8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks

8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks 8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks 8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks By Mark Nichol The use of full or partial quotation marks or of paraphrases calls for attention to detail and adherence to a few punctuation rules. Notice that the examples below are deliberately incorrect. 1. â€Å"Most agree the word means something like: This stream meanders through something red.’† The words in the quotation collectively serve the grammatical function of a noun and are not set off from the attribution by a comma or a colon. 2. â€Å"The motto, ‘Might makes right’ applies here.† In this similar case, â€Å"the motto† is an appositive for â€Å"Might makes right,† just as in â€Å"the Web site DailyWritingTips.com,† â€Å"the Web site† is an appositive of the site’s name: â€Å"The motto ‘Might makes right’ applies here.† To insert a comma implies that this is the only existing motto (though there should then be one after right as well to complete the restrictive phrase). 3. â€Å"According to the book, at the first sign of an outbreak, ‘Children were whisked home from summer camps in the middle of the night.’† If an incomplete quotation is completed by a preceding paraphrase, lowercase the first word of the partial quotation unless it is a proper noun. In this case, â€Å"at the first sign of an outbreak† substitutes for the missing introductory phrase: â€Å"According to the book, at the first sign of an outbreak, ‘children were whisked home from summer camps in the middle of the night.’† In scholarly writing, the first letter of children should be bracketed to clarify that it was capitalized in the original source, but that nicety is unnecessary in general. 4. â€Å"He concluded that what America needs most is a â€Å"guiding belief† for citizens, industry, and government.† This sentence is essentially correct, but when a partial quote consists of such a brief phrase, ask yourself whether the quotation marks are justified; why not just paraphrase the entire sentence?: â€Å"He concluded that what America needs most is a guiding belief for citizens, industry, and government.† 5. â€Å"Her response was that she had ‘definitely locked the door on my way out.’† A writer might deem it crucial to retain a partial quote, but if the speaker uses the first person, the quotation won’t fit the reportorial third-person framing, and a paraphrase is necessary: â€Å"Her response was that she had definitely locked the door on her way out.† (Alternatively, you could paraphrase part of the direct quote â€Å"Her response was that she had ‘definitely locked the door’ on her way out† but, again, with diminishing returns.) 6. â€Å"The question is which selection is better?† This is a conjectural question not literally stated, so it is only tangentially related to the other examples here, but it’s important to point out that such constructions should include a comma: â€Å"The question is, which turnoff did she take?† (However, when the sentence is not stated as a question, the comma should be omitted: â€Å"The question is which selection is better.†) 7. When asked to clarify his earlier statement, he said: ‘I have nothing to add.’† Writers frequently introduce a statement with a colon rather than a comma, but this construction is awkward, because a colon invites the reader to put on the brakes, rather than just slow down, a fleeting action the more flexible comma invites: â€Å"When asked to clarify his earlier statement, he said, ‘I have nothing to add.’† (See also the second example, above.) Do retain the colon, however, when the attribution is an independent clause, as here: â€Å"He made this shocking public statement: ‘I think there is a fair chance Perth will be the twenty-first century’s first ghost metropolis.’† 8. â€Å"‘This [the subway bombing] is a minor thing that will develop into something major,’ she added.† When scholarly standards or journalistic integrity demands an exact quotation, but a full statement isn’t available, here’s the conventional but clunky solution: Provide the rest of what the speaker or writer meant to say or the definite noun they didn’t provide in order to fortify your class or reporting assignment within brackets. But note that the bracketed insertion should replace, not supplement, the indefinite subject: â€Å"‘[The subway bombing] is a minor thing that will develop into something major,’ she added.† Alternatively, especially in less-than-formal contexts (or even in newspaper reporting I won’t tell), feel free when you are certain of the intended specifics to employ a handy technique called silent correction. In other words, bail on the brackets: â€Å"The subway bombing is a minor thing that will develop into something major,† she added.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should AvoidCapitalization Rules for the Names of GamesDozen: Singular or Plural?

Analysis Of A Drawing For Art His Class Essays - Art History

Analysis Of A Drawing For Art His Class Essays - Art History Analysis Of A Drawing For Art His Class Analysis of 'Chance Meeting' by Martin Lewis 'Chance Meeting' is a dry point etching print by Martin Lewis and was created in the early 1930's. The subjects are two figures, male and female, who have happened upon each other in the setting of a public sidewalk at the entrance of a storefront. It may be a dichotomy in terms to call the piece, Idealized Urban Realism, though Lewis' work does harmonize well with the Urban Realist movement surfacing in this period with artists such as Edward Hopper. It also has a very idealized and stylistic quality not unlike the work of artists like Roy Liechtenstein in a much later time period. At a glance, 'Chance Meeting' is a simple work intended to tell a story with minimal detail and it is difficult to distinguish any definite pattern in the composition. With careful inspection however, the viewer can discover an order in the placement of objects, the existence of symmetry, and perhaps a much deeper meaning to the piece through the interpretation of symbolism. The palate used in the piece is simply black and white, with the exception of the illusion of shades of gray created with the shading technique, cross-hatching. This intensifies the use of light and shadow in what definitely could be called chiaroscuro. The presence of a single, intensely bright directional light creates areas of extreme contrast that could be called tenebrism. An extreme variety of lighting techniques can be found, as some objects are lit from the side, and others are almost completely backlit, creating more of a silhouette than a distinguishable three-dimensional shape. Shadows in the recesses of the male figure's face starkly oppose highlights upon his brow and jaw line. Lewis seems to be experimenting with what might be realistic lighting conditions at night on a typical city street, and exaggerating the results in the interest of style. An area of focus is created in the foreground by the intensity of light falling off abruptly as distance increases. Balance in lighting is achieved with the occasional splash of light in a reflective surface, and the existence of smaller, less accentuated lights in the background of the print. The piece derives a lot of its realism from the textures on the surfaces of objects. The pavement has a pattern in it that it possibly the result of its cement tiles being cast in wooden molds, leaving behind the impression of the grain. Some of the tiles are cracked and stained, giving the effect of a partially worn and aged public sidewalk. The glass in one of the structures is evidently glossy as the reflections of street lamps and automobile headlights can be seen in its surface. Cloth in the canopies on the buildings and the clothing of the subjects is very naturally wrinkled in relaxed areas and creased where it is pulled taught. These more organic shapes and textures help to balance the strict geometry and texture of the almost completely architectural background. A variety of very accurately portrayed objects fill the space with interesting, yet not distracting detail. The signage in and around the shops is not only visible, but also legible. It is actually possible to read some of the signs. The book cart in front of the shop bears a hand drawn sign that appears to be a square of cardboard torn out of a box and is precariously seated at an off angle to it's makeshift base. All of this meticulous attention to detail aids in creating a sense of realism in the print. In the print's era, these objects also probably served to create a sense of familiarity for the viewer, who was probably used to seeing similar signage and objects in the physical world. In retrospect, the antiquity of these artifacts adds a degree of interest to the scene and perhaps a bit of nostalgia for some. A sense of depth and space is created by the use of one point linear perspective. The orthogonals lead off of the picture plane to the left with the vanishing point out of sight by a considerable distance. Multiple lines that define the architecture widen to the right creating a

Response to the Web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response to the Web - Essay Example Facts quoted in this article such as, the surrender of China's long-time head Zhou Youngkang are backed up with the reference of an article posted in Financial Times. The article accurately reported about the role of those networks that are responsible for cruel repression of prodemocracy (Mackinnon). Despite, reference from Financial Times, the credibility of this article is doubted as Financial Times has not cited the names of senior communist party members. Also, it is noticeable that in the article Mr. Bo has been suspected for wasting much capital for the sake of protecting his own responsibilities towards nation. He has also been suspected for corruption, insubordination, and most prominently in case of British businessman's murder. The article highlights that in this murder case his wife has also been suspected, but the author has not provided any logical reason or reference behind this fact about Bo and his wife (Mackinnon). Moreover, the web source informs that Mr. Xi is bel ieved to have been chosen as a new president under the compromise between the factions. This fact has also not been supported by any credible source; however it is correctly quoted that the protection of the state is a foremost priority of all communist party members. The article says that China is a dangerous and de-destabilized place, mainly due to Zhou YongKang decisions and actions in past. However, no other source has ever complimented China as an insecure or underdeveloped state, but the author has only referred the words of Joshua Rosenzweig an independent human rights researcher based in Hong Kong. The author should have fairly cited a logical reason behind this claim of Mr. Rosenzweig (Mackinnon). Also, the author has not even briefly mentioned in what context he has pointed out the acts of Zhou Yongkang over past decades. Further, author has quoted in another fact about China with reference to Mr.Rosenweig and has written that Mr. Zhou's ministry "had become so powerful th at it had the makings of second party centre rivaling the number one and number two means the president and premier (Mackinnon). Here, the author should have put a suitable example to prove the statement of Mr.Rosenweig as a stronger claim over political system and situations of Chinese government. Further, in the article it has reflected that the rights of citizens will be protected and the power of government will become limited. This seems a fair reporting as a full flash editorial article of the communist party`s flagship newspaper has been referred here to support the cause and effect of new slogan in Chinese government (Mackinnon). Additionally, it is noticeable here that China is a communist country and it does not let international media to cover important political matters of the state. Therefore, whatever facts that are presented in this article related to two reformist parties cannot be completely trusted (Mackinnon). Chinese politics has no transparency; thus it cannot b e said that this article truly reflect whatever is going on behind the curtain to secure the issue matters related to Chinese government. The author has randomly referred an observer, without mentioning about his/her role of designation or relationship with the Chinese politics and has written that it is expected that reform wing will intend to behave differently under new leadership. Neither backup has been given for this claim nor has the complete information been provided to clear about the expected difference in acts