OP: Its a little unclear to me how grammar and punctuation might have changed in the past 35 years enough to cause your withdrawal from school, but I'll throw this out there: I think you are possibly looking for a general introduction to a liberal arts education.
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This is a handy book: https://www.amazon.com/Students-Liberal-Learning-Guides-Disciplines-ebook/dp/B00LMPBBLY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543810638&sr=8-3&keywords=students+guide+liberal+arts
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I would also check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Trivium-Classical-Liberal-Grammar-Rhetoric/dp/1632864967/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543810884&sr=8-2&keywords=the+trivium+the+liberal+arts+of+logic%2C+grammar%2C+and+rhetoric
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This is a good intro to literature: https://www.amazon.com/Western-Canon-Harold-Bloom-ebook/dp/B00KK6DGMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543810941&sr=8-1&keywords=western+canon+Harold+bloom
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You may also want to check out a book on logic/analytical reasoning/rhetoric, depending on how comfortable you feel with essay writing.
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