Overview
Punctuation marks give expression to and clarify your
writing. Without them, a reader may have trouble making
sense of the words and may misunderstand your intent.
You want to express your ideas as clearly as possible, but
perhaps you find the placement and effects of the different
punctuation marks confusing. You may ask, Would a
comma help or hinder? Where do you place quotation
marks? or What would be the effect of an exclamation
point? This course will provide you with the modern styles
and rules of American English punctuation. Its goal is to
help you use punctuation correctly and consistently.
This course is divided into eight lessons. Lesson 1
describes the history of punctuation and discusses
conventions of style. Lesson 2 identifies the rules for
capitalization and italicization. Lessons 3 through 8 explain
the use of all the punctuation marks, including the end
marks, comma, semicolon, colon, quotation marks, dash,
parentheses, square brackets, ellipses, hyphen, and
apostrophe. The Appendix includes a list of all the rules
presented in this course for easy reference.
Overview
i
You might already be familiar with the information
presented in some of the lessons. Therefore, Lessons 2
through 8 begin with pretests that help you determine if
you have enough knowledge to complete the assignment
without reading the entire lesson. Answers follow each
pretest. If you answer an entire pretest correctly, then you
may consider proceeding directly to the assignment.
Lessons 2 through 8 also include practice exercises.
These help you apply the rules you have learned.
Compare your answers with those that follow the exercise.
For your convenience, each answer is followed by the
applicable rule numbers in brackets.
These pretests and practice exercises are for your
personal development only, so do not send them to your
Hadley instructor. You can always contact your instructor,
however, to clarify items on these pretests or practice
exercises.
To complete the course, you are required to submit eight
assignments, one at the end of each lesson. These
assignments enable your instructor to measure your ability
to apply the concepts presented in the lessons.
Overview
ii
Now, if you’re ready to begin clarifying your writing with
proper punctuation, begin Lesson 1: The Development
and Styles of Punctuation.
Overview
iii
Overview
iv
Lesson 1: The Development and
Styles of Punctuation
If punctuation didn’t exist, would written material make
sense? Written texts without punctuation certainly would
be very difficult to understand. How, then, did punctuation
develop? This lesson describes the history of punctuation
and discusses conventions of style. Outlining the history
and styles of punctuation will help you understand the
importance of using punctuation correctly and consistently.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to
a.
b.
briefly describe the development of punctuation
discuss styles of punctuation
A Short History of Punctuation
Modern punctuation evolved slowly over the centuries.
This section describes its historical development and
shows how punctuation marks have been accepted
among the world's languages.
Language was spoken before it was written. In speech,
pauses are expressed naturally. When telling a story, no
Lesson 1: The Development and Styles of …
1
one says the word comma when the story calls for a
pause, or period when an idea is complete. When
language first was written, however, the reader had to
guess where the pauses and breaks were. Indeed,
readers in ancient times and the Middle Ages found it very
difficult to understand texts due to the lack of punctuation
marks. In ancient Greece, the preferred method of writing
did not even allow spaces between words! Reading and
comprehending were difficult tasks that only the best and
most dedicated scholars could figure out.
Punctuation includes spacing, marks, and typographic
devices (e.g., enlarged, slanted, or underlined letters). The
word punctuation comes from the Latin word punctus,
which means “point.” The oldest Roman documents
included points, or dots, in between words. Later texts
indicated paragraphs by extending the first word out into
the margin, which is the opposite of what is done today.
The next development involved starting a new sentence
with a gap and a larger first letter. Among Latin scholars
and scribes, however, the practice of separating words did
not become the rule.
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In the seventh and eighth centuries, Latin texts were
transcribed by German and Anglo-Saxon scribes, for
whom Latin was a foreign language. They inserted spaces
and marks to indicate paragraph and sentence endings,
thereby showing they had understood the text. This
development of punctuation enabled future scholars to
read ancient texts.
Can you imagine a world in which no one read silently?
Until the tenth century, texts were always read aloud. The
development of punctuation marks such as gaps, points,
and enlarged letters that indicated breaks between words,
sentences, and paragraphs, however, made silent reading
possible. Punctuation continued to develop during the
Middle Ages. Additions included marks that indicated
inflection (i.e., changes in pitch or loudness), questions,
and incomplete phrases. Many marks came from the
musical notation of the time.
As literacy increased after the invention of the printing
press in the mid-fifteenth century, more people began to
read silently. Authors then needed to insert familiar marks
to indicate pauses and the sentence structures to readers.
The printing process eventually standardized the various
Lesson 1: The Development and Styles of …
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marks authors and scribes used. That way, readers could
count on a particular mark indicating the same thing
among different works.
Most of the marks used today were in use by the end of
the sixteenth century. They did not, however, necessarily
mean then what they do now in modern English. By the
middle of the seventeenth century, the system of
punctuation was complete. A space is always left between
words, and uppercase letters start new sentences and
indicate proper names and titles. English punctuation
marks include the period, colon, semicolon, comma,
parentheses, brackets, question mark, exclamation point,
quotation marks, hyphen, and apostrophe.
Other European languages use many of the marks used in
English, although with some variations for quotations and
emphasis. Spanish uses inverted question marks and
exclamation points before the sentence as well as upright
signs after the sentence. When Louis Braille devised the
raised dot system for reading and writing, he included
punctuation marks along with the letters of the alphabet.
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Many of the European punctuation marks have been
adopted in modern non-European languages as well.
Printing and transcribing had much to do with the
adoption. Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Chinese, and
Japanese all use European punctuation marks, with
variations, in modern printing.
This section traced the historical development of
punctuation. Isn't it interesting how the need for
punctuation eventually led to a worldwide acceptance of
the same marks?
Style Rules
Although the world uses many of the same punctuation
marks, the rules for their usage may vary, even in the
English language. This section discusses the importance
of style rules and where you can find them.
Punctuation marks themselves have changed little since
the fifteenth-century printing presses began making books
available to a wider audience. However, the style rules
have changed with the times and thus have differed
throughout history. Style rules define how punctuation
marks are used correctly.
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Style rules also differ among different languages and even
among the various dialects of the same language. If you
pick up a British or Canadian magazine, you may find
commas where you would not expect to find them in an
American magazine article. Even in standard American
English, style may not be consistent from text to text.
Also, different publications may follow different sets of
style rules. Most book, magazine, journal, and newspaper
publishers have their own style manuals, which set the
punctuation rules for their publications. Often a publisher
will require authors to follow an accepted style manual
such as the Chicago Manual of Style or the Modern
Language Association Style Manual. Hadley courses such
as this very course, for example, generally follow the
Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition). Style rules may
differ among the various style manuals.
In light of differing style rules, consistency becomes very
important. For example, newspaper and magazine articles
are carefully checked by copy editors for consistency with
the chosen style manual. Literary authors may choose
their own punctuation style as part of their artistic
expression. In such a case, they choose to be consistent
Lesson 1: The Development and Styles of …
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with their own style. Whatever the chosen style,
consistency is very important for clear punctuation and
therefore, clear communication.
Despite style differences, writing generally follows the
basic punctuation conventions explained in this course. As
you write, you can always check the list of rules that
accompanies this course, or you might consult a style
manual from the library or a bookstore, to make sure your
punctuation is correct and consistent. Also, many
dictionaries have a section on style that includes
punctuation.
Punctuation marks have largely remained the same, even
among the different languages. Style rules, however, may
vary even within the same language, as this section has
shown. Therefore, consistency with the chosen set of style
rules is very important for clear punctuation.
Summary
This lesson described the evolution of punctuation and
explained style rules. It is useful to know that punctuation
has a long history and continues to change today. You
may have noticed the smiley face, which is a hollow circle
Lesson 1: The Development and Styles of …
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with dots for eyes and a large, curved line indicating a
smile. Appearing in commercial and informal writing, the
smiley face indicates something positive or funny. Perhaps
it will evolve into a new punctuation mark!
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Assignment 1
For general instructions on completing assignments, refer
to the Welcome Letter. Then start this assignment by
giving your full name, address, and phone number. Also
list the name of this course, Assignment 1, your
instructor’s name, and the date. Be sure to include the
question number along with each answer. This
assignment is worth 100 points.
True/False
Are the following statements true or false? If the statement
is false, reword it to make it true. (3 points each, 30 points
total)
1. When reading a text aloud, the speaker really should
indicate pauses and breaks by saying “comma” and
“period.”
2. The ancient Greeks invented punctuation.
3. Some ancient Greek documents used dots to indicate
word breaks.
4. The printing process disrupted the punctuation
system.
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5. Louis Braille included punctuation marks in his system
of raised dots.
6. Modern Hebrew uses punctuation marks similar to
English punctuation marks.
7. Style rules vary among different languages, but not
among American, British, and Canadian English.
8. All publishing companies in the United States follow
the same style rules.
9. This course largely follows the Chicago Manual of
Style.
10. Dictionaries are simply word references; they don't
provide help with punctuation.
Multiple Choice
Answer the following multiple-choice questions by
selecting the best answer: (5 points each, 25 points total)
11. Punctuation enabled people to
a. speak their language
b. read silently
c.
d.
translate from other languages
pray
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12. The present system of punctuation was completed
a. by the seventeenth century
b. in the Middle Ages
c. in ancient Rome
d. in 1950
13. The rules for using punctuation marks
a.
b.
c.
d.
haven't changed since the seventeenth century
are exactly the same in all the style manuals
have changed with the times
apply only to writing that will be published
14. The best source for determining style rules is
a. a dictionary
b.
c.
d.
a style manual
an encyclopedia
a newspaper or magazine
15. Which of the following statements concerning style
rules is false?
a.
b.
c.
Style rules can differ within the same language.
Style rules define how punctuation marks are
used.
Style rules change.
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d.
Style rules are used only by writers.
Short Answer
Briefly respond to the following items with complete
sentences: (45 points total)
16. The early developments of punctuation enabled
people to accomplish which two tasks? (10 points)
17. Briefly list six stages in the development of
punctuation from the time of the Greeks to the middle
of the seventeenth century. Hint: link each new
development in punctuation with a specific historical
period. (18 points)
18. Identify three ways punctuation style rules can differ
from each other. (9 points)
19. What should you use to determine the correct usage
of punctuation marks? (4 points)
20. What is very important to remember when using style
rules for punctuation? (4 points)
Once you have completed this assignment, send it to your
instructor. Then proceed to Lesson 2: Capitalized and
Italicized Letters.
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