English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 52

_Exercises._--We have no reason to complain of the lot of man nor of the mutability of the world. Sensuality contaminates the body depresses the understanding deadens the moral feelings of the heart and degrades man from his rank in creation.

Self-conceit presumption and obstinacy blast the prospects of many a youth. He is alternately supported by his father his uncle and his elder brother. The man of virtue and honor will be trusted relied upon and esteemed. Conscious guilt renders one mean-spirited timorous and base.

An upright mind will never be at a loss to discern what is just and true lovely honest and of good report. Habits of reading writing and thinking are the indispensable qualifications of a good student. The great business of life is to be employed in doing justly loving mercy and talking humbly with our Creator. To live soberly righteously and piously comprehends the whole of our duty.

In our health life possessions connexions pleasures there are causes of decay imperceptibly working. Deliberate slowly execute promptly. An idle trifling society is near akin to such as is corrupting. This unhappy person had been seriously affectionately admonished but in vain.

RULE 7. Comparative sentences whose members are short, and sentences connected with relative p.r.o.nouns the meaning of whose antecedents is restricted or limited to a particular sense, should not be separated by a comma; as, "Wisdom is better than riches;" "No preacher is so successful as thee;" "He accepted _what_ I had rejected;" "Self-denial is the _sacrifice which_ virtue must make;" "Subtract from many modern poets _all that_ may be found in Shakspeare, and trash will remain;"

"Give it to the _man whom_ you most esteem." In this last example, the a.s.sertion is not of "man in general," but of "the man whom you most esteem."

But when the antecedent is used in a general sense, a comma is properly inserted before the relative; as, "_Man_, _who_ is born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble;" "There is no _charm_ in the female s.e.x, _which_ can supply the place of virtue."

This rule is equally applicable to constructions in which the relative is understood; as, "Value duly the privileges you enjoy;" that is, "privileges _which_ you enjoy."

_Exercises._--How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! The friends.h.i.+ps of the world can exist no longer than interest cements them.

Eat what is set before you. They who excite envy will easily incur censure. A man who is of a detracting spirit will misconstrue the most innocent words that can be put together. Many of the evils which occasion our complaints of the world are wholly imaginary.

The gentle mind is like the smooth stream which reflects every object in its just proportion and in its fairest colors. In that unaffected civility which springs from a gentle mind there is an incomparable charm. The Lord whom I serve is eternal. This is the man we saw yesterday.

RULE 8. When two words of the same sort, are connected by a conjunction expressed, they must not be separated; as, "Libertines call religion, bigotry _or_ superst.i.tion;" "True worth is modest _and_ retired;" "The study of natural history, expands _and_ elevates the mind;" "Some men sin deliberately and presumptuously." When words are connected in pairs, the pairs only should be separated; as, "There is a natural difference between merit _and_ demerit, virtue _and_ vice, wisdom _and_ folly;"

"Whether we eat _or_ drink, labor _or_ sleep, we should be temperate."

But if the parts connected by a conjunction are not short, they may be separated by a comma; as, "Romances may be said to be miserable rhapsodies, _or_ dangerous incentives to evil."

_Exercises_.--Idleness brings forward and nourishes many bad pa.s.sions.

True friends.h.i.+p will at all times avoid a rough or careless behavior.

Health and peace a moderate fortune and a few friends sum up all the undoubted articles of temporal felicity. Truth is fair and artless simple and sincere uniform and consistent. Intemperance destroys the strength of our bodies and the vigor of our minds.

RULE 9. Where the verb of a simple member is understood, a comma may, in some instances, be inserted; as, "From law arises security; from security, curiosity; from curiosity, knowledge." But in others, it is better to omit the comma; "No station is so high, no power so great, no character so unblemished, as to exempt men from the attacks of rashness, malice, and envy."

_Exercises_.--As a companion he was severe and satirical; as a friend captious and dangerous. If the spring put forth no blossoms in summer there will be no beauty and in autumn no fruit. So if youth be trifled away without improvement manhood will be contemptible and old age miserable.

RULE 10. When a simple member stands as the object of a preceding verb, and its verb may be changed into the infinitive mood, the comma is generally omitted; as, "I suppose _he is at rest_;" changed, "I suppose _him to be at rest_."

But when the verb _to be_ is followed by a verb in the infinitive mood, which, by transposition, may be made the nominative case to it, the verb _to be_ is generally separated from the infinitive by a comma; as, "The most obvious remedy is, _to withdraw from all a.s.sociations with bad men_;" "The first and most obvious remedy against the infection, is, to withdraw from all a.s.sociations with bad men."

_Exercises._--They believed he was dead. He did not know that I was the man. I knew she was still alive. The greatest misery is to be condemned by our own hearts. The greatest misery that we can endure is to be condemned by our own hearts.

NOTES.

1. When a conjunction is separated by a phrase or member from the member to which it belongs, such intervening phrase appears to require a comma at each extremity; as, "They set out early, _and_, before the close of the day, arrived at the destined place." This rule, however, is not generally followed by our best writers; as, "If thou seek the Lord, he will be found of thee; _but_ if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever;" "_But_ if the parts connected are not short, a comma may be inserted."

2. Several verbs succeeding each other in the infinitive mood, and having a common dependance, may be divided by commas; as, "To relieve the indigent, to comfort the afflicted, to protect the innocent, to reward the deserving, are humane and n.o.ble employments."

3. A remarkable expression, or a short observation, somewhat in the form of a quotation, may be properly marked with a comma; as, "It hurts a man's pride to say, _I do not know_;" "Plutarch calls lying, _the vice of slaves_."

4. When words are placed in opposition to each other, or with some marked variety, they must be distinguished by a comma; as,

"Tho' _deep_, yet _clear_; tho' _gentle_, yet not _dull_; _Strong_, without _rage_; without _o'erflowing_, _full_."

"Good men, in this frail, imperfect state, are often found, not only in union _with_, but in opposition _to_, the views and conduct of each other."

Sometimes when the word with which the last preposition agrees, is single, the comma may be omitted; as, "Many states were in alliance _with_, and under the protection _of_ Rome."

The same rule and restrictions apply, when two or more nouns refer to the same preposition; as, "He was composed both under the _threatening_, and at the _approach_, _of_ a cruel and lingering death;" "He was not only the _king_, but _the father of_ his people."

5. The words, "as, thus, nay, so, hence, again, first, secondly, formerly, now, lastly, once more, above all, on the contrary, in the next place, in short," and all other words and phrases of a similar kind, must generally be separated from the context by a comma; _as_, "Remember thy best friend; _formerly_, the supporter of thy infancy; _now_, the guardian of thy youth;" "He feared want; _hence_, he overvalued riches;" "_So_, if youth be trifled away," &c. "_Again_, we must, have food and clothing;" "_Finally_, let us conclude."

The foregoing rules and examples are sufficient, it is presumed, to suggest to the learner, in all ordinary instances, the proper place for inserting the comma; but in applying these rules, great regard must be paid to the length and meaning of the clauses, and the proportion which they bear to one another.

SEMICOLON.

The semicolon is used for dividing a compound sentence into two or more parts, not so closely connected as those which are separated by a comma, nor yet so little dependant on each other, as those which are distinguished by a colon.

RULE 1. When the preceding member of the sentence does not of itself give complete sense, but depends on the following clause, and sometimes when the sense of that member would be complete without the concluding one, the semicolon is used; as in the following examples: "As the desire of approbation, when it works according to reason, improves the amiable part of our species; so, nothing is more destructive to them, when it is governed by vanity and folly;" "The wise man is happy, when he gains his own approbation; the fool, when he gains the applause of those around him;" "Straws swim upon the surface; but pearls lie at the bottom."

_Exercises_.--The path of truth is a plain and safe path that of falsehood a perplexing maze. Heaven is the region of gentleness and friends.h.i.+p h.e.l.l of fierceness and animosity. As there is a worldly happiness which G.o.d perceives to be no other than disguised misery as there are worldly honors which in his estimation are reproach so there is a worldly wisdom which in his sight is foolishness.

But all subsists by elemental strife And pa.s.sions are the elements of life.

RULE 2. When an example is introduced to ill.u.s.trate a rule or proposition, the semicolon may be used before the conjunction _as;_ as in the following instance: Prepositions govern the objective case; as, "She gave the book _to_ him."

NOTE. In instances like the foregoing, many respectable punctuists employ the colon, instead of the semicolon.

COLON.

The Colon is used to divide a sentence into two or more parts less connected than those which are separated by a semicolon; but not so independent as separate, distinct sentences.

RULE 1. When a member of a sentence is complete in itself, but followed by some supplemental remark, or farther ill.u.s.tration of the subject, the colon may be properly employed; as, "Nature felt her inability to extricate herself from the consequences of guilt: the gospel revealed the plan of divine interposition and aid." "Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance: yonder palace was raised by single stones; yet you see its height and s.p.a.ciousness."

_Exercises._--The three great enemies to tranquillity are vice superst.i.tion and idleness vice which poisons and disturbs the mind with bad pa.s.sions superst.i.tion which fills it with imaginary terrors idleness which loads it with tediousness and disgust.

When we look forward into the year which is beginning what do we behold there? All my brethren is a blank to our view a dark unknown presents itself.

RULE 2. When a semicolon has preceded, or more than one, and a still greater pause is necessary, in order to mark the connecting or concluding sentiment, the colon should be applied; as, "A divine legislator, uttering his voice from heaven; an almighty governor, stretching forth his arm to punish or reward; informing us of perpetual rest prepared for the righteous hereafter, and of indignation and wrath awaiting the wicked: these are the considerations which overawe the world, which support integrity, and check guilt."

PERIOD.

When a sentence is complete, and so independent as not to be connected with the one which follows it, a period should be inserted at its close; as, "Fear G.o.d." "Honor the patriot." "Respect virtue."

In the use of many of the pauses, there is a diversity of practice among our best writers and grammarians. Compound sentences connected by conjunctions, are sometimes divided by the period; as, "Recreations, though they may be of an innocent kind, require steady government to keep them within a due and limited province. _But_ such as are of an irregular and vicious nature, are not to be governed, but to be banished from every well-regulated mind."

The period should follow every abbreviated word; as, "A.D. N.B. U.S. Va.

Md. Viz. Col. Mr."

DASH.