Points consist of a comma, semicolon, colon, period or full-point, mark
of interrogation, and mark of admiration. Shortly after the invention of
printing, the necessity of stops or pauses in sentences for the guidance
of the reader produced the colon and full-point. In process of time, the
comma was added, which was then merely a perpendicular line, proportioned
to the body of the letter. These three points were the only ones used
till the close of the fifteenth century, when Aldo Manuccio gave a better
shape to the comma, and added the semicolon; the comma denoting the
shortest pause, the semicolon next, then the colon, and the full-point
terminating the sentence. The marks of interrogation and admiration were
introduced many years after.
Perhaps there never existed on any subject a greater difference of
opinion among men of learning than on the true mode of punctuation.
Some sprinkle the page with commas almost as promiscuously as if from a
pepper-box, and make the pause of a semicolon where the sense will bear
only a comma; while others are extremely careless, and omit points even
when they are needed to give the true sense of a passage at the first
reading.
The lack of an established practice is much to be regretted. The loss
of time to a compositor occasioned by altering points arbitrarily is
a great hardship. Manuscripts are often placed in the printer’s hands
without being properly prepared: either the writing is illegible, the
spelling incorrect, or the punctuation defective. Unless the author will
take entirely on himself the responsibility of the pointing, it will be
better to omit every point in the copy, except at the end of a sentence,
rather than confuse the mind of the compositor by commas and semicolons
placed indiscriminately, in the hurry of writing, without any regard to
propriety.[10]
The COMMA [,] divides the clauses of a long or involved sentence, and
commonly marks the shortest pause in reading.
Commas are used to denote extracts or quotations from other works,
dialogue matter, or passages or expressions not original, by placing
two of them inverted before the first word of the passage quoted, the
ending being denoted by two apostrophes. A thin space is used to keep the
inverted commas free from the matter. The method of running them down the
sides to the end of the quotation has been found inconvenient, especially
where a quotation occurs within a quotation, or a speech within a
speech: the proper method of distinguishing these is by placing a single
inverted comma before the extra quotation, and concluding with a single
apostrophe. Where both quotations end together, put three apostrophes,
observing after the first to place a thin space.
Inverted commas were first used by Guillemet, a Frenchman, to supersede
the use of Italic letter in emphasized words. As an acknowledgment, his
countrymen call them after his name. French founders cast them double,
thus [«»]. MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan, Philadelphia, furnish them in this
way when desired.
A single comma inverted is improperly used as an abbreviation of the word
Mac, as in M’Gowen: c is preferable, as McGowen.
The SEMICOLON [;] denotes a pause greater than that of a comma, and is
used between dependent clauses of compound sentences.
The COLON [:] is employed in a sentence between clauses less connected
than those which are divided by a semicolon, but not so independent as
separate, distinct sentences.
The PERIOD or FULL-POINT [.] serves to indicate the end of a complete
sentence. When used in abbreviations, it has no effect as a full stop
in the punctuation, unless at the end of a sentence. In some works this
point is discarded as a mark of abbreviation, as in Mr Dr &c.
Full-points are sometimes used as leaders in tables of contents,
figure-work, &c.; but dotted rules or leaders are more economical for
this purpose, as they save considerable time in the composition.
The sign of INTERROGATION [?] is used to denote a question. Every
interrogation or question should begin with a capital letter, (unless
several questions follow one another in connected succession,) according
to the method observed in the Bible, where questions and responses, and
the beginning of sayings, &c. are denoted by a capital letter.
The sign of ADMIRATION or EXCLAMATION [!] denotes surprise, astonishment,
rapture, and other sudden emotions of the mind, whether of joy or sorrow.
This sign is put after the interjections Ah! Alas! Oh! &c.; but there are
exceptional cases, as, Ah me! Alas the day! &c.
All the points, except the comma and the period, should be preceded by
a hair-space; the comma and full-point do not require any space to bear
them off.
The em dash [—], though not ranked as a point, is often used by careless
writers as a substitute for a comma or semicolon. It may be properly
employed in parenthetical sentences, and in rhapsodical writing abounding
in disconnected sentences.
A dash stands for a sign of repetition in catalogues of goods, where
it implies _ditto_; and in catalogues of books, where a dash signifies
_ejusdem_, instead of repeating the author’s name with the title of
every separate treatise of his writing. A sign of repetition should
never appear at the top of a page, but the name of the author, or of the
merchandise, should be set out again at length.
A dash likewise stands for _to_; as, chap. xvi. 3-17; that is, from the
third to the seventeenth verse inclusive. At other times it serves for
an index, to give notice that what follows it is a corollary of what has
preceded; thus:—