the god "It was an ancient tradition, that when the Capitol was founded Terminus... alone. . . refused to yield his place to Jupiter himself." (Gibbon, ch. i.) "It is true, that such slighter compositions might not suit the severer genius of our friend Mr. Oldbuck." (Scott, Ivanhoe, pref.) (6) A comma is often used to mark the end of a lengthened Noun-sentence or Infinitive-phrase forming the Subject to a Verb: as "The Sophists are a much calumniated race. That they should have been so formerly[,]* is not surprising; that they should be so still, is an evidence that historical criticism is yet in its infancy." (Lewes, Biog. Hist. Phil.) "To match an English and a Scottish author in the rival task of embodying and reviving the traditions of their respective countries, would be, you alleged, in the highest degree unequal and unjust." (Scott, Ivanhoe, pref.) § 367. The NOTE OF INTERROGATION is put after all questions: as where are they? and where art thou, My country?" (Byron.) Obs. 1. The Note of Interrogation is not used after an indirect or reported question, as "He had been asked if he came on business, and had answered No." (David C. ch. lxiii.) "How could he make a more honourable entry on the bustling scene, than sent by, and acting in behalf of, one of the noblest houses in England; and should he," &c. (Peveril, ch. xviii.) Obs. 2. Exclamatory sentences, such as the following "O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!" must not be confounded with Interrogatives. § 368. The NOTE OF EXCLAMATION is used after Interjections and similar expressions; also, usually, after the Vocative Case, and after entire sentences pronounced as with a sudden emotion: as "Hark! 'tis the twanging horn o'er yonder bridge" (Cowper, Task.) (Ib.) "Earth! render back from out thy breast A remnant of our Spartan dead! Of the three hundred grant but three, To make a new Thermopyla!" (Byron.) The O of address, often used before the Vocative Case, is not written with (!); but this sign is very often put after the Noun itself: as "O Scotia! my dear, my native soil! (Burns.) But the Interjection O or oh, denoting a burst of feeling, is usually written with (!) when it stands by itself:† as— It is not easy to see why a comma is not placed here as well as after the second parallel Noun-sentence. Concerning the difference between 0 and oh, see Earle, p. 161. [The distinction appears to be modern: Milton uses always ; and in the Globe Shakspeare O is printed in the most impassioned places: see Othello, act 5.] "Oh! why has worth so short a date. . ." (Burns); or the sign (!) stands at the end of the sentence: as "When, rising from the bed of death, O'erwhelmed with guilt and fear, I see my Maker face to face, Oh, how shall I appear!" (Addison.) § 369. The DASH is used rather as a help to the reader than as a Stop properly so called. It denotes a sustaining of the thought and voice, as in the following passage:— "He looked-" Ocean and earth, the solid frame of earth And ocean's liquid mass, in gladness lay Beneath him:-Far and wide the clouds were touched, And in their silent faces could be read Unutterable love." (Words. Excursion, i.) The Dash is much used by modern writers in long sentences, containing many co-ordinate members. (See De Quincey, passim.) § 370. Curved brackets ( ) are used to isolate a phrase or sentence which is introduced into the body of another sentence [parenthesis]: as— "The meek intelligence of those dear eyes (Blest be the art that can immortalize, The art that baffles Time's tyrannic claim To quench it!)-here shines on me still the same." (Cowper, Lines.) § 371. Square brackets [ ] are used for various purposes: as, for example, to enclose the date of an event, the explanation of a peculiar word, or a running commentary, &c. The student will readily find examples of these uses. § 372. Quotation marks are only used when the actual words of the speaker or writer are given. When a quotation occurs within a quotation, the inner quotation is usually indicated by single instead of double commas: as "Is this," the gray-haired Wanderer mildly said, To that same child, addressing tenderly The consolations of a hopeful mind?—— 'His body is at rest, his soul in heaven.' (Excursion.) Obs. When a quotation is introduced by such expressions as, said he, replied he, &c., let into the sentence parenthetically, the parenthesis is pointed off with commas. ENGLISH EXERCISES. [The Numerals in thick type, prefixed to the Exercises, refer to the Sections in the Grammar which the Exercises are intended to illustrate.] The Alphabet: Syllables. EXERCISE 1. S$ 1, 2. (1.) What letters no longer in use are employed in earlier stages of our language? (2.) Write out the following paragraphs with the proper Capital Letters : : 1. iona is the sacred island of the scottish nation, being indeed the cradle of north british christianity. it was here that the irish saint, columba, fixed his permanent abode when engaged in his missionary operations. for a full account of his mission, see mr. burton's history of scotland.' 2. it was at rome on the 15th of october, 1764, as i sat musing among the ruins of the capitol, while the bare-footed friars were singing vespers in the temple of jupiter, that the idea of writing the decline and fall of the city first started to my mind. 3. john gilpin was a citizen, of credit and renown. a trainband captain eke was he of famous london town. EXERCISE 2.. § 3. (1.) Mark the vowel in the first syllable of each of the following words, according as it is long (-) or short () (2.) How may the true long sound of i be represented? What difference exists between Continental nations and ourselves in the pronunciation of long e and long i? EXERCISE 3. §§ 5-8. (1.) How are the Consonants divided? Arrange all the Consonants accordingly? (2.) Into what three classes are the Mutes divided? Arrange them accordingly. (3.) Write down five words containing th hard and five containing th soft. EXERCISE 4. SS 9-11. (1.) Write out the following words, underlining w and y whenever they are vowels: (2.) Write out all the words you can think of containing h silent. (Compound and Derivative words included.) EXERCISE 5. § 12. (1.) Write out all the words in the following list containing true diphthongs. (Underline the diph employ thongs.) rough (2.) Write out all the words in the same list which contain apparent diphthongs only; and add in each case the vowel which alone is actually sounded. [Thus beat (e).] N EXERCISE 6. §§ 13-15. (1.) Divide the following words into syl (2.) Write down five Polysyllables, with four, five, six, seven, and eight syllables. (3.) Place the accent on the proper syllable of each word in (1). The Noun. EXERCISE 7. $$ 19, 20. (1.) What is the difference between Proper Nouns and Common Nouns? (2.) Write down in two columns the Proper Nouns and the Common Nouns in the following list : § 19. (1.) Write down in four columns the Proper Nouns in Exercise 7, according as they are the names of persons, countries, towns, or rivers. (2.) When are Proper Nouns used in the Plural? Write down five such Nouns. (See Obs. 2.) EXERCISE 9. §§ 21, 22. (1.) Define Collective Nouns and Abstract Nouns, and write down five examples of each. |