--- a/en-punctuation_en.rst Tue Jul 10 13:00:53 2012 +0300
+++ b/en-punctuation_en.rst Tue Jul 10 13:11:42 2012 +0300
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
--*- mode: outline; coding: utf-8 -*-
+.. -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
- English Punctuation Guide.
+============================
+ English Punctuation Guide.
+============================
-* Punctuation symbol.
+Punctuation symbol.
+===================
+::
! exclamation mark
"" single quotation marks
@@ -16,36 +20,39 @@
? question mark
... ellipsis
-* General rules.
+General rules.
+==============
* Put end-of-sentence punctuation inside quotation marks.
* Put commas and other sentence punctuation outside of parentheses.
- * Put a comma (plus a space) before and, but, or, and nor when they join two
- sentences.
- * The semicolon (;) is not used widely in English and probably should be
- avoided by non-native writers.
- * Names of newspapers, books, movies, ships, magazines, journals, and poems
- are usually italicized or underlined.
+ * Put a comma (plus a space) before and, but, or, and nor when they
+ join two sentences.
+ * The semicolon (;) is not used widely in English and probably should
+ be avoided by non-native writers.
+ * Names of newspapers, books, movies, ships, magazines, journals, and
+ poems are usually italicized or underlined.
-** Capital letter.
+Capital letter.
+===============
- 1 A capital is used for the first letter of a new sentence, of quoted speech
- or proper nouns.
- 2 The first letter of a sentence does not need to be capitalized if it is
- included in parenthesis within another sentence.
- 3 A capital letter is always used for the first person singular subjective
- personal pronoun I.
- 4 A capital is used for the first letter of key words in headings and titles.
- If such titles are hyphenated then both components are given capitalized
- first letters.
- 5 A capital is used for the first letter of key words in historical events.
- 6 A capital is used for the first letter of religions and many other
- religious words.
- 7 A capital is used for the first letter of names of months and days of the
- week, but not of seasons.
- 8 Holidays should also be capitalized.
+ 1. A capital is used for the first letter of a new sentence, of quoted
+ speech or proper nouns.
+ 2. The first letter of a sentence does not need to be capitalized if it
+ is included in parenthesis within another sentence.
+ 3. A capital letter is always used for the first person singular
+ subjective personal pronoun I.
+ 4. A capital is used for the first letter of key words in headings and
+ titles. If such titles are hyphenated then both components are given
+ capitalized first letters.
+ 5. A capital is used for the first letter of key words in historical
+ events.
+ 6. A capital is used for the first letter of religions and many other
+ religious words.
+ 7. A capital is used for the first letter of names of months and days of
+ the week, but not of seasons.
+ 8. Holidays should also be capitalized.
-Example:
+Examples::
[3] My boss and I agreed that I should make up for the time I had lost.
[4] The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
@@ -57,7 +64,8 @@
[7] After a long, hot summer she married him on a sultry Saturday in September.
[8] January 1 is New Year's Day.
-** Spaces.
+Spaces.
+=======
* Put one space after punctuation.
* Put no spaces before punctuation, but always put a space between words.
@@ -70,206 +78,231 @@
* Put two spaces after colons and between sentences.
-
-* Exclamation mark, '!'.
+Exclamation mark, '!'.
+======================
* Exclamation marks act as a full stop.
- * An exclamation mark is most often used to show shock, surprise, horror or
- pleasure.
- * No space is needed before an exclamation mark, at least one space after one
- (two spaces for purists).
+ * An exclamation mark is most often used to show shock, surprise,
+ horror or pleasure.
+ * No space is needed before an exclamation mark, at least one space
+ after one (two spaces for purists).
-Example:
+Examples::
Oh! Wow! Brilliant!
It was shocking!
-* Apostrophe, "'".
+Apostrophe, "'".
+================
* Apostrophes next to the letter ('s) indicate possession or belonging.
* They are also used to show missing letters in shortened words, especially in
informal writing.
* No space is needed before or after the apostrophe.
-Example:
+Examples::
This is Lynne's web site.
It's a nice day today, isn't it? I've got an idea. Let's go out.
-* Comma, ','.
+Comma, ','.
+===========
- 1 Separate items in long lists.
- 2 Commas point out brief pauses in a complex sentence or a long prepositional
- phrase.
- 3 Comma is included before the conjunction 'and' which comes
- before the final element of a list (for purists).
- 4 Introduce a direct quote.
- 5 Separate appositives (a noun, or noun phrase) or non-defining relative
- clauses.
- 6 Use a comma if your subject has two or more adjectives describing it.
- * You do not put a space before a comma, but you do need a space after one.
- ? We don't usually put a comma before the word 'and'.
+ 1. Separate items in long lists.
+ 2. Commas point out brief pauses in a complex sentence or a long
+ prepositional phrase.
+ 3. Comma is included before the conjunction 'and' which comes before
+ the final element of a list (for purists).
+ 4. Introduce a direct quote.
+ 5. Separate appositives (a noun, or noun phrase) or non-defining
+ relative clauses.
+ 6. Use a comma if your subject has two or more adjectives describing
+ it.
+ 7. You do not put a space before a comma, but you do need a space after
+ one.
+ 8. We don't usually put a comma before the word 'and'.
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] There were a lot of people in the room, teachers, students and parents.
[2] The teachers were sitting, the students were listening and the parents
- were just worrying.
+ were just worrying.
[2] Although he wanted to come, he wasn't able to attend the course.
[3] I like reading, listening to music, and visiting with my friends.
[4] The boy said, "My father is often away during the week on business trips."
[4] His doctor replied, "If you don't stop smoking, you run the risk of a
- heart attack."
+ heart attack."
[5] Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, comes from Seattle.
[5] My only sister, who is a fantastic tennis player, is in great shape.
[6] The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.
-* Colon, ':'.
+Colon, ':'.
+===========
- 1 Colons precede a list, an explanation or an example.
- 2 The colon is used to separate two main clauses where the first is an
- introduction to the second.
- 3 To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used in this situation).
- * You do not put a space before a colon, but you do need a space after one.
+ 1. Colons precede a list, an explanation or an example.
+ 2. The colon is used to separate two main clauses where the first is an
+ introduction to the second.
+ 3. To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used in this
+ situation).
+ 4. You do not put a space before a colon, but you do need a space after
+ one.
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] There are two main shopping areas in Nottingham: Broadmarsh Centre and
- Victoria Centre.
+ Victoria Centre.
[2] The pilot had an awful realization: he had forgotten to turn off the gas
- at breakfast time.
+ at breakfast time.
[3] He announced to his friends: "I'm getting married!"
-* Full stop (period), '.'.
+Full stop (period), '.'.
+========================
- 1 Full stops (periods in the USA) go at the end of sentences that are
- statements.
- 2 They are also used to mark abbreviations. If such an abbreviation occurs at
- the very end of a sentence, the final dot is not usually written twice.
- * You do not put a space before a full stop, but you do need at least one
- space after one (two spaces for purists).
+ 1. Full stops (periods in the USA) go at the end of sentences that are
+ statements.
+ 2. They are also used to mark abbreviations. If such an abbreviation
+ occurs at the very end of a sentence, the final dot is not usually
+ written twice.
+ * You do not put a space before a full stop, but you do need at least
+ one space after one (two spaces for purists).
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] My name is Lynn. I am a teacher.
[2] An overhead projector is often referred to as an O.H.P.
-* Hyphen, '-'.
+Hyphen, '-'.
+============
* Hyphens are used to connect words or syllables, or to divide words into
parts.
* You don't use a space on either side of a hyphen.
-Example:
+Examples::
There were ninety-nine red balloons.
-* Question mark, '?'.
+Question mark, '?'.
+===================
- 1 Question marks go at the end of sentences that are questions.
- 2 You need a question mark at the end of tag questions.
+ 1. Question marks go at the end of sentences that are questions.
+ 2. You need a question mark at the end of tag questions.
* For quotes within quotes, use single quotes.
- * You do not put a space before a question mark, but you do need at least one
- space after one (two spaces for purists).
+ * You do not put a space before a question mark, but you do need at
+ least one space after one (two spaces for purists).
-For example:
+Examples::
[1] Is my name Lynn? Of course it is.
[2] It's a nice day, isn't it?
-* Semicolon, ';'.
+Semicolon, ';'.
+===============
- 1 Semicolons are used to separate two sentences that would otherwise be
- joined with a word such as 'and', 'because', 'since', 'unless' or 'while'.
- 2 To separate groups of words that are themselves separated by commas.
- * You do not put a space before a semicolon, but you do need a space after one.
+ 1. Semicolons are used to separate two sentences that would otherwise
+ be joined with a word such as 'and', 'because', 'since', 'unless' or
+ 'while'. 2 To separate groups of words that are themselves separated
+ by commas.
+ * You do not put a space before a semicolon, but you do need a space
+ after one.
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] I'm looking forward to our next lesson; I'm sure it will be a lot of fun.
[2] They plan to study German, for their travels; chemistry, for their work;
and literature, for their own enjoyment.
-
-* Quotation mark (speech mark), '""', "''".
+Quotation mark (speech mark), '""', "''".
+=========================================
Double quotes '""', single quotes "''".
- * Quotation marks (single or double) are used to show words that are directly
- spoken (direct speech).
+ * Quotation marks (single or double) are used to show words that are
+ directly spoken (direct speech).
* Only the words actually being quoted are enclosed by speech marks.
- * You need a space before the opening speech mark, but no space after it, and
- a space after the closing one, but no space before it.
- * Another general rule is to use a comma after the introduction to quoted
- speech or writing.
- * Sometimes when writing a spoken sentence it is split in two. The speech
- marks must then be placed at the beginning and end of each part of the
- sentence. Commas are used to separate the spoken part from the rest of the
- sentence.
- * If you need a question mark or exclamation mark the markers that punctuate
- the quoted words are enclosed by the speech marks.
+ * You need a space before the opening speech mark, but no space after
+ it, and a space after the closing one, but no space before it.
+ * Another general rule is to use a comma after the introduction to
+ quoted speech or writing.
+ * Sometimes when writing a spoken sentence it is split in two. The
+ speech marks must then be placed at the beginning and end of each
+ part of the sentence. Commas are used to separate the spoken part
+ from the rest of the sentence.
+ * If you need a question mark or exclamation mark the markers that
+ punctuate the quoted words are enclosed by the speech marks.
-Example:
+Examples::
"Could everyone sit down please," said the teacher.
Jaime said, "I love you."
"I wonder," she said quietly, "whether people will ever truly understand each other."
- "I don't understand," replied Nathan. "Do you understand?" asked Nathan. "I don't understand!" shouted Nathan.
- Nathan replied, "I don't understand." Nathan asked, "Do you understand?" Nathan shouted, "I don't understand!"
+ "I don't understand," replied Nathan.
+ "Do you understand?" asked Nathan.
+ "I don't understand!" shouted Nathan.
+ Nathan replied, "I don't understand."
+ Nathan asked, "Do you understand?"
+ Nathan shouted, "I don't understand!"
He wrote in 1946 that, "The key word in digital computer is 'digital'."
-* Ellipsis, '...'.
+Ellipsis, '...'.
+================
- 1 Ellipsis used to show that something has been omitted, indicate missing
- words in an incomplete quotation.
+ 1. Ellipsis used to show that something has been omitted, indicate
+ missing words in an incomplete quotation.
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] Chomsky suggested that, "Language is a system that...can be described in
- an algebraic notation."
+ an algebraic notation."
-* Dash, '-', '--'.
+Dash, '-', '--'.
+================
+
+ 1. The dash should be used when making a brief interruption within a
+ statement, a sudden change of thought, an additional comment, or a
+ dramatic qualification.
- 1 The dash should be used when making a brief interruption within a
- statement, a sudden change of thought, an additional comment, or a dramatic
- qualification.
+Parentheses '()'.
+=================
-* Parentheses '()'.
+ 1. Use parentheses to clarify, to place an afterthought, or to add a
+ personal comment. Be sure to include the period after the closing
+ parenthesis.
- 1 Use parentheses to clarify, to place an afterthought, or to add a personal
- comment. Be sure to include the period after the closing parenthesis.
-
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] Steve Case (AOL's former CEO) resigned from the Time-Warner board of
- directors in 2005.
+ directors in 2005.
[1] You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don't forget the
- batteries!).
+ batteries!).
[1] Most grammarians believe that parentheses and commas are always
- interchangeable (I disagree).
+ interchangeable (I disagree).
-* Brackets '[]'.
+Brackets '[]'.
+==============
- 1 Use brackets to signify an editor's note in a regular piece of writing. You
- can also use brackets to clarify or to revise a direct quote so that it
- appeals to your own writing.
- 2 The first brackets are rounded, and brackets inside brackets are squared.
+ 1. Use brackets to signify an editor's note in a regular piece of
+ writing. You can also use brackets to clarify or to revise a direct
+ quote so that it appeals to your own writing.
+ 2. The first brackets are rounded, and brackets inside brackets are
+ squared.
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] "[The blast] was absolutely devastating," said Susan Smith.
-* Slash '/'.
+Slash '/'.
+==========
- 1 Use the slash to separate "and" and "or", when appropriate.
- 2 The slash can replace the word "and" to join two nouns.
- 3 The slash is used when quoting lyrics and poetry to denote a line break. Be
- sure to add spaces between your slashes here.
+ 1. Use the slash to separate "and" and "or", when appropriate.
+ 2. The slash can replace the word "and" to join two nouns.
+ 3. The slash is used when quoting lyrics and poetry to denote a line
+ break. Be sure to add spaces between your slashes here.
-Example:
+Examples::
[1] To register, you will need your driver's license and/or your birth
- certificate."
+ certificate."
[2] The student/part-time employee has very little free time.
[3] "Row, row, row your boat / gently down the stream / life is but a dream."