EXAMPLES. Correct.-"The grave, that never spoke before, Incorrect.-"Truth crushed to earth will rise again." But when an Adjunct Phrase or Sentence which is indispensable in perfecting the sense, immediately follows the word which it qualifies, the Comma should not intervene. EXAMPLES. Correct.-"Every one that findeth me shall slay me." Incorrect. "The fur, that warms a monarch, warmed a bear." RULE 4.-Words, Phrases, and Sentences, thrown in between the parts of a Principal Sentence, are separated by Commas. EXAMPLES. Correct.-"Go, then, where, wrapt in fear and gloom, "Now, therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide." Incorrect." It is a clear lake the very picture ordinarily of repose." RULE 5.-A Phrase or a Sentence used as the Subject of a Verb, requires a Comma between it and the Verb. EXAMPLES. Correct." To do good to others, constitutes an important object of existence. 19 "That we are rivals, does not necessarily make us enemies." Incorrect." That all men are created equal is a self-evident truth." "His being a minister prevented his rising to civil power." RULE 6.-Words used in direct address, should be separated by a Comma. EXAMPLES. Correct. "Thou, whose spell can raise the dead, Bid the prophet's form appear.' Incorrect.-"Samuel raise thy buried head King behold the phantom seer!" "My son give me thine heart." RULE 7.-Adjunct Sentences, Phrases, and sometimes Words, not in their natural position, should be separated by a Comma. EXAMPLES. Correct.-"Into this illustrious society, he whose character I have endeavoured to portray, has, without doubt, entered." "He, like the world, his ready visit pays, Where fortune smiles." Incorrect.-"To him who in the love of Nature holds SEMICOLON. RULE 8.-The Semicolon is used at the close of a Sentence, which, by its terms, promises an additional Sentence. Correct.-"The Essayists occupy a conspicuous place in the last century; but, somehow, I do not feel disposed to set much store by them." Incorrect.-"It thunders but I tremble not My trust is firm in God." It cannot be gotten for gold." By many writers, the Semicolon is used to separate short Sentences, which have not a close dependence on each other. EXAMPLES. Correct." He was a plain man, without any pretension to pulpit eloquence, or any other accomplishment; he had no gift of imagination; his language was hard and dry; and his illustrations homely." Incorrect.-"I had a seeming friend-I gave him gifts and he was gone. I had an open enemy-I gave him gifts, and won himThe very heart of hate melteth at a good man's love." COLON. RULE 9.-The Colon is used at the close of a Sentence, when another Sentence is added as a direct illustration or inference. EXAMPLES. Correct.-"Let me give you a piece of good counsel, my cousin: follow my laudable example: write when you can: take Time's forelock in one hand, and a pen in the other, and so make sure of your opportunity.' Incorrect.- -"From the last hill that looks on thy once holy dome 'Twas thy last sun went down, and the flames of thy fall The Colon is not much used now-its place being supplied by the Semicolon, the Dash, or the Period. PERIOD. RULE 10.-The Period is used at the close of a complete or independent proposition. tions. The Period is also used after initial letters and abbrevia EXAMPLES. Correct.-"God is love; and the good love and serve him. Truth is invincible." J. G. Smith, L.L.D., M.P. Incorrect.-"W A Wilson & Co 43 Newgate St London DASH. RULE 11.-The Dash is used to indicate— 1. An abrupt transaction.-2. An unfinished sentence.-3. A succession of particulars. EXAMPLES. Correct.-"They met to confer on state affairs-to read the newspapers-to talk a little scandal--and so forth--and the result was-as we have been told--considerable dissipation."-Wilson's Burns. Incorrect.--"To me the Night's Thoughts' is a poem, on the whole, most animating and delightful amazingly energetic full of the richest instruction improving to the mind much of it worthy of being committed to memory yet it has some faults it is obscure extravagant and tinged occasionally with flattery." OBS. 1.-The Dash is often used instead of the Parenthesis. EXAMPLE." As they disperse they look very sad-and, no doubt, they are so-but had they been, they would not have taken to digging." OBS. 2.-Some modern writers use the Dash in place of the Semicolon and the Colon-and sometimes with them. EXAMPLE.-"Ye have great need of prayer ;- EXCLAMATION. RULE 12.-The mark ef Exclamation is used after a Word, Phrase, or Sentence, whose prominent office is, to express sudden or intense emotion. EXAMPLES. Correct.--"Hark! a strange sound affrights mine ear." Incorrect.-"O my coevals, remnants of yourselves." INTERROGATION. RULE 13.-The mark of Interrogation is used after a Word, Phrase, or Sentence, by which a question is asked. EXAMPLES. Correct.-"Why is my sleep disquieted?" "Who is he that calls the dead?" Incorrect.-Is it for thee the lark ascends and sings.--"Why are you dejected my friends." GRAMMATICAL AND RHETORICAL SIGNS, The Apostrophe (') is used to indicate the omission of a letter, and to give the Possessive form to a Noun. EXAMPLE.--"Hearts, from which 'twas death to sever;--Eyes this world can ne'er restore." "How lightly mounts the Muse's wing!" The Quotation ("") is used to enclose words taken from some other author or book. EXAMPLE.-" -"Southey, among all our living poets," says Professor Wilson, "stands aloof and 'alone in his glory.' ATA Quotation quoted is indicated by single marks. The Hyphen (-) is used between two elements of a compound word; as Money-market-ink-stand-black-board. It is also used at the end of a line, when the word is not finished. The Bracket [] is used to enclose a letter or mark, given as an explanatory example; or a Word, Phrase, or Sentence, thrown in by a reviewer, and not a part of the original Sentence. EXAMPLE.-" Mr. Stewart found means to have Mr. Butler recommended to him [Lord Talbot] for his chaplain." The Parenthesis () is used to enclose a Phrase or Sentence, explanatory of, or incidental to, the main Sentence. EXAMPLE.-"Come, my Ambition! let us mount together, And from the clouds where pride delights to dwell, Modern writers often use the Dash for the same purpose, EXAMPLE.-"The monotony of a calm-for the trade-wind has already failed us-was agreeably relieved yesterday, by the neighbourhood of two ships," &c. References (+ §) direct attention to notes at the margin or at the bottom of the page. The Brace (}) is used to include many species in one class. Qualifying, EXAMPLE.-Adjectives are distinguished as Specifying, Verbal: Measures.-(-) indicates the long sound of a Syllable; as, lāte, indicates the short sound of a syllable; as, mēte, nōte. lět, mět, not. The Caret, (^) is used between two words to indicate the place of Words omitted, and placed above the line. of mankind EXAMPLE.-"The proper study is man." Λ Dieresis (..) is placed over the second of two vowels, to show that they belong to different syllables; as Preemption--Coëval -Reeducate. The Index () is used to point out a Word or Sentence considered worthy of special notice. The Section (§) marks the divisions of a chapter or book. The Paragraph (¶) is used when a new subject of remark is introduced. This is principally confined to the Scriptures. Accent is a stress of voice placed on a particular syllable in pronouncing a word. Emphasis is a stress of voice placed on a particular word in a Sentence. This mark is indicated--1. In manuscript, by a line drawn under the emphatic word.--2. On a printed page, by the use of Italic letters. SMALL CAPITALS, and CAPITALS are used to indicate words still more emphatic. Prosody embraces also Versification, the various kinds of Poetry, Figures of Speech, &c. These will be included in another work intended to be published by the Author. |