Punctuation is the indication, by means of stops, of the different
pauses necessary to show the meaning of a sentence.
Stops, therefore, are used to elucidate the meaning of words in
their relation to other words.
=The Period [.].=--Declarative and imperative sentences, when not
connected in construction with what follows, are closed by periods.
Examples:--The child is father of the man.
The king is dead, long live the king.
A period should be placed after every abbreviation. The period thus used
is part of the abbreviation.
Examples:--_Wash._, Washington; _Gen._, General; _Pro tem._, pro
tempore, for the time being; _Esq._, Esquire; _Gov._, Governor.
Such expressions as 3d, 18th, 8mo, are not abbreviations and do not
require a period after them.
A period should always be placed after the Roman numerals.
Examples:--I., II., III., IV., V., VI., VII., VIII., IX., X., etc.
=Interrogation Point [?].=--The interrogation point is used for marking
all questions. When the question consists of several parts, or when
several questions are contained in one sentence, there is some
difficulty in deciding whether there should be one or more interrogation
points. The principle is that if one answer is sufficient for all, one
point is enough; if different answers are required, a point should be
placed after each question.
Examples:--What can I do for you?
Now, you understand?
=Exclamation Point [!].=--The exclamation point is placed at the end of
every sentence, clause, phrase, or word intended to convey strong
emotion.
Examples:--Praise be thine, O God!
Lost! Lost! O that I were home!
=Colon [:].=--Two clauses, one or both of which are subdivided by the
semicolon, should be separated from each other by the colon.
Example:--This chapter is divided into two sections: the first, which
was written many years since, being a history of the institution; the
second, a prophecy as to its future.
The colon is used before all direct quotations, if formally introduced,
and after all words which formally introduce a sentence to follow. If
the quoted matter begins a new paragraph, the colon should be followed
by a dash.