Punctuation

Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1860-1Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 81K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Punctuation by Frederick W. HamiltonAuthor: Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1860-1940,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Mar 9, 2007

Editor's review

This is a short booklet on English punctuation. Frederick W. Hamilton, its author, taught writing and editing for many years, and the book sets out the basic rules of English punctuation and common misuses in a clear, concise way. Its value lies not in theoretical depth but in explaining directly and practically how punctuation relates to sentence meaning, tone, and readability, making it suitable as a desk reference or supplementary material for writing courses. The book is short, and its itemized explanations lend themselves to fragmented reading: readers can turn to any punctuation mark and understand its function through example sentences. Because it was written long ago, some example sentences feel dated in style, and a few usage norms may differ slightly from contemporary mainstream guides; readers should focus on understanding the principles rather than treating every rule as the sole standard. Reading it alongside one's own writing practice, revising as one reads, will make it more effective.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and self-learners who need to improve the formal correctness of their English writing
Professionals engaged in English editing, proofreading, or translation
English teachers looking for reference material for teaching punctuation
Writers who want to systematically review English punctuation rules

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking an authoritative guide to the latest contemporary punctuation norms
Complete beginners unfamiliar with English sentence structure
Readers looking for a systematic grammar textbook rather than a topic-specific handbook

Reading tips

First read through the table of contents and choose chapters on the punctuation types you most often get wrong for close reading.
After each section, find an old English draft of your own and revise it against the rules to reinforce them.
Compare the book's example sentences with contemporary writing guides and note differences in usage.
Compile easily confused punctuation marks into a one-page quick-reference sheet to consult while writing.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for someone learning English punctuation entirely on their own?

It can serve as an introductory reference, but it is more of a quick rule reference than a step-by-step course. Complete beginners would do best to have basic knowledge of English sentence structure first and to use it alongside a grammar textbook for more reliable results.

Are the punctuation rules in this book still applicable today?

Most basic principles still hold, but the book was written long ago, and some example sentences and a few usage norms may differ from contemporary mainstream guides. It is advisable to focus on understanding the principles and to consult more recent writing handbooks when specific disagreements arise.

How long is this book, and how long does it take to read?

This is a short, topic-specific booklet suited to fragmented reading. If you read one or two sections a day and do the exercises, you can usually read it through in one or two weeks; afterward it is better used as a desk reference to consult repeatedly.

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About the author

Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1860-1 Author

Frederick W. Hamilton (1860–1) was an author whose writing centered on the conventions of written English and on typography. Public information about him is limited, and his life, nationality, and education cannot be reliably established; eight of his works are held in the collection. Judging from the surviving titles, he focused on the most basic and often overlooked details of writing and printing: the use of capitals, word study and English grammar, the division of words, punctuation, the uses of italic, abbreviations and signs, and compound words, along with Books Before Typography, a work touching on the prehistory of the book. These are for the most part concise, practical handbooks, clearly organized and concrete in their examples, addressed to students, printers, and general readers, and dealing with the fundamentals of English usage and typographic practice. Their subjects are small, yet they form part of the standardization of written language and the making of books, and they can still serve as references for early conventions of English usage and printing practice.