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"Oh! had we both our humble state maintain'd,

"And safe in peace and poverty remained!".

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'Hear me, O Lord! for thy loving kindness is great!"

It is difficult in some cases, to distinguish between an interrogative and exclamatory sentence: but a sentence, in which any wonder or admiration is expressed, and no answer either expected or implied, may be always properly terminated by a note of exclamation: as, "How much vanity in the pursuits of men!" "Who can sufficiently express the goodness of our Creator!" "What is more amiable than virtue!"

The interrogation and exclamation points are indeterminate as to their quantity or time, and may be equivalent in that respect to a semicolon, a colon, or a period, as the sense may require. They-mark an elevation of the voice.

The utility of the points of Interrogation and Exclamation, appears from the following examples, in which the meaning is signified and discriminated solely by the points.

"What condescension!"
"What condescension ?"

"How great was the sacrifice!"
"How great was the sacrifice?"

SECTION IV.

Of the Parenthesis.

A PARENTHESIS is a clause containing some necessary information, or useful remark, introduced into the body of a sentence obliquely, and which may be omitted without injuring the grammatical construction: as,

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

"And was the ransom paid? It was; and paid

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(What can exalt his bounty more?) for thee."

"To gain a posthumous reputation, is to save four or five letters (for what is a name besides?) from oblivion."." "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?"

If the incidental clause is short, or perfectly coincides with the rest of the sentence, it is not proper to use the parentheti

cal characters. The following instances are therefore improper uses of the parenthesis. "Speak you (who saw) his wonders in the deep." "Every planet (as the Creator has made nothing in vain) is most probably inhabited." "He found them asleep again; (for their eyes were heavy ;) neither knew they what to answer him."

The parenthesis generally marks a moderate depression of the voice, and may be accompanied with every point which the sense would require, if the parenthetical characters were omitted. It ought to terminate with the same kind of stop which the member has that precedes it; and to contain that • stop within the parenthetical marks. We must, however, except cases of interrogation and exclamation: as, "While they wish to please, (and why should they not wish it?) they disdain dishonourable means." "It was represented by an analogy, (Oh, how inadequate !) which was borrowed from the religion of paganism."

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE APOSTROPHE, CARET, &c.

THERE are other characters, which are frequently made use of in composition, and which may be explained in this place, viz.

An Apostrophe, marked thus' is used to abbreviate or shorten a word: as, "'tis for it is; tho' for though; e'en for even; judg'd for judged." Its chief use is to show the genitive case of nouns: as, "A man's property; a woman's ornament."

As the parenthesis includes the whole clause, and the point is a part of the clause, and properly belongs to it, there can be no doubt that the point should be contained within the parenthetical marks. To place it on the outside of the parenthetical characters, would be, to point those characters, and not the clause The phrase which precedes the parenthesis should, doubtless, have its proper point and pause attached to it; and not be left without its necessary appendages till the parenthesis is completed: the suspense is forced and irregular. That the parenthesis itself does not supply the place of a point between the parenthetic clause and the word Immediately preceding it, is evident from this circumstance, that the preceding clause frequently requires a point and tone e-sentially different from those which long to the parenthetic clause. This will be seen in the following sentence: "If I grant The real this request, (an! who could refuse it?) I shall secure his esteem and attachment." and proper office of the parenthetical marks, is simply to denote, not a point, but the parenthe tie ai clase.-We should not have so far extended this note, were it not that many writers, ne grammarians, are divided in their opinions and practice, on the subject. VOL. I 38

and

A

A Caret, marked thus is placed where some word happens to be left out in writing, and which is inserted over the line. This mark is also called a circumflex, when placed over a particular vowel, to denote a long syllable: as, "Euphrâtes.”

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A Hyphen, marked thus - is employed in connecting compounded words: as, Lap-dog, tea-pot, pre-existence, selflove, to-morrow, mother-in-law."

It is also used, when a word is divided, and the former part is written or printed at the end of one line, and the latter part at the beginning of another. In this case, it is placed at the end of the first line, not at the beginning of the second.

The Acute Accent is marked thus: ́as," Fáncy." The Grave, thus: as, "Favour."

In English, the accentual marks are chiefly used in spellingbooks aud dictionaries, to mark the syllables which require a particular stress of the voice in pronunciation.

The stress is laid on long and short syllables indiscriminately. In order to distinguish the one from the other, some writers of dictionaries have placed the grave on the former, and the acute on the latter, in this manner: "Minor, mineral, lively, líved, rival, ríver."

The proper mark to distinguish a long syllable is this: "Rosy:" and a short one this: is called a breve.

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as.

as Folly." This last mark

A Diæresis, thus marked, consists of two points" placed over one of the two vowels that would otherwise make a diphthong, and parts them into syllables: as, "Creätor, coädjutor, aërial."

A section marked thus, § is the division of a discourse, or chapter, into less parts or portions.

A Paragraph ¶ denotes the beginning of a new subject, or a sentence not connected with the foregoing. This character is chiefly used in the Old, and in the New Testaments.

A Quotation. "" Two inverted commas are generally placed at the beginning of a phrase or a passage, which is quoted or transcribed from the speaker or author in his own

words; and two commas in their direct position, are placed at the conclusion: as,

"The proper study of mankind is man."

Crotchets or brackets [] serve to enclose a word or sentence, which is to be explained in a note, or the explanation itself, or a word or sentence which is intended to supply some. deficiency or to rectify some mistake.

An Index or hand

points out a remarkable passage, or something that requires particular attention.

A Brace is used in poetry at the end of a triplet or three lines, which have the same rhyme.

Braces are also used to connect a number of words with one common term, and are introduced to prevent a repetition in writing or printing.

An Asterisk, or little star, * directs the reader to some note in the margin, or at the bottom of the page. Two or three asterisks generally denote the omission of some letters in a word, or of some bold or indelicate expression, or some defect in the manuscript.

An Ellipsis is also used, when some letters in a word, or some words in a verse, are omitted: as, "The k—g,” for "the king."

An Obelisk, which is marked thus, † and Parallels thus, || together with the letters of the Alphabet, and figures, are used as references to the margin, or bottom of the page.

CHAPTER VII.

DIRECTIONS RESPECTING THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS.

As the commencement of every sentence is distinguished by a capital letter, and as capitals frequently occur in other parts of a sentence; it is necessary to give the learner some directions respecting their proper application.

It was formerly the custom to begin every noun with a capital: but as this practice was troublesome, and gave the writing or printing a crowded and confused appearance, it has been discontinued. It is, however, very proper to begin with a capital,

1. The first word of every book, chapter, letter, note, or any other piece of writing.

2. The first word after a period; and if the two sentences are totally independent, after a note of interrogation or excla

mation.

But if a number of interrogative or exclamatory sentences, are thrown into one general group; or if the construction of the latter sentences depends on the former, all of them, except the first, may begin with a small letter: as, "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning? and fools hate knowledge?" "Alas! how different! yet how like the same!"

3. The appellations of the Deity: as, "God, Jehovah, the Almighty, the Supreme Being, the Lord, Providence, the Messiah, the Holy Spirit."

4. Proper names of persons, places, streets, mountains, rivers, ships: as, "George, York, the Strand, the Alps, the Thames, the Seahorse."

5. Adjectives derived from the proper names of places; as, "Grecian, Roman, English, French, and Italian.”

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6. The first word of a quotation, introduced after a colon, or when it is in a direct form; as, “ Always remember this ancient maxim: Know thyself."" "Our great lawgiver says, 'Take up thy cross daily, and follow me.' But when a quotation is brought in obliquely after a comma, a capital is unnecessary: as, "Solomon observes, that pride goes before destruction.'"

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The first word of an example may also very properly begin with a capital: as, "Temptation proves our virtue."

7. Every substantive and principal word in the titles of books: as, "Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language;" "Thomson's Seasons;" "Rollin's Ancient History."

8. The first word of every line in poetry.

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