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Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation
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Author:
Crystal, David
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St. Martin's Publishing Group 2015
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The triumphant concluding volume in David Crystal's classic trilogy on the English language combines the first history of English punctuation with a complete guide on how to use it. Behind every punctuation mark lies a thousand stories. The punctuation of English, marked with occasional rationality, is founded on arbitrariness and littered with oddities. For a system of a few dozen marks it generates a disproportionate degree of uncertainty and passion, inspiring organizations like the Apostrophe Protection Society and sending enthusiasts, correction-pens in hand, in a crusade against error across the United States. Professor Crystal leads us through this minefield with characteristic wit, clarity, and commonsense. In David Crystal's Making a Point, he gives a fascinating account of the origin and progress of every kind of punctuation mark over one and a half millennia and offers sound advice on how punctuation may be used to meet the needs of every occasion and context.

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Language Arts
Nonfiction

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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
10/06/2015
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781466865648
ASIN:
B00V39P7UK

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APA Citation (style guide)

David Crystal. (2015). Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation. St. Martin's Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

David Crystal. 2015. Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation. St. Martin's Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

David Crystal, Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation. St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2015.

MLA Citation (style guide)

David Crystal. Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation. St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2015.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.

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Date Added:
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Date Updated:
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        DAVID CRYSTAL, is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. In 1995, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to the English language. He lives in the United Kingdom.

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title
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The triumphant concluding volume in David Crystal's classic trilogy on the English language combines the first history of English punctuation with a complete guide on how to use it. Behind every punctuation mark lies a thousand stories. The punctuation of English, marked with occasional rationality, is founded on arbitrariness and littered with oddities. For a system of a few dozen marks it generates a disproportionate degree of uncertainty and passion, inspiring organizations like the Apostrophe Protection Society and sending enthusiasts, correction-pens in hand, in a crusade against error across the United States. Professor Crystal leads us through this minefield with characteristic wit, clarity, and commonsense. In David Crystal's Making a Point, he gives a fascinating account of the origin and progress of every kind of punctuation mark over one and a half millennia and offers sound advice on how punctuation may be used to meet the needs of every occasion and context.
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        August 31, 2015
        Crystal (Spell It Out) will delight anyone interested in written language with this exploration and explication of English’s deceptively complex system of punctuation. Rather than trying to convey how each punctuation mark should be used—a surprisingly difficult task—Crystal offers a charming journey through the evolution of punctuation, from the role of spacing as the earliest form of punctuation to the influence of the Internet. He tackles the age-old question of whether punctuation exists to help readers or speakers and explores the roles that typesetters, publishers, editors, and proofreaders have played in shaping punctuation and, in some cases, authorial voice and intent. Crystal, a professor of linguistics, brings scholarly acumen and gravity, as well as delight and good humor, to his subject. He illuminates punctuation’s transformation over time, as needs and preferences changed, and finds that the Internet is a particularly intriguing source of inventiveness. Crystal’s ultimate message isn’t about rigidly enforcing the rules of punctuation; instead, he highlights the importance of understanding punctuation as a system and the pleasure of using it to its fullest potential. Illus.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        October 1, 2015

        In this highly detailed account of the rise of English punctuation, Crystal (How Language Works; Shakespeare's Words) examines the historical origins of punctuation and the evolution of writing from the ancients to the Internet. Beginning with the absence of punctuation in early Latin and Anglo-Saxon writing and covering the oratory tradition, with its reliance on context rather than punctuation, Crystal illustrates how meaning was derived in the absence of punctuation. Before grammar became standard, explains Crystal, punctuation was a matter of personal choice, at the mercy of the writers' preferences and readers' interpretation. The author discusses over-punctuation and arbitrary usage that led to the eventual publication of contradictory grammars during the 18th century and the subsequent battle between authors and printers on acceptable usage. VERDICT With chapters on each mark, the book is comprehensive. Extensive review of each punctuation mark may prove overwhelming to the average reader. However, serious students of English and linguistics will be delighted.--Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib.

        Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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