CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF PUNCTUATION

The smallest word has some unguarded spot,
And danger lurks in i without a dot.

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

I. CAPITALIZATION

45. General rules for capitalization. When capital letters were first used in English they served chiefly for ornament and variety, and were inserted somewhat indiscriminately according to the writer's individual taste. Usage has finally become virtually uniform, and is indicated broadly by two general rules: (1) the first word of every sentence and of every line of poetry, and (2) every proper name and each word composing a proper name, begins with a capital letter. These very broad rules are extended, of course, to include a large number of specific cases, the most important of which are given below.

46. Special rules for capital letters. The following are the most common rules for the use of capitals.

1. The first word of every sentence should begin with a capital.

2. The first word of every line of poetry should begin with a capital.

3. The first word of every direct quotation should begin with a capital.

4. The first word of every direct question should begin with a capital.

Ex. Ask yourself this question: Are you making the most of your time and talent?

5. The words I and O should always be capitals. 6. Every proper noun should begin with a capital.

7. Words derived from proper nouns should begin with capitals, unless by long usage they have lost all association with the nouns from which they are derived.

Ex. Christian from Christ; but currant from Corinth; Spanish,
Mohammedan, Romanize.

8. The words street, river, mountain, etc., usually begin with capitals when they are used in connection with proper

names.

Ex. Chapel Street, the Mississippi River, Lake Whitney.

9. The words North, South, East, and West should begin with capitals whenever they refer to parts of the country, and not simply to points of the compass.

Ex. They have a daughter living in the West.

The house faces west.

10. Names of the days of the week and the months of the but not the seasons should begin with capitals.

year

Ex. Wednesday, February, winter, spring.

11. Words denoting family relations such as father, mother, uncle, etc. are begun with capitals only when they are used with the proper name of the person, or without a possessive pronoun.

Ex.

But

{{

I have had a letter from Mother.

This knife was a present from Uncle John.

I have had a letter from my mother.

Did your uncle give you one?

12. Titles of honor or office begin with capitals when used in a formal way or in connection with a proper name. Ex. The crown was one worn by King Henry V.

The President summoned the Secretary of State to an important interview.

13. In the titles of books and essays all words except prepositions, conjunctions, and unimportant adjectives usually begin with capitals.

Ex. "The House of the Seven Gables."

14. All names of God, and expressions used as titles of the Deity, should begin with capitals. Personal pronouns referring to the Deity are also capitalized when used in direct address without an antecedent, or to avoid confusion with pronouns referring to another antecedent. Ex. Let the Redeemer's name be sung.

Be true thyself, and follow Me.

O Thou that hear'st the mourner's prayer.

15. The words Bible, Scriptures, and all names of books and parts of the Bible should usually begin with capitals.

16. Words representing important events in history and epochs of time should begin with capitals.

Ex. The French Revolution, the Middle Ages.

17. Names of personified abstractions should begin with capitals (see § 308, 3).

EXERCISE

I

Explain the use of all the capitals on page 91.

II

From your own reading, bring to class three illustra tions of each of the rules for capitals.

III

In the selections given below, supply capitals wherever needed, and state the rules for their use:

the

1. in 874 a lombard city was besieged by the saracens. inhabitants first implored the help of the french king, but he either would not or could not aid them. they then decided to appeal to the greek emperor.

66

2. a traveler at a hotel rose from his bed to examine the weather. instead of looking out of the window, he thrust his head through the glass door of a cupboard. landlord," cried the astonished man, "this is very singular weather. the night is as dark as egypt and smells of cheese."

3. john gilpin was a citizen

of credit and renown;

a train-band captain eke was he
of famous london town.

IV

Write a page about some Fourth of July celebration, commenting briefly on the most interesting feature of the Give the rule for the use of each capital letter.

program.