Punctuation

Ganges

Suggest improvements for the highlighted problem areas: Girish asked how the river was named? Mr Lobo explained that the Ganges River is named after the female spirit Ganga. It all started when King Sagara's 60,000 sons were incinerated by a sage for their excessive pride. How would their ashes ever be purified. Years later, another king, King Bhagirathi, ascended the great mountains to do penance for the sins of Sagara's many sons. When King Bhagirathi's penance was complete, he began to walk down from the mountains. Meanwhile, up in heaven, Ganga was so taken by his goodness that she cried out, "Wait. Wait for me." Ganga descended from heaven and followed the good king through the Himalayan foothills, across the northern plains, and into the jungles of the east. They arrived at the Bay of Bengal one morning at 6 A.M.. As the sun rose, the ashes of Sagara's sons were purified and those 60,000 souls attained paradise at last. Answer: - The Exclamation Point - The final sentence in the opening paragraph needs more effective punctuation: Meanwhile, up in heaven, Ganga was so taken by his goodness that she cried out, "Wait. Wait for me." When we want to show strong emotion, we should use the exclamation point: Meanwhile, up in heaven, Ganga was so taken by his goodness that she cried out, "Wait! Wait for me!" Note: In writing for work or for school, it is best to avoid using multiple exclamation points adjacent to each other (e.g., I agree!!!). For letters and email to family or good friends, it is of course acceptable.

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