The Grammar of English Grammars Part 261

1. A is a preposition of very frequent use in French, and generally means _To_. I have suggested above that it is probably the same as the Anglo-Saxon prefix _a_. It is found in a few English compounds or derivatives that are of French, and not of Saxon origin: as, _a-dieu_, to G.o.d; i.e., I commend you to G.o.d; _a-larm_, from _alarme_, i e., _a l'arme_, to arms.

2. DE means Of or From: as in _de-mure_, of manners; _de-liver_, to ease from or of.

3. DEMI means Half: as, _demi-man_, half a man; _demi-G.o.d_, half a G.o.d; _demi-devil_, half a devil; _demi-deify_, to half deify; _demi-sized_, half sized; _demi-quaver_, half a quaver. 4. EN,--which sometimes becomes em,--means In, Into, or Upon: as, _en-chain_, to hold in chains; _em-brace_, to clasp in the arms; _en-tomb_, to put into a tomb; _em-boss_, to stud upon. Many words are yet wavering between the French and the Latin orthography of this prefix: as, _embody_, or _imbody; ensurance_, or _insurance; ensnare_, or _insnare; enquire_, or _inquire_.

5. SUR, as a French prefix, means Upon, Over, or After: as, _sur-name_, a name upon a name; _sur-vey_, to look over; _sur-mount_, to mount over or upon; _sur-render_, to deliver over to others; _sur-feit_, to overdo in eating; _sur-vive_, to live after, to over-live, to outlive.

END OF THE SECOND APPENDIX

APPENDIX III TO PART THIRD, OR SYNTAX.

OF THE QUALITIES OF STYLE.

Style, as a topic connected with syntax, is the particular manner in which a person expresses his conceptions by means of language. It is different from mere words, different from mere grammar, in any limited sense, and is not to be regulated altogether by rules of construction. It always has some relation to the author's peculiar manner of thinking; involves, to some extent, and shows his literary, if not his moral, character; is, in general, that sort of expression which his thoughts most readily a.s.sume; and, sometimes, partakes not only of what is characteristic of the man, of his profession, sect, clan, or province, but even of national peculiarity, or some marked feature of the age. The words which an author employs, may be proper in themselves, and so constructed as to violate no rule of syntax, and yet his style may have great faults.

In reviews and critical essays, the general characters of style are usually designated by such epithets as these;--concise, diffuse,--neat, negligent,--terse, bungling,--nervous, weak,--forcible, feeble,--vehement, languid,--simple, affected,--easy, stiff,--pure, barbarous,--perspicuous, obscure,--elegant, uncouth,--florid, plain,--flowery, artless,--fluent, dry,--piquant, dull,--stately, flippant,--majestic, mean,--pompous, modest,--ancient, modern. A considerable diversity of style, may be found in compositions all equally excellent in their kind. And, indeed, different subjects, as well as the different endowments by which genius is distinguished, require this diversity. But, in forming his style, the learner should remember, that a negligent, feeble, affected, stiff, uncouth, barbarous, or obscure style is always faulty; and that perspicuity, ease, simplicity, strength, neatness, and purity, are qualities always to be aimed at.

In order to acquire a good style, the frequent practice of composing and writing something, is indispensably necessary. Without exercise and diligent attention, rules or precepts for the attainment of this object, will be of no avail. When the learner has acquired such a knowledge of grammar, as to be in some degree qualified for the undertaking, he should devote a stated portion of his time to composition. This exercise will bring the powers of his mind into requisition, in a way that is well calculated to strengthen them. And if he has opportunity for reading, he may, by a diligent perusal of the best authors, acquire both language and taste as well as sentiment;--and these three are the essential qualifications of a good writer.

In regard to the qualities which const.i.tute a good style, we can here offer nothing more than a few brief hints. With respect to words and phrases, particular attention should be paid to three things--_purity, propriety_, and _precision_; and, with respect to sentences, to three others,--_perspicuity, unity_, and _strength_. Under each of these six heads, we shall arrange, in the form of short precepts, a few of the most important directions for the forming of a good style.

SECTION I.--OF PURITY.

Purity of style consists in the use of such words and phrases only, as belong to the language which we write or speak. Its opposites are the faults aimed at in the following precepts.

PRECEPT I.--Avoid the unnecessary use of foreign words or idioms: such as the French words _fraicheur, hauteur, delicatesse, politesse, n.o.blesse_;--the expression, "He _repented himself_;"--or, "It _serves_ to an excellent purpose."

PRECEPT II.--Avoid obsolete or antiquated words, except there be some special reason for their use: that is, such words as _acception, addressful, administrate, affamish, affrontiveness, belikely, bl.u.s.terous, clergical, cruciate, rutilate, timidous_.

PRECEPT III.--Avoid strange or unauthorized words: such as, _flutteration, inspectator, judgematical, inc.u.mberment, connexity, electerized, martyrized, reunition, marvelize, limpitude, affectated, adorement, absquatulate_. Of this sort is O. B. Peirce's "_a.s.similarity_," used on page 19th of his _English Grammar_; and still worse is Jocelyn's "_irradicable_," for _uneradicable_, used on page 5th of his _Prize Essay on Education_.

PRECEPT IV.--Avoid bombast, or affectation of fine writing. It is ridiculous, however serious the subject. The following is an example: "Personifications, however rich the depictions, and unconstrained their lat.i.tude; a.n.a.logies, however imposing the objects of parallel, and the media of comparison; can never expose the consequences of sin to the extent of fact, or the range of demonstration."--_Anonymous_.

SECTION II.--OF PROPRIETY.

Propriety of language consists in the selection and right construction of such words as the best usage has appropriated to those ideas which we intend to express by them. Impropriety embraces all those forms of error, which, for the purpose of ill.u.s.tration, exercise, and special criticism, have been so methodically and so copiously posted up under the various heads, rules, and notes, of this extensive Grammar. A few suggestions, however, are here to be set down in the form of precepts.

PRECEPT I.--Avoid low and provincial expressions: such as, "Now, _says I_, boys;"--"_Thinks I to myself;"--"To get into a sc.r.a.pe_;"--"Stay here _while_ I come back;"--"_By jinkers;"--"By the living jingoes_."

PRECEPT II.--In writing prose, avoid words and phrases that are merely poetical: such as, _morn, eve, plaint, corse, weal, drear, amid, oft, steepy;--"what time_ the winds arise."

PRECEPT III.--Avoid technical terms: except where they are necessary in treating of a particular art or science. In technology, they are proper.

PRECEPT IV.--Avoid the recurrence of a word in different senses, or such a repet.i.tion of words as denotes paucity of language: as, "His own _reason_ might have suggested better _reasons_."--"Gregory _favoured_ the undertaking, for no other reason than this; that the manager, in countenance, _favoured_ his friend."--"I _want_ to go and see what he _wants_."

PRECEPT V.--Supply words that are wanting: thus, instead of saying, "This action increased his former services," say, "This action increased _the merit of_ his former services."--"How many [_kinds of_] substantives are there? Two; proper and common."--See _E. Devis's Gram._, p. 14. "These changes should not be left to be settled by chance or by caprice, but [_should be determined_] by the judicious application of the principles of Orthography."--See _Fowlers E. Gram._, 1850, p. 170.

PRECEPT VI.--Avoid equivocal or ambiguous expressions: as, "His _memory_ shall be lost on the earth."--"I long since learned to like nothing but what you _do_."

PRECEPT VII.--Avoid unintelligible, inconsistent, or inappropriate expressions: such as, "I have observed that the superiority among these coffee-house politicians proceeds from _an opinion_ of gallantry and fashion."--"These words do not convey even an _opaque_ idea of the author's meaning."

PRECEPT VIII.--Observe the natural order of things or events, and do not _put the cart before the horse_: as, "The scribes _taught and studied_ the Law of Moses."--"They can neither _return to nor leave_ their houses."--"He tumbled, _head over heels_, into the water."--"'Pat, how did you carry that quarter of beef?' 'Why, I thrust _it through a stick_, and threw _my shoulder over it_.'"

SECTION III.--OF PRECISION.

Precision consists in avoiding all superfluous words, and adapting the expression exactly to the thought, so as to say, with no deficiency or surplus of terms, whatever is intended by the author. Its opposites are noticed in the following precepts.

PRECEPT I.--Avoid a useless tautology, either of expression or of sentiment; as, "When will you return _again_?"--"We returned _back_ home _again_."--"On entering _into_ the room, I saw _and discovered_ he had fallen _down_ on the floor and could not _rise_ up."--"They have a _mutual_ dislike to each other."--"Whenever I go, he _always_ meets me there."--"Where is he _at? In_ there."--"His faithfulness _and fidelity_ should be rewarded."

PRECEPT II.--Repeat words as often as an exact exhibition of your meaning requires them; for repet.i.tion may be elegant, if it be not useless. The following example does not appear faulty: "Moral _precepts_ are _precepts_ the reasons of which we see; positive _precepts_ are _precepts_ the reasons of which we do not see."--_Butler's a.n.a.logy_, p. 165.

PRECEPT III.--Observe the exact meaning of words accounted synonymous, and employ those which are the most suitable; as, "A diligent scholar may _acquire_ knowledge, _gain_ celebrity, _obtain_ rewards, _win_ prizes, and _get_ high honour, though he _earn_ no money." These six verbs have nearly the same meaning, and yet no two of them can here be correctly interchanged.

PRECEPT IV.--Observe the proper form of each word, and do not confound such as resemble each other. "Professor J. W. Gibbs, of Yale College," in treating of the "Peculiarities of the c.o.c.kney Dialect," says, "The Londoner sometimes confounds two different forms; as _contagious_ for _contiguous; eminent_ for _imminent; humorous_ for _humorsome; ingeniously_ for _ingenuously; luxurious_ for _luxuriant; scrupulosity_ for _scruple; successfully_ for _successively_."--See _Fowler's E. Gram._, p. 87; and Pref., p. vi.

PRECEPT V.--Think clearly, and avoid absurd or incompatible expressions.

Example of error: "To pursue _those_ remarks, would, _probably_, be of no further _service_ to the learner than _that of burdening his memory_ with a catalogue of dry and _uninteresting_ peculiarities; _which may gratify curiosity_, without affording information adequate to the trouble of the perusal."--_Wright's Gram._, p. 122.

PRECEPT VI.--Avoid words that are useless; and, especially, a multiplication of them into sentences, members, or clauses, that may well be spared. Example: "If one could _really_ be a spectator of what is pa.s.sing in the world _around us_ without taking part in the events, _or sharing in the pa.s.sions and actual performance on the stage; if we could set ourselves down, as it were, in a private box of the world's great theatre, and quietly look on at the piece that is playing, no more moved than is absolutely implied by sympathy with our fellow-creatures, what a curious, what an amusing_, what an interesting spectacle would life present."--G. P. R. JAMES: "_The Forger_," commencement of Chap. x.x.xi. This sentence contains _eighty-seven_ words, "of which _sixty-one_ are entirely unnecessary to the expression of the author's idea, if idea it can be called."--_Holden's Review_.

OBSERVATION.

Verbosity, as well as tautology, is not so directly opposite to precision, as to conciseness, or brevity. From the manner in which lawyers usually multiply terms in order to express their facts _precisely_, it would seem that, with them, precision consists rather in the use of _many_ words than of _few_. But the ordinary style of legal instruments no popular writer can imitate without becoming ridiculous. A terse or concise style is very apt to be elliptical: and, in some particular instances, must be so; but, at the same time, the full expression, perhaps, may have more _precision_, though it be less agreeable. For example: "A word of one syllable, is called a monosyllable; a word of two syllables, _is called_ a dissyllable: a word of three syllables, _is called_ a trisyllable: a word of four or more syllables, _is called_ a polysyllable."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p.

19. Better, perhaps, thus: "A word of one syllable is called a _monosyllable_; a word of two syllables, a _dissyllable_; a word of three syllables, a _trissyllable_; and a word of four or more syllables, a _polysyllable_."--_Brown's Inst.i.tutes_, p. 17.

SECTION IV.--OF PERSPICUITY.

Perspicuity consists in freedom from obscurity or ambiguity. It is a quality so essential to every kind of writing, that for the want of it no merit of other name can compensate. "Without this, the richest ornaments of style, only glimmer through the dark, and puzzle in stead of pleasing the reader."--_Dr. Blair_. Perspicuity, being the most important property of language, and an exemption from the most embarra.s.sing defects, seems even to rise to a degree of positive beauty. We are naturally pleased with a style that frees us from all suspense in regard to the meaning; that carries us through the subject without embarra.s.sment or confusion; and that always flows like a limpid stream, through which we can "see to the very bottom." Many of the errors which have heretofore been pointed out to the reader, are offences against perspicuity. Only three or four hints will here be added.

PRECEPT I.--Place adjectives, relative p.r.o.nouns, participles, adverbs, and explanatory phrases near enough to the words to which they relate, and in a position which will make their reference clear. The following sentences are deficient in perspicuity: "Reverence is the veneration paid to superior sanct.i.ty, _intermixed_ with a certain degree of awe."--_Unknown_. "The Romans understood liberty, _at least_, as well as we."--See _Murray's Gram._, p. 307. "Taste was never _made to cater_ for vanity."--_J. Q.

Adams's Rhet._, Vol. i, p. 119.

PRECEPT II.--In prose, avoid a poetic collocation of words. For example: "Guard your weak side from being known. If it be attacked, the best way is, to join in the attack."--KAMES: _Art of Thinking_, p. 75. This maxim of prudence might be expressed more poetically, but with some loss of perspicuity, thus: "Your weak side guard from being known. Attacked in this, the a.s.sailants join."

PRECEPT III.--Avoid faulty ellipses, and repeat all words necessary to preserve the sense. The following sentences require the words which are inserted in crotchets: "Restlessness of mind disqualifies us, both for the enjoyment of peace, and [_for_] the performance of our duty."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 166. "Double Comparatives and [_Double_] Superlatives should be avoided."--_Fowler's E. Gram._, 1850, p. 489.

PRECEPT IV.--Avoid the pedantic and sense-dimming style of charlatans and new theorists, which often demands either a translation or a tedious study, to make it at all intelligible to the ordinary reader. For example: "RULE XL Part 3. An intransitive or receptive _a.s.serter_ in the unlimited mode, depending on a word in the possessive case, may have, after it, a word in the subjective case, denoting the same thing: And, when it acts the part of an a.s.sertive name, depending on a relative, it may have after it a word in the subjective case. EXAMPLES:--John's being my _friend_, saved me from inconvenience. Seth Hamilton was unhappy in being a _slave_ to party prejudice."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, 1839, p. 201. The meaning of this _third part of a Rule_ of syntax, is, in proper English, as follows: "A participle not transitive, with the possessive case before it, may have after it a nominative denoting the same thing; and also, when a preposition governs the participle, a nominative may follow, in agreement with one which precedes." In doctrine, the former clause of the sentence is erroneous: it serves only to propagate false syntax by rule. See the former example, and a note of mine, referring to it, on page 531 of this work.