Business English Part 56

_d._ Names of political parties.

_e._ Names of religious sects.

_f._ Names of important events or doc.u.ments; as,

The Revolution, The Declaration of Independence.

_g._ The salutation in a letter; as,

Dear Sir, Gentlemen.

_h._ Words indicating relations.h.i.+p, when they are used in connection with a proper name, or when used alone as a name, but not when used with a possessive p.r.o.noun; as,

We expect Aunt Ellen at four o'clock.

I expect my mother at four o'clock.

9. The important words in the t.i.tle of a book, play, or composition.

Prepositions, articles, and conjunctions are not capitalized; as,

The Call of the Wild.

10. Such words as _Paragraph_, _Article_, or _Section_, when accompanied with a number; as,

Paragraph 26, Article 3.

11. See Exercise 75.

=Exercise 168=

The _period_ (.) is used--

1. To indicate the end of a declarative sentence; as,

The business is prosperous.

2. To indicate an abbreviation; as,

The firm of Clark Bros. has opened a new office at 144 Pleasant St., Erie, Pa.

The _interrogation mark_ (?) is used--

To indicate the end of a sentence that asks a question; as,

When did you order the goods?

The _exclamation mark_ (!) is used--

To indicate the end of a sentence or other expression that shows strong feeling; as,

Such demands are inhuman!

Frequently, all that shows exactly how the writer wished his thought to be understood is the punctuation. The same words may express different ideas according to the mark of punctuation that follows them. Read the following to show the meaning that the writer wished to convey by each.

Explain the circ.u.mstances under which each might have been spoken.

1. The price is too high.

2. The price is too high!

3. The price is too high?

4. The crop will not be good. There'll be no corn.

5. Corn! There'll be no corn!

6. You didn't tell him that.

7. You didn't tell him that!

8. You didn't tell him that?

9. You are enjoying yourself.

10. You are enjoying yourself?

11. You are enjoying yourself!

=Exercise 169--Quotation Marks (" ")=

1. When a speaker's words are quoted exactly, they should be enclosed in quotation marks. This is called a _direct quotation_.

He said, "The business is growing."

Notice that the word _said_ is followed by a comma, and that the quotation begins with a capital letter.

2. If the quotation itself is a question, although it forms part of a declarative sentence, it requires an interrogation mark before the quotation mark; as,

Have you been waiting long?

She opened the door and said, "Have you been waiting long?"

3. The same applies to a quotation that requires an exclamation mark; as,

Look!

He cried, "Look!"

4. When the words of explanation follow the quoted words, the punctuation is as follows:

(_a_) When the quotation is a declarative sentence, put a comma after the quotation and begin the words of explanation with a small letter; as,

"The business is growing," he said.

(_b_) When the quotation is a question, conclude it with an interrogation mark, and begin the words of explanation with a small letter; as,

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked.

(_c_) When the quotation is an exclamation, conclude it with an exclamation mark, and begin the words of explanation with a small letter; as,

"Look!" he cried.