Thank you very much.

Punctuate the "unspoken speech" just as if you heard it:

"Where are my flowers?" thought the Princess.

1. You're right, you don't need or want the the in that sentence. You are not specifying a group, you're identifying a group, so the definite article is not called for.
2. Surprised at and surprised by have different meanings. Surprised at suggests that you were astonished by the fact that this could happen. Surprised by suggests that certain men surprised you by their behavior in that context.
3. I can't explain that phrase. I think you would say, "He is one such character", etc., the word such meaning "of the character, quality, or extent previously indicated or implied."
4. In informal writing and speaking, we sometimes use the present to refer to something in the past: "A chicken walks into the bar and says to the bartender. . . ." And it does have the effect of adding emphasis to the action. But if you've ever tried to write an entire story in the present tense, you know how difficult it is to maintain.

In your dissertation on abreviations, you reitterate the following question: "One of the most often asked questions about grammar has to do with the choice of articles -- a, an, the -- to precede an abbreviation or acronym." You address the use of a and an sufficiently, but leave the reader (at least this reader anyway) wondering about the use of "the". I have always inserted "the" in front of abreviations and acronyms as though I were spelling the abreviation or acronym out --

e.g., The FBI hunts fugitives, The UPS delivers packages, ... The SLovakian Beer Brewing Society (SLOBBS)is planning a plant tour of the Budwar factory in early January. (The?) SLOBBS will depart from Hertzegovena at 9AM sharp on 12 Jaunuary.

Is the use of "the" called for with abreviations and acronyms?

Thank you for any insight or help you may be able to offer.

I tell students that if they can avoid splitting the infinitive and not create some monster in the process, then avoid it (because some boss somewhere will be looking over your shoulder, some boss who can remember one thing from fifth grade and that's Mrs. Cheatham bruising his knuckles over a split infinitive). But they shouldn't knock themselves out over it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with "To boldly go, etc." On the other hand, if you say, "To boldly and implacably and without due regard for one's safety go, . . . " well, you've gone too far.

As far as your tendency to interchange verbs and nouns is concerned, as long as you don't impact my access, I won't say anything.

That should answer your questions satisfactorily, and if it doesn't, please write back.

If I am combining two sentences -- The patient continues to gain weight. Her appetite is excellent. -- should I use a comma or not?