one gives from another writer.= Explanatory matter inserted by the
original writer is enclosed within parenthesis marks.
Right: "Bunyan's masterpiece (_The Pilgrim's Progress_),"
declared the lecturer, "is out of harmony with the spirit of the
age that produced it [the age of the Restoration]." (Here the
explanatory words _the age of the Restoration_ are inserted
by the person who is quoting the lecturer.)
Exercise:
1. The supremacy of the horse-drawn vehicle is unless a miracle
happens now gone forever.
2. My count shows (41) forty-one bales of cotton in the mill
yard.
3. [Insert _the Marne_ as your explanation]: "It was this
battle," said the lecturer, "that made the name of Joffre
immortal."
4. [Insert _Florida_ as the explanation of the person you are
quoting]: "In that state oranges are plentiful."
5. It was the opinion of Bailey and events proved him right
that the government must assume control of the railroads.
=Quotation Marks=
=96a. Quotation marks should be used to enclose a direct, but not an
indirect, quotation.=
Right: "I am thirsty," he said.
Wrong: He said "that he was thirsty."
Right: He said that he was thirsty.
=b. A quotation of several paragraphs should have quotation marks at the
beginning of each paragraph and at the end of the last paragraph.=
=c. In narrative each separate speech, however short, should be enclosed
within quotation marks=; but a single speech of several sentences should
have only one set of quotation marks.
Wrong: "Will you come? she pleaded.
Certainly."
Right: "Will you come," she pleaded.
"Certainly."
Wrong: He replied, "It was not for my own sake that I did
this." "There were others whom I had to consider." "I can
mention no names."
Right: He replied, "It was not for my own sake that I did this.
There were others whom I had to consider. I can mention no
names."
=d. Quotation marks may be used with technical terms, with slang
introduced into formal writing, or with nicknames=; but not with merely
elevated diction, with good English that resembles slang, with nicknames
that have practically become proper names, or with fictitious names from
literature.
Permissible: The rime is called a "feminine rime". He is really
"a corker". Their name for my friend was "Sissy".
Better without the quotation marks: He was awed by "the
grandeur of the mountains". "A humbug". "Fetch". "Stonewall"
Jackson. He was a true "Rip Van Winkle".
=e. Either quotation marks or italics may be used with words to which
special attention is called.= (See the examples under 91e, Exception, 3.)
Quotation marks are used with the titles of articles, of chapters in
books, of individual short poems, and the like. Italics are used with
the titles of books or of periodicals, with the names of ships, and with
foreign words which are still felt to be emphatically foreign.
=f. A quotation within a quotation should be enclosed in single quotation
marks; a quotation within that, in double marks.=
Right: "It required courage," the speaker said, "for a man to
affirm in those days: 'I endorse every word of Patrick Henry's
sentiment, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"'"
=g. When a word is followed by both a quotation mark and a question mark
or an exclamation point, the question mark or the exclamation point
should come first if it applies to the quotation; last, if it applies to
the main sentence.=
Wrong: He shouted but one command, "Give them the bayonet"!
Right: He shouted but one command, "Give them the bayonet!"
Wrong: Did Savonarola say, "I recant?"
Right: Did Savonarola say, "I recant"?
Note.--Regarding the position of a comma, semicolon, or period at the
end of a quotation, usage differs. Printers ordinarily place commas and
periods inside the quotation marks, and semicolons outside, from
considerations of spacing. But logic, not spacing, should determine the
order, and all three marks should be treated alike. They should be
placed within the quotation marks if they were a part of the original
quotation; otherwise outside. In quoting manuscript, the quotation marks
should enclose exactly what is in the original. In quoting oral
discourse, a certain liberty is necessarily allowed.
Correct: He said calmly, "It is I."
Also correct, but not commonly used: He said calmly, "It is I".
Correct, and in common use, but slightly illogical: He began,
"Our Father which art in heaven." [The period should follow the
quotation mark, since there is no period in the original
quotation.]
Correct, and in common use, but slightly illogical: Can you
tell me the difference between "apt," "likely," and "liable";
between "noted" and "notorious"?
Also correct: Can you tell me the difference between "apt",
"likely", and "liable"; between "noted" and "notorious"?
=h. When a quotation is interrupted by such an expression as _he said,_=
=1. An extra set of quotation marks is employed, and the interpolated
words are normally set off by commas.=
Wrong: "I rise said he to second the motion."
Right: "I rise," said he, "to second the motion."
=2. A question mark or exclamation point should precede the interpolated
expression if it would be used were the expression omitted.=
Right: "'May I go?'" complained father, "is all that boy can
ask."
Right: "Merciful heavens!" he cried, "we are lost."
=3. The expression should be followed by a semicolon if the semicolon
would follow the preceding words in case the expression were omitted.=
Right: "I admit it", he said; "it is true."
=4. Neither the expression nor the words following it should begin with a
capital.=
Wrong: "We must be quiet", Said the old man, "If we expect to
catch sight of a squirrel."
Right: "We must be quiet", said the old man, "if we expect to
catch sight of a squirrel."
=i. An omission from a quotation is indicated by dots.=
Right: "When a word is followed by both a quotation mark and
... an exclamation point, ... the exclamation point should come
... last, if it applies to the main sentence." [Abridged
citation of g above.]
=j. Do not use superfluous quotation marks:=
1. Around the title at the head of a theme (unless it is a quoted
title);
2. As a label for humor or irony.
Superfluous: The "abstemious" Mr. Crew ate an enormous dinner.
Better: The abstemious Mr. Crew ate an enormous dinner.
Exercise:
1. Carew says, "that the profit comes from selling
knickknacks."
2. What's the matter with that horse? asked Williams. He's as
frisky as if he had been shut up a week.
3. "Who's your favorite character in the play?, persisted
Laura. Is it "Brutus"? No, answered Howard; I admire his wife
"Portia".
4. "It's amazing, said Mrs. Phelps, how children love
playthings. Helen Locke said yesterday, Hughie always tells me
when I am putting him to bed, I want my Teddy bear".
5. "You see, said Daugherty, the two offices across the
corridor from each ether." "One is the county clerk's." "The
other is the county collector's."
=The Apostrophe=
=97a. In contracted words place the apostrophe where letters are omitted,
and do not place it elsewhere.=
Wrong: does'nt, theyr'e, oclock.
Right: doesn't, they're, o'clock.
=b. To form the possessive of a noun, singular or plural, that does not
end in _s_, add '_s_.=
Right: A hunter's gun, children's games, the cannon's mouth.
=c. To form the possessive of a noun, singular or plural, that ends in
_s_, place an apostrophe after (not before) the _s_ if there is no new
syllable in pronunciation. If there is a new syllable in pronunciation,
add _'s_.=
Wrong: Moses's mandates, Keat's poems, Dicken's novels, those
hunter's guns.
Right: Moses' mandates, Keats's poems (or Keats' poems),
Dickens' (or Dickens's) novels, those hunters' guns.
=d. Do not use an apostrophe with the possessive adjectives _its_, _his_,
_hers_, _ours_, _yours_, and _theirs_. But _one's_, _other's_,
_either's_ take the apostrophe.=
=e. Add _'s_ to form the plural of letters of the alphabet, of words
spoken of as words, and sometimes numbers.= But do not form the regular
plural of a word by adding _'s_ (See 77).
Right: His _B's_, _8's_ (or _8s_), and _it's_ look much alike.
Wrong: The Jones's, the Smith's, and the Brown's.
Right: The Joneses, the Smiths, and the Browns.
Exercise:
1. We don't know theyr'e dishonest.
2. The soldier's heads showed above the trenches.
3. Five 8es, three 7es, and two 12es make 85.
4. Pierce told the Keslers that Jones hogs were fatter than
their's.
5. Its three oclock by his watch; five minutes past three by
her's.
=The Question Mark and the Exclamation Point=
=98a. Place a question mark after a direct question, but not after an
indirect question.=
Wrong: What of it. What does it matter.
Right: What of it? What does it matter?
Wrong: He asked whether I belonged to the glee club?
Right: He asked whether I belonged to the glee club.
Note.--When the main sentence which introduces an indirect question is
itself interrogatory, a question mark follows.
Right: Did she inquire whether you had met her aunt?
=b. A question mark is often used within a sentence, but should not be
followed by a comma, semicolon, or period.=
Wrong: "What shall I do?," he asked.
Right: "What shall I do?" he asked.
Wrong: But where are the stocks?, the bonds?, the evidences of
prosperity?
Right: But where are the stocks? the bonds? the evidences of
prosperity?
=c. A question mark within parentheses may be used to express uncertainty
as to the correctness of an assertion.=
Right: Shakespeare was born April 23 (?), 1564.
Right: In 1340 (?) was born Geoffrey Chaucer.
=d. The use of a question mark as a label for humor or irony is childish.=
Superfluous: Immediately the social lion (?) rose to his feet.
Better: Immediately the social lion rose to his feet.
=e. The exclamation point is used after words, expressions, or sentences
to show strong emotion.=
Right: Hark! I hear horses. Give us a light there, ho!
Note.--The lavish use of the exclamation point is not in good taste.
Unless the emotion to be conveyed is strong, a comma will suffice. See
91e.
Exercise:
1. What is my temperature, doctor.
2. "Shall we go by the old mill?", asked Newcomb?
3. Did Wu Ting Fang say, "The Chinese Republic will survive."
4. He inquired whether Lorado Taft is the greatest living
American sculptor.
5. Farewell. Othello's occupation's gone.
=99.= EXERCISE IN PUNCTUATION
=A.=
Punctuate the following sentences:
1. Why its ten oclock
2. It was a rainy foggy morning
3. Arthurs cousin said Lets go
4. I begged her to stay but she refused
5. His parents you know were wealthy
6. Near by the children were playing house
7. Ever since John has driven carefully
8. I smell something burning Etta
9. Well Harry are you ready for a tramp
10. I well remember a trip which I once took
11. When the day has ended the twilight comes
12. She was a poor lonely defenseless old woman
13. Trout bass and pickerel are often caught there
14. Lees army was defeated at Gettysburg Pennsylvania on July 3
1863
15. Students who are poor appreciate the value of an education
16. Clem Rogers who is poor as Jobs turkey has bought a
phonograph
17. He had no resentment against the man who had injured him
18. He spoke to his father who sat on the veranda
19. The rifle which he used on this trip was the best he had
20. His long beard sticking out at an angle from his chin and
his tall silk hat looked ridiculous
=B.=
Punctuate the following sentences:
1. I found the work difficult did you find it so
2. If they had agreed to buy things would have been different
but they didn't
3. I could satisfy myself if need be with dreams and imaginary
delights she must have realities
4. Well Im not disappointed its just what I expected
5. Hard roads are not only an advantage they are almost
indispensable
6. The man who hesitates is lost the woman who hesitates is won
7. The nihilists accept no principle or creed they reject
government and religion and all institutions which cramp the
individuals desires
8. No longer are women considered weaklings although not so
strong as man physically they are now assumed to have will and
courage of their own
9. The Pilgrims wished to thank God so they prepared a feast
10. Our country roads are full of chuck holes consequently one
must drive with caution
11. The first player advances ten paces the second eight the
third six and so on
12. I told her it was her own fault she was too reticent and
held herself aloof
13. He had complained of weariness therefore we left him in
camp
14. The Panama Canal consists of four sections the Atlantic
Level the Lake the Cut and the Pacific Level
15. There are three reasons why I do not like Ford cars first
they rattle second they bump and third they never wear out
16. Protoplasm has been found to contain four elements carbon
hydrogen oxygen and nitrogen but by no artificial combination
can these be made into the living substance
17. Phlox mignonette sweet peas cannas all these yield flowers
until late in the fall.
18. He asked for hot water the mollycoddle as if this were a
hotel
19. Is this seat occupied sir asked Brown who stood in the
aisle
20. There are two types of democracy 1 a pure democracy and 2 a
representative democracy
=C.=
Punctuate the following sentences:
1. And Harvey waiting all this time mind you sprang for the
door
2. I want to go to Memphis Tennessee to the old house if it is
still standing where I was born
3. My bill amounted to exactly counting the car fare nine
dollars and ninety five cents
4. I do not believe it he cried then turning to the others in
the group he asked nervously do you
5. Which is better to borrow money for ones school expenses or
to work ones way
6. He swore swore like a pirate and lashed the horses
7. Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit is satirical
8. But what of the Dakotas of Minnesota of Wisconsin are they
to give us no political support
9. The grain is then run into a bin called the weighing bin
from this it is let down on to the scales
10. Lincoln showed very plainly what the phrase All men are
created equal means and what its application was to the
anti-slavery movement.
11. His name was lets see what was the fellows name.
12. He looks sharply for little points passed over by the
average person are important to him
13. How uncomfortable I feel in a room whose windows are not
covered by curtains I cannot describe
14. Some time ago he moved away I was sorry because he was a
fine young man
15. I went to the lawyers office to hear the reading of my
uncles will
16. Well well I havent seen you for years But youre the same
stub nosed freckle faced good natured Tom
17. I did not stop long to consider the football togs were
nearest at hand so in they went cleated shoes trousers sweater
pads headgear and the rest
18. Today I shall outline explain and argue the subject which
has already been announced to you namely The Distribution of
Taxes in Illinois
19. His piping voice his long crooked nose his white hair
falling over the shoulders of his faded blue coat his shuffling
shambling gait as he hobbled up to Carletons Grocery with his
basket all this I shall remember as long as I live
20. We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are
created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights that among these rights are life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness
100. GENERAL EXERCISE
Improve the following sentences, making as many changes as are necessary
to express the thought clearly and accurately.
=A.=
1. It don't sound right.
2. Us fellows hadn't ought to complain.
3. The decision effects my brother and I alike.
4. Following his breakfast he went up to the office.
5. One finds that beginning on a pipe organ is much more
complicated than the piano.
6. She married before she was eighteen, she had never taken
much interest in school work
7. New Year's Eve, a young lady who I was calling upon, and
myself decided to fool the old folks.
8. Williams drove across town at full speed, this was against
the ordinances.
9. Mr. Black, who had been laying on the sofa, rose and set
down by myself.
10. The agricultural course is a study which every person
should have a great deal of knowledge along that line.
11. Swinging around the curve, the open switch was seen in
time, and directly the train stopped we rushed off of the cars.
12. I can say a little in regard to my expectations in
connection with the next four years of my life, however.
Expectations of work, pleasure, and perhaps a little sorrow.
13. An interesting experience of mine was a collection of
insects made when I studied biology.
14. A man can talk to an animal, and he learns to obey him by
repeating certain commands.
15. The life of a princess as well as a hermit are made happy
by a little child, as illustrated in the stories of Pharaoh's
daughter and Silas Marner.
=B.=
1. Every one in the office were busy invoicing.
2. Their unconscious pranks and laughter is very amusing.
3. The tiger is a beautiful animal, it is also very ferocious.
4. Either he or she are good companions for you.
5. Again, take a student who has been forced to make his own
way, the question may be harder to decide.
6. As for the proposition which is before you, if it was me, I
would not even consider it.
7. The fly is the insect that causes more fatal deaths in a
year than any other insect.
8. The success of a sponge cake depends upon two things. The
beating of the eggs and the mixing of the flour in lightly.
9. James, a youth of such energy, and who is attractive in many
ways, failed in his exams.
10. Fish are only found in the deep holes, and they are hard to
get at.
11. Besides cigarettes, there are other forms of using tobacco,
such as cigars, and in pipes, and chewing tobacco, making the
total consumption very great.
12. I am endeavoring to secure for this position a man not only
with ability as a manager, but one who is capable of
understanding and sympathizing with rural community conditions.
13. Any one having any question to ask or who has trouble with
their camera, may write to this department.
14. When I hear oatmeal it nauseates me. I can see a mental
picture of the breakfast table where I sat nearly all last
summer.
15. In ones second year in high school the books to be read are
Burns poems, Miltons paradise Lost; Bunyans Pilgrims Progress,
and several of Shakespeares plays.
=C.=
1. He promised to on no consideration delay.
2. I heard a voice at the door which was familiar.
3. The most important part of a book is often to read the
preface.
4. Observing carefully, a number of errors are seen to exist.
5. Unless one is very wealthy they cannot afford to own a car.
6. These kind of fellows usually make good athletes.
7. It was the custom of we campers to ride into town and back
on freight cars, when in need of supplies.
8. As I was sitting near a radiator so I moved as I decided it
was too warm there.
9. To thine own self be true is the advice Polonius gave to his
son.
10. In order that Otto should not regain his political power
back again, Sarphina put him in jail.
11. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction is
the idea which Emerson's essay on compensation begins.
12. To consult a Bible encyclopedia and read it concerning
Easter, one learns quite a little about that religious holiday.
13. Never try to shoot a rabbit or any animal when they are not
moving, for among hunters it is very poor sportsmanship to kill
any animal before they have had a chance to get away.
14. We find that many of Whittier's poems were concerned with
slavery, which he considered a very great moral wrong, and
determined to do all in his power to eradicate this evil.
15. Rhetoric is required in order that a person may learn how
to express their thoughts so as to be readily understood, and
the ability to do this greatly increases the value of your
knowledge.
=D.=
1. Socialism is different than anarchy.
2. He ate the lunch instead of his sister.
3. The Volga is the longest of any river in Europe.
4. I come over to see if you will leave Tilly go on a picnic
with us tomorrow.
5. The value of the birds are studied and the good results
taught to the older children.
6. Despotism is where a ruler is not responsible to those under
his authority.
7. When a boy or girl enters a high school they think they are
very important.
8. I was anxious to begin eating, so no time was wasted by me.
9. They run out of ammunition, which caused them to loose the
battle.
10. The mind is not only developed, but also the body.
11. He built a reservoir varying from 75 to 150 ft. in diameter
and from 8 to 15 ft. high.
12. The most principal reason for going to college is so as to
prepare myself for teaching.
13. While the room was not very large, yet it had a good-sized
closet in which to put a trunk would be easy and lighted by a
small window.
14. A college education is supposed to be general and thorough
by training a man not only into something definite, but give
him a wider scope from which to choose from.
15. Motion pictures give actual battle scenes showing just how
the different countries carry on warfare, in taking care of the
wounded, making ammunition, and how they discharge the
artillery, and advance or retreat.
=E.=
1. He acted like the rest did.
2. He don't see anything attractive about her.
3. Neither Admiral Beatty nor Admiral Sims are afraid to take
chances.
4. The Girl's Campfire Organization was organized when the Boy
Scouts organization was proved such a success.
5. Coal is found likely 15 ft. from the waters edge, extending
horizontally under the cliff.
6. It is no sure sign that just because a student has took a
course in literature, that he really enjoys the best reading.
7. One of the most noticeable characteristics about Lowell's
letters were that they are brief, to the point, and emphatic.
8. On the license there will be found the laws regarding
hunting and on the back of it tells when the different seasons
are open.
9. The St. Louis Republic is a partisan democratic newspaper
and thus it can be guessed as to what their editorials are like
concerning political questions.
10. If the public in general is well posted on the subject and
finds that the charity workers are in earnest, they are much
more apt to donate.
11. Some were laughing, some acted serious, others like myself
were merely looking on.
12. Entering the campus, the Library is seen, which is a
building nicer than all the others.
13. The Ideal Starter starts the engine perfectly without
leaving the driver's seat.
14. The fly feeds on decayed vegetable matter, and also the
decayed animal.
15. It is true that some people keep a fire extinguisher. It is
of minor importance when considering organized fire protection.
It is organized fire protection with which we are chiefly
concerned, so let us dismiss the former and proceed to the
latter subject.
=F.=
1. In olden days the curfew rung everywheres at 9 o'clock.
2. If a person was to become a charity worker, it would
necessitate him giving time and effort.
3. I think most any person can appreciate a good joke when it
is not on them.
4. Your clothing for the hunt should be warm and of goods that
will not tear easy.
5. Life can be classified in four general stages. Infancy,
Youth, Maturity, and Old Age.
6. At the sound of the summons I had to arise from my downy cot
and hurry to the morning repast.
7. He was surprised at the way people lived in the city.
Especially the dirt and misery of the slums.
8. The house is battered and dingy, being built twenty years
ago by Mr. Robinson, and needs paint badly.
9. We hadn't scarcely more than begun the work when one of the
engines got broke and we had to stop until it could be fixed.
10. Neither self-denial nor self-sacrifice are to be admired,
or even pardoned, at the cost of happiness, Stevenson says.
11. The thing that took my eye most of all were the walls.
Pennants, pictures, and souvenirs were hanging everywhere.
12. Grandmother had put the spectacles in the Bible which she
had lost.
13. In the summer time the weather is warm but some people are
complaining of the hot weather and who wish the weather would
turn cooler but is it not this kind of weather that makes the
plants grow, which in turn furnish us food?
14. Until athletics are demanded from the weaker students, the
training will go to the one who does not need it, and the ones
who do need it are sitting up on the bleachers exercising their
lungs.