-rRULES FOR. PUNCTUATION.                                          5

"Some men are born great ; some acquire greatness; some
have greatness thrust upon them." " Contributors: Will. M.
Carleton; Win. C. Bryant; B. F. Taylor; John G. Saxe."
"Contents: Riches; Poverty; Religion."
The Colon (:) is used to divide a sentence
into two or more parts, which, although the
sense is complete in each, are not wholly inde-
pendent; as
"Temperance begets virtue: virtue begets happiness." "Two
questions grow out of the subject: ist: What is the necessity of
a classical education I 2d: How far can a classical education
be made applicable to the ordinary business affairs of life?"
The Period (.) is placed at the end of every
complete and independent sentence; before
decimals; between pounds and shillings; after
initial letters, and for abbreviations; as
"Man, know thyself." "Chas. Williams, M.D." "J. Q.
Adams." "Gen1 Supt. of C., B., and Q. R. R." "£25. 8s 4d
"4.24 miles."
The Exclamation Point (!) denotes sudden
or violent emotion; as
"Oblissful days! Ah me! How soon ye passed!" "Charge,
Chester, charge! On, Stanley, on!" "Great bargains! Clothing
sold at forty per cent. below cost" " Rejoice! Rejoice! the
summer months are coming."
The Note of Interrogation (?) is used after
every sentence in which a question is asked; as
"What season of the year do you enjoy most ?"
It is also used to denote sneeringly the
unbelief of the speaker; as
" His wise counsels (?) failed to accomplish their end."
Brackets [ ] and Parentheses ( ) are employed
to enclose words thrown into a sentence by way
of explanation, which could be omitted without
injury to its construction; as
"I have met (and who has not) with many disappointments."
"Eight (8) miles and one hundred (ioo) yards." "In con-
elusion, gentlemen, I am for the constitution, the whole consti-
tution, and nothing but the constitution." [Great applause.]
The Dash (-) is used when the subject
breaks off suddenly, and to show the omission
of words, letters and figures ; thus:
"I would -but ah! I fear it is impossible - I would - I
will reform." "The pulse fluttered - stopped - went on -
stopped again - moved - stopped."
"This agreement entered into this -   day of-, 18,
between      --     of the first Dart. and -        of

The Hyphen (-) is employed as a character
between two words to show that they are con-
nected together as a compound word; thus:
Thirty-fold, super-heated, four-leaved, etc.
It is also used at the end of a syllable when
the remainder of the word follows on the next
line.  Also in dividing a word to show its pro-
nunciation; as
Pro-cras-ti-nate; val-e-tud-i-na-ri-an; co-op-e-rate.
The Ellipsis (. .    ) is used to represent the
omission of words, syllables, and letters, andi
sometimes represented by a dash ; thus, k         g
for king: occasionally by stars; thus, * *
and sometimes by periods ; like these.....
The following examples illustrate its use.
"Mrs. W-         , of C-    , is said to be the for-
tunate individual." "This was in x85o. * * * * Twenty
years later, in r870, we gather up, again, the thread of our dis-
course." "If he had married . . . . Ah, well! it ws not
so to be."
The Apostrophe (') is employed to distinguish
the possessive case; thus:
"John's Book."   " Superintendent's Office."  "Wells'
Grammar:"
And the omission of letters in the beginning or
middle ofa word, thus,
" I'll," for " I will."  ". Thou'lt," for " Thou wilt."
Prop'r," for "Proprietor." "In'st," for "Interest," etc.
See rules for punctuation, in the chapter
relating to "Sign Painting."
The Caret (A) is employed, in writing, to
show where a word, or several words have been
omitted in the sentence, and have been placed
above the line ; as
handmaid of              e
"Temperance is the virtue." " Improvment."
A               A
Quotation Marks (" ") are used by the writer
to designate a word or sentence quoted or
copied from another author ; as
"Three things bear mighty sway with men,
The Sword, the Sceptre, and the Pen."
The Marks of Reference (* f t § 11 I) are