The Grammar of English Grammars Part 177

UNDER RULE II.--OF INVOCATIONS.

"Weep on the rocks of roaring winds, O _maid_ of Inistore."--_Kirkham's Gram._, p. 131; _Cooper's Plain and Practical Gram._, p. 158.

[FORMULE--Not proper, because the emphatic address in this sentence, is marked with a period after it. But, according to Rule 2d for the Ecphoneme, "After an earnest address or solemn invocation, the note of exclamation is now generally preferred to any other point." Therefore, this period should be changed to the latter sign.]

"Cease a little while, O wind; stream, be thou silent a while; let my voice be heard around. Let my wanderer hear me. Salgar, it is Colma who calls.

Here is the tree, and the rock. Salgar, my love, I am here. Why delayest thou thy coming? Lo, the calm moon comes forth. The flood is bright in the vale."--See _Key_.

"Ah, stay not, stay not, guardless and alone; Hector, my lov'd, my dearest, bravest son."--See _Key_.

UNDER RULE III.--EXCLAMATORY QUESTIONS.

"How much better is wisdom than gold."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 153; _Hiley_, p. 113.

[FORMULE--Not proper, because this exclamatory sentence is pointed with a period at the end. But, according to Rule 3d for the Ecphoneme, "Words uttered with vehemence in the form of a question, but without reference to an answer, should be followed by the note of exclamation." Therefore, this period should be changed to the latter sign.]

"O virtue! how amiable art thou."--_Flint's Murray_, p. 51. "At that hour, O how vain was all sublunary happiness."--_Day's Gram._, p. 74. "Alas! how few and transitory are the joys which this world affords to man."--_Ib._, p. 12. "Oh! how vain and transitory are all things here below."--_Ib._, p.

110.

"And oh! what change of state, what change of rank, In that a.s.sembly everywhere was seen."--_Day's Gram._, p. 12.

"And O! what change of state! what change of rank!

In that a.s.sembly every where was seen!"--_Pollok_, B. ix, l. 781.

MIXED EXAMPLES OF ERROR.

"O shame! where is thy blush."--_S. Barren's Principles of Language_, p.

86. "O _shame_, where is thy blush; _John_, give me my hat."--_Ib._, p. 98.

"What! is Moscow in flames."--_Ib._, p. 86. "Ah! what happiness awaits the virtuous."--_Ib._, 86.

"Ah, welladay,--do what we can for him, said Trim, maintaining his point,--the poor soul will die."--STERNE: _Enfield's Speaker_, p. 306. "A well o'day! do what we _can_ for him, said Trim, maintaining his point: the poor soul will _die_"--_Kirkham's Elocution_, p. 340.

"Will John _return_ to-morrow."--_S. Barrett's Gram._, Tenth Ed., p. 55.

"_Will not_ John _return_ to-morrow."--_Ib._, 55. "John! _return_ to-morrow; Soldiers! _stand_ firm."--_Ib._, 55. "If _mea_ which means _my_ is an adjective in _Latin_, why may not _my_ be so called _in_ English, and if _my_ is an adjective, why not _Barrett's_"--_Ib._, p. 50.

"Oh? Absalom, my son."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 375. "Oh! STAR-EYED SCIENCE!! whither hast thou fled?"--_Ib._, p. 366. "Why do you tolerate your own inconsistency, by calling it the present tense!"--_Ib._, p. 360.

"Thus the declarative mode may be used in asking a question; as, _what_ man _is_ frail."--_Ib._, p. 358. "What connexion has motive wish, or supposition, with the term subjunctive!"--_Ib._, p. 348. "A grand reason, truly! for calling it a golden key."--_Ib._, p. 347. "What '_suffering_'!

the man who can say this, must be '_enduring._'"--_Ib._, p. 345. "What is Brown's Rule! in relation to this matter?"--_Ib._, p. 334.

"_Alas!_ how short is life." "_Thomas_, study your book."--_Day's District School Gram._, p. 109. "As, '_alas!_' how short is life; _Thomas_, study your book.'"--_Ib._, p. 82. "Who can tell us who they are."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 178. "Lord have mercy on my son; for he is a lunatic, etc."--_Felton's Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 138; Ster. Ed., 140. "O, ye wild groves, O, where is now your bloom!"--_Ib._, p. 88; Ster. Ed., 91.

"O who of man the story will unfold!"

--_Farnum's Gr._, 2d Ed., p. 104.

"Methought I heard Horatio say to-morrow.

Go to I will not hear of it--to-morrow."

--_Hallock's Gr._, 1st Ed., p. 221.

"How his eyes languish? how his thoughts adore That painted coat which Joseph never wore?"

--_Love of Fame_, p. 66.

SECTION VIII.--THE CURVES.

The Curves, or Marks of Parenthesis, are used to distinguish a clause or hint that is hastily thrown in between the parts of a sentence to which it does not properly belong; as, "Their enemies (and enemies they will always have) would have a handle for exposing their measures."--_Walpole_.

"To others do (the law is not severe) What to thyself thou wishest to be done."--_Beattie_.

OBS.--The incidental clause should be uttered in a lower tone, and faster than the princ.i.p.al sentence. It always requires a pause as great as that of a comma, or greater.

RULE I.--THE PARENTHESIS.

A clause that breaks the unity of a sentence or pa.s.sage too much to be incorporated with it, and only such, should be inclosed within curves, as a parenthesis; as, "For I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing."--_Rom._, vii, 18.

"Know then this truth, (enough for man to know,) Virtue alone is happiness below."--_Pope_.

RULE II.--INCLUDED POINTS.

The curves do not supersede other stops; and, as the parenthesis terminates with a pause equal to that which precedes it, the same point should be included, except when the sentences differ in form: as, 1. "Now for a recompense in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged."--_2 Cor._, vi, 13.

2. "Man's thirst of happiness declares it is: (For nature never gravitates to nought:) That thirst unquench'd, declares it is not here."--_Young_.

3. "Night visions may befriend: (as sung above:) Our waking dreams are fatal. How I dreamt Of things impossible! (could sleep do more?) Of joys perpetual in perpetual change!"--_Young_.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE PUNCTUATION.--ERRORS CONCERNING THE CURVES.

UNDER RULE I.--OF THE PARENTHESIS.

"Another is composed of the indefinite article _an_, which, etymologically means _one_ and _other_, and denotes _one other_."--_Hallock's Gram._, p.

63.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the parenthetic expression, "which etymologically means _one_," is not sufficiently separated from the rest of the pa.s.sage. But, according to Rule 1st for the Curves, "A clause that breaks the unity of a sentence or pa.s.sage too much to be incorporated with it, and only such, should be enclosed within curves, as a parenthesis."

Therefore, the curves should be here inserted; and also, by Rule 2d, a comma at the word _one_.]

"Each mood has its peculiar Tense, Tenses (or Times)."--_Bucke's Gram._, p.

58.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the expression, "or Times," which has not the nature of a parenthesis, is here marked with curves. But, according to Rule 1st for the Curves, "A clause that breaks the unity of a sentence or pa.s.sage too much to be incorporated with it, _and only such_, should be enclosed within curves, as a parenthesis." Therefore, these marks should be omitted; and a comma should be set after the word "_Tenses_," by Rule 3d.]

"In some very ancient languages, as the Hebrew, which have been employed chiefly for expressing plain sentiments in the plainest manner, without aiming at any elaborate length or harmony of periods, this p.r.o.noun [the relative] occurs not so often."--_L. Murray's Gram._, 8vo, p. 127.