English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 53

The Dash, though often used improperly by hasty and incoherent writers, may be introduced with propriety, where the sentence breaks off abruptly; where a significant pause is required; or where there is an unexpected turn in the sentiment; as, "If thou art he, so much respected once--but, oh! how fallen! how degraded!" "If acting conformably to the will of our Creator;--if promoting the welfare of mankind around us;--if securing our own happiness;--are objects of the highest moment: then we are loudly called upon to cultivate and extend the great interests of religion and virtue."

A dash following a stop, denotes that the pause is to be greater than if the stop were alone; and when used by itself, requires a pause of such length as the sense only can determine.

"Here lies the great--False marble, where?

"Nothing but sordid dust lies here."

INTERROGATORY POINT.

The note of interrogation is used at the end of an interrogative sentence; as, "Who adorned the heavens with such exquisite beauty?"

NOTE. The interrogative point should not be employed in cases where it is only said, that a question has been asked; as, "The Cyprians asked me, why I wept."

EXCLAMATORY POINT.

The note of exclamation is applied to expressions of sudden emotion, surprise, joy, grief, &c. and sometimes to invocations and addresses; as, "How much vanity in the pursuits of men!" "What is more amiable than virtue!" "My friend! this conduct amazes me!" "Hear me, O Lord! for thy loving kindness is great!"

PARENTHESIS.

A parenthesis is a clause containing some useful remark, which may be omitted without injuring the grammatical construction; as, "To gain a posthumous reputation, is to save a few letters (for what is a name besides?) from oblivion."

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

NOTE. The parenthesis generally denotes a moderate depression of the voice; and, as the parenthetical marks do not supply the place of a point, the clause should be accompanied with every stop which the sense would require, if the parenthetical characters were not used.

It ought to terminate with the same kind of point which the member has that precedes it; as "He loves n.o.bly, (I speak of friendship,) who is not jealous when, he has partners of love."

"Or why so long (in life if long can be) "Lent Heav'n a parent to the poor and me?"

Parentheses, however, containing interrogations or exclamations, form an exception to this rule; as, "If I grant his request, (and who could refuse it?) I shall secure his esteem and attachment."

APOSTROPHE AND QUOTATION.

The Apostrophe is used to abbreviate a word, and also to mark the possessive case of a noun; as, "_'tis_, for _it is_; _tho,'_ for _though_; _o'er_, for _over_;" "A _man's_ poverty."

A Quotation marks a sentence taken in the author's own language; as, "The proper study of mankind is man."

When an author represents a person as speaking, the language of that person should be designated by a quotation; as, At my coming in, he said, "You and the physician are come too late." A quotation contained within another, should be distinguished by two _single_ commas; as, "Always remember this ancient maxim 'Know thyself.'"

DIRECTIONS FOR USING CAPITAL LETTERS.

It is proper to begin with a capital,

1. The first word of every sentence.

2. Proper names, the appellations of the Deity, &c.; as, "James, Cincinnati, the Andes, Huron;" "G.o.d, Jehovah, the Almighty the Supreme Being, Providence, the Holy Spirit."

3. Adjectives derived from proper names, the t.i.tles of books, nouns which are used as the subject of discourse, the p.r.o.noun _I_ and the interjection _O_, and every line in poetry; as, "American, Grecian, English, French; Irving's Sketch Book, Percival's Poems; I write; Hear, O earth!"

APPENDIX.

VERSIFICATION.

POETRY is the language of pa.s.sion, or of enlivened imagination.

VERSIFICATION, in English, is the harmonious arrangement of a particular number and variety of accented and unaccented syllables, according to particular laws.

RHYME is the correspondence of the sound of the last syllable in one line, to the sound of the last syllable in another; as,

"O'er the glad waters of the dark-blue _sea_, "Our thoughts as boundless and our souls as _free_."

BLANK VERSE consists in poetical thoughts expressed in regular numbers, but without the correspondence of sound at the end of the lines which const.i.tutes rhyme.

POETICAL FEET consist in a particular arrangement and connexion of a number of accented and unaccented syllables.

They are called _feet_, because it is by their aid that the voice, as it were, _steps_ along through the verse in a measured pace.

All poetical feet consist either of two, or of three syllables; and are reducible to eight kinds; four of two syllables, and four of three, as follows:

DISSYLLABLE. TRISYLLABLE.

A Trochee - u A Dactyle - u u An Iambus u - An Amphibrach u - u A Spondee - - An Anapaest u u - A Pyrrhic u u A Tribrach u u u

A Trochee has the first syllable accented, and the last unaccented; as, Hateful, pettish:

Restless mortals toil for naught.

An Iambus has the first syllable unaccented, and the last accented; as, Betray, consist:

The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay.

A Dactyle has the first syllable accented, and the two latter unaccented; as, Laborer, possible:

From the low pleasures of this fallen nature.

An Anapaest has the first two syllables unaccented, and the last accented; as, Contravene, acquiesce:

at the close of the day when the hamlet is still.

A Spondee; as, The pale moon: a Pyrrhic; as, on the tall tree: an Amphibrach; as, Delightful: a Tribrach; as, Numerable.

RHETORIC.