Punctuation | Page 3

a division of a sentence or a thought, as we to-day speak of an orator's eloquent periods.
The colon comes from the Greek [Greek: k?lon], kolon, meaning a limb.
The comma comes from the Greek [Greek: komma], komma, from [Greek: koptein], to cut.
The semicolon, of course, is the half colon.
The question mark was made by writing the first and last letters of the Latin word questio, a question, vertically, [Symbol: q over o]
The exclamation point was made by writing the letters of the Latin word Io, joy, vertically, [Symbol: I over o]
The punctuation marks now in use and treated of in this book are as follows:
, comma ; semicolon : colon . period ? interrogation ! exclamation (?) parentheses [?] brackets ' apostrophe - hyphen -- dash "?" quotation marks
Other important marks used by printers, but not, strictly speaking, marks of punctuation, are fully discussed in the volume on Abbreviations and Signs (No. 37) in this series.
There are two systems of punctuation in use, known respectively as the close and open systems. The close, or stiff, system, using points wherever they can be used, is of importance in precise composition of every sort, such as laws, contracts, legal and ecclesiastical statements, and the like. The open, or easy, system, omitting points wherever they can be omitted, is used generally in the commoner forms of composition. The tendency, sometimes pushed too far, is toward an extremely open style of punctuation. The general attitude of writers and printers may be summed up by saying that you must justify the use of a punctuation mark, particularly a comma, rather than its omission.
But why should the printer bother himself about punctuation at all? Is that not the business of the author, the editor, and the proofreader? Strictly speaking, yes, but authors generally neglect punctuation, copy is not usually carefully edited before going to the compositor, and proofreader's corrections are expensive. It is therefore important that the compositor should be intelligent about punctuation, whether he works in a large or a small office.
The question of how far the printer may go in changing or supplying the punctuation of copy will depend largely on circumstances. If the condition of the manuscript is such as to show that the author really intended to put a fully punctuated, correctly spelled, and properly capitalized manuscript into the hands of the printer, he has a right to have his wishes respected even if his ideas are not those which prevail in the office. In such a case the compositor should follow copy literally. If any questions are to be raised they should be discussed by the proofreader with the author. The same rule holds in the case of manuscripts edited before being sent to the composing room. The editor has assumed all responsibility for the accuracy of the copy. In a great many cases the copy will come in carelessly written and wholly unedited. In such cases the compositor should punctuate as he goes along.
This is one of the tasks which subject the compositor to the test of intelligence. Printing is not now and never will be a purely mechanical trade. A printing office is no place for an apprentice who can not learn to think.
This book contains a description of the functions of the punctuation marks and the common rules for their use. Rules for the use of punctuation marks are very different from rules for the use of purely material things. They are useless unless applied intelligently. No set of rules could be devised which would work automatically or relieve the compositor from the necessity of thinking. Punctuation can never be reduced to an exact science.
Certain general directions should be borne in mind by writers and printers.
I. Learn by heart the rules for punctuation.
II. Note the peculiarities of the best writers and the best printers, especially in contemporary examples.
III. Pay constant attention to punctuation in everything you write.
IV. Punctuate your sentence while you are writing it.
V. Understand what you are printing. This is of supreme importance. Punctuation is an aid to understanding. You cannot correctly punctuate anything that you do not understand.

THE COMMA
The comma is by far the most difficult of all the punctuation marks to use correctly. Usage varies greatly from time to time and among equally good writers and printers at the same time. Certain general rules may be stated and should be learned. Many cases, however, will arise in which the rules will be differently interpreted and differently applied by different people.
The comma is the least degree of separation possible of indication in print. Its business is to define the particles and minor clauses of a sentence. A progressive tendency may be seen in the printing of English for centuries toward the elimination of commas, and the substitution of the comma for the semicolon and of the