--- a/www/en-punctuation_en.rst Thu Oct 13 20:39:20 2016 +0300
+++ b/www/en-punctuation_en.rst Thu Oct 13 21:45:23 2016 +0300
@@ -1,39 +1,46 @@
.. -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-============================
- English Punctuation Guide.
-============================
+===========================
+ English Punctuation Guide
+===========================
+.. contents::
+ :local:
-Punctuation symbol.
-===================
-::
+Punctuation symbol
+==================
+
+``.`` full stop (period USA)
+
+``?`` question mark
+
+``!`` exclamation mark
+
+``""`` single quotation marks
- ! exclamation mark
- "" single quotation marks
- '' double quotation marks
- ' apostrophe
- , comma
- - hyphen
- . full stop (period USA)
- : colon
- ; semi colon
- ? question mark
- ... ellipsis
+``''`` double quotation marks
+
+````` apostrophe
+
+``-`` hyphen
+
+``,`` comma
-General rules.
-==============
+``:`` colon
+
+``;`` semicolon
+
+``...`` ellipsis
+
+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 conjunction.
+ * The semicolon ``;`` is not widely used in English.
-Capital letter.
-===============
+Capital letter
+==============
1. A capital is used for the first letter of a new sentence, of quoted
speech or proper nouns.
@@ -64,8 +71,8 @@
[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.
@@ -74,26 +81,21 @@
* Put no space on the "inside" of quotation marks (often called "quotes").
* Put no space on the "inside" of parentheses.
-Some old rules:
-
- * 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).
+* Exclamation marks act as a full stop.
+* An exclamation mark is most often used to show shock, surprise, horror or
+ pleasure.
+* Put space after an exclamation mark, not before.
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
@@ -105,8 +107,8 @@
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
@@ -116,10 +118,8 @@
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.
+ 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'.
Examples::
@@ -136,8 +136,8 @@
[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
@@ -155,49 +155,45 @@
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.
- 3. You do not put a space before a full stop, but you do need at least
- one space after one (two spaces for purists).
+ 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 written twice.
+ 3. You do not put a space before a full stop, but after one.
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.
+* 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.
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.
3. For quotes within quotes, use single quotes.
- 4. You do not put a space before a question mark, but you do need at
- least one space after one (two spaces for purists).
+ 4. You do not put a space before a question mark, but after one.
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
@@ -212,10 +208,10 @@
[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 "''".
+Double quotes ``""``, single quotes ``''``.
* Quotation marks (single or double) are used to show words that are
directly spoken (direct speech).
@@ -244,8 +240,8 @@
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.
@@ -255,15 +251,15 @@
[1] Chomsky suggested that, "Language is a system that...can be described in
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.
-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
@@ -278,8 +274,8 @@
[1] Most grammarians believe that parentheses and commas are always
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
@@ -291,8 +287,8 @@
[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.