THE PERIOD.
Rule I. Complete Sentences.—A period should be placed at the end of a sentence, when it is complete in meaning and construction, and is declarative or imperative in its nature.
EXAMPLES.
“Swift boasted that he was never known to steal a hint.”—Macaulay.
“But evil is wrought by want of thought,
As well as want of heart.”—Hood.
“It is a great evil not to be able to bear an evil.”—Bion.
REMARK.
A period should always be placed after the title of an essay, oration, after a signature, an address of a person, &c.
Rule II. Abbreviations.—A period should be used after every abbreviation.
EXAMPLES.
Dr. Samuel A. Jones. Mr. C. R. Miller. Mrs. T. S. Applegate. Miss Hattie E. Knapp.
- Esq., Esquire.
- Jan., January.
- Mich., Michigan.
- Hon., Honorable.
- Pro tem., for the time being.
- Ans., Answer.
- D. D., Doctor of Divinity.
- B. C., before Christ.
- Rev., Reverend.
- P., page; pp., pages.
- Pres., President.
- Rec. Sec., Recording Secretary.
- N. Y., New York.
- A. D., in the year of our Lord.
- A. M., Master of Arts.
- M. C., Member of Congress.
- No., in number, number.
- Co., County.
- &c. or etc., and so forth.
REMARKS.
1. It should be remembered that the period thus used, simply indicates an abbreviation, and that punctuation marks are to be used, in addition to the period, when required. When a word, written in full, requires a punctuation mark after it, the same punctuation mark should be used after the word, when it is abbreviated; as, Adrian, Michigan, January 5, 1877; Adrian, Mich., Jan. 5, 1877.
2. Some proper names are not abbreviations, and consequently a period should not be used; as, Ben Jonson, Fred Knapp. When Ben. stands for Benjamin, and Fred. for Frederick, a period should be used.
3. When numerals are represented by the letters of the alphabet, periods are placed after them; as, Gen. vii. 1, 7, 8.
4. In numbering pages, no mark should be placed after 1, 2, 3, 4, &c.
5. When a letter, used as an abbreviation, is doubled to indicate the plural, the period should be placed after the last letter; as, pp. for pages, LL. D. for Doctor of Laws.
6. In abbreviating words, sometimes the first letters are used, sometimes the first and last, and sometimes the first and some letter near the middle of the word; as, Ala. for Alabama, Chas. for Charles, Wm. for William, MS. for manuscript.
7. A list of abbreviations will be found at the close of any good dictionary.