Punctuation Part 5

They make a desert, and call it--peace.

Thou, great Anna, whom three states obey, Who sometimes counsel takes--and sometimes tea.

3. To express in one sentence great contrariety of action or emotion or to increase the speed of the discourse by a succession of snappy phrases.

She starts--she moves--she seems to feel The thrill of life along her keel.

In this connection DeVinne gives the following excellent example from Sterne:

Nature instantly ebbed again;--the film returned to its place;--the pulse fluttered,--stopped,--went on,--throbbed,--stopped again,--moved,--stopped,--Shall I go on?--No.

Attention may be called to Sterne's use of the semicolon and the comma with the dash, a use now obsolete except in rare cases.

4. To separate the repet.i.tion or different amplifications of the same statement.

The infinite importance of what he has to do--the goading conviction that it must be done--the dreadful combination in his mind of both the necessity and the incapacity--the despair of crowding the concerns of an age into a moment--the impossibility of beginning a repentance which should have been completed--of setting about a peace which should have been concluded--of suing for a pardon which should have been obtained--all these complicated concerns intolerably augment the sufferings of the victims.

5. At the end of a series of phrases which depend upon a concluding clause.

Railroads and steamships, factories and warehouses, wealth and luxury--these are not civilization.

6. When a sentence is abruptly terminated.

If I thought he said it I would--

7. To precede expressions which are added to an apparently completed sentence, but which refer to some previous part of the sentence.

He wondered what the foreman would say--he had a way of saying the unexpected.

8. To connect extreme dates in time indication.

The war of 1861--1865. The war of 1861-1865.

9. To define verse references in the Bible or page references in books.

Matt. v: 1--11. Matt. v: 1-11.

See pp. 50--53. See pp. 50-53.

NOTE. In instances such as given in the two preceding rules the en dash may sometimes serve if the em dash appears too conspicuous.

10. A dash preceded by a colon is sometimes used before a long quotation forming a new paragraph. In other cases no point need accompany the dash.

The dash is sometimes used as a subst.i.tute for commas. Writers on the subject say that this use occurs when the connection between the parenthetical clause and the context is closer than would be indicated by commas. The distinction, if real, is difficult to see. It would be better if none but the most experienced writers attempted the use of the dash in this way.

Dashes are often used instead of marks of parenthesis. It is better to let each mark do its own work.

THE PARENTHESIS

The parenthesis, commonly used in pairs, encloses expressions which have no essential connection with the rest of the sentence, but are important to its full comprehension. It is liable to be neglected by writers because the dash is easier to make, and by printers because it is generally thought to mar the beauty of the line. Its distinct uses, however, should not be neglected.

_Rules for the Use of the Parenthesis_

1. To introduce into a sentence matter which is not essentially connected with the rest of the sentence, but aids in making it clear.

Trouble began when the apprentice (who had been strictly forbidden to do so) undertook to do some work on his own account.

This year (1914) saw the outbreak of a general war.

2. In reports of speeches to enclose the name of a person who has been referred to, or to indicate expressions on the part of the audience.

The honorable gentleman who has just spoken (Mr. Lodge) has no superior on this floor in his knowledge of international law.

(Applause.)

3. Parentheses enclosing interrogation points or exclamation points are sometimes introduced into a sentence to cast doubt on a statement or to express surprise or contempt.

He said that on the fifth of January (?) he was in New York.

This most excellent (!) gentleman.

4. Parentheses are used, generally in pairs, sometimes singly, to enclose the reference letters or figures used to mark division and cla.s.sification in arguments or in precise statements.

This is done because: (a) it is clearer; (b) it is shorter.

These signs may be printed in several ways.

(a) a) (^a) ^a) (1) 1) (^1) ^1)

The old-fashioned form of parenthesis, always made too thin, may need a thin s.p.a.ce between it and its adjoining character when it is placed too close to any letter that nearly fills the body in height, as in ( Hall ). The s.p.a.ce may not be needed when the proximate character has a shoulder, as in ( Art), or when the parenthesis follows a period.)

The italic form of parenthesis is objectionable in book work.

Distinction is sought for the word in italic and not for the parenthesis enclosing the word. The italic parenthesis may be used in job-work or full display lines of italic letters.

THE BRACKET

Brackets are used in pairs, like the parentheses. In Job composition either brackets or parentheses may be used, as suits the fancy or is convenient. In descriptive text matter, however, brackets should not be used where parentheses are clearly indicated.

_Rules for the Use of the Bracket_

1. To enclose words or phrases which are entirely independent of the rest of the sentence.