LESSON XXXVIII. RULES FOR PUNCTUATION. I. THE PERIOD. 1. There should be a period at the end of a declarative sentence. 2. There should be a period after every abbreviation.1 3. There should be a period after a Roman numeral. 4. The name of a speaker in a play should be followed by a period. II. THE APOSTROPHE 1. The apostrophe should be put in place of a letter or of letters omitted from a word. EXAMPLES. "For I'm to be queen o' the May, mother." "And I'll give thee a silver pound To row us o'er the ferry." ""Twas vain; the loud waves lash'd the shore." We e'er saw Ireland's land." "Oh, to be in England, Now that April's there." "She's o'er the border and awa' Wi' Jock of Hazeldean." 2. The apostrophe is used as the sign of the possessive: the possessive of all words in the singular should be formed by adding an apostrophe and the letter "s"; 1 Except after a word in which the abbreviation has been indicated by an apostrophe. See Rule II. 1. the possessive of words in the plural is formed in the same way, unless the plural form ends in "s," when the apostrophe alone is added. EXAMPLES. "Read the little scene between Miss Somers and Simple Susan in the draper's shop in Miss Edgeworth's Parent's Assistant." This was the giantess's reply to the heralds who bade her weep for Balder. Cupid, the goddess's son, was himself god of Love. Reynolds's Discourses. "The Sleeping Beauty," our story of a princess's magic sleep, is derived from the myth of Brunhild. "Like many a voice of one delight, The winds', the birds', the ocean-floods'." "I love the men with women's faces, and the women, if possible, with still more womanish expressions." "When the people's minds had had a little time to cool, they were ready enough to acknowledge their mistake." "There are still some eagles' quills among us; there are others of us who have not eagles' quills to dedicate to his memory." EXERCISE. Complete the punctuation of the following passages:- 2. Darst thou, thou little better thing than earth Divine his downfall? Say, where, when, and how, Camst thou by these ill tidings? 3. Certainly it was not for Guérins happiness, or for Keatss, as men count happiness, to be as they were 4. 1 Darkend so, yet shone Above them all the archangel; but his face Deep scars of thunder had intrenchd, and care 5. And thou who didst the stars and sunbeams know Self-schoold, self-scannd, self-honourd, self-secure, Didst tread on earth unguessd at 6. Mr James is the very type of the deliberate artist; Mr Besant, the impersonation of good nature 7. Dr Robertson, Humes friend, and also a Scotchman, was a careful and serious, but also a cold writer His histories of Scotland, of Charles V, and of America, show how historical interest again began to reach beyond England 8. Mrs Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote the story That Lass o Lowries 9. He superintended the repairs and building at the Palace of Westminster, the Tower, and St Georges Chapel, Windsor 10. The literary English language seemed at first to be destroyed by the Conquest It lingered till Stephens death, in the English Chronicle; a few traces of it are still found about Henry III s death in the Brut of Layamon 1 Dotted lines show that part of a quotation has been omitted. 11. Charles Cotton, a wit of Charles II s time, retranslated Montaignes Essays, and they soon found imitators in Cowley and Sir W Temple 12. "Redgauntlet," Vol I Chap X "King Henry IV," Pt I, Act iii Sc 2 13. Give us the serpents teeth, and let loose the fiery Tributes of praise, and penned them too 15. There was a bazaar close by, and only three hours work a day 16. As the best step for the youthful Jamess security, he sent him to France to receive his education at the court of the reigning sovereign 17. Although there was a truce for the moment betwixt the kingdoms, Henry IV ungenerously detained him a prisoner This last blow completely broke the heart of the unhappy King Robert III 18. John Ruskin, M A, LL D 19. Then, too, Mowgli was taught the Strangers Hunting Call 20. Of Joannas and Connies care of me some further history will certainly, if I live, be given in No VII 21. It appears that B Pollock, late J Redington, No 73 Hoxton St, not only publishes twenty-three of these old stage favourites, but owns the necessary plates 22. But in his last sentence M Scherer comes upon what is undoubtedly Miltons true distinction as a poet 23. Mr Trevelyan says that the enthusiasm of Macaulays Essay on Milton is, at any rate, "a relief from the perverted ability of that elaborate libel on our great epic poet, which goes by the name of Dr Johnsons Life of Milton " 24. He must then to the Inns o Court shortly I was once of Clements Inn 25. In a few cases, to be sure, the name of a place would be added, or a mere entry of latitude and longitude, as 62 deg 17 min 20 sec, 19 deg 2 min 40 sec 26. The temperature of the water alongside the ship was from 80 to 90; i e about that of a moderately warm bath LESSON XXXIX. PUNCTUATION (Continued). III. QUOTATION MARKS. 1. When the words of a speaker or writer are quoted exactly, they should be written within double quotation. marks. When the quotation consists of several paragraphs, or several stanzas of poetry, the quotation marks should be repeated at the beginning of each paragraph or stanza. 2. When a quotation occurs within a quotation the second passage should be written with single quotation marks; a third passage of quotation within the second. should be written with double marks, and so on. 3. Titles of books (except books of the Bible), poems, plays, etc., should be written with quotation marks.1 1 A title may be printed in italics instead of with quotation marks. What is printed in italics should be underlined in writing. |