the sentence, which they are opposed to: and this is a colon. When a member of a sentence forms complete sense, and does not excite expectation of what follows, though it consist but of a simple member, it may be marked with a colon. EXAMPLES. The discourse consisted of two parts: in the first was shown the necessity of fighting; in the second, the advantages that would arise from it. The Augustan age was so eminent for good poets, that they have served as models to all others: yet it did not produce any good tragic poets. When a sentence is so far perfectly finished, as not to be connected in construction with the following sentence, it is marked with a period. The Interrogation, Exclamation, and Parenthesis. THE note of interrogation is used to show that a question is asked: as, What day of the month is this? It likewise distinguishes a question from a sentence in the imperative mood: as, Do you return? Interrogative sentences require an elevation of the voice, except the question be asked by the pronouns, who, which, what; or the adverbs, how, where, when, &c.; for in these cases you must give a moderate cadence to your voice, and let the pause be governed by the sense of the subject*. * This distinction of the voice, applied to the distinction of interrogative sentences, into those that begin with and without the interrogative words, is extracted from a spelling-book, written by Mr. Perry, a very industrious, accurate, and ingenious writer on English pronunciation, at Edinburgh. This author, and one Charles Butler, of Magdalen College, Oxford, in his English Grammar, 1633, are the only writers in whom I ever met with the least hint of this very important distinction. A parenthesis is a sentence inserted into the body of another sentence, to illustrate its meaning, but is neither necessary to the sense, nor at all affects the construction. It marks a moderate depression of the voice, with a pause greater than a comma. EXAMPLE. When they were both turned of forty (an age in which, according to Mr. Cowley, there is no dallying with life) they determined to retire, and pass the remainder of their days in the country. Spect. No. 123. An exclamation denotes an emotion of mind, and requires an elevation of voice, with a pause equivalent either to a comma, colon, semicolon, or period, as the sense demands. EXAMPLE. These are thy glorious works, parent of good! Thus wondrous fair! Thyself how wondrous then! Milton. This is the most concise and comprehensive scheme of punctuation I could possibly collect from the several authors, who have written on this subject; but these rules, though sufficient to prevent confusion in writing, are very inadequate to the purposes of a just and accurate pronunciation as it is certain that a just, a forcible, and easy pronunciation, will oblige a judicious reader to pause much more frequently, than the most correct and accurate writers or printers give him leave. But I must again observe, that when I contend for the propriety, and even necessity, of pausing, where we find no points in writing or printing, I do not mean to disturb the present practice of punctuation: I wish only to afford such aids to pronunciation as are actually made use of by the best readers and speakers, and such as we must use in reading and speak ing in public, if we would wish to pronounce with justness, energy, and ease. Rhetorical Punctuation. PUNCTUATION, or the doctrine of pausing, if philosophically considered, will be found to extend much further than is generally supposed: for if pausing is that resting between words and members of sentences, which marks their several degrees of connexion and dependance on each other, whatever difference is found in the degrees of connexion or dependance, so many different marks ought to be adopted to point them out. But though the degrees of connexion and dependance are confessedly many and various, there are no more than four marks by which to denote them. It is true, these marks sufficiently answer the purposes of written language, by keeping the members of sentences from running into each other, and producing ambiguity: but when we regard them as guides to pronunciation, they fail us at almost every step. Those who are acquainted with the Art of Reading feel this very sensibly; and are obliged to supply the deficiencies of the points, by pauses which are suggested to them by the structure and import of the sentence. Many hints have been offered to assist the reader and speaker in the practice of pausing, and more might be given by an attentive observer; but that which appears to have been overlooked by all our punctuists, is, that pausing is often relative: that is, that many pauses owe their existence not so much to the necessity of distinguishing the subordinate parts of a sentence, as to the necessity of showing the actual subordination of one member to another; or, in other words, in order to class together such portions of a sentence as belong to each other more intimately than those that are not so classed. Thus, in the following sentence: "Half the misery of the greatest part of man"kind might be extinguished, would men alle"viate the general curse they lie under by mutual "offices of compassion, benevolence, and humanity." Spectator, N° 169. If we make a pause at misery, and none at mankind, we find an improper classification of the words; which is immediately removed either by pausing at mankind and not pausing at misery; or by pausing at them both, or by pausing at neither. Another instance will show us more clearly how punctuation depends upon classification, or such an association of parts as shows the union and distinction of such as are similar and such as are different. When the proud steed shall know why man restrains Pope's Essay on Man. In the last couplet of this passage, if we pause at comprehend without pausing at dulness, we shall not sufficiently distinguish the subject and the verb; if we place a pause at dulness and not at comprehend, we shall not distinguish the verb from that class of words which forms its object; but, if we pause both at dulness and comprehend, we shall mark both these distinctions, and class all the words together, according to their respective similarities and differences. E Pausing, therefore, does not seem to depend so much on placing a pause in any particular part of a sentence, as in that part which most requires it. Thus we may very properly place a pause in the middle of a complex nominative case; but if, after this, we join the whole nominative to the verb, without a pause, we shall soon perceive an improper classification of words: which proves that pausing is relative, and that a pause is proper or improper, not absolutely and considered by itself, but relatively and as it stands connected with other pauses; which can arise from nothing but the perception of the impropriety of distinguishing the parts of a subordinate portion, such as those which form the nominative case to the verb, and not distinguishing the two superior portions; the verb, and the nominative case: which is the same absurdity as to distinguish the parts of a part, and not the parts of a whole. Thus we may distinguish the superior parts without distinguishing the inferior, but not vice versa. As this idea of punctuation is at least new and curious, it may deserve a little further illustration. 66 "As this cruel practice of party lying tends to "the utter subversion of all truth and humanity among us, it deserves the utmost detestation "and discouragement of all who have either the "love of their country, or the honour of their religion at heart.” Spectator, N° 451. This sentence has but two commas in it, as it lies in the Spectator before me: but who is there of the least discernment who does not perceive a great number of other pauses which might be adopted for the purpose of more distinctly conveying the sense? In the first place, the compound nominative contains a class of words end |