The Grammar of English Grammars Part 164

"Is endless life and happiness despis'd?

Or both wish'd here, where neither can be found?"--_Young_, p. 124.

EXERCISE XI.--PROMISCUOUS.

"Because any one of them is placed before a noun or p.r.o.noun, as you observe I have done in every sentence."--_Rand's Gram._, p. 74. "_Might accompany_ is a transitive verb, because it expresses an action which effects the object _me_."--_Gilbert's Gram._, p. 94. "_Intend_ is an intransitive verb because it expresses an action which does not effect any object."--_Ib._, p. 93. "Charles and Eliza were jealous of one another."--_J. M. Putnam's Gram._, p. 44. "Thus _one another_ include both nouns."--_Ibid._ "When the antecedent is a child, _that_ is elegantly used in preference to _who, whom_, or _which_."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 94. "He can do no more in words, but make out the expression of his will."--_Bp. Wilkins_. "The form of the first person plural of the imperative, _love we_, is grown obsolete."-- _Lowth's Gram._, p. 38. "Excluding those verbs which are become obsolete."--_Priestley's Gram._, p. 47. "He who sighs for pleasure, the voice of wisdom can never reach, nor the power of virtue touch."--_Wright's Athens_, p. 64. "The other branch of wit in the thought, is that only which is taken notice of by Addison."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, i, 312. "When any measure of the Chancellor was found fault with."--_Professors' Reasons_, p.

14. "_Whether_ was formerly made use of to signify interrogation."-- _Murray's Gram._, p. 54. "Under the article of _p.r.o.nouns_ the following words must be taken notice of."--_Priestley's Gram._, p. 95. "In a word, we are afforded much pleasure, to be enabled to bestow our most unqualified approbation on this excellent work."--_Wright's Gram., Rec._, p. 4. "For Recreation is not being Idle, as every one may observe."--_Locke, on Ed._, p. 365. "In the easier valuing and expressing that sum."--_Dilworth's Arith._, p. 3. "Addition is putting together of two or more numbers."-- _Alexander's Arith._, p. 8. "The reigns of some of our British Queens may fairly be urged in proof of woman being capable of discharging the most arduous and complicated duties of government."--_West's Letters to Y. L._, p. 43. "What is the import of that command to love such an one as ourselves?"--_Wayland's Moral Science_, p. 206. "It should seem then the grand question was, What is good?"--_Harris's Hermes_, p. 297. "The rectifying bad habits depends upon our consciousness of them."--_Sheridan's Elocution_, p. 32. "To prevent our being misled by a mere name."-- _Campbell's Rhet._, p. 168. "I was refused an opportunity of replying in the latter review."--_Fowle's True English Gram._, p. 10. "But how rare is such generosity and excellence as Howard displayed!"--_M'Culloch's Gram._, p. 39. "The noun is in the Nominative case when it is the name of the person or thing which acts or is spoken of."--_Ib._, p. 54. "The noun is in the Objective case when it is the name of the person or thing which is the object or end of an action or movement."--_Ib._, p. 54. "To prevent their being erased from your memory."--_Mack's Gram._, p. 17. "Pleonasm, is when a superfluous word is introduced abruptly."--_Ib._, p. 69.

"Man feels his weakness, and to numbers run, Himself to strengthen, or himself to shun."--_Crabbe, Borough_, p. 137.

EXERCISE XII.--TWO ERRORS.

"Independent on the conjunction, the sense requires the subjunctive mood."--_Grant's Latin Gram._, p. 77. "A Verb in past time without a sign is Imperfect tense."--_C. Adams's Gram._, p. 33. "New modelling your household and personal ornaments is, I grant, an indispensable duty."--_West's Letters to Y. L._, p. 58. "For grown ladies and gentlemen learning to dance, sing, draw, or even walk, is now too frequent to excite ridicule."--_Ib._, p. 123. "It is recorded that a physician let his horse bleed on one of the evil days, and it soon lay dead."--_Constable's Miscellany_, xxi. 99. "As to the apostrophe, it was seldom used to distinguish the genitive case till about the beginning of the present century, and then seems to have been introduced by mistake."--_Dr. Ash's Gram._, p. 23. "One of the relatives only varied to express the three cases."--_Lowth's Gram._, p. 24. "What! does every body take their morning draught of this liquor?"--_Collier's Cebes_. "Here, all things comes round, and bring the same appearances a long with them."--_Collier's Antoninus_, p. 103. "Most commonly both the relative and verb are elegantly left out in the second member."--_Buchanan's Gram._, p. ix. "A fair receipt of water, of some thirty or forty foot square."--_Bacon's Essays_, p. 127. "The old know more indirect ways of outwiting others, than the young."--_Burgh's Dignity_, i, 60. "The p.r.o.noun singular of the third person hath three genders."--_Lowth's Gram._, p. 21. "The preposition _to_ is made use of before nouns of place, when they follow verbs and participles of motion."--_Murray's Gram._, p. 203. "It is called, understanding human nature, knowing the weak sides of men, &c."--_Wayland's Moral Science_, p.

284. "Neither of which are taken notice of by this Grammar."--_Johnson's Gram. Com._, p. 279. "But certainly no invention is ent.i.tled to such degree of admiration as that of language."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 54. "The Indians, the Persians, and Arabians, were all famous for their tales."--_Ib._, p.

374. "Such a leading word is the preposition and the conjunction."-- _Felch's Comp. Gram._, p. 21. "This, of all others, is the most encouraging circ.u.mstance in these times."--_Sheridan's Elocution_, p. 37. "The putting any constraint on the organs of speech, or urging them to a more rapid action than they can easily perform in their tender state, must be productive of indistinctness in utterance."--_Ib._, p. 35. "Good articulation is the foundation of a good delivery, in the same manner as the sounding the simple notes in music, is the foundation of good singing."--_Ib._, p. 33. "The offering praise and thanks to G.o.d, implies our having a lively and devout sense of his excellencies and of his benefits."--ATTERBURY: _Blair's Rhet._, p. 295. "The pause should not be made till the fourth or sixth syllable."--_Blair, ib._, p. 333.

"Shenstone's pastoral ballad, in four parts, may justly be reckoned one of the most elegant poems of this kind, which we have in English."--_Ib._, p.

394. "What need Christ to have died, if heaven could have contained imperfect souls?"--_Baxter_. "Every person is not a man of genius, nor is it necessary that he should."--_Seattle's Moral Science_, i, 69. "They were alarmed from a quarter where they least expected."--_Goldsmith's Greece_, ii, 6.

"If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak, And peg thee in his knotty intrails."--SHAK.: _White's Verb_, p. 94.

EXERCISE XIII.--TWO ERRORS.

"In consequence of this, much time and labor are unprofitably expended, and a confusion of ideas introduced into the mind, which, by never so wise a method of subsequent instruction, it is very difficult completely to remove."--_Grenville's Gram._, p. 3. "So that the restoring a natural manner of delivery, would be bringing about an entire revolution, in its most essential parts."--_Sheridan's Elocution_, p. 170. "'Thou who loves us, will protect us still:' here _who_ agrees with _thou_, and is nominative to the verb loves."--_Alex. Murray's Gram._, p. 67. "The Active voice signifies action; the Pa.s.sive, suffering, or being the object of an action."--_Adam's Latin Gram._, p. 80; _Gould's_, 77. "They sudden set upon him, fearing no such thing."--_Walker's Particles_, p. 252. "_That_ may be used as a p.r.o.noun, an adjective, and a conjunction, depending on the office which it performs in the sentence."--_Kirkham's Gram._, p. 110. "This is the distinguis.h.i.+ng property of the church of Christ from all other antichristian a.s.semblies or churches."--_Barclay's Works_, i, 533. "My lords, the course which the legislature formerly took with respect to the slave-trade, appears to me to be well deserving the attention both of the government and your lords.h.i.+ps."--BROUGHAM: _Antislavery Reporter_, Vol. ii, p. 218. "We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen."--_John_, iii, 11. "This is a consequence I deny, and remains for him to prove."--_Barclay's Works_, iii, 329. "To back this, He brings in the Authority of Accursius, and Consensius Roma.n.u.s, to the latter of which he confesses himself beholding for this Doctrine."--_Johnson's Gram. Com._, p.

343. "The compound tenses of the second order, or those in which the participle present is made use of."--_Priestley's Gram._, p. 24. "To lay the accent always on the same syllable, and the same letter of the syllable, which they do in common discourse."--_Sheridan's Elocution_, p.

78. "Though the converting the _w_ into a _v_ is not so common as the changing the _v_ into a _w_."--_Ib._, p. 46. "Nor is this all; for by means of accent, the times of pauses also are rendered quicker, and their proportions more easily to be adjusted and observed."--_Ib._, p. 72. "By mouthing, is meant, dwelling upon syllables that have no accent: or prolonging the sounds of the accented syllables, beyond their due proportion of time."--_Ib._, p. 76. "Taunt him with the license of ink; if thou thou'st him thrice, it shall not be amiss."--SHAK.: _Joh. Dict., w.

Thou_. "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it."--_Prov._, x.x.x, 17. "Copying, or merely imitating others, is the death of arts and sciences."--_Spurzheim, on Ed._, p. 170. "He is arrived at that degree of perfection, as to surprise all his acquaintance."--_Ensell's Gram._, p. 296. "Neither the King _nor_ Queen are gone."--_Buchanan's E. Syntax_, p. 155. "_Many_ is p.r.o.nounced as if it were wrote _manny_."--_Dr. Johnson's Gram., with Dict._, p. 2.

"And as the music on the waters float, Some bolder sh.o.r.e returns the soften'd note."

--_Crabbe, Borough_, p. 118.

EXERCISE XIV.--THREE ERRORS.

"It appears that the Temple was then a building, because these Tiles must be supposed to be for the covering it."--_Johnson's Gram. Com._, p. 281.

"It was common for sheriffs to omit or excuse the not making returns for several of the boroughs within their counties."--_Brown's Estimate_, Vol.

ii, p. 132. "The conjunction _as_ when it is connected with the p.r.o.noun, such, many, or same, is sometimes called a relative p.r.o.noun."--_Kirkham's Gram., the Compend_. "Mr. Addison has also much harmony in his style; more easy and smooth, but less varied than Lord Shaftesbury."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 127; _Jamieson's_, 129. "A number of uniform lines having all the same pause, are extremely fatiguing; which is remarkable in French versification."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, Vol. ii, p. 104. "Adjectives qualify or distinguish one noun from another."--_Fowle's True Eng. Gram._, p. 13. "The words _one, other_, and _none_, are used in both numbers."--_Kirkham's Gram._, p. 107. "A compound word is made up of two or more words, usually joined by an hyphen, as summer-house, spirit-less, school-master."--_Blair's Gram._, p. 7. "There is an inconvenience in introducing new words by composition which nearly resembles others in use before; as, _disserve_, which is too much like _deserve_."--_Priestley's Gram._, p. 145. "For even in that case, the trangressing the limits in the least, will scarce be pardoned."--_Sheridan's Lect._, p. 119. "What other are the foregoing instances but describing the pa.s.sion another feels."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, i, 388. "'Two and three are five.' If each _substantive_ is to be taken separately as a subject, then 'two _is_ five,'

and 'three _is_ five.'"--_Goodenow's Gram._, p. 87. "The article _a_ joined to the simple _p.r.o.noun other_ makes _it_ the compound _another_."-- _Priestley's Gram._, p. 96. "The _word another_ is composed of the indefinite _article prefixed_ to the _word other_."--_Murray's Gram._, p.

57; et al. "In relating things that were formerly expressed by another person, we often meet with modes of expression similar to the following."--_Ib._, p. 191. "Dropping one l prevents the recurrence of three very near each other."--_Churchill's Gram._, p. 202. "Sometimes two or more genitive cases succeed each other; as, 'John's wife's father.'"--_Dalton's Gram._, p. 14. "Sometimes, though rarely, two nouns in the possessive case immediately succeed each other, in the following form: 'My friend's wife's sister.'"--_Murray's Gram._, p. 45.

EXERCISE XV.--MANY ERRORS.

"Number is of a two fold nature,--Singular and Plural: and comprehends, accordingly to its application, the distinction between them."--_Wright's Gram._, p. 37. "The former, Figures of Words, are commonly called Tropes, and _consists_ in a word's being employed to signify something, _which_ is different from its original and primitive meaning."--_Murray's Gram._, 8vo, p. 337. "The former, figures of words, are commonly called tropes, and _consist_ in a word's being employed to signify something _that_ is different from its original and primitive meaning."--_Blair's Rhet._, p.

132. "A particular number of connected syllables are called feet, or measured paces."--_Blair's Gram._, p. 118. "Many poems, and especially songs, are written in the dactyl or anapaestic measure, some consisting of eleven or twelve syllables, and some of less."--_Ib._, p. 121. "A Diphthong makes always a long Syllable, unless one of the vowels be droped."-- _British Gram._, p. 34. "An Adverb is generally employed as an attributive, to denote some peculiarity or manner of action, with respect to the time, place, or order, of the noun or circ.u.mstance to which it is connected."-- _Wright's Definitions, Philos. Gram._, pp. 35 and 114. "A Verb expresses the action, the suffering or enduring, or the existence or condition of a noun."--_Ib._, pp. 35 and 64. "These three adjectives should be written our's, your's, their's."--_Fowle's True Eng. Gram._, p. 22. "Never was man so teized, or suffered half the uneasiness as I have done this evening."-- _Tattler_, No. 160; _Priestley's Gram._, p. 200; _Murray's_, i, 223. "There may be reckoned in English four different cases, or relations of a substantive, called the subjective, the possessive, the objective, and the absolute cases."--_Goodenow's Gram._, p. 31. "To avoid the too often repeating the Names of other Persons or Things of which we discourse, the words _he, she, it, who, what_, were invented."--_Brightland's Gram._, p.

85. "Names which denote a number of the same things, are called nouns of mult.i.tude."--_Infant School Gram._, p. 21. "But lest he should think, this were too slightly a pa.s.sing over his matter, I will propose to him to be considered these things following."--_Barclay's Works_, Vol. iii, p. 472.

"In the p.r.o.nunciation of the letters of the Hebrew proper names, we find nearly the same rules prevail as in those of Greek and Latin."--_Walker's Key_, p. 223. "The distributive p.r.o.nominal adjectives _each, every, either_, agree with _the_ nouns, _p.r.o.nouns, and_ verbs of the singular number only."--_Lowth's Gram._, p. 89. "_Having treated_ of the different _sorts_ of _words_, and _their_ various modifications, _which is_ the first part of Etymology, _it_ is now proper to explain the _methods_ by which _one word_ is derived from another."--_L. Murray's Gram._, p. 130.

EXERCISE XVI.--MANY ERRORS.

"A Noun with its Adjectives (or any governing Word with its Attendants) is one compound Word, whence the Noun and Adjective so joined, do often admit another Adjective, and sometimes a third, and so on; as, a Man, an old Man, a very good old Man, a very learned, judicious, sober Man."--_British Gram._, p. 195; _Buchanan's_, 79. "A substantive _with_ its adjective _is_ reckoned as one _compounded_ word; whence _they_ often take _another_ adjective, and sometimes a third, and so on: as, 'An old man; a good old man; a very learned, judicious, good old man.'"--_L. Murray's Gram._, p.

169; _Ingersoll's_, 195; _and others_. "But though this elliptical style _be_ intelligible, and _is_ allowable in conversation _and_ epistolary _writing_, yet in all _writings_ of a serious or dignified kind, _is_ ungraceful."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 112. "There is no talent _so useful_ towards rising in the world, _or which_ puts men more out of the reach of fortune, than that quality generally possessed by the dullest sort of people, and is, in common language, called discretion."--SWIFT: _Blair's Rhet._, p. 113. "Which to allow, is just as reasonable as to own, that 'tis the greatest ill of a body to be in the utmost _manner_ maimed or distorted; but _that_ to lose the use _only_ of one limb, or to be impaired in some single organ or member, is no ill worthy the least notice."-- SHAFTESBURY: _ib._, p. 115; _Murray's Gram._, p. 322. "If the singular nouns _and_ p.r.o.nouns, which _are joined_ together by a copulative conjunction, _be_ of _several_ persons, in _making_ the plural p.r.o.noun _agree_ with them in person, the second person takes _place of_ the third, and the _first of_ both."--_Murray's Gram._, p. 151; _et al_. "'The painter * * * cannot exhibit various stages of the same action.' _In_ this sentence we see that _the_ painter _governs_, or agrees with, the verb _can_, as _its nominative_ case."--_Ib._, p. 195. "It expresses _also_ facts _which_ exist _generally_, at _all times_, general truths, attributes _which_ are permanent, habits, customary actions, and the like, without the reference to a specific time."--_Ib._, p. 73; _Webster's Philos. Gram._, p. 71. "The different species of animals may therefore be considered, as so many different nations speaking different languages, _that have_ no commerce with _each_ other; each of _which_ consequently understands _none_ but _their_ own."--_Sheridan's Elocution_, p. 142. "It is also important to _understand and_ apply the principles of grammar in our common conversation; not only because _it_ enables us to make our language _understood by educated_ persons, but because it furnishes the readiest evidence _of our_ having received a good education _ourselves_."--_Frost's Practical Gram._, p. 16.

EXERCISE XVII.--MANY ERRORS.

"This faulty Tumour in Stile is like an huge unpleasant Rock in a Champion Country, that's difficult to be transcended."--_Holmes's Rhet._, Book ii, p. 16. "For there are no Pelops's, nor Cadmus's, nor Danaus's dwell among us."--_Ib._, p. 51. "None of these, except _will_, is ever used as a princ.i.p.al verb, but as an auxiliary to some princ.i.p.al, either expressed or understood."--_Ingersoll's Gram._, p. 134. "Nouns which signify either the male or female are common gender."--_Perley's Gram._, p. 11. "An Adjective expresses the kind, number, or quality of a noun."--_Parker and Fox's Gram._, Part I, p. 9. "There are six tenses; the Present, the Imperfect, the Perfect, the Pluperfect, the Future, and the Future Perfect tenses."--_Ib._, p. 18. "_My_ refers to the first person singular, either gender. _Our_ refers to the first person plural, either gender. _Thy_ refers to the second person singular, either gender. _Your_ refers to the second person plural, either gender. _Their_ refers to the third person plural, either gender."--_Parker and Fox's Gram._, Part II, p. 14. "Good use, which for brevity's sake, shall hereafter include reputable, national, and present use, is not always uniform in her decisions."--_Jamieson's Rhet._, p. 44. "Nouns which denote but one object are considered in the singular number."--_Edward's First Lessons in Gram._, p. 35. "If, therefore, the example of Jesus should be plead to authorize accepting an invitation to dine on the sabbath, it should be plead just as it was."--_Barnes's Notes: on Luke_, xiv, 1. "The teacher will readily dictate what part may be omitted, the first time going through it."--_Ainsworth's Gram._, p. 4. "The contents of the following pages have been drawn chiefly, with various modifications, from the same source which has supplied most modern writers on this subject, viz. LINDLEY MURRAY'S GRAMMAR."--_Felton's Gram._, p. 3. "The term _person_ in grammar distinguishes between the speaker, the person or thing spoken to, and the person or thing spoken of."--_Ib._, p. 9. "In my father's garden grow the Maiden's Blush and the Prince' Feather."--_Felton, ib._, p. 15. "A preposition is a word used to connect words with one another, and show the relation between them. They generally stand before nouns and p.r.o.nouns."--_Ib._, p. 60. "Nouns or p.r.o.nouns addressed are always either in the second person, singular or plural."--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 54. "The plural MEN not ending in s, is the reason for adding the apostrophie's."--_T. Smith's Gram._, p. 19.

"_Pennies_ denote real coin; _pence_, their value in computation."-- _Hazen's Gram._, p. 24. "We commence, first, with _letters_, which is termed _Orthography_; secondly, with _words_, denominated _Etymology_; thirdly, with _sentences_, styled _Syntax_; fourthly, with _orations_ and _poems_, called _Prosody_."--_Barrett's Gram._, p. 22. "Care must be taken, that sentences of proper construction and obvious import be not rendered obscure by the too free use of the ellipsis."--_Felton's Grammar, Stereotype Edition_, p. 80.

EXERCISE XVIII.--PROMISCUOUS.

"Tropes and metaphors so closely resemble _each_ other that it is not always easy, nor is it important to _be able_ to distinguish the _one_ from the _other_."--_Parker and Fox, Part III_, p. 66. "With regard to _relatives_, it may be further observed, that obscurity often arises from _the_ too frequent repet.i.tion of them, particularly of the p.r.o.nouns WHO, and THEY, and THEM, and THEIRS. When we find _these personal p.r.o.nouns_ crowding too fast upon us, we have often no method left, but to throw the whole sentence into some other form."--_Ib._, p. 90; _Murray's Gram._, p.

311; _Blair's Rhet._, p. 106. "Do scholars acquire any valuable knowledge, by learning to repeat long strings of words, without any definite ideas, or _several jumbled_ together like rubbish in a corner, and apparently with no application, _either for_ the improvement of mind _or of_ language?"-- _Cutler's Gram., Pref._, p. 5. "The being officiously good natured and civil are things so uncommon in the world, that one cannot hear a man make professions of them without being surprised, or at least, suspecting the disinterestedness of his intentions."--FABLES: _Cutler's Gram._, p. 135.

"Irony is the intentional use of words to express a sense contrary to that which the speaker or writer means to convey."--_Parker and Fox's Gram._, Part III, p. 68. "The term _Substantive_ is derived from _substare_, to _stand_, to _distinguish it_ from an adjective, which cannot, like the noun, stand alone."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 11. "They have two numbers, _like nouns_, the singular and plural; and three persons in each number, namely, _I_, the first person, represents the speaker. _Thou_, the second person, represents the person spoken to. _He, she, it_, the third person, represents the person or thing spoken of."--_Ib._, p. 23. "_He, She, It_, is the Third Person singular; but _he with others, she with others_, or _it with others_, make each of them _they_, which is the Third Person plural."--_White, on the English Verb_, p. 97. "The words _had I been_, that is, the Third Past Tense of the Verb, marks the Supposition, as referring itself, not to the Present, but to some former period of time."--_Ib._, p. 88. "A p.r.o.noun is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid a too frequent repet.i.tion of the same word."--_Frazee's Improved Gram._, p.

122.

"That which he cannot use, and dare not show, And would not give--why longer should he owe?"--_Crabbe_.

PART IV.

PROSODY.

Prosody treats of punctuation, utterance, figures, and versification.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.--The word _prosody_, (from the Greek--[Greek: pros], _to_, and [Greek: dae], _song_,) is, with regard to its derivation, exactly equivalent to _accent_, or the Latin _accentus_, which is formed from _ad, to_, and _cantus, song_: both terms, perhaps, originally signifying a _singing with_, or _sounding to_, some instrument or voice. PROSODIA, as a Latin word, is defined by Littleton, "Pars Grammaticae quae docet _accentus, h. e._ rationem atollendi et depremendi syllabas, tum quant.i.tatem carundem." And in English, "_The art of_ ACCENTING, _or the rule of p.r.o.nouncing syllables truly_, LONG _or_ SHORT."--_Litt. Dict._, 4to. This is a little varied by Ainsworth thus: "_The rule of_ ACCENTING, _or p.r.o.nouncing syllables truly, whether_ LONG _or_ SHORT."--_Ains. Dict._, 4to. Accent, in English, belongs as much to prose as to poetry; but some deny that in Latin it belongs to either. There is also much difficulty about the import of the word; since some prosodists identify _accent_ with _tone_; some take it for the _inflections_ of voice; some call it the _pitch_ of vocal sounds; and some, like the authors just cited, seem to confound it with _quant.i.ty_,--"LONG _or_ SHORT." [459]

OBS. 2.--"_Prosody_," says a late writer, "strictly denotes only that _musical tone_ or _melody_ which accompanies speech. But the usage of modern grammarians justifies an extremely general application of the term."--_Frost's Practical Grammar_, p. 160. This remark is a note upon the following definition: "PROSODY is that part of grammar which treats of the structure of Poetical Composition."--_Ibid._ Agreeably to this definition, Frost's Prosody, with all the generality the author claims for it, embraces only a brief account of Versification, with a few remarks on "Poetical License." Of p.r.o.nunciation and the Figures of Speech, he takes no notice; and Punctuation, which some place with Orthography, and others distinguish as one of the chief parts of grammar, he exhibits as a portion of Syntax.

Not more comprehensive is this part of grammar, as exhibited in the works of several other authors; but, by Lindley Murray, R. C. Smith, and some others, both Punctuation and p.r.o.nunciation are placed here; though no mention is made of the former in their subdivision of Prosody, which, they not very aptly say, "consists of _two_ parts, p.r.o.nunciation and Versification." Dr. Bullions, no less deficient in method, begins with saying, "PROSODY consists of two parts; Elocution and Versification;"

(_Principles of E. Gram._, p. 163;) and then absurdly proceeds to treat of it under the following _six_ princ.i.p.al heads: viz., Elocution, Versification, Figures of Speech, Poetic License, Hints for Correct and Elegant Writing, and Composition.

OBS. 3.--If, in regard to the subjects which may be treated under the name of _Prosody_, "the usage of _modern_ grammarians justifies an extremely general application of the term," such an application is certainly not _less_ warranted by the usage of _old_ authors. But, by the practice of neither, can it be _easily_ determined how many and what things _ought_ to be embraced under this head. Of the different kinds of verse, or "the structure of Poetical Compostion," some of the old prosodists took little or no notice; because they thought it their chief business, to treat of syllables, and determine the orthoepy of words. The Prosody of Smetius, dated 1509, (my edition of which was published in Germany in 1691,) is in fact a _p.r.o.nouncing dictionary_ of the Latin language. After a brief abstract of the old rules of George Fabricius concerning quant.i.ty and accent, it exhibits, in alphabetic order, and with all their syllables marked, about twenty-eight thousand words, with a poetic line quoted against each, to prove the p.r.o.nunciation just. The Prosody of John Genuensis, an other immense work, concluded by its author in 1286, improved by Badius in 1506, and printed at Lyons in 1514, is also mainly a _Latin dictionary_, with derivations and definitions as in other dictionaries. It is a folio volume of seven hundred and thirty closely-printed pages; six hundred of which are devoted to the vocabulary, the rest to orthography, accent, etymology, syntax, figures, points--almost everything _but versification_. Yet this vast sum of grammar has been ent.i.tled _Prosody_--"_Prosodia seu Catholicon_"--"_Catholicon seu Universale Vocabularium ac Summa Grammatices_."--See pp. 1 and 5.

CHAPTER I--PUNCTUATION.

Punctuation is the art of dividing literary composition, by points, or stops, for the purpose of showing more clearly the sense and relation of the words; and of noting the different pauses and inflections required in reading.