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Uses of the grape The Vine The Fruit Itself How Marketed How Cultivated
2. Place in order the sentences of the following outline on "Why Keep a Diary?" Subordinate some of the headings to others.
A diary affords great satisfaction in future years.
We sometimes record in a diary information which proves useful.
A few lines a day will suffice.
A diary is not hard to keep.
We may find time for writing in our diary if we do not waste time at the table or on newspapers.
We may write in our diary just before we go to bed.
A diary will bring back the past.
We all have some moments to kill.
A diary gives us pleasure even in the present.
3. Place in order the headings of the following outline on "Ulysses S. Grant." Subordinate some of the headings to others.
Obscurity in 1861 Prominence in 1865 Patience President General Perseverance and Resolution Character The Turning Point in His Career
Letters
The parts of a letter are the heading, the inside address, the greeting, the body, the close, and the signature. For these parts good use prescribes definite forms, which we may sometimes ignore in personal letters, but must rigidly observe in formal or business letters.
87a. The heading of a letter should give the full address of the writer and the date of writing. Do not abbreviate short words, or omit Street or Avenue.
Objectionable: #15 Hickory, Omaha.
Right: 15 Hickory Street, Omaha, Nebraska.
Objectionable: 4/12/19; 10-28-'16; May 2nd, 1910.
Right: April 12, 1919; October 28, 1916; May 2, 1910.
The following headings are correct:
106 East Race Street, Red Oak, Iowa, August 4, 1916.
423 Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois May 20, 1918
Prescott, Arizona, June 1, 1920.
Note.—In personal letters the heading may be transferred to the end, below the signature, at the left-hand side. But it must not be so divided that the street address will appear in one place and the town and state in another.
The "closed" form of punctuation (the use of punctuation at the ends of the lines) is best until the student learns what is correct. Afterward, the adoption of the "open" form becomes purely a matter of individual taste and not a matter of carelessness or ignorance.
b. An inside address and a greeting are required in business letters. Personal letters contain the greeting, but may omit the inside address, or may supply it at the end of the letter.
The Jeffrey Chemical Works, 510 Marion Street, Norfolk, Virginia.
Gentlemen:
Mr. Joseph N. Kellogg 1411 Lake Street Cleveland, Ohio
Dear Mr. Kellogg:
Secretary of Rice Institute, Houston, Texas.
My dear Sir:
Greetings used in business letters are:
My dear Sir: My dear Madam: My dear Mr. Fisher: Dear Sir: Sir: Sirs: Gentlemen: Ladies:
Greetings used in personal letters are:
My dear Miss Brown: Dear Professor Ward: Dear Jones, Dear Mrs. Vincent, Dear Robert, Dear Olive,
"My dear Miss Brown" is more ceremonious than "Dear Miss Brown". As a rule, the more familiar the letter, the shorter the greeting.
A colon follows the greeting if the letter is formal or long; a comma, if the letter is familiar or in the nature of a note.
Both inside address and greeting begin at the left-hand margin. The body of the letter begins on the line below the greeting, and is indented as much as an ordinary paragraph (about an inch).
c. The body of a letter should be written in correct style.
1. Do not omit pronouns, or write a "telegraphic style".
Wrong: Just received yours of the 21st, and in reply would say your order has been filled and shipped.
Right: I have your letter of March twenty-first. Your order was promptly filled and shipped.
2. The idea that it is immodest to use I is a superstition. Undue repetition of I is of course awkward; but entire avoidance of it is silly.
3. Use simple language. Say "your letter"; not "your kind favor", or "yours duly received", or "yours of the 21st is at hand".
4. Avoid "begging" expressions which you obviously do not mean, especially the hackneyed "beg to advise".
Wrong: Received yours of the 3rd instant, and beg to advise we are out of stock.
Right: We received your order of March 3. We find that we have no more dining-room chairs B 2-4-6 in stock.
Wrong: I beg to enclose a booklet.
Right: I enclose a booklet.
Wrong: Permit us to say that prices have been advanced.
Right: The prices on our goods have been advanced.
5. Avoid the formula "please find enclosed". The reader will find what is enclosed; if you use "please", let it refer to what the reader shall do with what is enclosed.
Wrong: Enclosed please find 10 cents, for which send me Bulletin 58.
Right: I enclose ten cents, for which please send me Bulletin 58.
6. Avoid unnecessary commercial slang: On the job, A-1 service, O.K., your ad, popular-priced line, this party, as per schedule.
7. Get to the important idea quickly. In applying for a position, do not beat around the bush, or say you "wish to apply" or "would apply". Begin, "I make application for ...", "kindly consider my application for ...", or "I apply ..."
8. Group your ideas logically. Do not scatter information. A letter applying for a position might consist of three paragraphs: Personal qualifications (age, health, education, etc.); Experience (nature of positions, dates, etc.); References (names, business or profession, exact street address). Finish one group of ideas before passing to the next.
9. Do not monotonously close all letters with a sentence beginning with a participle: Hoping to hear from you ..., Asking your cooperation ..., Awaiting your further favors ..., Trusting this will be satisfactory ..., Wishing you ..., Thanking you .... The independent form of the verb is more emphatic (see 42); I hope to hear from you ..., We await further orders ..., We ask cooperation ....
d. The close should be consistent in tone with the greeting. It is written on a separate line, beginning near the middle of the page, and is followed by a comma. Only the first word is capitalized. Preceding expressions like "I am", "I remain", "As ever", (if they are used at all) belong in the body of the letter.
Right: I thank you for your courtesy, and remain
Yours sincerely, Robert Blair
Right: I shall be grateful for any further information you can give me.
Yours truly, Florence Mitchell
In business letters the following forms are used:
Yours truly, Very truly yours, Yours respectfully,
In personal letters the following are used:
Yours truly, Yours sincerely, Sincerely yours, Cordially yours,
e. The outside address should follow one of the forms given below:
- R. E. Stearns 512 Chapel Hill St. Durham, N. C. Mr. Donald Kemp 3314 Salem Street Baltimore Maryland -
- Bentley Davis 906 Park Street Ogden, Utah Rogers, Mead, and Company 2401 Eighth Avenue Los Angeles California -
Note.—An abbreviation in an address is followed by a period. Punctuation is also correct, but not necessary, after every line (a period after the last line, and a comma after the others).
A married woman is ordinarily addressed thus: Mrs. George H. Turner. But a title belonging to the husband should not be transferred to the wife. Wrong: Mrs. Dr. Jenkins, Mrs. Professor Ward. Right: Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Ward. Reverend Mr. Beecher is a correct address for a minister; not "Rev. Beecher". If a title of respect is placed before a name (Professor, Dr., Honorable), it is undesirable to place another title after the name (Secretary, M.D., Ph.D., Principal, Esq.).
f. Miscellaneous directions. Writing should be centered on the page, not crowded against the top, or against one side. Letter paper so folded that each sheet is a little book of four pages is best for personal correspondence. Both sides of such paper may be written on. The pages may be written on in any order which will be convenient to the reader. An order like that of the pages in a printed book (1, 2, 3, 4) is best.
Business letters are usually written on one side only of flat sheets 8-1/2 by 11 inches in size. The sheet is folded once horizontally in the middle, and twice in the other direction, for insertion in the envelope.
g. A business letter should have, in general, the following form:
1516 South Garrison Avenue. Carthage, Missouri, May 14, 1918.
J. E. Pratt, General Superintendent, The Southwest Missouri Railroad Company, 1012 North Madison Street, Webb City, Missouri.
Dear Sir:
I apply for a position as mechanic's assistant in the electrical department of your shops. I am nineteen years old, and in good physical condition. On June 6 I shall graduate from Carthage High School, and after that date I can begin work immediately.
I have had no practical experience in electrical work. But I have for two years made a special study of physics, in and out of school. I worked last summer in the local garage of Mr. R. S. Bryant. In addition, I have become familiar with tools in my workshop at home, so that I both know and like machinery.
For statements as to my character and ability, I refer you to R. S. Bryant, Manager Bryant's Garage; Mr. Frank Darrow (lawyer), 602 Ninth Street; W. C. Barnes, Superintendent of Schools; and C. W. Oldham, Principal of the High School—all of this city.
Respectfully yours, Howard Rolfe
=h. Formal notes and replies are written in the third person (avoiding I, my, me, you, your) and permit no abbreviations except Mr., Mrs., Dr. =
Mrs. Clarence King requests the company of Mr. Charles Eliot at dinner on Friday, April the twenty-fourth, at six o'clock.
102 Pearl Street, April the seventeenth.
In accepting an invitation, the writer should repeat the day and hour mentioned, in order to avoid a misunderstanding; in declining an invitation, only the day need be mentioned. The verb used in the reply should be in the present tense; not "will be pleased to accept", or "regrets that he will be unable to accept"; but "is pleased to accept", or "regrets that circumstances prevent his accepting".
Mr. Charles Eliot gladly accepts the invitation of Mrs. King to dinner on Friday, April the twenty-fourth, at six o'clock.
514 Poplar Avenue, April the eighteenth.
Paragraphs
88a. The first lines of paragraphs are uniformly indented, in manuscript, about an inch; in print, somewhat less. After a sentence, the remainder of a line should not be left blank, except at the end of a paragraph.
b. The length of a paragraph is ordinarily from fifty to three hundred words, depending on the importance or complexity of the thought. In exposition, the paragraphs should be long enough to develop every idea thoroughly. Scrappy expository paragraphs arouse the suspicion that the writer is incoherent, or that he has not given sufficient thought to the subject. Short paragraphs are permissible, and even desirable, in the following cases:
1. In a formal introduction to the main body of a discourse, or in the formal conclusion. (In some instances the paragraph may consist of a single sentence.)
2. In the body of a composition, when a brief logical transition between two longer paragraphs is necessary.
3. In short compositions on complex subjects, where space forbids the development of each thought on a proper scale. (But, as a rule, the student should limit his subject to a few simple ideas, each of which can be developed fully.)
4. In newspapers, where brevity and emphasis are required. (But the student should not take the journalistic style as a model.)
5. In description or narration meant to be vivid, vigorous, or rapid.
6. In dialogue.
c. In representing dialogue, each speech, no matter how short, is placed in a separate paragraph.
Right:
"Listen!" he said. "There was a noise outside. Didn't you hear it?"
"No," I whispered. It was dark in the room, except for a faint light at the window, and I felt my way cautiously to his side. "What is it? Burglars?"
"I believe it is."
"I can't hear anything."
"Listen! There it is again."
"Pshaw!" I had to laugh aloud. "Thompson's cow has got into the garden again."
Note that a slight amount of descriptive matter may be included in a paragraph with the direct discourse, the only requirement being that a change of speaker shall be indicated by a new paragraph.
When special emphasis is desired, a quotation may be detached from a preceding introductory statement.
Right: The speaker turned gravely about, and facing the front row, he said slowly and solemnly:
"Small boys should be seen and not heard."
In exceptional cases a long, rapid-fire dialogue may, for purposes of compression, be placed in one paragraph. Dashes should then be used before successive quotations to indicate a change of speaker.
Omissions from a dialogue (as when only one side of a telephone conversation is reported), long pauses, and the unfinished part of interrupted statements, may be represented by a short row of dots.
Exercise:
Arrange in paragraphs, and insert quotation marks:
1. Help! I cried, rolling over in the narrow crevasse, and wondering dazedly how far I had fallen through the snow. A muffled voice came from above: We'll have a rope down to you in a minute. Tie that bottle of brandy on the end of it, I suggested, and it'll come faster. [The student will here insert a sentence of his own to complete the dialogue.]
2. Good morning, James, said the deacon, suspiciously. How are you? and where are you going? I'm all right, answered the boy, and I'm goin' down to the creek. As he spoke, he tried to hide something bulky underneath his coat. You oughtn't to go fishing on Sunday. [Add another sentence to finish the dialogue.]
89. MISCELLANEOUS EXERCISE
The following sentences illustrate errors in the use of capitals, italics, numbers, abbreviations, etc. Make necessary changes.
1. I met him at kansas city at a dinner of the commercial club.
2. The senate and the house of representatives are the two branches of congress.
3. In today's chicago herald the union pacific railroad advertises reduced rates to yellowstone park and the northwest.
4. There are 30 men in each section in chemistry, but only 25 in each section in french.
5. Early in pres. wilson's administration troops crossed the rio grande river. Pres. Carranza protested.
6. In nineteen ten the population of new york city (including suburbs) was 4,766,883.
7. Send the moving van to thirty walnut street at eight o'clock.
8. I like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice better than George Eliot's Adam Bede.
9. May I call for you about 7:30 p. m., Miss Reynolds?
10. The note draws 6 per cent interest, and is payable Jan. 1st, 1921.
11. He will remain in town until Apr. 20th, and will then go away for the Summer. He is going abroad to study the spanish and italian languages.
12. Grays elegy in a country churchyard is perhaps the best known poem in english literature.
13. Enclosed please find $4, for which send me the New Republic for one year.
14. In reply to yours of 3-7-18 wish to advise that we are out of stock.
15. I enclose $0.10 for a copy of bulletin #314 of the dept. of Agriculture. Thanking you, I remain ... yours Respectively....
PUNCTUATION
Punctuation is not used for its own sake. It is used in writing as gestures, pauses, and changes of voice are used in speaking—to add force or to reveal the precise relationship of thoughts. The tendency at present is against the lavish use of punctuation. This does not mean, however, that one may do as he pleases. In minor details of punctuation there is room for individual preference, but in essential principles all trustworthy writers agree.
The Period
90a. Place a period after a complete declarative or imperative sentence.
b. Do not separate part of a sentence from the rest of the sentence by means of a period. (See 1.)
Wrong: He denied the accusation. As every one expected him to do.
Right: He denied the accusation, as every one expected him to do.
Wrong: Anderson wrote good editorials. The best that appeared in any paper in the city.
Right: Anderson wrote good editorials, the best that appeared in any paper in the city. [Or] Anderson wrote good editorials—the best that appeared in any paper in the city.
Exception.—Condensed or elliptical phrases established by long and frequent use may be written as separate sentences. They should be followed by appropriate punctuation—usually by a period.
Examples: Yes. Of course. Really? By all means!
Note.—The student should distinguish clearly between a subordinate clause and a main clause. A subordinate clause is introduced by a subordinate conjunction (when, while, if, as, since, although, that, lest, because, in order that, etc.), or by a relative pronoun (who, which, that, etc.). Since a subordinate clause does not express a complete thought, it cannot stand alone, but must be joined to a main clause to form a sentence.
c. Place a period after an abbreviation.
Bros. Mr. e. g. Ph.D. LL.D. etc.
If an abbreviation falls at the end of a sentence, one period may serve two functions.
Exercise:
1. The hen clucks to her chickens. When she scratches up a worm.
2. Before my brother could forewarn me. I had touched my tongue against the cold iron. On which it stuck.
3. The commission had the services of two men of international reputation. Charles Newman, Esq. and Gifford Bailey, Ph D.
4. Since Hugh had fished only in creeks. He was surprised that the lines were let down a hundred feet or more. The right distance for codfish.
5. Between 1775 and 1825 Virginia furnished the nation its leaders. Such as the author of the Declaration of Independence. The orator of the Revolution. The leader of the Revolutionary army. The chief maker of the Constitution. Four of our first five Presidents. And our greatest Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The Comma
There are five principal uses of the comma:
to separate clauses (a-d) to set off a parenthetical element (e) to mark a series (f-g) to introduce a quotation (h) to compel a pause for the sake of clearness (i)
91a. A comma is used between clauses joined by but, for, and, or any other coordinating conjunction.
Right: The hour arrived, but Forbes did not appear. [The comma emphasizes the contrast.]
Right: She was glad she had looked, for a man was approaching the house. [The comma prevents the combination looked for a man.]
Right: He gave the money to Burke, and Reynolds received nothing. [The comma prevents confusion.]
Exception.—If the clauses are short and closely linked in thought, the comma may be omitted (She came and she was gone in a moment. McCoy talked and the rest of us listened.) If the clauses are long and complicated, a semicolon may be used (See 92b).
Note.—No comma should follow the conjunction. Wrong: He was enthusiastic but, inexperienced. Wrong: They went before the committee but, not one of them would answer a question.
b. Do not use a comma between independent clauses which are not joined by a conjunction. Use a period or a semicolon. (This error, the "comma splice," betrays ignorance of what constitutes a unified sentence. See 18.)
Wrong: The circus had just come to town, every one wanted to see it.
Right: The circus had just come to town. Every one wanted to see it.
Wrong: The story deals with the life of a youth, Don Juan, his mother desired to make an angel of him.
Right: The story deals with the life of a youth, Don Juan. His mother desired to make an angel of him.
Wrong: My courses required very hard study, did yours?
Right: My courses required very hard study. Did yours? [Or] My courses required very hard study; did yours?
Wrong: He will assist you without the slightest hesitation, indeed he will do so with alacrity.
Right: He will assist you without the slightest hesitation. Indeed he will do so with alacrity. [Or] He will assist you without the slightest hesitation; indeed he will do so with alacrity.
Exception.—Short coordinate clauses which are not joined by conjunctions, but which are parallel in structure and leave a unified impression, may be joined by commas.
Right: He sowed, he reaped, he repented.
c. An adverbial clause which precedes a main clause is usually set off by a comma.
When long:
Right: While I have much confidence in his sincerity, I cannot approve his decision. [The comma marks the meeting point of clauses too long to be easily read together. Brief clauses do not require the comma. Right: Where thou goest I will go.]
When ending in words that link themselves with words in the main clause:
Right: If Jacob finds time to plow, the garden can be planted tomorrow. [The comma prevents plow the garden from being read as verb and object.]
When not closely connected with the main clause in meaning:
Right: Although they were few, they were resolute. [Here the comma reveals the distinctness of the two stages of thought. In the sentence If it freezes the skating will be good the distinctness of the two thoughts is less emphatic, and the comma may be omitted.]
Note.—The comma is usually omitted when the adverbial clause follows the main clause.
Right: The score stood twelve to twelve when the first half ended. [The adverbial clause is linked closely with the element it modifies, the predicate; punctuation is unnecessary. If the when clause were placed before the element it does not modify, the subject, a comma should be inserted.]
d. Restrictive clauses should not be set off by commas; non-restrictive clauses should be set off by commas. (A restrictive clause is one inseparably connected with the noun or pronoun it modifies; to omit it would change the thought of the main clause. A non-restrictive clause is less vitally connected with the noun or pronoun; to omit it would not affect the thought of the main clause.)
Right: Men who are industrious will succeed. [The relative clause restricts the meaning; it is inseparably connected with the noun it modifies, and to omit it would change the thought of the main clause.]
Right: Thomas Carlyle, who wrote forty volumes, was of peasant origin. [The relative clause is non-restrictive; it is not inseparably connected with the noun it modifies, and to omit it would not change the thought of the main clause. Thus: Thomas Carlyle was of peasant origin.]
Right: Where is the house that Jack built? [Restrictive.]
Right: I went to Jack's house, which is across the street. [Non-restrictive.]
Wrong: Students, who are lazy, do not deserve to pass. [The sentence as it stands says that all students are lazy, and that none of them deserve to pass. Without the commas, the sentence would mean that such students as are lazy do not deserve to pass.]
Right: Students who are lazy do not deserve to pass.
The rule stated above for clauses applies also to phrases.
Right. She, hearing the voice, turned quickly. [Hearing the voice is non-restrictive. It does not identify she, and the thought of the main clause is complete without it.]
Right: Books pertaining to aeronautics are in demand. [Pertaining to aeronautics is restrictive. It explains what books are referred to, and without it the meaning of the main thought is changed.]
Right: Our country, made up as it is of democratic people, lacks the centralized power of a monarchy. [Non-restrictive.]
Right: A country made up of democratic people must be lacking in centralized power. [Restrictive. Made up of democratic people explains country and is essential to the thought of the sentence.]
e. Slightly parenthetical elements are set off by commas:
Direct address or explanation:
Write soon, Henry, and tell all the news.
They intend, as you know, to build a great dam across the river.
His father, they say, was frugal and industrious.
I, on my part, however, am unalterably opposed to the expenditure.
He was, according to such reports as have reached me, altogether in the right.
Mild interjections:
Well, we shall see.
Come now, let's talk it over.
But alas, the cupboard was bare.
The custom is, oh, very old.
Absolute phrases:
This being admitted, I shall proceed to my other evidence.
Geographical names which explain other names and dates which explain other dates:
The convention met at Madison, Wisconsin, on March 24, 1916.
Words in apposition:
We arrived at Austin, the capital of Texas.
It was Archie, my best friend in boyhood.
Exception.—The comma is omitted (1) When the appositive is part of a proper name. Right: William the Silent, Alexander the Great. (2) When there is unusually close connection between the appositive and the noun it modifies. Right: My one confidant was my brother Robert. (3) When the appositive is a word or phrase to which attention is called by italics or some other device which sets it apart. Right: The word sequent is derived from Latin. Right: The expression "That's fine" is one which I use indiscriminately.
Note.—When the parenthetical element occurs in the middle of a sentence, "set off by commas" means punctuate before and after.
Wrong: I was, madam at home yesterday.
Right: I was, madam, at home yesterday.
Wrong: I am to say the least, provoked.
Right: I am, to say the least, provoked.
f. Consecutive adjectives that modify the same noun are separated from each other by commas. If, however, the last adjective is closely linked in meaning with the noun, no comma is used before it.
Right: A short, slight, pitiable figure.
Right: A shrewd professional man. [Shrewd modifies, not man alone, but professional man.]
Right: A bedraggled old rooster. [Old rooster has almost the force of a compound word. Bedraggled modifies the general idea old rooster.]
Note.—The commas in a series of adjectives are used to separate the adjectives from each other. No comma should intervene between the final adjective and the noun. Wrong: He was only a frail, unarmed, frightened, youngster. Right: He was only a frail, unarmed, frightened youngster.
g. Words or phrases in series are separated by commas.
When the series takes the form a, b, and c, a comma precedes the and.
Confusing: The railroads in question are the New York Central, Pennsylvania and Chesapeake and Ohio. [The reader might surmise that the words Pennsylvania and Chesapeake and Ohio represent a single line or even three different lines.]
Right: The railroads in question are the New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Chesapeake and Ohio.
Confusing: For breakfast we had oatmeal, bacon, eggs and honey. [Omission of the comma after eggs suggests a mixture.]
Right: For breakfast we had oatmeal, bacon, eggs, and honey.
h. A comma should follow an expression like he said which introduces a short quotation. (For longer or more formal quotations use a colon.)
Right: He shouted, "Come on! I dare you!"
Right: Our captain replied, "We're ready."
But for indirect quotations, a caution is necessary. Do not place a comma between a verb and a that or how clause which the verb introduces.
Wrong: He explained, how the accident occurred.
Right: He explained how the accident occurred.
Wrong: The chauffeur told us, that the gasoline tank was empty.
Right: The chauffeur told us that the gasoline tank was empty.
i. A comma is used to separate parts of a sentence which might erroneously be read together.
Confusing: Long before she had received a letter.
Better: Long before, she had received a letter.
Confusing: We turned the corner and the horse stopped throwing us off.
Better: We turned the corner and the horse stopped, throwing us off.
Confusing: Through the alumni gathered there went a thrill of dismay.
Better: Through the alumni gathered there, went a thrill of dismay.
Wrong: For a dime you can buy two pieces of pie or cake and ice cream.
Right: For a dime you can buy two pieces of pie, or cake and ice cream.
Right: The man whom everybody had for years regarded as a crank and a weakling, is now praised for his sagacity and his strength.
Right: In a situation so critical as to require the utmost coolness of mind, he lost his wits completely. [Here the confusion might not be serious if the comma were omitted, but separation of the long introduction from the main clause is desirable.]
j. Do not use superfluous commas:
1. To mark a trivial pause:
Needless use of comma: In the road, stood a wagon.
Needless use of commas: The taking of notes, is a guarantee, against inattention, in class.
Slight pauses in a sentence are taken care of by the good sense of the reader. Do not sprinkle commas when the sentence is moving along freely with no complication in the thought.
Right: In the road stood a wagon.
Right: The taking of notes is a guarantee against inattention in class.
2. To separate an adjective from its noun:
Wrong: A tall, solemn, antique, clock stood in the hallway. [The first two commas separate the adjectives from each other. There is no reason why antique should be separated from the noun.]
Right: A tall, solemn, antique clock stood in the hallway.
3. Before the first word or phrase in a series unless the comma would be employed if the word or phrase stood alone:
Wrong: He made a study of, gymnastics, medicine, and surgery.
Right: He made a study of gymnastics, medicine, and surgery.
Wrong: He had learned, to be prompt, to think clearly, and to write correctly.
Right: He had learned to be prompt, to think clearly, and to write correctly.
Exercise:
1. Before the workmen finished eating the tunnel caved in. Three Italian laborers were crushed, the others with the foreman escaped.
2. Sneed the new chairman proposed that the convention should meet at Cheyenne Wyoming. The suggestion however was according to reports not adopted.
3. He had a pen and an ink bottle was in the cupboard. By washing poor widows can earn but scant living.
4. Saunders asked, how I liked the Overland car as compared with the Chalmers, the Hudson and the Buick. I started to reply but at that moment we were interrupted.
5. People, who steal watermelons, say the stolen melons are sweetest. Farragut who was born in Tennessee was the North's ablest naval commander. The developer is a chemical, which reduces the silver salt.
The Semicolon
The semicolon represents a division in thought somewhat greater than that represented by a comma, and somewhat smaller than that represented by a period. It may represent grammatical separation and logical connection at the same time; that is, it may indicate that two statements are separate units in grammar, and are yet to be taken together to form a larger unit of logic or thought.
92a. The semicolon is used between coordinate clauses which are not joined by a conjunction. (For a possible exception see 91b.).
Wrong: He was alarmed in fact he was terrified.
Right: He was alarmed; in fact he was terrified.
Right: He drew up at the curb; he leaped from the car.
Note.—Very often the writer may choose freely between the semicolon and the period; in such instances the use of the semicolon implies greater logical unity between the clauses than the use of the period would show. Unless this logical unity is distinct, the period is to be preferred.
b. The semicolon is sometimes used between coordinate clauses which are joined by a conjunction if the clauses are long, or if the clauses have commas within themselves, or if obscurity would result were the semicolon not used. (Otherwise, see 91a.)
Right: Very slowly the glow in the heavens deepened and extended itself along the eastern horizon; but at last the bright-red rim of the sun showed above the crest of the hill.
Right: He arrived, so they tell me, after nightfall; and immediately going to a hotel, called for a room.
Confusing: She enjoyed the dinners, and the dancing, and the music, and the whole gay round of fashionable life was a delight to her.
Better. She enjoyed the dinners, and the dancing, and the music; and the whole gay round of fashionable life was a delight to her.
c. The semicolon is used between coordinate clauses which are joined by a formal conjunctive adverb (hence, thus, then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, besides, still, nevertheless, or the like).
Wrong: We have failed in this therefore let us try something else.
Right: We have failed in this; therefore let us try something else.
Wrong: He was tattered and muddy, besides he ate like a cormorant.
Right: He was tattered and muddy; besides he ate like a cormorant.
Note 1.—If a simple conjunction like and is used in the sentences above, a comma will suffice. But a comma is not sufficient before a conjunctive adverb like therefore. Conjunctive adverbs may be clearly distinguished from simple conjunctions (See 91a). They cannot always be easily distinguished from subordinating conjunctions (see 90b, Note), but the distinction, when it can be made with certainty, is an aid to clear thinking.
Note 2.—Good usage sometimes permits a comma to be used before a conjunctive adverb in short sentences where the break in the thought is not formal or emphatic. For instance, when the conjunctive adverb so is used as a formal or emphatic connective, a semicolon is desirable (I won't go; so that's settled). But in the sentence, "I was excited, so I missed the target", a comma is sufficient. For the use of so is here informal, and probably expresses degree as well as result. (Compare "I was so excited that I missed the target").
d. The semicolon is not used before quotations, or after the "Dear Sir" in letters. Use a comma or a colon. (See 91h, 93a, and 87b.)
Wrong: Mother said; "Let me get my needle."
Right: Mother said, "Let me get my needle."
Exercise:
1. The eggs tasted musty, they were cold storage eggs.
2. You should have seen that old, formally kept house, you should have sat in that stuffy and immaculate parlor.
3. I objected to the plan however since he insisted upon it I yielded.
4. I suppose I must go if I don't he will be anxious.
5. Although the note is due on March 19, you have three days of grace, consequently you may pay it on March 22.
The Colon
93a. The colon is used to introduce formally a word, a list, a statement or question, a series of statements or questions, or a long quotation.
Right: Only one man stood between Burr and the presidency: Jefferson.
Right: My favorite novels are the following: Ivanhoe, Henry Esmond, and The Mill on the Floss.
Right: The difficulty is this: Where is the money to come from?
Right: The measure must be considered from several standpoints: Is it timely? Is it expedient? Is it just? Is it superior to the other measures proposed?
Right: I shall do three things next year: study hard, take care of my health, and enter into various student activities.
Right: Webster concluded with the following peroration: "When my eyes shall be turned for the last time to behold the sun in heaven," etc., etc.
b. The colon may be used before concrete illustrations of a general statement.
Right: The colors were various: blue, purple, emerald, and orange.
Right: The day was propitious: the sun shone, the birds sang, the flowers sent forth their fragrance.
Exercise:
1. The city must have these improvements paved streets more schools better sanitation and a park.
2. A guild comprised men of a single class tailors, fishmongers, or goldsmiths.
3. Everything was favorable, it was a wheat-raising district, there were no rival mills, the means of transportation were excellent.
4. The personal adornments of the eighteenth century "blood" were elaborate, wigs, cocked hat, colored breeches, red-heeled shoes, cane, and muff.
5. The chief of the engineers reported "The route, taken as a whole, is practicable enough, but near Clifton, where the yards must be placed, it leads through a rocky defile."
The Dash
94a. The dash may be used instead of the marks of parenthesis, especially where informality is desired.
Right: She fell asleep—would you believe it?—in the middle of the lecture.
Right: That fellow actually—of course this is between you and me—stole money from his father.
b. Insert a dash when a sentence is broken off abruptly.
Right: The next morning—let's see, what happened the next morning?
c. The dash may be used near the end of a sentence, before a summarizing statement or an afterthought.
Right: When you have carried in the wood and the water, and milked the cows, and fed all the stock and the poultry, and mended the harness—when you have done these things, you may consider the rest of the evening your own.
Right: Barnes played a mischievous trick one day—in fact, Barnes was always into mischief.
d. The use of the dash to end sentences is childish.
Childish: At dawn I went on deck—far off to the left was a cloud, I thought, on the edge of the water—it grew more distinct as we angled toward it—it was land—before noon we had sailed into harbor.
Right: At dawn I went on deck. Far off to the left was a cloud, I thought, on the edge of the water. It grew more distinct as we angled toward it. It was land. Before noon we had sailed into harbor.
e. A dash should be made about three times as long as a hyphen; otherwise it may be mistaken as the sign of a compound word.
Exercise:
1. The boy left the package on the where did that boy leave the package?
2. She was haughty independent as a queen in fact and she told him no.
3. The clatter of the other typewriters, the relentless movement of the hands of the clock, the calls from the press room for more copy, these made Sears write like mad.
4. He made her acquaintance what do you think of this by scribbling his name and address on some eggs he sold to a grocer.
5. He obtained a position in a big department store—his good taste was quickly recognized—within a month he was dressing the windows.
Parenthesis Marks and Brackets
95a. Parenthesis marks may be used to enclose matter foreign to the main thought of the sentence. (But see also 94a and 91e.)
Right: His testimony is conclusive (unless, to be sure, we find that he has perjured himself).
b. A comma or a semicolon used at the end of a parenthesis should as a rule follow the mark of parenthesis rather than precede it.
Right: If there is snow on the ground (and I am sure there will be), we shall have plenty of sleighing.
c. When confirmatory symbols or figures are enclosed within parenthesis marks, they should follow rather than precede the words they confirm.
Wrong: They earn (3) dollars a day.
Right: They earn three (3) dollars a day. [Or] They earn three dollars ($3) a day.
d. Do not use parenthesis marks to cancel a word or passage. Draw a horizontal line through whatever is to be omitted.
e. Brackets are used to insert explanatory matter in a quotation which 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.
15. The people of olden times used pumps, but did not know why they worked, they thought it worked because "nature abhors a vacuum."
G.
1. Each one of these three books are interesting.
2. You may put this hat in any desired shape you like.
3. We motored over to Bloomington which was much more pleasant than the train.
4. Every one of his statements are so clear that they cannot be misconstrued what they mean.
5. Analysis is when things are resolved into elements or parts.
6. She dropped the doll on the pavement, of which she was very fond.
7. He was offered money to keep still, but would not, thus showing his good character.
8. The first training center for training police dogs was in Hildesheim, Prussia, and was in the year 1896.
9. The draining of land not only increases the yield, and it greatly lengthens the season that the land may be worked.
10. He next stated the number of the founders of the Constitution, which were 39 in no.
11. The life of Doctor Kingsley is a good example of a man who has succeeded.
12. The fortunes of our country are now standing at the cannon's mouth, and one vote may stem the tide of disaster.
13. There was little scenery on an Elizabethan stage. While the parts intended for women were performed by men.
14. The cave which Tom Sawyer was lost in really existed. It was the cave just outside Hannibal, Missouri, it was near the Mississippi. Here was the place where Mark Twain was a boy.
15. Yes, and the buildings werent what they are now, do you remember how we used to go to the old log meeting house, that was up on stilts, and the pigs crawled under the floor and raised such a disturbance that the preacher had to stop and have the pigs chased out before he could continue the sermon?
INDEX
The numbers refer to articles.
Abbreviations, 83, 90c
Absolute expressions Defined, 58 Punctuation of, 91e
Accept and except, 67
Ad, 68
Addresses, 87b, 87e
Adjectives Classes of, 58 Comparison of, 58 Distinguished from adverbs, 56 In a series, 91f, 91j2
Adverbs, Classes of, 58 Comparison of, 58 Distinguished from adjectives, 56
Affect and effect, 67
Aggravate, 68
Agreement Of verbs, 52 Of pronouns, 51, 50i
Ain't, 68
All right, 68
Almost, Position of, 27
Allusion and illusion, 67
Already and all ready, 67
And before a subordinate phrase or clause, 16, 17
And used to excess, 14
And which construction, 17
Antecedent Defined, 58 Faulty reference to, 20-23
Anybody, Number of, 51a
Apostrophe In contractions, 97 With possessive, 97, 50f
Application for a position, 87g
Articles, Omission of, 3
As, Incorrect use of, 50a, 68
Aspect of the verb, 58
Auxiliary Defined, 58 Use of, 55e
Awful, Abuse of, 68
Balanced sentence, 45
Balanced structure, 30, 45
Barbarisms, 66
Because clauses, 5
Because of phrases, 5 Note
Be, Nominative with, 50c
Both ... and, 31
Brackets, 95e
Brevity for emphasis, 41, 60
Business letters, 87c
Bust or busted, 68
But used to excess, 38 Note
Can and may, 67
Cannot help but, 34
Capitals, 81
Case Defined, 58 Use of, 50
Cause, Inaccurate statement of, 5
Caused by, 5 Note, 23, 68
Change in number or person, 33
Change in subject or voice, 32
Change in tense, 33, 55
Choppy sentences, 13
Claim, 68
Clauses Cause, 5 Coordinated loosely, 14, 12 Defined, 58 House-that-Jack-built, 38 Misplaced, 24 Misused as sentences, 1, 90b Restrictive and non-r., 91d Subordinate. Not to be used as complete sentences, 1 Subordination faulty, 15 To be reduced to phrases, 60 When or where clauses, 6
Clearness, 20-39
Climax, 44
Coherence, 24-29
Colon, 93
Collective nouns, Number of, 51c
Colloquialisms, 65
Comma, 91, 92c Notes 1 and 2, 95b After quotation, 96 Note "Comma splice" or "comma fault," 18 Not used after question mark, 98b
Comparison of adjectives and adverbs, 58
Comparisons, Inaccurate, 4
Compound sentence structure in excess, 12, 14
Compound words, 78
Concreteness, 63
Conjugation, 58
Conjunctions Defined, 58 List of, 36 Omitted, 37 Repeated carelessly, 38
Conjunctive adverbs Defined, 58 Punctuation with, 92c
Connectives, 8, 36, 37, 38
Consonants Between syllables, 71, 85 Final (in spelling), 75
Construction Incomplete, 2 Mixed, 34 Split, 28
Contractions Apostrophe with, 97 When proper, 65b
Coordination, Excessive, 12, 14
Correlatives, 31
Could of, 68
Dangling gerund, 23
Dangling participle, 23
Dash, 94
Dates, Writing of, 84, 91e
Declension, 58
Definition, 6 Note
Dialogue Paragraphing, 88c Punctuation before, 91h, 93a Punctuation in, 96
Diction, Faulty (list), 68
Different than, 68
Divided reference, 20
Don't, 51d
Double capacity, Words in, 57
Double negative, 34 Note
Drownded, 68
Due to, Proper use of, 5 Note, 23 Note, 68
Each, Number of, 51a
ei or ie, 74
Either, Number of, 51a
Either ... or, 31
Ellipsis Defined, 58 Misuse of, 3, 23 Note
Emigrate and immigrate, 67
Emphasis By brevity, 41 By position, 40 By repetition, 47 By separation, 41 By subordination, 42, 14 By variety, 48
Enthuse, 68
Etc., Use of, 68
Euphemism, 61
Ever, Position of, 27
Every, every one, everybody, Number of, 51a
Exclamation point, 98e
Exact connective, 36
Exact word, 62
Figures, Use of, 84
Figures of speech, Mixed, 35
Final consonant (in spelling), 75
Final e before a suffix, 76
Fine, Abuse of, 68
Fine writing, 61
Flowery language, 61
Formal invitations, 87h
Former, 68
Gent, 68
Geographical names, 91e
Gerund Dangling, 23 Defined, 58 With possessive, 50g
Good use, 65, 66
Gotten, 68
Grammar, 50-59
Grammatical terms, 58
Guess, 68
Hackneyed expressions, 61
Had ought, 68
Handwriting, 80c
Hanged and hung, 67
Healthy and healthful, 67
Historical present, 33 Note
However, Position of, 27
Human, humans, 68
Hygienic and sanitary, 67
Hyphen Between syllables, 85 In compound words, 78
Idioms, 65
Illogical thought, 4, 5, 6, 7
Imagery mixed, 35
Impersonal construction, Needless use of, 60
Improprieties, 66
Incomplete construction, 2
Indefinite it, you, they, 22 Note
Indention of paragraphs, 88
Inflection, 58
Infinitive Case with, 50e Defined, 58 Sign of, to be repeated, 37 Split, 28 Tense of, 55
Instants and instance, 67
Interjections Defined, 58 Punctuation of, 91c, 98e
Invitations, Formal, 87h
Is when clauses, 6
Is where clauses, 6
Italics, 82, 96e
Its (possessive adjective), without apostrophe, 50f, 97d
Kind of, 68
Later and latter, 67
Lead and led, 67
Learn and teach, 67
Leave and let, 67
Length of paragraph, 88b
Length of sentences, 12, 13, 48b
Less and fewer, 67
Letters, 87
Liable and likely, 67
Lie and lay, 59D, 67
Like (for as), 67, 68
List Of connectives, 36 Of principal parts, 54 Of grammatical terms, 58 Of words confused in meaning, 67 Of words incorrectly used, 68 Of words logically akin, 72 Of words confused in spelling, 73 For spelling, 79
Loan, 68
Locate, 68
Logic, 4, 5, 6, 7
Logical Agreement, 4, 5, 6
Logical Sequence, 25
Lose and loose, 67
Lots of, 68
Majority and plurality, 67
Manuscript, 80
Might of, 68
Misplaced word, 27
Mixed constructions, 34
Mixed imagery, 35
Modal aspects, 58
Mode Definition of, 58 Use of subjunctive, 55d
Modifiers Grouping of, 24, 25 Needless separation of, 24, 27 Squinting, 26 Wrongly used as sentences, 1, 90b
Money, 84c
Most (for almost), 66, 68
Myself, Needlessly used for I or me, 68
Negative, Double, 34 Note
Neither, Number of, 51a
Neither ... nor, 31
Nice, Inaccurate use of, 62, 68
Nicknames, Quotations with, 96d
Not only ... but also, 31
Nouns, Classes of, 58
Number Shift in, 33 These kind, etc., 51b Each, Every, etc., 51a Collective nouns, 51c Of verbs, 52
Numbers, Use of, 84 Formation of plural, 77d, 97e
O and Oh, 68
Objective case, 50d, 50e
Off of, 68
Omission Of words, 3 From quotations, 96i
Only, Position of, 27
Outlines, 86
Overlapping thought, 8 Note
Owing to, Proper use of, 5 Note
Paragraphs, 88
Parallel structure, 30, 31, 45
Parenthesis and parenthetical elements, 91e, 94a, 95
Participle Dangling, 23 Definition of, 58
Parts of speech, 58
Party, Abuse of, 68
Passive voice, not emphatic, 46
Past tense, Wrong forms of, 54
Past perfect tense, 55
Period, 90, 91b, 92a Note After quotation, 96g Note Not used after question mark, 98b "Period blunder," 1, 90b
Periodic sentence, 43
Person, Change in, 33
Phonetic spelling, 71 Note
Phrases Defined, 58 Not to be used as sentences, 1 Note Absolute, 91e
Plurals, Spelling of, 77
Poetry to be separated from prose, 41, 80b
Point of view, Shift in, 32
Ponderous language, 60
Possessive With gerund, 50g Apostrophe with, 50f, 97 Inanimate objects in, 50h
Practical and practicable, 67
Predicate adjective, 58
Predicate noun, 58
Prefixes, 72
Prepositions Defined, 58 Omitted, 3, 37 Repeated carelessly, 38
Principal parts, 54
Principal and principle, 67
Pronouns Agreement with antecedent, 50i Case of, 50 Kinds of, 58 Reference of, 20, 21, 22 Wrong use of myself, yourself, for I, me, you, 68
Pronunciation as a guide to spelling, 71
Proof and evidence, 67
Proposition, Synonyms for, 62
Proven, 68
Pseudo- and quasi-, 67
Quiet and quite, 67
Question mark, 98
Quotation marks vs. italics, 82a Note 2, 96e
Quotations Punctuation before, 91h, 92d, 93a Punctuation of, 96
Reason, Statement of, to be completed by a that clause, 5
Redundance, 60
Reference Ambiguous, 20 Broad, 22 Divided, 20 Impersonal, 22 Note Remote, 20 To a clause, 22 To a title, 21 Note To an unemphatic word, 21 Weak, 21
Reflexive wrongly used for the simple pronoun, 68
Repetition Of connectives, good, 37; bad, 38 Of structure, good 47b; bad 48b Of words, good, 47a; bad, 48a
Respectfully and respectively, 67
Restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, 91d
Right smart, 68
Rise and raise, 59D, 67
Said, Synonyms for, 62
Same, Abuse of, 68
Scrappy sentences, 13
Semicolon, 91b, 92, 95b After quotation, 96g Note Not used after question mark, 98b
Sequence of tense, 55
Sequence of thought, 25
Series, Punctuation of, 91f, 91g, 91j 3
Shall and will, 53
Shift in number, person, or tense, 33
Shift in subject or voice, 32
Should and would, 53
Sit and set, 59D, 67
Slang, 66 Quotations with, 96d
So, 36 Note, 68
Some, Abuse of, 68
Somewheres, 68
Sound, 64
Spacing, 80b
Specific words, 63
Spelling, 70-79
Split construction, 28
Split infinitive, 28
Squinting, 26
Stationary and stationery, 67
Statue, stature, and statute, 67
Stringy sentences, 12, 14
Subject in nominative case, 50a
Subjunctive mode Defined, 58 Use of, 55d
Subordinating conjunctions Defined, 58 Enumerated, 36
Subordination Necessary, 12, 13, 14 Faulty, 15, 16, 17, 42 And which, 17
Substantive defined, 58
Such, 68
Suffixes, 75, 76
Superlative degree in comparisons, 4, 58
Sure and surely, 68
Suspicion, 68
Syllabication, 85
Syntax defined, 58
Tautology, 60 Note
Technical terms, Quotations with, 96d
Tense In dependent clauses, 55a In general statements, 55c Past Perfect, 55b Sequence of, 55 Shift in, 33
Than or as, Case of pronouns after, 50a
That there, 68
Them (misused as adjective), 68
These kind, 51b
Those, Omission of relative clause after, 2, 68
Thought undeveloped, 7
Title Capitals in, 81 Reference to, 21 Note Spacing, etc., 80a, 96j Quoted (books, periodicals, etc.), 82a, 96e
Transitions, 8, 36
Transpire, 68
Triteness, 61
Undeveloped thought, 7
Unity, 10-19
Upside-down subordination, 15
Usage, Good, 65, 66
Verbals, 58
Verb, Forms of the, 58
Ways, 68
Weak reference, 21
Where at, 68
While, Abuse of, 36
Win out, 68
Who, whoever, 50b
Woods, 68
Would of, 68
Wordiness, 60
Words Confused in meaning, 67 Confused in spelling, 73 Double capacity of, 57 Misused, 68 Omission of, 3
Yourself wrongly used for you, 68
Transcriber's Notes:
Article 7, Missing period added (Many passages are powerful, especially the grave-digging [Is grave-digging a passage?].)
Article 13, Changed period to colon (Exercise:)
Article 14, Changed period to colon (Exercise:)
Article 24, Added missing article "a" (In the morning I found on my bed a heap of snow...)
Article 25, Changed "them" to "then" (Do not begin one idea, abandon it for a second, and then return to the first.)
Article 31, Added missing comma (not only ... but also ..., both ... and ...)
Article 38, Changed "men to "man" (He was undoubtedly a brave man...)
Article 38, Changed "trangressions" to "transgressions" (However, if it is used only for serious transgressions...)
Article 39, Added missing parenthesis ((Consult 36 for a list of connectives.))
Article 54, Changed period to colon (Exercise:)
Article 58, Changed "I was being taken" to "I must be taken" in the conjugation table for the verb "to take" as Present Indicative Obligative in Passive voice
Article 65, Changed "idoms" to "idioms" (Study the following list of correct idioms)
Article 65, Added missing commas (ain't it fierce?, can you beat it?, going some)
Article 68, Added missing quotation mark ("We oughtn't (not hadn't ought) to make this error.")
Article 68, Changed "Verb" to "Very" (Very. Accompanied by much when used with the past participle.)
Article 71, Removed italic style for the word "compare" (compare occasion)
Article 86, Corrected numbering in a list changing "2." to "3." (3. Place in order the headings of the following outline)
Article 88, Added missing parenthesis ((In some instances the paragraph may consist of a single sentence.))
Article 88, Changed comma to period (We'll have a rope down to you in a minute.)
Article 91, Added missing parenthesis ((She came and she was gone in a moment. McCoy talked and the rest of us listened.))
Article 91, Changed period to colon (Right: For breakfast we had oatmeal, bacon, eggs, and honey.)
Article 92, Changed period to colon (Better: She enjoyed the dinners, and the dancing, and the music)
Article 94, Changed "d." to "b.", and "b." to "d." (b. Insert a dash when a sentence is broken off abruptly.; d. The use of the dash to end sentences is childish.)
Article 95, Changed "dedeclared" to "declared" ("Bunyan's masterpiece (The Pilgrim's Progress)," declared the lecturer)
INDEX, Changed period to comma (Impersonal construction, Needless use of)
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