Studies in English Idiom [antikvár]

I.PUNCTUATION.The comma (,) is used to divide sentences or clauses which form part of one main thought.Ex. I told him that, if he wished to gain friends, he must so act, that people could know that he was well-disposed towards them.Also to separate nouns used consecutively in a list, as: The pedlar sold lace, handkerchiefs, buttons, knives and pencils.Note that there is no comma after the last noun but one, before and.The semi-colon (;) is used to divide sentences complete in themselves, when the idea conveyed by the whole is continuous.Ex. Eobinson Crusoe lived all alone; he contrived to satisfy his immediate wants by hunting and fishing ; he never saw any human being for a very long time, and consequently suffered much from loneliness.The colon (:) is used generally when the sentence following is a summary or explanation of the preceding one, or before a list of things.Ex. I went to market and bought the following articles : a dozen eggs, a fly-whisk, a bottle of soda-water and a pound of cheese.E