The sole purpose of punctuation marks is to help convey a thought so
clearly that it cannot be misunderstood and experienced writers
learn to use the proper marks almost intuitively. The rules are
applied unconsciously. Many correspondents in dictating designate
the beginning and the close of each sentence but others leave this
to the intelligence of the stenographer, and there is no better rule
for those to whom such matters are left than to be liberal in the
use of periods. Avoid long, involved sentences. There is little
danger of misunderstanding in short sentences.
Most of the rules can be made hard and fast--a simple regulation to
do this or to avoid that. They should begin with the date line.
Instructions should be given as to the place for the date line:
whether it should be written on one or two lines and whether the
month should be expressed in figures or should be spelled out, and
whether the year should be printed in full or abbreviated. There is
a growing tendency to use figures, such as 10-15-10, and
supplementary letters, such as "rd," "th," and so forth, are being
eliminated. Some firms are placing the date at the bottom of the
letter at the left hand margin, although for convenience in making a
quick reference the date line at the top of the letter is much to be
preferred.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213