Notice the 'greedy' behavior of the Perl pattern matching engine, which finds the maximal sequence of characters matching a given regualar expression.
| Line | Fragments not containing punctuation |
|---|---|
| Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, | Marley was dead: to begin with There is no doubt whatever about that The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman the clerk |
| the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his | the undertaker and the chief mourner Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change for anything he chose to put his |
| hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. | hand to Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail |
| Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, | Mind I don't mean to say that I know of my own knowledge what there is particularly dead about a door-nail I might have been inclined myself |
| to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands | to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile and my unhallowed hands |
| shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. | shall not disturb it or the Country's done for You will therefore permit me to repeat emphatically that Marley was as dead as a door-nail |
| Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge | Scrooge knew he was dead Of course he did How could it be otherwise Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years Scrooge |
| was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend and sole mourner. And even Scrooge was not | was his sole executor his sole administrator his sole assign his sole residuary legatee his sole friend and sole mourner And even Scrooge was not |
| so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an | so dreadfully cut up by the sad event but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral and solemnised it with an |
| undoubted bargain. | undoubted bargain |
| The mention of Marley's funeral brings me back to the point I started from. There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly | The mention of Marley's funeral brings me back to the point I started from There is no doubt that Marley was dead This must be distinctly |
| understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlet's Father died before the | understood or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlet's Father died before the |
| play began, there would be nothing more remarkable in his taking a stroll at night, in an easterly wind, upon his own ramparts, than there would be in | play began there would be nothing more remarkable in his taking a stroll at night in an easterly wind upon his own ramparts than there would be in |
| any other middle-aged gentleman rashly turning out after dark in a breezy spot -- say Saint Paul's Churchyard for instance -- literally to astonish his | any other middle-aged gentleman rashly turning out after dark in a breezy spot -- say Saint Paul's Churchyard for instance -- literally to astonish his
|
| son's weak mind. | son's weak mind |
| Scrooge never painted out Old Marley's name. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. The firm was | Scrooge never painted out Old Marley's name There it stood years afterwards above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley The firm was |
| known as Scrooge and Marley. Sometimes people new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge, and sometimes Marley, but he answered to both | known as Scrooge and Marley Sometimes people new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge and sometimes Marley but he answered to both |
| names: it was all the same to him. | names: it was all the same to him |
| Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard | Oh But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone Scrooge a squeezing wrenching grasping scraping clutching covetous old sinner Hard |
| and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him | and sharp as flint from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire secret and self-contained and solitary as an oyster The cold within him |
| froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in | froze his old features nipped his pointed nose shriveled his cheek stiffened his gait made his eyes red his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in |
| his grating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him; | his grating voice A frosty rime was on his head and on his eyebrows and his wiry chin He carried his own low temperature always about with him |
| he iced his office in the dogdays; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas. | he iced his office in the dogdays and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas |
| External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, | External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge No warmth could warm no wintry weather chill him No wind that blew was bitterer than he |
| no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to have him. The heaviest | no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose no pelting rain less open to entreaty Foul weather didn't know where to have him The heaviest |
| rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often "came down" handsomely, and Scrooge | rain and snow and hail and sleet could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect They often "came down" handsomely and Scrooge |
| never did. | never did |