Manuscript Form and PunctuationI. Manuscript Form1. Arrangement 1) When we write an essay to be read by the teacher, we should write on every other line so that there will be room for corrections. It is necessary to leave a margin of about two centimeters at the top and the bottom of the page, and one of a centimeter and a half on the right and left side. 2) The title or topic of the essay should be placed in the middle of the first line. Every word of the title (including words following hyphens in compound words) should be capitalized, except articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but, nor, and for) and to in infinitives. But if one of these words is the first or last word of the title, it should be capitalized. Topics are generally noun phrases (nouns with their modifiers), though other forms are possible. No full stop should be used at the end of a title. A question mark is needed if the topic is a direct question (but an indirect question is not followed by a question mark). The title of a book within the topic should be underlined (italicized in printing), and the title of an article put between quotation marks.Below are some examples: My Impressions of Beijing The Wall Between Where Do All the New Words Come From? What Traditions Mean to the Chinese A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Different Views on Jane Eyre Interpretations of Robert Frosts “Fire and Ice”3)The first line of every paragraph should be indented (started after a space of four or five letters).4) Arabic numerals are generally used for paging. They can be put either in the upper right-hand corner or in the middle below the last line of every page. 5) A line is never begun with a comma, a period, a semicolon, a colon, a question mark or an exclamation mark; a line never ends with the first half of a pair of brackets or quotation marks. The hyphen that shows a word is divided is put at the end, not at the beginning, of a line.2. Word Division The following hints may be helpful to us in the division of words:nOne-syllable word such as count, health and thought cannot be divided.nWords with two or more syllables can be divided according to the formation of syllables: repeat, insist, punctual, sandal, decline, translationnA stressed close syllable usually takes a consonant with it: dedicate, gratify, laboratory, finishnA consonant plus le is treated as a syllable: mingle, people, noble, gigglenA single letter cannot be put at the end or at the beginning of a line: evoke, heartynA two-letter ending should not be put at the beginning of a line: handed, hardennDivisions that may mislead the reader should be avoided: really, laymannWords with hyphens should be divided only at the hyphen: broad-minded, broken-heartednTwo-syllable words with double consonants in the middle are as a rule divided between the two consonants: struggle, latternDivision of proper names should be avoided: Dickens, ParisnThe last word of a page should not be divided. It should be written on the next page.nDivision of words at the ends of several consecutive lines should be avoided. Division of words is not always easy. When we are not sure, we should consult a dictionary. In some dictionaries syllabication is indicated by a dot, as in the examples given above; in others by a space: to geth er, sum mer3. Capitalization Capitalized words are used mainly in three places: proper names, key words in titles, and the first words of sentences. (examples omitted) Look at the following examples and pay special attention to the use of capital letters and punctuation in quoted words and sentences. Miss Johnson said, “When you write an essay, you should pay attention to both content and language.” “When you write an essay,” she said, “you should pay attention to both content and language.” “When you write an essay, you should pay attention to both content and language,” the teacher said. Miss Johnson advised us to “pay attention to both content and language” when we wrote an essay. These examples show:nthe subject and verb of saying before the quotation are followed by a comma;na complete sentence within quotation marks after the verb of saying begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop;nif the quoted sentence is broken into two parts and put between two pairs of quotation marks, with the subject and verb of saying placed between them, the first part ends with a comma, the second part does not begin with a capital letter (unless the first word is a proper name), and the whole sentence ends with a full stop;nif the quoted sentence is put before the subject and verb of saying, it ends with a comma, and the verb of saying is followed by a full stop;nif the quoted words are a phrase instead of a complete sentence, the phrase is treated as part of the whole sentence.4. HandwritingnThere are two common ways of writing the letters: to form loops and to print. Both are good, but we had better stick to one of the two styles.nWe should always try to write neatly so that our handwriting can be read easily.nWhen we want to cross out a word, we should draw a thick line through it. It is misleading to put it between brackets, because that means the word is an explanatory remark. When we want to add a word, we should write it above, not below, the line of words we have written with a clear sign showing where it is to be inserted.II. Punctuation1.The Comma (,) (1) A comma is used to join coordinate clauses. It is put before the conjunction (and, but, or, for, so, nor, or yet) We should remember that coordinate clauses have to be joined with a comma and a conjunction. One comma alone cannot do the job though it is possible in Chinese. Using a comma to link two clauses is a common mistake which has a name: the comma fault or the comma splice. But we can use a semicolon, a dash, or a colon between coordinate clauses (see explanations of these marks).(2) A comma is used after an adverbial clause or phrase, including a prepositional and a participial phrase before the subject, or inserted in the middle of the sentence: When the rain stopped, we continued to work in the fields. On hearing about the accident, he went to the site at once. Some listeners, bored by the lengthy talk, closed their eyes and dozed off. If the adverbial element follows the main clause, no comma is required. The students were busy working in the classroom when the lights went off.(3) Commas are used to separate a series of words or phrases with the same function in the sentence: The children sang, danced, jumped, and chased each other. The comma before the conjunction and the last item is optional. It can be omitted if there is no danger of misreading.(4) Nonrestrictive clauses and phrases are set off by commas: Mr. Huang, the new director of the company, will soon announce his plans for reforms. Restrictive clauses and phrases are not set off by commas: This is the lab where students listen to tapes and see films.(5) Commas set off parenthetical elements: The machines you have supplied us, Im glad to tell you, work very well.(6) In dates, a comma is used to separate the day and the year if the order is month-day-year; no comma need be used if the order is day-month-year: July 1, 1997; 15 September 1980(7) With numbers of 1 000 or over, commas or little blank spaces may be used to separate digits by thousands. From right to left, a comma is placed after every three numerals. 1,253,900 690 843 201 2792. The Period (.)(1)The period (full stop) is used at the end of a declarative sentence, a mildly imperative sentence, and an indirect question. The period marks the end of a sentence. The word after it begins a new sentence and has to be capitalized.(2) The period is used with most abbreviations: Mr. Mrs. U.S.A. a. m. But some people prefer not to use the period with abbreviations.(3) Three spaced periods make the ellipsis mark, which indicates the omission of one or more words within a quoted passage. Three spaced periods are sometimes used to a pause in conversation or faltering speech: “He said many things, such as such as oh, yes, he said that he would resign from the committee.” If a sentence ends with an ellipsis, a period should be used after it. The result is that four periods are used together.3. The Semicolon (;)(1)The semicolon is used between two coordinate clauses which are not linked by a conjunction. She doesnt like this film; she is disgusted with it. The above sentence can be turned into two separate sentences without any change in meaning. But there is this difference: the two parts in one sentence seem more closely connected than they are as two sentences. On the other hand, the two parts get greater emphasis as two sentences.(2) Conjunctive adverbs like therefore, however, nonetheless, hence, otherwise, besides, moreover, etc., should not be used as conjunctions to link two coordinate clauses. Before them there should be a semicolon, not a comma. He promised to come to the meeting; however, he didnt appear.(3) The semicolon is used with conjunctions when the clauses contain internal punctuation. As he promised, he donated a large sum of money; and this money helped with the completion of the project.(4) The semicolon is used to separate a series of items with internal commas. Among those who joined the discussion were Miss Xu, a well-known writer; Mr. Li, editor of the local newspaper; Dr. Qian, a professor: .(5) A semicolon may be used to join clauses with words omitted, and the omission is sometimes indicated by a comma. In this prestigious university there are many famous professors; in that smaller university, a few; in our college, none.4. The Colon (:)(1) The colon is used to introduce a quotation or a statement.(2) The colon is used to introduce an explanation, a summary, or an appositive. He gave two reasons for his failure in the examination: poor health and insufficient time for preparation.(3) The colon is used between the hour and the minute to show the time, to record the scores of games, to end the salutation of a business letter and the introductory remark of a speaker to the chairman and audience. at 11:30 China beat Japan 3:2 in the championships. Dear Mr. Johnson: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:5. The Question Mark (?)(1) The question mark is used after a direct question. An indirect question is punctuated in the same way as a declarative sentence.(2) The question mark is used after a statement turned into a question (said in a rising tone). “You like it? You want to buy it?” (3) A question mark put between parentheses indicates the writers uncertainty about the correctness of the preceding word, figure or date. Cao Xueqin, who wrote Dream of the Red Mansions, was born in an aristocratic family in 1715(?), and died in poverty in 1764(?).6. The Exclamation Mark (!)(1)The exclamation mark is used after an exclamatory sentence, or an emphatic interjection, or a phrase expressing strong emotion. How beautiful it is! “Help! Help!” “Get out!” he yelled.(2) Sometimes the exclamation mark is used after a slogan. Long live the Peoples Republic of China!7. Quotation Marks (“”)(1)Double quotation marks are used to enclose direct quotations in dialogue or from books or articles.(2) Single quotation marks are used to enclose a quotation within a quotation. The professor said, “Confucius says, Do not impose on others what you do not desire yourself. This is a very good principle of moral conduct.”(3) Indirect quotations are not enclosed by quotation marks. The professor said that one principle of moral conduct, according to Confucius, is not to impose on others what one does not desire oneself.(4) Quotation marks are used for titles of articles, essays , short stories, short poems, songs, etc., and for headings of chapters or subdivisions of books. Titles of books, newspapers and magazines are generally underlined or italicized.(5) Words with special meaning are sometimes put between quotation marks. Here “register” refers to a particular type of vocabulary. That warlord was said to have been “elected” president of his country.(6) When other marks of punctuation are used with quoted words or sentences, the following rules are generally observed: nthe comma and the period may be placed either inside or outside the quotation marks; I have just finished reading his story “An Unusual Experience,” which is very interesting./ I have “An Experience”.nthe colon and the semicolon are placed outside the quotation marks;nthe dash, the question mark, and the exclamation mark are placed within the quotation marks when they are connected only with the quoted words, and they are place outside when they are connected with the whole sentence. She asked, “what do you mean?” Could you explain the meaning of “postmodernism”? The man cried, “Fire! Fire!”8. Parentheses / Brackets ()(1)Parentheses are used to set off parenthetical, supplementary, or illustrative words. A WTO (World Trade Organization) delegation is to visit China next week.(2)Parentheses enclose figures or letters used for enumeration. This book consists of three parts: (1) ancient history, (2) modern history and (3) contemporary history.9. Square Brackets ()(1)Square brackets are used to indicate corrections or explanations in quoted matter made by the writer who is quoting. In the article he wrote, “Not for a moment did she Emily Dickinson intend to make herself famous by publishing her poems.”(2)Square brackets are used instead of parentheses within parentheses. There are quite a few good translations of classical Chinese literary works in these two volumes (Anthology of Chinese Literature New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1965).10. The Dash ()(1)The dash indicates a break in thought or a change in tone, or a speakers confusion or hesitation. At the beginning of the year, he made many resolutions only to be forgotten in a few days.(2)The dash indicates an unfinished or interrupted statement. “He is making preparations for ” “For going abroad?”(3) A pair of dashes set off a parenthetical element. All his belongings a few articles of clothing and a few books are here.(4)The dash is sometimes used to introduce a summarizing clause after a series of nouns. Bob, Lily, Andrian, Judy none of them know where he is.(5) The dash is sometimes used just like quotation marks in a dialogue. When was Shakespeare born? He was born in 1564.(6) The dash may be used to introduce subheadings and authors after quotations. Wang Zhaojun in Autumn in the Han Palace An Interpretation of the Theme of the Play “It is upon bad fortune that good fortune leans: it is upon good fortune that bad fortune rests. Lao Zi11. The Slash (/)(1)The slash indicates alternatives, representing the words or or and/or. The school gives students who have financial difficulties loans/part-time jobs.(2) The slash is used to separate lines in short quotations of poetry being quoted in running text. In this poem Keats wrote these famous lines: “ Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”(3) When fractions are written in a sentence, a slash is used to separate the numerator from the denominator. This factory now employs 2/3 of the workers it employed last year, but its output is increased by 1/3. (4) Sometimes the slash means “per” The house is sold at 5 000 yuan/square meter.12. Underlined and Italics In handwritten and typewritten papers underlining has the same function as italics in printed matter.(1)Titles of books, periodicals, newspapers, plays, movies operas, and long poems are underlined or italicized.(2) Foreign words are often underlined or italicized. One Chinese li is equal to half a kilometer. One Chinese li is equal to half a kilometer.(3) Words and letters referred to as such are underlined or italicized. The word doctor comes from the Latin word docere, which means to teach.(4) Names of ships, aircraft and works of art are underlined or italicized. The plot of the film is based on the tragic sinking of the Titanic.(5) Sometimes underlining or italicizing indicates emphasis.批改/校对符号（按字母顺序排列）nab faulty abbreviationnagr error in agreementnawkawkwardncap capitalizationnCEChinese Englishncolerror in collocationnderror in dictionndivincorrect word divisionndmdangling modifiernf compfaulty comparisonnfragsentence fragmentngrerror in grammarnidunidiomatic expressionninc comp incomplete comparisonnital italicize (underline)nll faulty parallel structurenlog faulty logicnmm misplaced modifiernmng meaning unclearnno cap unnecessary capital letternnsw no such wordnnum error in use of numbersnp error in punctuationnred redundantnref error in pronoun referencenrep unnecessary repetitionnrun-onrun-on sentencenslslangnspmisspelled wordnterror in verb tensenvberror in verb formnvoerror in voicenwwordynwwwrong wordn deletenstart new paragraphnclose up spacenntransposensomething missing