EMPHASIS AT THE END.

77

million,' is equally effective thus:- For illustration, a dozen will do as well as a million'.

A passage already quoted as an example of the period ('Accustomed to a land-') shows also that the principal subject may follow a participial clause.

On the maxim of introducing qualifying adjuncts before the thing qualified, such an arrangement would be justifiable and regular.

An adverbial phrase put in the beginning acquires importance as a qualifying adjunct; its function being to affect

the entire sentence.

Not unfrequently, the important part of the subject is couched in an adverbial phrase, or other qualification. See the opening of Paradise Lost:-' Of man's first disobedience'. This is the really prominent circumstance in the sentence, and is placed first, without being the grammatical subject.*

The following may be amended on this principle: 'Fathers in old time, among the noble Persians, might not do with their children as they thought good, but as the judgment of the commonwealth always thought best'. Say: Of old time, among the noble Persians, fathers might not,' &c.

21. III. For special reasons, at the End.

'On whatever side we contemplate Homer, what principally strikes us is his wonderful invention.' This is an arrangement for suspending the interest, by not disclosing the main idea till the very end.

'There is not, and there never was, on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church.'

'On seeking for some clue to the law underlying these current maxims, we may see shadowed forth in many of them, the importance of economising the reader's attention.' Here, as often happens, the principal subject is not the grammatical subject of the verb. The writer intends to put it last, and he accordingly makes it a grammatical object, and so, without an inversion, secures for it that position.

་

* A case of this kind is furnished by the following example from Cicero: Agro bene culto, nil potest esse necnon uberius nec specie ornatius'. The real subject is con. tained in the clause agro bene culto.

'The wages of sin is death.'

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.'

'Profligate was that coalition.'

Still more perplexing is the account of the second battle.'

The soul of wit is brevity.'

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.' The emphasis of position is better in Latin- Periculosa est scientia parva': Dangerous is knowledge in small amounts'.

Take the following longer example: In our search after God and contemplation of Him our wisdom doth consist; in our worship and obedience to Him, our religion doth consist; in both of them our happiness doth consist'. Obviously there is much too great emphasis on 'consist' in all three clauses; the important words are 'wisdom,' 'religion,' and 'happiness,' and their importance is increased by their being brought into comparison with each other. It is a case for throwing the subject to the end: 'In our search after God and contemplation of Him consists our happiness,' &c.

22. The PREDICATE of the Sentence is necessarily a principal; and receives a place corresponding to its importance in the special case.

The usual position of the Predicate, at least in prose, being at the end, its emphasis is thereby secured. Inversion does not necessarily deprive it of this advantage, provided due attention is given to the circumstance next to be dwelt upon.

'I can hinder sorrow from becoming despair and madness; and laughter is one of the very privileges of reason, being confined to the human species.' The proper emphasis of the predicate is here diverted to a mere explanatory clause. Say: laughter, which is confined to the human species, is one of the very privileges of reason'.

'Of all the amusements which can possibly be imagined for a hard-working man, after his daily toil, or in its intervals, there is nothing like reading an entertaining book, supposing him to have a taste for it, and supposing him to have the book to read.' The force of the predicate is largely weakened by two heavy clauses, coming in at the end. The

EMPHASIS ACCORDING TO IMPORTANCE.

79

best cure would be to finish the sentence at book,' and carry the matter of these clauses into a separate sentence.*

23. As both Subject and Predicate often contain numerous particulars, the positions of emphasis ought to be occupied by the most important.

A subordinate, accessory, or insignificant phrase or clause should not occupy the places where our attention is at its greatest.

Every attempt to dispense with axioms has proved unsuccessful; somewhere or other in the process assumed theorems have been found.' In the latter clause, the unimportant word found' has usurped the place of prominence that was wanted to assumed, on which the real force of the remark hinges. Either the adverbial phrase

6 some

where or other in the process' should have been delayed, so as to begin with assumed '-' assumed theorems have been found in the process somewhere or other,'—or the sentence should run,- 'somewhere or other in the process

there are found theorems that are assumed'.

That our elder writers to Jeremy Taylor inclusive quoted to excess, it would be the very blindness of partiality to deny.' Transpose the clauses: 'It would be the very blindness of partiality to deny that our elder writers quoted to excess'.

Nor is the reason which has led to the establishment of this moral law difficult to be discerned.' The words 'difficult to be discerned are not the emphatic words of the sentence. Better-'nor is it difficult to discern the reason that has led to the establishment of this moral law'.

And the convertibility of the ordinary mode of description with this new one may be easily shown in any case.' And it is easy to show in any case the convertibility of the ordinary mode of description with this new one.'

The praise of judgment Virgil has justly contested with him, but his invention remains yet unrivalled.' More emphatic thus: Virgil has justly contested with him the

* The following instance will show how inversion of the Predicate or a part of it is sometimes the best way to bring out the emphasis. They held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hatli God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. The emphasis lies on to the Gentiles,' and such also is the case in the Greek; hence the Revised Version has restored the correct emphasis thus: "Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life'. (Acts xi. 18.)

praise of judgment, but no one has yet rivalled his inven tion'.

'He that tells a lie is not sensible how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain one.' Amended :- For, to maintain one, he must invent twenty more'.

Both Greeks and Romans drew prognostics from prodigies that is to say, from rare natural appearances; among which comets, meteors, and eclipses held an important place';-among which an important place was held by comets, meteors, and eclipses'.

In the following sentence, as the emphasis rests on the conditional clauses, these are with obvious good effect given last:-'Of what consequence are all the qualities of a doctrine, if that doctrine be not communicated; and communicated it is not, if it be not understood?'

The next is from Paley:-'Amongst the causes assigned for the continuance and diffusion of the same moral sentiments among mankind, we have mentioned imitation'. This is as it ought to be. He continues, The efficacy of this principle is most observable in children'; here too an important word occupies the close.

'Which of you, with taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit?' The emphasis here is on one cubit,' as making the strong point of the interrogation.*

The author of this essay has reason for believing himself to be the first person who brought the word utilitarian into use': 'who brought into use the word utilitarian'.

Eumenes, a young man of great abilities, inherited a large estate from a father long eminent in conspicuous employments' place a large estate' at the end, as the most emphatic circumstance.

That there is some remaining vigour in the old man's system is clear.' Better- Clearly, there is, in the old man's system, some remaining vigour'.

'Richard's himself again,' is well arranged for the sound; the most emphatic order would be Richard's again himself'.

*This is the form of the sentence in the authorised version of Luke xii. 25; in Matthew vi. 27, it is rendered differently: Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature?' The emphasis of the Greek is in both instances what is stated above. In the Revised Version, though the two passages are brought into the same form, it is not the form that agrees with the true emphasis.

A similar criticism might be applied to 'So much for Buckingham'. Buckingham might properly be put first as a subject already known, and his fate would then make the proper circumstance for the close: For Buckingham, so much'. The original order has the advantage of bringing so much' into closer connection with the antecedent fact. Richard's command off with his head,' might have been, for a similar reason, head off'. We are accustomed to the expression 'hands off,' which is the form of highest emphasis.

Handsome is, that handsome does.

'Wait here for First Class': 'For First Class, wait here'.

Chaos umpire sits': sits Chaos umpire'.

As what he sees is, so have his thoughts been. The rhythm is excellent, but neither balance nor emphasis is at its best: As is what he has seen, so is what he has thought,' would realise both qualities, although, in the circumstances, not necessarily to be preferred.

Here will I lie to-night,

But where to-morrow?

There is both emphasis and balance in this terse utterance; probably, however, the 'here' and 'where,' have an emphasis slightly higher than the words of time-to-night,' to-morrow'. The 'but' is uncalled for; and the arrangement might be

To-night my rest is here,
To-morrow-where?

'Confidence is a plant of slow growth, in aged bosoms': loose, as well as wanting in emphasis. In aged bosoms, confidence is a plant that grows slowly': the growth of confidence is slow'.

-Cassio, I love thee,

But never more be officer of mine.

This is highly effective. We may try a change, as an exercise of comparison

-I love thee, Cassio,

But officer of mine be never more.

The making of England,' as a title, is very impressive; still more so would be- England in the making'.

The following are additional examples to show how attention to emphasis improves a sentence, both in clearness and in force.