAGE
INTRODUCTION 1

THE COMMA 7

THE SEMICOLON 14

THE COLON 16

THE PERIOD 18

THE DASH 20

THE PARENTHESIS 23

THE BRACKET 25

THE INTERROGATION 26

THE EXCLAMATION 27

THE APOSTROPHE 28

THE HYPHEN 30

QUOTATION MARKS 31

GENERAL REMARKS 34

SUMMARY 35

SUPPLEMENTARY READING 36

REVIEW QUESTIONS 37

GLOSSARY OF TERMS 40

PUNCTUATION

INTRODUCTION

Punctuation is a device by which we aid words to tell their story. Words
have done this at times without such aid, and may now do so, but at
constant risk of serious misunderstanding. This can be easily seen by
reading the following lines printed as they would have been written in
an ancient manuscript.

WETHEPEOPLEOFTHEUNITEDSTATES
INORDERTOFORMAMOREPERFECT
UNIONESTABLISHJUSTICEINSUREDO
MESTICTRANQUILITYPROVIDEFOR
THECOMMONDEFENCEPROMOTETHE
GENERALWELFAREANDSECURETHE
BLESSINGSOFLIBERTYTOOURSELVES
ANDOURPOSTERITYDOORDAINAND
ESTABLISHTHISCONSTITUTIONFOR
THEUNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA

Probably this particular passage could be read without danger of serious
misunderstanding. The two well-known passages which follow, however, are
cases where either a simple statement may become a ridiculous travesty
or a serious arraignment may become a eulogy by punctuation.

Punctuate the following so as to express two very different meanings:

Lord Palmerston then entered on his head a white hat upon his feet
large but well polished boots upon his brow a dark