Punctuation | Page 3

printer was the opening of
the treasures of ancient thought to the world. They were therefore
compelled to be the students, critics, and editors of the old manuscripts
which served them as copy. They naturally took their punctuation from
the Greek grammarians, but sometimes with changed meanings. The
semicolon, for instance, is the Greek mark of interrogation.
The period took its name from the Greek word [Greek: periodos],
periodos, meaning 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: kôlon], 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