Chapter V: Punctuation (2)

Every year that is added to the age of the world, serves to lengthen the thread of its history.

He that gives a portion of his time and talent to the investigation of mathematical truth, will come to all other questions with a decided advantage over his opponents.

In the following sentence, a comma after “them” might not be improper (for we once heard a reader place a pause after “attacked”),—but we shall not attack one of General Sherman’s sentences, lest we “get the worst of it.”

During this campaign hundreds if not thousands of miles of similar intrenchments were built by both armies, and as a rule whichever party attacked one of them got the worst of it.—_Memoirs Gen. W. T. Sherman._

OBS. 18. Whether a comma should be inserted after the verb _to be_, when that verb is followed by an infinitive clause which might by transposition be made the nominative, is a question on which the best authorities differ.

_First Method._—The highest art of the mind of man is to possess itself with tranquillity in the hour of danger. {p108}

_Second Method._—The highest art of the mind of man is, to possess itself with tranquillity in the hour of danger.

We are of opinion that usage is in favor of the omission of the comma, as in the following examples:

The proposed object of the Union Dictionary is to comprehend at once all that is truly useful in Johnson, Sheridan, and Walker.—_Thomas Browne._

The grandest of all conditions is to be at once healthy and wise and good.—_D’Arcy Thompson._

OBS. 19. When the subject is an infinitive phrase, the better method is not to separate it; as, “To be totally indifferent to praise or censure is a real defect in character.” Still there is excellent authority for inserting a comma, thus: “To be totally indifferent to praise or censure, is a real defect in character.” In sentences of this kind we advise the proof-reader to omit the comma unless the author is uniform in the insertion of it.

OBS. 20. Some grammarians set off by a comma the predicate, when it refers to separated nominatives preceding it; as, “The benches, chairs, and tables, were thrown down.” And, again, we find this example given: “Veracity, justice, and charity, are essential virtues.” So, in the ordinances of the City of Boston, “if any person or persons shall roast any cocoa,” without having complied with certain conditions, “he, she, or they, shall forfeit and pay for every such offense,” etc.,—a comma appearing after _they_, although a conjunction precedes it. But the weight of authority is against separating the last noun or pronoun of such compound subject from the verb when the conjunction is used. The last quotation, above given, should read, “he, she, or they shall forfeit,” etc.

23. A comma should be placed before or after a word or phrase, to associate it with the group to which it belongs, if, without the comma, the sentence would be equivocal; and generally, a comma may be inserted wherever its use will prevent ambiguity.

This man, only cared to lay up money.

This man only, cared to lay up money.

Whoever lives opprobriously, must perish.

The first maxim among philosophers is, that merit only, makes distinction. {p109}

The delight which I found in reading Pliny, first inspired me with the idea of a work of this nature.—_Goldsmith._

My communication was offered and refused.

My communication was offered, and refused on account of its length.

OBS. 21. We recently met with this last sentence, pointed as follows: “My communication was offered and refused, on account of its length”; but it is not easy to see why the length of a communication should be assigned as the reason for having offered it.

“Every favor a man receives in some measure sinks him below his dignity.”—_Goldsmith._

OBS. 22. A comma should have been placed after _receives_.

24. No comma is put between two words or phrases in apposition, following the verbs _think_, _name_, _make_, _consider_, and others of a similar meaning.

They made him their ruler.

They called him captain.

They saluted him king.

I esteem you my friend.

Believing him an honest man, we elected him treasurer.

We constituted our Secretary a depositary of German books.

I consider him a gentleman.

OBS. 23. Of the terms in apposition, one is the subject, and the other the predicate, of _to be_, understood (“They made him _to be_ their ruler”). The rule might, therefore, be worded thus: When, of two terms in apposition, one is predicated of the other, no comma is required.

25. In a compound sentence, the comma is often inserted where a verb is omitted.

In literature, our taste will be discovered by that which we give; our judgment, by that which we withhold.

Wit consists in finding out resemblances; judgment, in discerning differences. {p110}

In the pursuit of intellectual pleasure lies every virtue; of sensual, every vice.

Sheridan once observed of a certain speech, that all its facts were invention, and all its wit, memory.

OBS. 24. But sometimes the comma is not inserted: especially when the style is lively; when the clauses have a common relation to something that follows; or when they are connected by a conjunction.

Could Johnson have had less prejudice, Addison more profundity, or Dryden more time, they would have been well qualified for the arduous office of a critic.

The Germans do not appear so vivacious, nor the Turks so energetic, as to afford triumphant demonstrations in behalf of the sacred weed.

The boat was tight, the day fine, the bait tempting, and the fishes hungry.

26. A short quotation, a remarkable expression, or a short observation somewhat in manner of a quotation, is set off by the comma.

Plutarch calls lying, the vice of slaves.

It hurts a man’s pride to say, I do not know.

Cicero observed to a degenerate patrician, “I am the first of my family, but you are the last of yours.”

An upright minister asks, what recommends a man; a corrupt minister, who.

There is an old poet who has said, “No deity is absent, if prudence is with thee.”

They tell me here, that people frequent the theater to be instructed as well as amused.

The old proverb, “Too much freedery breeds despise,” is now rendered, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

OBS. 25. When the introductory clause is short, the comma may be omitted; as “Charles Fox said that restorations are the most bloody of all revolutions.”—“Madame de Staël admits that she discovered, as she grew old, the men could not find out that wit in her at fifty, which she possessed at twenty-five.” {p111}

27. Numbers are divided by the comma into periods of three figures each.

The distance of the sun from the earth is usually stated at 95,000,000 miles.

OBS. 26. In a number expressing the year of an era, the comma is not used; as, July 4, 1876. In tabular work it is very neat and convenient to omit the comma, as in the following example:

The number of letters in 1600 lbs. of Pica is as follows:

a 17000 b 3200 c 6000 d 8800 e 24000, etc.

OBS. 27. In some offices the style requires all numbers less than 1,000 to be expressed in words; 1,000 and upwards in figures. Some printers insert the comma before hundreds, only when five figures or more occur.

28. Restrictive phrases or clauses are not set off by the comma.

He reviewed such regiments _as were armed with Enfield rifles_.

They flatter the vanities of those _with whom they have to do_.

Attend to the remarks _which the preacher is about to make_.

Bishop Watson most feelingly regrets the valuable time _he was obliged to squander away_.

A false concord in words may be pardoned in him _who has produced a true concord_ between such momentous things _as the purest faith and the profoundest reason_.

“He is known by his company” is a proverb _that does not invariably apply_.

Cattle _which live in herds_, are subject to various diseases. {p112}

OBS. 28. Adjective elements which are simply descriptive, and not restrictive, should be set off by commas; thus:

Cattle, which live in herds, are subject to various diseases.

The first verse of the fourteenth chapter of Job, in the King James Bible, reads:

Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

The Douay Bible reads:

Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.

The Protestant Episcopal Burial Service points correctly:

Man, that is born of a woman, hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery.

V. THE NOTE OF INTERROGATION.

29. The note of Interrogation is placed at the end of a direct question.

Can gold gain friendship?

Is that the best answer you can give to the fourteenth cross-interrogatory?

Is any among you afflicted?

Oh, lives there, Heaven, beneath thy dread expanse,
One hopeless, dark idolater of Chance?

OBS. 29. When several distinct questions occur in succession, the practice of some writers is to separate them by commas or semicolons, placing the question-mark at the close only; as:

“Where was Lane then; what was his situation?”—_Trial of Selfridge._

“Am I Dromio, am I your man, am I myself?”

This we regard as incorrect. Each several question should have the interrogation point.

_Dro. S._ Do you know me, sir? am I Dromio? am I your man? am I myself? {p113}

_Rosalind._ What did he when thou saw’st him? What said he? How looked he? Wherein went he? What makes he here? Did he ask for me? Where remains he? How parted he with thee? and when shalt thou see him again?

OBS. 30. If several questions in one sentence are joined by connectives, each question takes the note of interrogation. “Have I not all their letters to meet me in arms by the ninth of the next month? and are they not, some of them, set forward already?”

OBS. 31. When a sentence contains several interrogative clauses, having a common relation to, or dependence on, one term, a single interrogation point is sufficient.

“Was I, _for this_, nigh wrecked upon the sea;
And twice by awkward wind from England’s bank
Drove back again unto my native clime?”

“By sensational preaching do you mean an incoherent raving about things in general and nothing in particular; a perversion of every text; an insult of common sense; a recital of anecdotes which are untrue, and a use of illustrations which are unmeaning?”

Who will count the value to a man to be raised one remove higher above the brute creation; to be able to look with the eye of intelligence, instead of vacant ignorance, upon the world in which he lives; to penetrate as far as mortals may into the mystery of his own existence, and to be made capable of enjoying the rational delights of that existence; to be protected by his knowledge from every species of quackery, fanaticism, and imposture; and to know how to estimate and use the gifts which a beneficent Creator has spread around him?—_Prof. L. Stevens, Girard Coll._

“What can preserve _my life_, or what destroy?”

NOTE.—An assertion stating a question does not take the interrogation point; as, “The question is, what lenses have the greatest magnifying power.”

VI. THE NOTE OE EXCLAMATION.

30. The note of Exclamation is applied to expressions of sudden or violent emotion; such as surprise, grief, joy, love, hatred, etc.

O piteous spectacle! O noble Cæsar! O woful day!

An old lady one day importuning Mahomet to know what {p114} she ought to do, in order to gain Paradise,—“My good lady,” answered the Prophet, “old women never get there.”—“What! never get to Paradise!” returned the matron in a fury. “Never!” says he, “for they grow young by the way!”

Why was this heart of mine formed with so much sensibility! or why was not my fortune adapted to its impulse! Poor houseless creatures! The world will give you reproaches, but will not give you relief.

Ah! well of old the Psalmist prayed
“Thy hand, not man’s, on me be laid!”
Earth frowns below, Heaven weeps above,
And man is hate, but God is love!

31. The exclamation point is used in invocations.

Father of all! in every age adored.

Gentle spirit of sweetest humor who erst did sit upon the easy pen of my beloved Cervantes!

Oh, my brothers! oh, my sisters!
Would to God that ye were near!

32. Several exclamation points are sometimes used together, to express ridicule, or to intensify surprise, etc.

Malherbe observed, that a good poet was of no more service to the church or the state, than a good player at _ninepins_!!

VII. THE DASH.

33. The Dash is used where a sentence breaks off abruptly.

_Charles._ You must invent some ingenious subterfuge—some—some kind of—

_Project._ I understand; not a _suggestio falsi_, but a mild _suppressio veri_. {p115}

_Charles._ Oh, is that what you call it? There is a shorter word—

_Project._ There is; but it is not professional.

I shall divide the subject into fifteen heads, and then I shall argue thus—but, not to give you and myself the spleen, be contented at present with an Indian tale.

34. The dash is used before and after a parenthetic clause, when not closely enough connected to admit the comma.

But it remains—and the thought is not without its comforting significance, however hardly it may bear on individual cases—that no bestowal of bounty, no cultivation of the amenities of life, . . . can wipe out the remembrance of even doubtful loyalty in the day of trial.

OBS. 32. If a parenthetic clause is inserted where a comma is required in the principal sentence, a comma should be placed before each of the dashes inclosing such clause. (_See_ last paragraph on p. 90).

I should like to undertake the Stonyshire side of that estate,—it’s in a dismal condition,—and set improvements on foot.

35. Several clauses having a common dependence, are separated by a comma and a dash from the clause on which they depend.

To think that we have mastered the whole problem of existence; that we have discovered the secret of creation; that we have solved the problem of evil, and abolished mystery from nature and religion and life,—leads naturally to a precipitation of action, a summary dealing with evils, etc. (_See_ Example and Obs. under Rule 7.)

36. The dash is used with the comma, the semicolon, and the colon, which it lengthens, or renders more emphatic. {p116}

We read of “merry England”;—when England was not merry, things were not going well with it. We hear of “the glory of hospitality,” England’s pre-eminent boast,—by the rules of which all tables, from the table of the twenty-shilling freeholder to the table in the baron’s hall and abbey refectory, were open at the dinner-hour to all comers.—_Froude._

_Matricaria_, _n._ A genus of plants, including the feverfew, or wild camomile;—so called from the supposed value of some species as remedies for certain disorders.—_Webster’s Dictionary._

They did it without being at all influenced by the Anabaptists of the continent:—the examples of some of these had rather kept them together.—_D’Aubigne._

37. When words are too closely connected to admit a strictly grammatical point, the dash is used to denote a pause.

My hopes and fears
Start up alarmed, and o’er life’s narrow verge
Look down—on what? A fathomless abyss.

The king of France, with twice ten thousand men,
Marched up the hill, and then—marched down again.

38. When a word or phrase is repeated emphatically, or _echoed_, it is preceded by the dash.

The immediate question is upon the rejection of the President’s message. It has been moved to reject it,—to reject it, not after it was considered, but before it was considered!

The world continues to attach a peculiar significance to certain names,—a significance which at once recurs to one on hearing the isolated name unapplied to any individual.

39. An equivalent expression, or an idea repeated in different words, is properly set off by the comma and dash. {p117}

These are detached thoughts,—memoranda for future use.

Wolsey’s return to power was discussed openly as a probability,—a result which Anne Boleyn never ceased to fear.

There are three kinds of power,—wealth, strength, and talent.

The value of our actions will be confirmed and established by those two sure and sateless destroyers of all other things,—Time and Death.

The present time has one advantage over every other,—it is our own.

Those who submit to encroachments to-day are only preparing for themselves greater evils for to-morrow,—humiliation or resistance.

OBS. 33. In a portion of the examples under this rule, the dash appears to supply the place of _viz._, or _namely_.

40. A dash placed between two numbers indicates that the natural series between those numbers is understood.

OBS. 34. If a writer refer to “pp. 90, 95,” he means those two pages only; but if he cite “pp. 90–95,” the reference is to pages 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, and 95.—In dates of the same century, the figures denoting the century are omitted in the second number: “He has the Farmer’s Almanac for 1810–70,—sixty-one years.” (It will be observed, that, under this rule, the short or _en_ dash is used.)

The style of the Government Printing Office, Washington, requires an apostrophe to denote the elision of the centuries; as 1889–’90.

41. An Ellipsis of letters is denoted by a dash.

Ex-President J—ns—n. King F—der—ck W——m.

42. When a sentence is abrupted (1) to form a heading, or (2) for a signature, or (3) to admit a {p118} new paragraph, or for other purposes, a dash is used at the break; as:

From the preceding tables we are now able to formulate in concise language the—

GRAND RESULT.

1. The number of employees . . . is at least 1,250,000.—_Mass. Labor Report._

It is useless for you to dissemble in the presence of—

Yours, etc. JOHN SMITH.

The greatest cowards in our regiment were the greatest rascals in it. There was Sergeant Kumber and Ensign—

We’ll talk of them, said my father, another time.—_Sterne._

VIII. VARIOUS MARKS USED IN WRITING AND PRINTING.

The Hyphen is used to denote the division of a word into syllables; as, _in-ter-dict_: it is placed at the end of a line (usually at the close of a syllable), when a word is not finished: and it connects the parts of a compound word; as, “At Cambridge, Cecil was present at the terrible and _never-to-be-for- gotten_ battle between Cheke and Gardiner on the pronunciation of the Greek epsilon, which convulsed the academic world.” (_See_ p. 84, _et seq._)

The Apostrophe is used to abbreviate a word; as, _’tis_ for _it is_, _tho’_ for _though_, _don’t_ for _do not_. It denotes the possessive case; as, “John’s hat,” “three years’ service,” “one hour’s work,” “two days’ notice,” “Smith & Co.’s shops,” “Brook’s book,” “Brooks’s book.” It appears in names; as, O’Brien; M’[Mac]Mahon. {p119}

In French, no space is put after an apostrophe denoting elision; as, “d’or”: in Italian, a space is inserted, as, “n’ arrivi.”

A turned comma sometimes denotes the _ac_ in _Mac_; as, _MʻDonough_.

Two commas (usually turned) are often used instead of _do._ (_ditto_).

Carving knives Pocket ʻʻ Case ʻʻ

Book of History.
,, ,, Chemistry.
,, ,, Algebra.

Quotation marks [“” or ‟”] are used to include a copied passage. If the copied passage itself contains a quotation, the latter is denoted by single marks [‘’ or ‛’]; as, “My father said in banter, ‘James, the notes are not correct.’ The farmer dryly answered, ‘I dinna ken what they may be _noo_; but they were a’ richt afore ye had your fingers in amang ’em.’”

In some publications a little labor is saved by using single marks for the principal quotations, and double if there happen to be inserted ones; as in a recent novel by Mrs. Humphrey Ward:

‘To plunge into the Christian period without having first cleared the mind as to what is meant in history and literature by “the critical method” which in history may be defined,’ etc.

The same neat style is used in Max Müller’s Translation of Kant:

What Kant felt in his heart of hearts we know from some remarks found after his death among his papers. ‘It is {p120} dishonorable,’ he writes, ‘to retract or deny one’s real convictions, but silence in a case like my own, is the duty of a subject; and though all we say must be true, it is not our duty to declare publicly all that is true.’—_Preface._

Brackets are used to inclose words omitted by a writer or copyist; as, “Were you [on the] deck of the steamer at the [time] of the collision?” (In the Holy Scriptures, supplied words are put in italics: “Because _they sought it_ not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the law.”) Explanations inserted in text are usually inclosed in brackets; as in the following instance, from “The Life of Dr. Goldsmith”: “You see, my dear Dan, how long I have been talking about myself. [_Some mention of private family affairs is here omitted._] My dear sir, these things give me real uneasiness,” etc.

Marks of Parenthesis are used to inclose a sentence, or part of a sentence, which is inserted in another sentence: “One Sunday morning, when her daughter (afterwards Lady Elton) went into the kitchen, she was surprised to find a new jack (recently ordered, and which was constructed on the principle of going constantly without winding up) wholly paralyzed and useless.”

The Index [☞] is used to draw attention to some particular passage. Sometimes an Asterism [⁂] is used for the same purpose. Where there are many footnotes on a page, the Index is a proper reference mark. {p121}

The Caret [‸] is used in writing, to denote the point where an interlineation is to be inserted. It is sometimes used in printing when the exact character of a manuscript is to be represented,—as in “exhibits” in law work.

The Brace is used to connect a number of words with one common term; and sometimes in poetry, to connect three lines which rhyme together:

Moore’s Works, Saurin’s Sermons, $1.75 each. Lewis’s Plays,

Injustice, swift, erect, and unconfined, Sweeps the wide earth, and tramples o’er mankind, While prayers, to heal her wrongs, move slow behind.

Marks of Ellipsis or Omission are the dash; as, “Col. Sm—h”: or asterisks; as, “Col. Sm**h”: or, neatest of all, points; as, “Col. Sm . . h.”

Leaders are dots which lead the eye from something on the left of the page, to some connected matter on the right:

Globe Insurance Co. . . . . . London, Eng. Mutual Life In. Co. . . . . . Hartford, Conn.

Accents are the Grave [`], the Acute [´], and the Circumflex [^]: è is read by the copy-holder _grave e_; é, _acute e_; ê, _circumflex e_.

Marks of Quantity are the Long, as over _o_ in “shōw”; the Short, or Breve, as over _o_ in “nŏt”; and the Diæresis, which denotes that the latter of {p122} two vowels is not in the same syllable as the former; as, “zoölogy,” “Antinoüs.”

The Cedilla is a curve line under the letter _c_, to denote that it has the sound of _s_; as in “garçon,” “façade.” It appears in words from the French language. Worcester uses it also to denote the soft sounds of _g_, _s_, and _x_; as in “mişle,” “ex̧aģģerate.” Webster uses it only to denote the soft sound of _c_, as in “min-çing-ly.” We remark here, by the way, that in dividing such words as “bra-cing,” “min-cing,” “convin-cing,” etc., the _c_ should be carried over, thereby preserving its proper sound. For a similar reason divide “enga-ging,” “ra-ging,” etc., on the _a_. Whether “ma-gis-trate” should follow this rule is a matter of style. There are offices which so divide it, while others divide on the _g_. We prefer to syllable the word as we have written it,—on the _a_.

The Spanish ñ has the sound of _n_ in _onion_; as, “Señor,” “cañon.”

Umlaut (pron. ōōmlowt), as defined by Webster, is the change or modification of a vowel sound, peculiar to the Germanic languages; as in German, _Mann_, man, _Männer_ or _Maenner_, men. The name _Roelker_ may also be written _Rölker_.

¶ denotes the beginning of a paragraph, as may be noticed in the Sacred Scriptures. In proof-reading and in manuscript, it is used to denote where a paragraph or break should be made. {p123}

§ denotes a section; §§, sections; as, Gen. Stat., Chap. IX., § 19, and Chap. X., §§ 20 and 21.

Reference to notes at the bottom of the page (commonly termed footnotes) is usually made by the asterisk, *, the obelisk, or dagger, †; the double obelisk, or double dagger, ‡; the section, §; the parallels, ‖; the paragraph, ¶; and the index, ☞;—but a neater mode is to use superiors; as, ^{1, 2, 3,} or ^{a, b, c,} commencing with ^{1} or ^{a} on each page where notes occur.

In concluding our chapter on punctuation, we venture to say to our friends at the case, that, in our opinion, no system of pointing can be of uniform and universal application. Men differ as much in style of writing as in personal appearance, and we might as well expect the same robe to fit all forms, as that one set of rules shall nicely apply to the endless diversities of diction.

Other things being equal however, he who has paid most attention to rule will punctuate with the nearest approximation to correctness. With a clear understanding of an author’s meaning, the compositor seldom need go far astray; and if, having done his best, he finds any passage hopelessly involved, or the meaning too subtile to be grasped, he has one safe resource,—and that is, to FOLLOW THE COPY closely and mechanically. Could he have for reference a few pages preceding a doubtful passage, the whole matter might become perfectly clear; but, as that is out of the question, those pages being scattered as {p124} “takes” in other hands, let the compositor adopt the safe course,—FOLLOW COPY,—resting assured that no person whose opinion he need value, could possibly think of finding fault with him for leaving responsibility where it properly belongs.

{p125}