The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown (free ebook reader .txt) 📕

lines between which a parenthesis is enclosed are called Crotchets."—Gram., Part III, p. 30; Aids, p. 40. "Called Crotchets" by whom? That not even Mr. Parker himself knows them by that name, the following most inaccurate passage is a proof: "The note of admiration and interrogation, as also the parenthesis, the bracket, and the reference marks, [are noted in the margin] in the same manner as the apostrophe."—Aids, p. 314. In some late grammars, (for example, Hazen's and Day's,) the parenthetic curves are called "the Parentheses" From this the student must understand that it always takes two parentheses to make one parenthesis! If then it is objectionable, to call the two marks "a parenthesis," it is much more so, to call each of them by that name, or both "the parentheses." And since Murray's phrases are both entirely too long for common use, what better name can be given them than this very simple one, the Curves?

OBS. 9.—The words eroteme and ecphoneme, which, like aposteme and philosopheme, are orderly derivatives from Greek roots[460], I have ventured to suggest as fitter names for the two marks to which they are applied as above, than are any of the long catalogue which other grammarians, each choosing for himself have presented. These marks have not unfrequently been called "the interrogation and the exclamation;" which names are not very suitable, because they have other uses in grammar. According to Dr. Blair, as well as L. Murray and others, interrogation and exclamation are "passionate figures" of rhetoric, and oftentimes also plain "unfigured" expressions. The former however are frequently and more fitly called by their Greek names erotesis and ecphonesis, terms to which those above have a happy correspondence. By Dr. Webster and some others, all interjections are called "exclamations;" and, as each of these is usually followed by the mark of emotion, it cannot but be inconvenient to call both by the same name.

OBS. 10.—For things so common as the marks of asking and exclaiming, it is desirable to have simple and appropriate names, or at least some settled mode of denomination; but, it is remarkable, that Lindley Murray, in mentioning these characters six times, uses six different modes of expression, and all of them complex: (1.) "Notes of Interrogation and Exclamation." (2.) "The point of Interrogation,?"—"The point of Exclamation,!" (3.) "The Interrogatory Point."—"The Exclamatory Point." (4.) "A note of interrogation,"—"The note of exclamation." (5.) "The interrogation and exclamation points." (6.) "The points of Interrogation and Exclamation."—Murray, Flint, Ingersoll, Alden, Pond. With much better taste, some writers denote them uniformly thus: (7.) "The Note of Interrogation,"—"The Note of Exclamation."—Churchill, Hiley. In addition to these names, all of which are too long, there may be cited many others, though none that are unobjectionable: (8.) "The Interrogative sign,"—"The Exclamatory sign."—Peirce, Hazen. (9.) "The Mark of Interrogation,"—"The Mark of Exclamation."—Ward, Felton, Hendrick. (10.) "The Interrogative point,"—"The Exclamation point."—T. Smith, Alger. (11.) "The interrogation point,"—"The exclamation point."—Webster, St. Quentin, S. Putnam. (12.) "A Note of Interrogation,"—"A Note of Admiration."—Coar, Nutting. (13.) "The Interrogative point,"—"The Note of Admiration, or of vocation."—Bucke. (14.) "Interrogation (?),"—"Admiration (!) or Exclamation."—Lennie, Bullions. (15.) "A Point of Interrogation,"—"A Point of Admiration or Exclamation."—Buchanan. (16.) "The Interrogation Point (?),"—"The Admiration Point (!)."—Perley. (17.) "An interrogation (?),"—"An exclamation (!)."—Cutler. (18.) "The interrogator?"—"The exclaimor!"—Day's Gram., p. 112. [The putting of "exclaimor" for exclaimer, like this author's changing of quoters to "quotors," as a name for the guillemets, is probably a mere sample of ignorance.] (19.) "Question point,"—"Exclamation point."—Sanborn, p. 272.

SECTION I.—THE COMMA.

The Comma is used to separate those parts of a sentence, which are so nearly connected in sense, as to be only one degree removed from that close connexion which admits no point.

RULE I.—SIMPLE SENTENCES.

A simple sentence does not, in general, admit the comma; as, "The weakest reasoners are the most positive."—W. Allen's Gram., p. 202. "Theology has not hesitated to make or support a doctrine by the position of a comma."—Tract on Tone, p. 4.

   "Then pain compels the impatient soul to seize
    On promis'd hopes of instantaneous ease."—Crabbe.

EXCEPTION.—LONG SIMPLE SENTENCES.

When the nominative in a long simple sentence is accompanied by inseparable adjuncts, or when several words together are used in stead of a nominative, a comma should be placed immediately before the verb; as, "Confession of sin without amendment, obtains no pardon."—Dillwyn's Reflections, p. 6. "To be totally indifferent to praise or censure, is a real defect in character."—Murray's Gram., p. 268.

   "O that the tenor of my just complaint,[461]
    Were sculpt with steel in rocks of adamant!"—Sandys.

RULE II.—SIMPLE MEMBERS.

The simple members of a compound sentence, whether successive or involved, elliptical or complete, are generally divided by the comma; as,

1. "Here stand we both, and aim we at the best."—Shak.

2. "I, that did never weep, now melt in woe."—Id.

3. "Tide life, tide death, I come without delay."—Id.

4. "I am their mother, who shall bar me from them?"—Id.

5. "How wretched, were I mortal, were my state!"—Pope.

6. "Go; while thou mayst, avoid the dreadful fate."—Id.

7. "Grief aids disease, remember'd folly stings, And his last sighs reproach the faith of kings."—Johnson.

EXCEPTION I.—RESTRICTIVE RELATIVES.

When a relative immediately follows its antecedent, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma should not be introduced before it; as, "For the things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal."—2 Cor., iv, 18. "A letter is a character that expresses a sound without any meaning."—St. Quentin's General Gram., p. 3.

EXCEPTION II.—SHORT TERMS CLOSELY CONNECTED.

When the simple members are short, and closely connected by a conjunction or a conjunctive adverb, the comma is generally omitted; as, "Honest poverty is better than wealthy fraud."—Dillwyn's Ref., p. 11. "Let him tell me whether the number of the stars be even or odd."—TAYLOR: Joh. Dict., w. Even. "It is impossible that our knowledge of words should outstrip our knowledge of things."—CAMPBELL: Murray's Gram., p 359.

EXCEPTION III.—ELLIPTICAL MEMBERS UNITED.

When two simple members are immediately united, through ellipsis of the relative, the antecedent, or the conjunction that, the comma is not inserted; as, "Make an experiment on the first man you meet."—Berkley's Alciphron, p. 125. "Our philosophers do infinitely despise and pity whoever shall propose or accept any other motive to virtue."—Ib., p. 126. "It is certain we imagine before we reflect."—Ib., p. 359.

   "The same good sense that makes a man excel,
    Still makes him doubt he ne'er has written well."—Young.

RULE III.—MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

When more than two words or terms are connected in the same construction, or in a joint dependence on some other term, by conjunctions expressed or understood, the comma should be inserted after every one of them but the last; and, if they are nominatives before a verb, the comma should follow the last also:[462] as,

1. "Who, to the enraptur'd heart, and ear, and eye, Teach beauty, virtue, truth, and love, and melody."—Beattie.

2. "Ah! what avails * * * * * * * * * All that art, fortune, enterprise, can bring, If envy, scorn, remorse, or pride, the bosom wring?"—Id..

3. "Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible; Thou, stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless."—Shak.

4. "She plans, provides, expatiates, triumphs there."—Young.

    5. ——"So eagerly the Fiend
       O'er bog, or steep, through strait, rough, dense, or rare,
       With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way,
       And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies."—Milton.

RULE IV.—ONLY TWO WORDS.

When only two words or terms are connected by a conjunction, they should not be separated by the comma; as, "It is a stupid and barbarous way to extend dominion by arms; for true power is to be got by arts and industry"—Spectator, No. 2.

"Despair and anguish fled the struggling soul."—Goldsmith.

EXCEPTION I.—TWO WORDS WITH ADJUNCTS.

When the two words connected have several adjuncts, or when one of them has an adjunct that relates not to both, the comma is inserted; as, "I shall spare no pains to make their instruction agreeable, and their diversion useful."—Spectator, No. 10. "Who is applied to persons, or things personified."—Bullions.

   "With listless eyes the dotard views the store,
    He views, and wonders that they please no more."—Johnson.

EXCEPTION II.—TWO TERMS CONTRASTED.

When two connected words or phrases are contrasted, or emphatically distinguished, the comma is inserted; as, "The vain are easily obliged, and easily disobliged."—Kames.

"Liberal, not lavish, is kind Nature's hand."—Beattie.

"'Tis certain he could write, and cipher too."—Goldsmith.

EXCEPTION III.—ALTERNATIVE OF WORDS.

When there is merely an alternative of names, or an explanatory change of terms, the comma is usually inserted; as, "We saw a large opening, or inlet."—W. Allen. "Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles?"—Cor., ix, 5.

EXCEPTION IV.—CONJUNCTION UNDERSTOOD.

When the conjunction is understood, the comma is inserted; and, if two separated words or terms refer alike to a third term, the second requires a second comma: as, "Reason, virtue, answer one great aim."—L. Murray, Gram., p. 269.

"To him the church, the realm, their pow'rs consign."—Johnson.

    "She thought the isle that gave her birth.
    The sweetest, wildest land on earth."—Hogg.

RULE V.—WORDS IN PAIRS.

When successive words are joined in pairs by conjunctions, they should be separated in pairs by the comma; as, "Interest and ambition, honour and shame, friendship and enmity, gratitude and revenge, are the prime movers in public transactions."—W. Allen. "But, whether ingenious or dull, learned or ignorant, clownish or polite, every innocent man, without exception, has as good a right to liberty as to life."—Beattie's Moral Science, p. 313.

   "Then say how hope and fear, desire and hate,
    O'erspread with snares the crowded maze of fate."—Dr. Johnson.

RULE VI.—WORDS PUT ABSOLUTE.

Nouns or pronouns put absolute, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma; as, "The prince, his father being dead, succeeded."—"This done, we parted."—"Zaccheus, make haste and come down."—"His proctorship in Sicily, what did it produce?"—Cicero.

   "Wing'd with his fears, on foot he strove to fly,
    His steeds too distant, and the foe too nigh"
        —Pope, Iliad, xi, 440.

RULE VII.—WORDS IN APPOSITION.

Words in apposition, (especially if they have adjuncts,) are generally set off by the comma; as, "He that now calls upon thee, is Theodore, the hermit of Teneriffe."—Johnson. "LOWTH, Dr. Robert, bishop of London, born in 1710, died in 1787."—Biog. Dict. "HOME, Henry, lord Kames."—Ib.

   "What next I bring shall please thee, be assur'd,
    Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self,
    Thy wish exactly to thy heart's desire."—Milton, P. L., viii, 450.

"And he, their prince, shall rank among my peers."—Byron.

EXCEPTION I.—COMPLEX NAMES.

When several words, in their common order, are used as one compound name, the comma is not inserted; as, "Dr. Samuel Johnson,"—"Publius Gavius Cosanus."

EXCEPTION II.—CLOSE APPOSITION.

When a common and a proper name are closely united, the comma is not inserted; as, "The brook Kidron,"—"The river Don,"—"The empress Catharine,"—"Paul the Apostle."

EXCEPTION III.—PRONOUN WITHOUT PAUSE.

When a pronoun is added to an other word merely for emphasis and distinction, the comma is not inserted; as, "Ye men of Athens,"—"I myself,"—"Thou flaming minister,"—"You princes."

EXCEPTION IV.—NAMES ACQUIRED.

When a name acquired by some action or relation, is put in apposition with a preceding noun or pronoun, the comma is not inserted; as, "I made the ground my bed;"—"To make him king;"—"Whom they revered as God;"—"With modesty thy guide."—Pope.

RULE VIII.—ADJECTIVES.

Adjectives, when something depends on them, or when they have the import of a dependent clause, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma; as,

    1. ——————————————"Among the roots
      Of hazel, pendent o'er the plaintive stream,
      They frame the first foundation of their domes."—Thomson.

2. ————————————-"Up springs the lark, Shrill-voic'd and loud, the messenger of morn."—Id.

EXCEPTION.—ADJECTIVES RESTRICTIVE.

When an adjective immediately follows its noun, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma should not be used before it; as,

    ——"And on the coast averse
    From entrance or cherubic watch."—Milton, P. L., B. ix, l.