Hand-book of punctuation

by William Johnson Cocker

Introduction.

The principal punctuation marks are,—

1.	The Comma	,
2.	The Semicolon	;
3.	The Colon	:
4.	The Period	.

The comma indicates a somewhat close relationship between the parts of a sentence; the semicolon, a more distant relationship; the colon indicates that the parts are almost independent of each other; the period marks the close of a sentence, and indicates that a thought is complete.

In simple sentences, when the words are closely united together, and the relationship of the words to each other is readily perceived, there is usually no need of any punctuation marks, except a period at the close. It should always be borne in mind that punctuation marks are used primarily to assist in bringing out the meaning of the writer, and not to embellish a written or a printed page. In sentences made up of parts that are closely related to each other, but, at the same time, distinct in character, commas should be used. They are way-marks for the accommodation of the reader. A production unpunctuated presents as dreary a prospect to the reader, as the level plain of Chaldæa presents to the perplexed traveler who has lost himself among the sandy mounds on the banks of the Euphrates, and has nothing by which to direct his course.

When the different parts of a sentence are somewhat disconnected, and not closely related to each other, a semicolon or colon should be used. Sentences are sometimes very long and complicated. It is then necessary to separate the main divisions by semicolons, and the smaller by commas. Sometimes the smaller parts of a sentence are separated by commas and semicolons, and the main divisions by colons.

The other marks in use are,—

1.	The Interrogation Point	?
2.	The Exclamation Point	!
3.	The Dash	—
4.	Marks of Parenthesis	( )
5.	Brackets	[ ]
6.	Quotation Marks	“ ‘ ’ ”
7.	The Apostrophe	’
8.	The Hyphen	-
9.	Miscellaneous marks.