--- a/english-punctuation.rst	Mon Dec 28 14:21:47 2009 +0200
+++ b/english-punctuation.rst	Mon Dec 28 14:27:29 2009 +0200
@@ -127,25 +127,32 @@
 * Colon, ':'.
 
  1 Colons precede a list, an explanation or an example.
- 2 To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used in this situation).
+ 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.
 
 Example:
 
   [1] There are two main shopping areas in Nottingham: Broadmarsh Centre and
   Victoria Centre.
-  [2] He announced to his friends: "I'm getting married!"
+  [2] The pilot had an awful realization: he had forgotten to turn off the gas
+  at breakfast time.
+  [3] He announced to his friends: "I'm getting married!"
 
 * Full stop (period), '.'.
 
- * Full stops (periods in the USA) go at the end of sentences that are
+ 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:
 
-  My name is Lynn. I am a teacher.
+  [1] My name is Lynn. I am a teacher.
+  [2] An overhead projector is often referred to as an O.H.P.
 
 * Hyphen, '-'.
 
@@ -213,12 +220,13 @@
 
 * Ellipsis, '...'.
 
- * Ellipsis used to show that something has been omitted.
+ 1 Ellipsis used to show that something has been omitted, indicate missing
+   words in an incomplete quotation.
 
 Example:
 
-  Chomsky suggested that, "Language is a system that...can be described in an
-  algebraic notation."
+  [1] Chomsky suggested that, "Language is a system that...can be described in
+  an algebraic notation."
 
 * Dash, '-', '--'.
 
@@ -245,6 +253,7 @@
  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: