1^ DERN 2 ^ iJNCTUATION ii book for ewriier Operaiors and Business Men Dickson 1^ MODERN PUNCTUATION A BOOK FOR STENOGRAPHERS, TYPEWRITER OPERATORS AND BUSINESS MEN HINTS TO LETTER-WRITKRS, ONK HUNDRED SU<;GESTI0KS TO TYPEWRITER OI'ERATORS, A LIST OF COMMON ABBREVIATIONS WITH DEFINI- TIONS, ANli A VOCABULARY HF BUSIS'ESS AND TECHNICAL TERMS, WITH SPACFS FOR WRITING IN THE SHORTHAND EQUIVALENTS WILLIAM BRADFORD DICKSON 17,15 & G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK ^ J-.^TZ" <,,r,.A 27 West Twenty-third St. 24 Bedford St.. Strand |:^t liniclurbodur |1rcss 1900 Copyright, iSgz BY WILLIAM BRADFORD DICKSON Electrotyped, Printed, and Bound by Ube Tknicftcrbockcr press, IRew jgorh G. P. Putnam's Sons This little volume is respectfully dedicated to all earnest workers in the World of Commerce, and to all willing students who desire to excel, with the sincere wish that it may prove a help to raise the standard of proficiency in the Art of Punctuation in both the Commercial and Stenographic World. The Author. • N PREFACE. In this work it has been the aim of the author to treat the art of punctuation as a matter of common sense, good judgment, and taste. No specific laws or rules are laid down, but modern improved methods of punctuation are set forth in a simple and plain statement of facts, — easily understood and absorbed by the average mind. While it is true that the illustrative examples in this work are taken entirely from the terminol- ogy and phraseology of the business world, this fact in no way limits, but rather enhances, the ^ general value and usefulness of the work, v^ It has been the experience of the author that ^ many people who have been carefully drilled ^ in the grammatical and rhetorical punctuation of literary language have found themselves un- able to practically apply the same rules and experience to the proper punctuation of ordi- nary business language, whereas many students and printers who have thoroughly mastered the correct punctuation of commercial language V vi PREFACE. have been able to successfully apply, with little or no difificulty, the same principles to the proper division of literary language. The reason for this lies in the fact that a thorough understanding of the meaning and application of the terminology and phraseology of the business world seems to lead up naturally to a keener appreciation of the value and mean- ing of literary terminology and phraseology of the literary world, while a thorough knowledge of the use and meaning of literary expressions alone seldom reflects an equivalent amount of light into the mystery of business language. It is often the case that the merest novice will comprehend and master the technicalities of the business world quite as well as the lettered student. This book, then, while serving as a guide to correct punctuation for stenographers, business men, and copyists, should also prove of value to those desiring a general knowledge of the art. It is a work planned to meet the necessities not only of special classes, but of all classes, and as such the author launches it into the busy world, hoping that it may prove an easy, simple, and safe guide to all who desire proficiency in the art of punctuation. The Author. CONTENTS. PAGE Introductory i Definitions 9 The Paragraph ID The Interrogation Mark 12 The Exclamation Point 12 The Dash 12 The Apostrophe 14 The Hyphen . 14 Quotation Marks i6 Quotations i6 Parentheses i6 Brackets . 17 Ditto Marks , 17 Leaders . 17 Uses of the Comma , i8 Omissions i8 Unimportant Omissions 19 Preparatory Expressions 20 Conditional Clauses . 21 Modifying Clause out of its Propei Position 23 Parenthetical Expressions 24 How Divided 25 How Separated 26 List of Parenthetical Expressions 27 Long Sentences 28 Quotations .... 29 How Divided 30 How Introduced . 31 A Series of Words and Short Phrases 32 The Semicolon .... 34 The Colon .... 36 The Period . 39 vu VUl CONTENTS. Abbreviations . Remarks . General Instructions Promiscuous Examples Experimental Examples Suggestions to Typewriter Operators Hints to Letter Writers Habits of Business _. "• ."*": What is Punctuation ? . Syllabication and Pronunciation . List of Business and Technical Terms Compound Words .... Note ...•.• 40 48 49 51 58 62 73 74 74 75 77 125 128 MODERN PUNCTUATION INTRODUCTORY /2.7>5S When the population of the world consisted of a few wandering nomadic tribes, following their flocks and herds over the hill-tops and through the valleys of the earth, language was in its infancy, and man's vocabulary contained only those words which were the names of absolute necessities, — such as meat, drink, sleep, etc. These name-words, or noun-words as they were afterwards known, together with a few '^ simple and natural connectives, — such as and, > to, if, on, or, etc., — made up the sum total of his ,j vocabulary. Then, long-sentence making and paragraph- ing were unknown. Words were few, sentences the embodiment of simplicity, — brevity the soul of expression. Doubtless man's first sen- tences were as simple as, / have come ; I will go ; I will fish ; I will hunt. As regards sim- plicity, even the longest sentences of those days ^ 2 MODERN PUNCTUATION. were not more complex than the longest sen- tences in the First Readers of this generation. At this period of his history, man had httle need of punctuation, for the natural pause in his voice after uttering a simple sentence con- veyed a sense of completeness to his listeners. Later on, he learned to express ideas through the medium of signs or writing, and at once experienced the need of some sign to indicate the completion of a sentence. He realized that this sign must, in some way, equal in value and correspond to the voice-pause. The simplest sign that occurred to him was, the dash, — the long dash answering the purpose of the period ; the short dash that of the comma. Writers of that time had little need of the semicolon or colon, as the relative value of words and phrases did not require its use. Primitive and simple as these methods were, who can say they were not almost as good as our present system of rules, which few under- stand, though many claim to, but do not ? As time slipped away, man obeyed the natural law of progression, and his sphere of observation widened. He discovered more unknown territory, encountered and mastered deeper relations between objects, and, naming his new discoveries and relations, added new IN TK OD UC TOR Y. 3 words to his vocabulary. Each century saw the birth of a multitude of new words; and with the growth of words came the growth of sentences, both in length and complexity. With this growth in complexity came a host of indistinct relations between words and phrases, requiring greater effort on the part of read- ers to comprehend written language. Sen- tences grew so long that they could not be easily understood on first reading unless the mind paused here and there to review the ground, and to consider each individual idea as expressed and its relation to the sentence as a whole. It was self-evident that the mind must be rested here and there in order to understand the meaning of the sentence and appreciate the value of each idea. Suitable signs must be found to represent these rests or pauses ; and the signs must be chosen with taste and good judgment. Such were the conditions which made our present system of punctuation an absolute necessity. There was a time in the history of literature when full, round, long sentences were consid- ered the height of refined and intellectual com- position. As the science of literature advanced, however, and by extensive experience writers acquired a knowledge of the effect of sentences 4 MODERN PUNCTUATION. of different lengths, it was discovered that it was well-nigh an impossibility to make a long, com- plex sentence express ideas as clearly and forcibly as medium or short ones. In these days, the forcible and successful writer is the one who expresses himself in medium or short sentences, with a long sentence thrown in here and there for the sake of variety. There are still, however, many writers who use long and difficult sentences, wherein modifying or re- stricting clauses are not connected with the expressions they are intended to modify, rela- tions dimly indicated, and ideas jumbled up in such a manner as to embarrass and confuse the reader. It is on such sentences that the intelli- gent punctuator must demonstrate the practica- bility of his art. It is well to remark here, however, that the aim of the majority of business as well as liter- ary men is to express themselves in sentences as brief as possible, thus presenting their ideas to the reader in such manner that the mind realizes their importance and force without particular effort. As the art of written expression grows more scientific, the art of punctuation becomes less important. Much of its necessity will fade with the decline of writers of long, straggling, weak INTRODUCTORY. 5 sentences. The writer who expresses himself simply, briefly, and to the point has com- paratively little use for marks of punctuation other than the period and comma, while the long-sentence maker is constantly in need of the art of punctuation to render his meaning clear. Punctuation is declining in quantity and increasing in quality. The object of this little work is to give the student some practical advice in regard to the use of the comma, period, semicolon, colon, and other marks of punctuation, as well as a number of good reasons for their use. It is not in- tended as a complete epitome of our present system of punctuation, containing a long list of arbitrary rules. It is simply a plain statement of facts, giving practical reasons for the use of the various punctuation marks, and, as such, has a peculiar value of its own. Students in our schools and colleges have been drilled in the arbitrary rules of punctua- tion, but have never been given one tenth the practice necessary to make the art of real value. The reasonableness of the study has never been placed before them. The usual plan is to have the student commit a system of rules to mem- ory, and send him out into the business or literary world to punctuate as best he can D MODERN PUNCTUATION. according to his understanding of the subject matter, and the dictates of common-sense. If the student cannot comprehend the exact meaning of what he tries to punctuate, all the arbitrary rules in the world will not enable him to punctuate correctly. This forcibly demon- strates the fact that arbitrary rules or laws of any kind are perfectly useless, unless the stu- dent has a thorough conception of their founda- tion and meaning, and a perfect knowledge of their proper application. In presenting a work of this nature it is much better, therefore, to appeal to the common reasoning powers of the student, and teach him according to reason instead of rule. The student must always bear in mind that he cannot become proficient in the art of punc- tuation (for it is an art), without a vast amount of practice. Theoretical knowledge of a law is one thing, and the adaptation of the same to secure practical results, quite another. The compositors employed on standard publications throughout the world are constantly analyzing the sentences of different writers, inserting commas, semicolons, periods, etc., here and there throughout their productions ; conse- quently many of them are the best punctua- tors in the world. They become perfectly familiar with the style, the choice of words, IN TR OD UC TOR Y. 7 and the disposition of phrases and clauses of the various hterary people throughout the country, thus demonstrating the truth that con- tinued practice is the only practical road to a thorough mastery of the art of punctuation. The student must analyze sentences of all kinds over and over again, paying particular attention to the sense expressed therein. He will thus discover the reason underlying the disposition of the different marks of punctua- tion used in each sentence. After the p-round has been repeatedly gone over according to these methods, punctuation will become entirely mechanical, — in fact a mere instinct. Some people are naturally quick of percep- tion and understanding, and absorb the mean- ing of a sentence without particular effort. Such, people punctuate correctly, although their knowledge of the general laws of punc- tuation is limited. They have a very vague idea of the value of the comma, the semicolon, the colon, and the period, knowing them simply as signs indicating a certain amount of pause ; but their conception of the relation of the vari- ous ideas expressed in a sentence is so clear, that they are able to dispose of the marks of punctuation with good judgment and taste. Such people may be termed natural punc- tuators. The majority of people, however, are 8 MODERN PUNCTUATION. compelled to give punctuation constant study and practice, in order to become thoroughly accurate in the art. Many literary men, ministers, and lecturers are poor punctuators. This results from the fact that they take it for granted that anyone who reads their productions can understand the ideas expressed as well as they do themselves. This is the common fault of many writers, and one for which the printer suffers. Many news- papers and periodicals nowadays, however, will not accept an article unless gotten up in neat form, and punctuated perfectly. The stenographer has no one to look over his work and revise his punctuation. It must come fresh from the machine without a single inac- curacy ; hence the necessity of stenographers being good punctuators. Without proper punc- tuation a business letter may lose much of its force and importance, and oftentimes may even be misconstrued owing to certain of the sen- tences being made ambiguous through inac- curate punctuation. There are many business men who are able to dictate a concise, clear, and well expressed letter, but who have given little attention to punctuation. They expect their stenographers to do it for them. DEFINITIONS. A sign is the expression of a thought by means of a visible object or action. As in railroading, different colored lights express different meanings to the engineer ; so, in punctua- tion, different shaped signs express different rela- tions between words. Punctuation is a system of rules for the correct division of written discourse by the use of special signs, its object being to aid the reader to a correct understanding of the thought expressed. Too much punctuation often makes the sense of an article more obscure than too little. Incorrect punctuation indicates that the writer is not clear in his conception of the meaning of the sentence, that he does not quite understand what he is punc- tuating. How, then, can an incorrect punctuator expect the reader to comprehend readily what he does not clearly understand himself ? Marks of punctuation may be used according to grammatical law, with grammatical exactness. They may also be disposed of according to the dictates of common-sense, that is to say, by a sim- ple realization of the relation of words, such as lO MODERN PUNCTUATION. might be expected from any person of average mental capacity. The signs used in punctuation are the Comma, Semicolon, Colon, Period, Paragraph, Interrogation Mark, Exclamation Point, Dash, Apostrophe, Hy- phen, Quotation Marks, Parentheses, Brackets, Ditto Marks, and Leaders. The comma denotes a slight degree of separa- tion ; a semicolon a degree slightly greater than the comma ; a colon a degree somewhat greater than the semicolon ; while the period denotes a full stop, or the termination of a complete thought, — generally speaking, the end of a sentence. The common acceptation of the value of the different marks of punctuation is as follows : The semi- colon is equivalent to two commas ; the colon to four commas ; the period to six commas ; in other words, this proportion represents the relative amount of pause indicated by each sign. NOTE. Only the minor marks of punctuation, such as can be explained and disposed of by a short definition or a few remarks, are handled under the above head. The more important marks of punctuation, the Comma, Semicolon, Colon and Period, are each given a complete chapter immediately following. The Paragraph expresses a degree of separa- tion greater than the period or any mark of punc- tuation, and denotes the introduction of a new subject or a direct change in thought. DEFINITIONS. I I A paragraph should embody a collection of thoughts upon one particular subject. If it is long and involves the thought expressed on two or more different subjects, even though they may be slightly related, the distinction between them is less marked and it is more difficult for the reader to realize the force and importance of each. Para- graphs, then, should never be longer than necessity demands. In dictating a business letter, the dictator is apt to dilate upon three or four different subjects. Some of these subjects will be slightly related to each other while the rest of them will bear no rela- tion whatever. All the various ideas expressed upon each particular subject should be grouped in the form of a paragraph. Frequently it will re- quire considerable judgment on the part of the stenographer to decide this matter, but continual practice will make the art of paragraphing an easy accomplishment. Paragraphic writers on the different papers throughout the world are men who have choice thoughts on various subjects of particular interest to the public. Such writers always arrange their thoughts in an effective manner, grouping them in the form of a paragraph. Short paragraphs are always more effective than long ones, because the reader is enabled to retain nearly all the thought expressed. 12 MODERN PUNCTUATION. The Interrogation Mark designates the ter- mination of a direct question; thus, — "Can you do anything by that route ? Do you guarantee quality of goods you quote ? " The Exclamation Point, in its general use, designates the termination of an expression ,of wonder or surprise. In the commercial world, however, its principal uses are to denote emphasis and to express irony or contempt ; thus, — " An Unparalleled Offer ! " is an example of the use of the exclamation point for emphasis ; while, " Sell- ing out below cost ! Who could believe such an advertisement ! " expresses irony. In the following example it is evident the ex- clamation point is used to express irony : Your explanation, which is replete with sound reasoning, (!) proves you to be a great (!) salesman, remarkably adapted to this business. The interrogation mark also is frequently used to express ridicule, irony, and contempt ; thus, " What a remarkable (?) man he is." The Dash is used to denote a sudden change in thought or an omission of letters. In some in- stances it is used to separate parenthetical expres- sions from the rest of the sentence. The dash is frequently used in connection with the colon to indicate a slight increase in the degree of separa- tion expressed by the colon. It is also used with DEFINITIONS. 1 3 the comma for the same purpose. A comma and dash are about equivalent to a semicolon, while a colon and dash express nearly the same amount of pause as the period. EXAMPLES SHOWING DIFFERENT USES OF THE DASH. We also send you two copies of a new catalogue gotten up in good form, — one to put in your register or other convenient place, and the other to keep in your pocket. Glass Works. — We will accept 11 51, Kansas City Glass Works. "^ You will notice that on all desirable business we have largely increased our lines, — a policy that we think will make the company valuable to you. The terms offered liy the company are most liberal : — a commission of live per cent, will be paid, — that is — .fso per $1,000; and it is not unlikely that you could make from $50 to $500 a day for several weeks. We have your favor of the 31st ultimo, and note what you say in regard to policy number 764,824 — PLlton. 764,917 — Harrison. We note what you say touching same. The fact of his knowing contents of package, which is iden- tical with those you have, excepting that you claim the pack- age, when received, contained but a coat and vest — pantaloons missing, — is sufficient proof of his ownership. F 54 M 206. September 6 '84. Dear Sir, — Dear Sir : — As follows ; — As follows, — As follows : — 2d ed. — pp. 167-8. S. of the Cor. of Sec. 27—11-25. 14 MODERN PUNCTUATION. The Apostrophe is used to denote the omis- sion of letters in contractions and abbreviations ; thus, dont, can't, ma?ig'r. It is also used before a final s to signify posses- sion ; thus, " John's investment " ; " Henderson's disbursements." When the word denoting possession ends with s, or is plural in form or by nature, the apostrophe follows instead of precedes the s j thus, Mr. Willia7ns' property ; Karges' store j for goodness' sake. EXAMPLES. A slight decline in Boyton's saws has taken place. Your account has now been credited $15 on Winslow's Soothing Syrup, as per your card of the second. January 25', '89. Invs't, Dep't, Bld'ng, Att'y. The apostrophe is frequently used to denote dimensions ; thus, 6 feet 4 inches may be expressed, 6' 4". The Hyphen is used to connect two members of a compound word ; to show proper syllabication of a word at the end of a line ; to connect firm- narnes which are compounded. It is also used to compound familiar terms which from constant use have attained the import of one word. DEFINITIONS. 1 5 EXAMPLES ILLUSTRATINC USE OF HYPHEN. Freight-claim — department-voucher. Gill-Alexander Electric Co. Weir-Shugart Implement Co. Herald-Chronicle. Co-operation. We have just secured a new line of ecru and tan shades, II-I2 twill, 40-inch, all-wool French cashmere. We have a small quantity of 40-inch, all-wool albatross. We are also out of square Japan fans and all sizes in low- price Japanese folding-fans. Our plan is to send notices to all policy-holders. The colors include black, seal-brown, navy-blue, cardinal, green, tan-brown, cream, garnet, and wood-brown. We regret exceedingly the non-delivery of your esteemed order. Left-hand wood-beam plows. 2 ^-inch steel tubular axle, equal to 3 ^-inch thimble- skein bed-brake wagons. The 'nine-hoe drill is wortli %\i. The above buggies have A wlieels, 28-0/,. machine-buffed leather quarters and back-stays. Wood-box, ice-house. Twenty-one, forty-two, fifty-five, etc. The tendency of modern times, however, is to eliminate the hyphen as much as possible. Many words which were formerly written in their com- pound form are now written as one word ; such as shorthand, typewriting, warehouse, etc. l6 MODERN PUNCTUATION. Quotation Marks denote the introduction into written or printed discourse of the exact words or thought of another ; thus, We have your telegram saying, " Ship the goods imme- diately," and have obeyed your instructions. Quotations may be divided into two kinds, — direct and indirect : A direct quotation is the exact words of another, and an indirect quotation the expression of an- other's words in your own language ; thus. He wired us, " Ship two cars No. 2 red wheat," is a direct quotation, while " he wired us to ship him two cars of No. 2 red wheat," is the indirect quotation for the same expression. Quotation marks should be used to denote direct quotations only. Parentheses are used to separate parenthetical and explanatory expressions from the main sen- tence ; thus, Collin's axes and picks reduced 50 cents in list. (This in addition to reduction advised last month.) Our rule concerning this matter as given in clause 12 of the Special Instructions (Superintendent's transfer report), is as follows : On Wednesday last (4th inst.) to avoid delay, we entered the bark N'ori/ierii IJ^/itm the name of the Railroad Company. (See chapter on Parenthetical Expression. _) DEFINITIONS. 17 Brackets are of the same general nature as parentheses, but are used to enclose a note, ex- planation, or correction ; thus, Softly falls [fall] the shades of evening. Ditto Marks are used to indicate the repetition of an expression which occurs in a preceding line ; thus. The assets of the business, real and nominal, are as follows : New York real estate, unincumbered $20,000, New Jersey " " " 16,000, Westchester" " " 6,000. Leaders are dotted lines which direct the eye from the name of a commodity to its quoted price ; thus, Rye 95, Bran 98, Winter wheat 98> No. 2 red wheat 93- Leaders are also used to denote the omission of names or dates, designating the place in written or printed matter where a name or date has been omitted and is to be inserted afterwards ; thus, 189 Policy No Name of insured In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand day of 189 2 USES OF THE COMMA. The comma signifies different degrees of pause according to the position it occupies, or the use to which it is put. It is the most frequent and im- portant signal in the art of punctuation, and has seven well established values. The different values of the comma, named in the order of their importance, are as follows : to denote an omission ; to indicate the termination of a prepara- tory expression ; to indicate a modifier set away from what it modifies ; to separate parenthetical expressions from the main sentence ; to separate dif- ferent members of a long sentence ; to introduce a short quotation ; to separate a series of words or phrases. OMISSIONS. Unnecessary expressions are always eliminated from business letters. This necessitates the omis- sion of such familiar words or phrases as the writer deems should be easily understood by the reader. Whenever sucli omissions occur, the comma is used to indicate a short pause, during which the reader i8 U:S£S OF THE COMMA. 1 9 is supposed to supply mentally the omitted word or phrase. In every case the omitted portion is an unimportant word or phrase which is easily un- derstood, and which does not particularly affect the sense of the sentence. EXAMPLES OF OMISSIONS. Enclosed find check for $50, amount of our account in full. We will sell you these goods for i^i. 25, 5 ^/, four months from January first. We shall be glad to have you make us an offer of, say, $5.60, sicht draft, with bill of lading attached, delivered at Buffalo in five or ten car-load lots. We have a copy of your rejily under date of 27th ult., in which you stated to Messrs. M. & N. that the purchase of Jan- uary, February, March, English shipment, is equivalent to a March, April, and May delivery, 30 days. UNIMPORTANT OMISSIONS. Some omissions are so unimportant that >jt is unnecessary to indicate them by a comma. In the clause, " Herewith find check for $10," there is an omission of you will, between the words herewith awAJi/id ; but this omission is so easily understood that the reader does not find it necessary to pause even a single moment to supply it. There are many similar examples in business correspondence of all kinds, and the writer must use considerable 20 MODERN PUNCTUATION. judgment as to whether or not an omission is important enough to be indicated by a comma. Most omissions are not. PREPARATORY EXPRESSIONS. Any word, phrase, or clause, which precedes a sentence and indicates both by its form and t/wan- ing that the main clause is to follow, may be called a preparatory expression. These expressions never make complete sense in themselves, but are so worded as to lead up to and introduce the main assertion ; thus. Carefully considering your proposition of the loth, we have come to the conclusion it would be better for you to forward the goods immediately. The use of preparatory expressions is considered a very strong feature of commercial language, for the reason that every preparatory expression not only represents a thought of its own which is more or less related to the main thought, but expresses it in»such a manner as to attract the attention of the reader and make him understai.d that there is something important to follow : that which does follow is always the main idea which the writer wishes to put forth. The comma should he used at the end of every p7-eparatory expression. Its office is to give the reader time to absorb the sense of the preparatory expression, to prepare himself for the main asser- USES OF THE COMMA. 21 tion, and to note the relation existing between the idea expressed in the preparatory expression and the thought brought out by the main assertion. CONDITIONAL CLAUSES. A conditional clause is one which implies a condition, that condition being related in some way to the main clause. It is of the same nature as the preparatory clause and might be classed as a conditional preparatory clause ; thus, If the goods are not too much damaged, we will accept them and make shipment at once. Nearly every business letter begins with a pre- paratory clause and has in the body of it one or more conditional clauses. Preparatory clauses usually begin with participles or words of similar importance ; such as, awaithig, hoping, notwith- standing, trusting, fearing, feeling, replying ; while conditional clauses begin with words or phrases implying a doubt or condition ; such as, if, per- haps, it may be, etc. Conditional and preparatory clauses, however, are similar in construction and closely related. Preparatory expressions may be divided into three classes, /. e.. Preparatory expressions of the first class, or introductory words. Preparatory expressions of the second class, or 22 MODERN PUNCTUATION. introductory phrases or clauses ; as, " On your in- voice of the 19th, you called for 10,000 feet of long leaf yellow pine." Preparatory expressions of the third class, or complete sentences ; as, Referring to yovir letter of the 21st inst., wlierein we stated to you that you had overcharged us on this invoice, we again call your attention to the fact that we can not afford to lose this amount. EXAMPLES OF CONDITIONAL AND PREPARATORY CLAUSES. Awaiting reply and hoping to be favored with your orders, we are, Trusting we may be favored with your orders, we remain. Replying to yours of the 6th, we beg to say that if the S. S. S. is in good condition, we have no objection to taking it back. Should you Ije aide to buy another lot of these goods at 4 cts. per yard, we have no doubt that we can place it. Concerning the question of payment of duties at Baltimore, we wish, as in the past, to use every endeavor to dispatch your business. Referring to your letter of May 12th to E. S. Barrett, oui attorney, in relation to the crossing in the city of Topeka, would say, that before receiving the former notice from you, I directed the Division Superintendent to fix up this crossing. Should any of the others now be in poor condition, if you will kindly advise me what the trouble is, I will see that they are repaired without further delay. In the meantime, you will take no further notice of the matter, but go on and do the work on the ground. USES OF THE COMMA. 23 As the seven cars you received have l:)eeu inUoaded, it is impossible to again check the lengths and numbers of the rails. Unless the goods are delivered by the i6th inst. at the very latest, I cannot receive them, as after that date they will be perfectly useless. In the present condition of trade, we cannot take the risk of ocean freights. If, therefore, Mr. ^'au/,e is not entirely satished witli his adjustment, he is at liberty to return the same. MO'DIFYING OR RESTRICTING CLAUSE OUT OF ITS PROPER POSITION. When a business man is working under high pressure and his brain is in a turmoil with ideas seeking to get themselves expressed, he is very apt to construct a sentence which will fairly indicate the state of his mind. In other words, he will form long sentences wherein modifying clauses, which may express ideas of considerable importance, will be set at sonie distance from what they are intended to modify. It takes all the skill of the writer to separate these restricting clauses in such manner that they may be clearly comprehended by the reader at first reading. A modifying or restricting clause out of its direct position or relation should always be preceded by a comma, in order that the reader may pause, quickly review the sentence, and definitely ascer- tain to what expression the modifier belongs. 24 MODERN PUNCTUATION. Sometimes a slight change in the punctuation of such a sentence will make it mean something en- tirely different from what the dictator intended it should. On this point the writer should be very- careful and clearly understand the dictator, being sure that he knows what the dictator intended to say. It is sometimes best entirely to reconstruct a sentence filled with ambiguous modifiers, instead of endeavoring to punctuate it. EXAMPLES. We quote you $4.35 per ton for old rails, subject to your immediate acceptance by wire. We have observed with some care the tendency shown by some jobbers to cut prices, owing chiefly to the active compe- tition. We shall be pleased to have your quotations on corn from time to time, as may suit your convenience, and perhaps same may lead to business. Please search your records covering different ways it may have to come to you, or of being disposed of, and advise. The goods you shipped have arrived, but we are not pre- p3.red to put them on the market, as it is a little too early in the season, but will do so in the course of a month. PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS. A word, phrase, clause, or sentence suddenly introduced into any part of a complete sentence, is ^^lled a parenthetical expression. It is an intrud- PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS. 25 ing thought which interrupts the sense or natural connection of words, but which serves more or less to explain or qualify the principal assertion ; as, " Will you oblige us, confidentially, with informa- tion relative to this firm." In this sentence the chief thought is, " Will you oblige us with infor- mation relative to this firm," but after the originator of the sentence had conceived the complete thought, a new idea entered his mind, and that idea was that the information had better be confidential ; so, when he gives verbal expression to his sentence, he introduces the new thought in the midst of the sentence. While this thought is more or less an intrusion and has no special grammatical connection with the rest of the sentence, it very materially affects the sense, making the sentence much stronger and more important. HOW DIVIDED. • Parenthetical expressions may be divided into two kinds and three classes. The kinds are as follows : First. Parenthetical expressions which relate directly to the sense of the sentence and which cannot be omitted without particularly affecting its importance and force. The example given above is a parenthetical expression of this nature. Second. Parenthetical expressions which are 26 MODERN PUNCTUATION. directly related to the sense of the sentence and may be omitted without particularly affecting the importance or force of a sentence ; thus, " Will you acquaint us, as far as lies in your power, with an exact statement of his affairs." The classes are as follows : Parenthetical expressions of the first class, or single words or short phrases ; as, " We have sent you ten copies of our large edition (mounted) of the revised rules of interchange." Parenthetical expressions of the second class, or complete phrases and clauses ; thus, " I call your attention to Mr. Cline's letter of the 24th and mine of this date (copies of both herewith) in reply to yours of the 7th." Parenthetical expressions of the third class, or complete sentences and even paragraphs ; thus, " Again the defendant attempts to prove by the witness John Powell, that the plaintiff, Ed. Powell, paid the sum of $100 (see Powell's evidence commencing on page 227)." HOW SEPARATED. If directly related to the sense, importance, and force of a sentence, parenthetical expressions of the first class should be separated from the main body of a sentence by commas only. If it has no particular bearing upon the meaning of the sentence. PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS. 2/ such a parenthetical expression should be separ- ated by parentheses. Most parenthetical expres- sions in business correspondence are related in some way to the sense of the sentence in which they occur, and are separated by commas only. Parenthetical expressions of the second class, if directly related to the sense of the sentence, should be separated from the main sentence by commas ; if not directly related, by parentheses. Parenthetical expressions of the third class are usually separated from the main sentence by paren- theses, if directly related to the sense of the sen- tence ; if indirectly, by brackets. EXAMPLES OF PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS. The latter, we understand, was a locomotive valve oil. This, with the hearty co-operation of your customers, will secure to all who handle our goods full and legitimate profits. In anticipation of the spring and summer trade, now about to commence, we beg to advise you that we have packed largely of the crop, 18S4. These goods should be made a little lighter, say 13 to 16 ounces, as they are for the Southern trade. The pattern is excellent, as is also the color, Init the weight does not meet our approval. LIST OF PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS. The following is a list of the most common parenthetical expressions : 28 MODERN PUNCTUATION. Consequently, furthermore, however, indeed, perhaps, also, then, tlierefore, too, likewise, moreover, nevertheless, ac- cordingly, unquestionably, doubtless, meanwhile, lastly, for- merly, namely, of course, in fact, to be sure, no doubt, in general, in reality, in a word, in that case, in the meantime, in the first place, in every respect, for the most part, without doubt, beyond question, now and then, on the contrary, on the other hand, generally speaking, as it were, in short. LONCx SENTENCES. It frequently happens that a business man carries in mind many ideas bearing upon the same sub- ject, each idea being more or less dependent upon the other for the full expression of its meaning. When he attempts to express these ideas in written form, they are likely to appear upon the paper in the shape of a long compound or complex sentence. This sentence may have two or more members con- nected by the conjunctions and, but, or for. In such cases these conjunctions should be preceded by a comma, thus dividing the long sentence into its distinctive parts, in order that the reader may be able to comprehend each part, as a part, and deter- mine the relation of the same to the sentence as a whole. If the sentence is an unusuaWy long one and its different members are already subdivided by a number of commas, it is best to show a greater degree of separation between the parts by using a semicolon before the above mentioned conjunctions, QUOTA TIOXS. thus giving the reader more time to determine the relation and meaning of ideas. EXAMPLES OF LONG SENTENCES. No effort shall be wanting on my part, not only to do a good business with old customers, but to open up new accounts. Mr. Jones starts for the west the latter part of this week, and will have the pleasure of seeing you in, say, two weeks' time. There are various cheaper oils offered as equal to ours, but a trial of them will convince you that they are inferior in every way. (See first use of Semicolon on following pages.) QUOTATIONS. A word, phrase, clause, sentence, or paragraph expressing the exact words of another, used in written or printed discourse for explanation, illustration or example, is called a quotation ; thus. We have your telegram of t(vday which reads, " Ship seven boxes via steamer VVIiite Star'' ami liave complied with y^ur request. Another meaning for the word quotation, as used in the commercial world, is the enumeration of commodities with prices attached ; thus. We quote you as follows : Dry salt meats, lo cts. ; Choice cull hams, \2,\ cts. 30 MODERN PUNCTUATION. HOW DIVIDED. Quotations may be divided into two classes. Quotations of the first class, or short phrases or clauses ; thus, Yours of the I2tli at hand ordering one drum of roasted coffee same quality as that sent you July 23d, with instructions that it must be light, saying, "If it is not light, we can not keep it." In reply we wired you, "Market busted in No. 2 wheat ; cannot pay more than 68 cents." Quotations of the second class, or complete sen- tences ; as, Mr. Ross wires me under date of l6th as follows; "There is no contract that in anyway, directly or indirectly, affects the established rate on wrought-iron bridge material." Quotations of the third class, or complete para- graphs — sometimes pages ; thus, Whenever Mr. Johnson receives a claim for this department, to be checked, he stamps on tlie original expense-bill : "This expense-bill does not agree with the records in my office ; see copy of billing attached, etc., etc." Some quotations consist of a single word or phrase only, and fit into the main sentence so nicely that it is not necessary ^k. introduce them by any mark of punctuation, the only separation necessary being expressed by the quotation marks ; thus, QUOTATIONS. 3 1 We are in receipt of samples of " Star, "also samples marked " No. 2," sent us some time since. This iron is to be style known as pattern " ] " in your catalogue. These goods were sold "as are," consequently we can not allow your claim. If you have some " gilt-edged" hay, we would he pleased to have your order on same. Quotation marks, like exclamation points and question marks, are sometimes used to express irony or contempt ; thus, I omitted to state in my lerter of Saturday, that probably the origin of the " storm " upon the canal was in the contrac- tors allowing a large boulder to roll into tlie canal from Camp- bell's Hill HOW INTRODUCED. Quotations of the first class, that is, short quo- tations not exceeding a line in length, should be introduced by commas. Quotations of the second class, or quotations over one line in length and not exceeding two lines, should be introduced by semicolons. Quotations of the third class, or quotations con- sisting of whole paragraphs or images, should be introduced by a colon and a new paragraph. The office of the comma in introducing short and medium quotations is identical with the use of the comma at the end of preparatory expressions ; 32 MODERN PUNCTUATION. it indicates a short pause in order that the reader may realize the import of the sentence which intro- duces the quotation, prepare himself for the quota- tion which follows, and thoroughly note the relation between the introductory clause and the quotation. EXAMPLES OF (QUOTATIONS. Replying to your telegram of to-day ^^hich says, " Ship I2 cars No. 2 wheat to-day," we have this to say : We wired you yesterday, " Hold goods for further orders," and now confirm same. In regard to delivery they telegraphed as follows ; " We will fill the contract within 60 days, but may send the first car-load next week." I am in receipt of the following, under date of June ist, from Mr. Kerr : " Mr. Beech has shown me Mr. Palmer's letter to him of Saturday last, in which he says he considers it his duty to apply for an injunction to stop all work inside of the ten-rod limit." A SERIES OF WORDS AND SHORT PHRASES. In business it is frequently necessary to enumer- ate a short list of articles, commodities, or particu- lars of some kind. In a series of this kind where the expressions composing the series consist of a single word or short phrase, such words and phrases are separated by the comma ; in this instance the A SERIES OF WORDS AXD PHRASES. 33 comma denotes the elimination of the co-ordinate conjunction and. This use of the comma would be properly classified under the head of omissions, previously explained, but it is awarded a separate heading because of its constant use in this capacity. KXAMPLES OF A SERIES OF WORDS AND SHORT PHRASES. During the past month we have received numerous ship- ments of Rye, Barley, Oats, Corn, and Wheat. Please send us per I'nion Line : 25 Boxes raisins, 10 Bbls. currants, 28 Boxes Oswego soap. THE SEMICOLON. The semicolon has five distinct uses : I St. Before the conjunctions and, but, for, etc., when used to connect two members of a long sentence wherein the members are already sub- divided by commas ; thus, Do we understand you to say that your shipment would be from Buffalo, or from Chicago via Buffalo ; that is, after we give our orders, will we be obliged to wait for the corn to arrive at Buffalo from Chicago ? To you, therefore, I apply in this difficulty ; and should esteem it a great favor if you would acquaint me, as far as lies in your power, with information respecting the character and means of this firm. With a view of increasing our membership among first-class risks, we have decided to write a limited number of $5,000 policies gratis ; in other words, to waive the usual admission fee of I5. 2d. To separate two members of a short sentence when such members are only slightly related, each member being nearly equivalent to a complete sen- tence ; thus, \Ve have it here : letter-day. 34 THE SEMICOLON. 35 The other goods to which you refer, we can let you have at the price you mention ; terms are satisfactory. 3d. To separate a series of expressions composed of phrases, clauses, or short sentences ; thus, Messrs. Taylor & Co. advise us that the Ella is now due at Baltimore, and that she has for you on your order with Taylor & Co., through us, 118 tons No. i English Bessemer jiig ; 119 tons No. 2 Bessemer pig ; 114 tons No. 3 Bessemer pig. Please buv the following laces : I piece very fine A'alenciennes ; 8 pieces Honiton ; 10 pi^es best Irish Point ; 10 pieces white Yak Lace ; 8 pieces 10 pi^es 4th. Before as, viz., to-wit, namely, i. c, followed by examples or illustrations ; thus, In reply to your favor of the 20", we quote you buggies at the lowest possible prices ; viz. : A grade buggies $65.00, B " " 60.00, C " " 65.00. 5th. I'efore atiJ, but, a.nd /or, when these con- junctions are used to introduce a final clause for the purpose of contrast or explanation ; thus, This is certainly not the result of the use of our oil ; but it is no doubt caused by impurities in the water which you used. I do not desire it renewed, as I will have no use for it ; but I fear that it may fall into improper hands, therefore notify you to have it taken up. THE COLON. The colon has four distinct uses : -I St. To separate two members of a very long sentence^ already subdivided by commas or semi- colons ; thus, You may return the ii pairs of French Kids to us by ex- press ; or, if you can sell them at a discount, you may do so : but bear in mind that we do not know just what the discount should he ; still we \\ ill make you an allowance of 25 cents per pair. It is well to remark here that this is a very in- frequent use of the colon in business language. Nowadays sentences are seldom made so long and straggling as the example given above. 2d. To separate clauses complete in themselves, possessing the attributes of a full sentence, yet related to each other by the sense expressed ; thus. Send us your late catalogue : we are in the market for your goods. In the above example the colon denotes the omission of the conjunction. 3d. To introduce a long quotation. Probably its most frequent use is after the phrase " as fol- 36- . . f THE COLON. 37 lows," when introducing long business quotations wherein are given the names of articles with prices attached ; thus, We are pleased to fjuote you special prices on our goods as follows : Anthracite coal I9.00 per ton, Bituminous " 6.00 " " The colon is commonly used after the expression " Dear Sir " ; sometimes after sub-headings. 4th. To introduce : 1. A long explanatory sentence or paragraph ; thus, My idea about the matter is this : that before the end >>f the year these lots could be sold at a fair profit, and thus you would be released from paying anything further on them. 2. A long business proposition ; thus, I will make this further proposition to you : that if you will make the $600 payment on these lots, , I will take one half in- terest with yiju, by assuming and [laying interest on fSoo of the purchase nnmey, to be secured in two notes, each for $500. 3. A long business statement ; thus, Relative to this matter I will make the following statement : that on the 2gth of September we shipped the wheat from vari- ous stations on the C. & A. R. R., and supposed, of course, that it reached you promptly at the expiration of the allotted time. The office of the colon in the examples above given is identical with that of the colon when used 3 8 MODERN PUNCTUATION. to introduce a long quotation. In these instances the colon expresses a considerable amount of in- troductory pause before the explanation, proposi- tion, and statement, in order that the reader may prepare himself to fully appreciate their value. THE PERIOD. The period is used to denote the termination of a complete sentence ; also after headings, sub-head- ings, signatures, addresses, abbreviations, etc. The office of the period is so naturally and com- monly understood that it is unnecessary to illustrate its uses by examples. The period should never be used after st, d, th, when used in connection with numerals. 39 ABBREVIATIONS. Abbreviations may be divided into two classes ; first, complete abbreviations, which are always de- noted by the period ; thus, Mr., Mrs., Dr. Second, partial abbreviations, or those in which a small portion of the word is omitted, this omission being denoted by the apostrophe ; thus Man'g'r, Sec'y. The following list of contractions and abbrevia- tions includes the greater portion of the frequently recurring ones now in use in the commercial world. A PARTIAL LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. A. B. Able-bodied seaman. {Artiui/i Baccalauretis) Bach- elor of Arts [see B. A.]. Abp. Archbishop. A. C. Army Corps. Ace, or acct. Account. A. I). {Anno Domini) In the year of our Lord. Ad., or Adv. Adverb, Advertisement. A. D. C. Aid-de-camp. Admr. Administrator, administration, Admx. Administratrix. Ad V. (Ad valorem) At tlie value. Agr. Agriculture. 40 A BBRE VIA TIONS. 4 1 Agt. Agent. A. M. . {Artiian Magistcr) Master of Arts [see M. A.] {Ante meridiem^ Before noon. Amt. Ainount. Anat. Anatomy. Anon, Anonymous. Ans. Answer. Apl. April. A \>x\. {A priori) lieforehand. Art. Article. Atty. Gen. Attorney-Cieneral. Aug. August. Ave. Avenue. B. A. Bachelor of Arts [see A. B.]. Bal. Balance. B., Bbl. Barrel, barrels. B. B. Bill book. B. C. Before Christ. Biog. Biography. Bk. Book, Bank. B. I.. Bachelor of Laws B/L. . (Also written B. I..) Bill of lading. BL, or Bis. Barrel, barrels. Bot. Bought. Boul. Boulevard. Brig. Gen. Brigadier-General. Bro. Brother. B/S. Bill of Sale. Bu., or Bush. Bushel, bushels. C. B. Cash book, Companion of the Bath. C. C. County commissioner. C. C. P. Court of Common Pleas. C. E. Civil engineer, case excepted. C. F. I. Cost, freight, insurance. 42 MODERN PUNCTUATION. Chap. Chapter, Chaplain. Chf. Chief. Cin. Cincinnati. C.J. Chief Justice. C. L. Car load. Clk. Clerk. Co. Company. C. O. D. Collect (or cash) on delivery. Coll. College. Cor. Corner. C. P. Common Pleas, Court of Probate. C. R. Carrier's risk. Cr. Credit. Crim. con. Criminal conversation, or adultery C. S. Court of Sessions. Csh. Cash. Cshr. Cashier. Cts. Cents. Cwt. Hundredweight. D. C. L. Doctor of Civil (or Canon) Law. D. D {Di~'i>iitatis D:>c'o') D.ictor of Divinity Dec. December. Dft. Defendant. Deg. Degree. Dep. Depot, Deposit. Dept Department. D. H Deadhead. Disct Discount. Dist. District. Dist. Atty. District Attorney. Div. Division. Dr. Doctor. E. B. Expense bill. Ed. Edition, editor. ABBREVIATIONS. 43 E. E. Errors excepted. E. N.E. East-northeast. Eng. England, engine. Encyc. Encyclopsedia. E. O. E. Errors and omissions excepted. Esq. Esquire. Et al. {Et alii, or alia^ And others. Etc. (A7 ciTterd) And so forth. Et seq. {Et seipieniia) And following. Et ux. {Jit uxor) And wife. Ex rel. {Ex relatid) At the relation of. Fahr. Fahrenheit. F. B. Freight bill. Feb. February. F. O. B. Free on board. For. Foreign. Frt. Freight. Ft. Fort, foot, feet. Gal. Gallon. G. A. R. Grand Army of the Republic. Gov. Governor. Hab. corp. {Habeas Corpus) You may have the body. Hab. fa. poss. {Habere facias possessionem) A writ to put the plaintiff in possession. Hab. fa. seis. {Habere facias seisenatn) A writ now super- seded by the preceding. Hhd. Hogshead. Hon. Honorable, Honorar}'. lb., or Ibid. {Ibidem) In the same place. Ictus. {luristonsullus) Counsellor-atdaw. I. e. (Id est) That is. In. Inch. Inc., or incor. Incorporated. 44 MODERN PUNCTUATION. Incog. {Incognito) Unknown. Inf. [Infra) Beneath or below. In f. {In fine) At the end of the title, law, or paragraph quoted. Inst. Instant. Int. Interest. I. q. {Idem quod) The same as. J. Judge, justice. J. A. Judge- Advocate. Jan. January. J. P. Justice of the Peace. J. Prob. Judge of Probate. |r. Junior. K. B. King's Bench, Knight of the Bath. K. C. B. Knight Commander of the Bath. Km. Kilometre (metric system). L- . or £• {libra) A pound sterling. Lb. or Lbs. {Libra, libra:) Pound, pounds. L. c. Lower case (printing)! L. C. J. Lord Chief-Justice. L. C. L. Less than car-load. Lieut., or Lt. Lieutenant. IJt. D. {Literartim Doctor) Doctor of Letters. LL. B. {Legtim Baccalaureus)^?i<^&\ox of Laws [see B. L.]. LL. D. {Legum Doctor) Doctor of Laws. LL. M. {Legtim Magisier) Master of Laws. Loc. cit. {Loco citato) In the place cited. Lon. Longitude. L. S. {locus Sigilli) Place of tlie seal. M., or Mons. {Monsieur) Sir, Mister. M. A. Master of Arts [see A. M.]. Mag. Magazine. ' ABBREVIATIONS. 45 Mar. March. Max. Maximum. M. C. Member of Congress. M. I). {Mcdiciniv Doctor) Doctor of Medicine. Mdlle. Mademoiselle. Mdse. Merchandise. Mem. Memorandum. Min. Minimum. Messrs. Messieurs. M. P. Member of Parliament MS., MSS. Manuscript, manuscripts. Mo. Month, Missouri. Mr. Mister. Mrs. Mistress. Mt. Mount. Nat. Natural, National. Nem. con. {Nentine contradicente) No one contradicting, unanimously. Nem. diss. {Nemiiie Jisscnticnte) No one dissenting, unani- mously. N. L. {N^on liquet) It does not appear ; the case is not -clear. N. North. N. N. E. Norlh-norlheast. N. N. W. North-northwest. N. W. Northwest. No. Number. Nol. pros, {yolle prostijui ) Unwilling to prosecute. Non con. Not content. Non cul. (^Non culpahilis) Not guilty. Non pros. {Non proscqtdtur) He does- not prosecute. Non seq. {Noil seqtiitur) It does not follow. Nov. November. O. C. Overcharge. 46 MODERN PUNCTUATION. Oct. October. O. K. All correct ; all right. O. R. Owner's risk. O. T. On track. Oz. Ounce. T[. Paragraph, Page. Pes. Pieces. Per an. {Per anniiiii) By the year. Pd. Paid. Pkg. Package. Plff. Plaintiff. P.M. {Post meridiem) Afternoon. Pm't. Payment. Pp. Pages. Prof. Professor. Pro tern. {Pro temfiore) For the time being. Prox. {Proximo) Next (next month). P.S. {Post scriptum) Postscript. Q. Question. Qt., qts. Quart, quarts. Q. V. {Quod vide) Which see. {Quantum vis) As much as you please. Qy. Query. Rec. Recorder. Reed. Received. Recpt. Receipt. Rep. Representative, Report. Rev. Reverend. R. R. Railroad. R'y. Railway. Sci. fa. {Scire facias) Make known. S. E. Southeast. ABBRE VIA riONS. 47 Scil., or Sc, or Ss. {Scilicet) That is to say, to wit, namely. Sec. Section, Secretary. Sec'y. Secretary. Shp't. Shipment. S. J. C. Supreme Judicial Court. Soc. Society. Sol. Gen. Solicitor-General. Sq. Square. Sq. ft. Square feet. Sr. Senior. S. S. E. South-southeast. S. S. W. South-southwest S. W. Southwest. Ter. Territory. Ult. ( Ultimo) Last (last month). U. P. Upper Canada. U. S. {Ut supra) As above. V. Verse. Vat. -Vatican. Vid. , (r2V.')See. Viz. {Vide licit) Namely. Vol. volume. Vs. ( Versus) Against. W. West. Whf. Wharf. w. N. W. West-northwest, W. S. W. West-southwest. Wt. Weight. Yd. Yard. Yr. Year. 48 MUD ERA' nWCTUAriON. REMARKS. Among modern business men there is a tendency to eliminate the period after many of the constantly occurring abbreviations, such as, inst, ult, prox. Probably the time is not far distant when the period will be considered an unnecessary part of all abbre- viations, since an abbreviation is known by its gen- eral form rather than by the period following ; in other words, every abbreviation has some peculiarity of its own which enables the reader to tell it at sight. The period following does not materially aid him in determining what the abbreviation represents, if he has not previously been instructed as to its meaning. Abbreviations should never appear in the body of a letter. The student will find by experience that in most instances it is about as easy to write out the full word upon the machine as to abbreviate it. Abbreviations are not conducive to neatness, ele- gance, and completeness in typewritten matter. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. The following examples have been selected with considerable care and are intended to illustrate the different uses of the various marks of punctuation. In order to thoroughly master the marks of punctuation as disposed of in these examples, the student should work according to the following method ; copy the sentence given below upon the typewriter, omitting all marks of punctuation ; then with pencil carefully punctuate every example ac- cording to preceding rules and instructions, stu- diously comparing your work, after finishing, with the punctuation as given in the examples, in order that you may determine where you have fallen into error. • Continue this method of practice until you are able to punctuate all the following examples cor- rectly. You are then ready to continue the study of punctuation from business letters after the same method as given above, /. e., choose an important letter from some standard letter-book, such as Humphrey s Manual, Payne s Business Letters, etc., and copy the letter upon the typewriter, care- fully giving it the proper form but omitting all 49 50 MODERN PUNCTUATION. marks of punctuation ; then with pencil punctuate this letter to the best of your ability, according to preceding rules ; then compare your punctuation with that given in the book and correct : continue this method for a few weeks and you will punctuate as well as the best. In How to Become Expert in Typewriting, Mrs. Arthur J. Barnes lays down the following valuable plan for gaining proficiency in punctuation. The student will do well to follow these instructions implicitly. It is undoubtedly the most practical method known. " Write a letter three or four times with all the punctuation • dictated to you. Write the same again from dictation supply- ing all of the punctuation yourself. Compare your work wiJi the print and note all errors in punctuation, etc. If you have made mistakes write it again. If not, take something new. This practice will give you the facility in writing from dicta- tion and w ill also teach you how to punctuate correctly. In a short time it will enable you to punctuate a letter well and without help the first time you typewrite it trom dictation. It will also add greatly to your speed." ^^^fiNGB PROMISCUOUS EXAMPLES. It appears the package in question was shipped the day after the one which you received, and the clerk there, happening to write your entry first, and the names being so much alike, thought, of course, they were one and the same item, and ac- cordingly sent us a tracer for your package without looking further. Vours uf the 71)1 inst is at hand, and I must say that we are indebted to you for setting us on the right track, and must also apologize fur the annoyance you were put to concerning a package belonging to another party. In relation to this matter, would say that we find to have way-billed in all seven boxes to same jiarties on the same date ; and, as we are unable to determine which one of said numbers is the box in cpiestion, we would suggest that you have a search made of your records. This done, you can easily learn whether box from 11. B. & Co. was or was not included in the seven boxes. We have sent to your house on three different occasions to obtain a package, but so far have been unsuccessful. 1 am jileased to learn that you have closed with Fox Bros, for 1000 barrels of molasses and 500 sugar Shooks at 20 cents, shipped to pay differential duty ; and I hope you will be able to close with Lord & High for the empties. Still, rather than lose them, I would take them at 70 cents, if we cannot obtain them at a better figure. 51 52 MODERiV PUNCTUATION. Our commission on this car was a small one ; but, under the circumstances, you may deduct 50 cents per ton from the in- voice, as the shipment was delayed somewliat by the mill. Your car of oats is probably shipped before this, but we have no advice as yet ; it ought to reach you in a short time. It costs 6 cents per hundred freight, or about 2 cents per bushel, making them cost you 44-2 there. This is really better for you than buying goods in this mar- ket at $4.45. plus freight and cartage, independent of which you receive unassorted stock instead of assorted. We enclose you herewith, sample of our No. 900 Broadcloth, of w hich we have had an enormous sale, it being largely used for ladies' suits, ladies' and children's jackets, wraps, etc. We have given a great deal of attention to the manufacturing of these oils, supplying, as we do, the largest works in the United States. Enclosed please find affidavit of car of oats No. 371, shipped to Rhinebeck, April 1st, short less 10 per cent., ten bushels. We regret the extraordinary delay in the arrival of your flour, and will try to see to it that these delays do not occur again. Would not be surprised if the car reached you in one or two days, but to make the matter sure, send you twenty barrels to-day. This wagon has i 1-2 inch axles and wlieels, bed 8 feet 4 inches long, 3 feet 6 inches wide ; capacity 1500 pounds. The gear is painted straw color ; body wine color. This wagon we quote you, with flare boards and brake, $112.50. W'ill send sample in a day or two ; have none on hand at present. PROMISCUOUS EXAMPLES. 53 We credit your account witli $100 on last 100 bushels of oats as requested, and hope same will be satisfactory. The empties, when received, will be duly credited to your account ; i:i the meantime will ship, as directed, five gallons like the last. • Enclosed find check for $46.90, in payment of bill for 55 empty oil l)arrels, and blank receipt, which j)lease sign and return . We are entirely out of si/.e 32 at the price you named ; liave size 317. Note what you say about 8-2 dozen flannel shirts, lot 317, which were duly received to-day. We have not the particular shade ordered, so send you the next best in ililTerent sliades, not knowing that vou \\ished them for a club. We have decided to close out this season and, to accomplish this, will sell to you at 10 1-2 cents, next 60 days, for 25 piece lots ; II 1-2 cents, regular to select. Russell & Erwin announce change of discount to 50 and 2 per cent., and alter lists. \V§ are advised by Calkins & Co., of the charter of sailer Gia Coinino, with 590 tons iron rail ; also steamer Bt'lsize, with 5,000 tons scrap iron. We called to-day on the Edgar Thompson Steel Co., for the purpose of selling the remaining 500 tons, which we proposed to do, delivered at l>altimore ; but while they are disposed to take tlie iron, they are not willing to accept delivery at Baltimore, and insist upon our delivering it at Bessemer, or no sale. The writer is under the impression that Mr. Wilson has already sent you request to have all rail ends received for our account, classified as per our standard, that is, in five classes • 54 MODERN PUh'CTUATlON. Double heads over 20 inches long, short ends 9 inches long ; lumps, to make fifth class. This was based on our rate of S cents per one hundred pounds to Pittsburg, which, of course, does not include switching charges. In reply we quote you 20 pound T iron rails, first quality, at 3 cents per pound, F. O. B. cars, Wheeling, West Virginia. The present rate of freight t(i Detroit, all rail, is 17 cents ; rail and lake, 12 cents. I have been in correspondence with them about it and Mr. Ross wires me under date of i6th as follows : " There is no contract that in any way, directly or indirectly, affects the established rate on wrought-iron bridge material." In my opinion, it is not possible for the C. 15.