My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be 'Me'?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English

See Me After Class:
‘You won’t give me lines will yer, miss?!’
‘What is the meaning of this “?!”’
(Answer: an interrobang . In formal writing, don’t use a question mark in
combination with other marks.)
T
WO PRICKS
(
OR
, C
OLONS
)
‘A marke of a sentence not fully ended which is made with two prickes.’
J
OHN
B
ULLOKAR
, E
NGLISH PHYSICIAN AND LEXICOGRAPHER
,
WRITING ABOUT THE COLON IN
1616.
Rule: a colon informs the reader that what follows sums up or explains what has
come before.
For example, it may be used to link two main clauses, where the second clause
explains the first.
She was delighted to have the offer accepted: it was the third time she had bid on
the house.
Or to introduce a list of items (or, indeed, an example):
The cake contained ingredients found lying at the back of the kitchen cupboard:
flour, baking soda, dried peel, sultanas, raisins, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon

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and mixed spice. To this lot, we just added some milk and an egg from the fridge.
You  will  need:  strong  footwear,  waterproof  clothing,  a  change  of  clothes,  high-
energy snacks, a small first-aid kit, a good map and a torch .