Chapter XCI: 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. 68.

RULE IX.--FINITE VERBS.

Where a finite verb is understood, a comma is generally required; as, "From law arises security; from security, curiosity; from curiosity, knowledge."--_Murray_.

"Else all my prose and verse were much the same;
This, prose on stilts; that, poetry fallen lame."--_Pope_.

EXCEPTION.--VERY SLIGHT PAUSE.

As the semicolon must separate the clauses when the comma is inserted by this rule, if the pause for the omitted verb be very slight, it may be left unmarked, and the comma be used for the clauses; as, "When the profligate speaks of piety, the miser of generosity, the coward of valour, and the corrupt of integrity, they are only the more despised by those who know them."--_Comstock's Elocution_, p. 132.

RULE X.--INFINITIVES.

The infinitive mood, when it follows a verb from which it must be separated, or when it depends on something remote or understood, is generally, with its adjuncts, set off by the comma; as, "One of the greatest secrets in composition is, _to know_ when to be simple."--_Jamieson's Rhet._, p. 151. "To confess the truth, I was much in fault."--_Murray's Gram._, p. 271.

"The Governor of all--has interposed,
Not seldom, his avenging arm, _to smite_
The injurious trampler upon nature's law."--_Cowper_.

RULE XI.--PARTICIPLES.

Participles, when something depends on them, when they have the import of a dependent clause, or when they relate to something understood, should, with their adjuncts, he set off by the comma; as, 1. "Law is a rule of civil conduct, _prescribed_ by the supreme power in a state, _commanding_ what is right, and _prohibiting_ what is wrong."--BLACKSTONE: _Beattie's Moral Science_, p. 346.

2. "Young Edwin, _lighted by the evening star,
Lingering and list'ning_ wander'd down the vale."--_Beattie_.

3. "_United_, we stand; _divided_, we fall."--_Motto_.

4. "_Properly speaking_, there is no such thing as chance."

EXCEPTION.--PARTICIPLES RESTRICTIVE.

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

"A man _renown'd for repartee_,
Will seldom scruple to make free
With friendship's finest feeling."--_Cowper_.

RULE XII.--ADVERBS. Adverbs, when they break the connexion of a simple sentence, or when they have not a close dependence on some particular word in the context, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma; as, "We must not, _however_, confound this gentleness with the artificial courtesy of the world."--"_Besides_, the mind must be employed."--_Gilpin_. "_Most unquestionably_, no fraud was equal to all this."--_Lyttelton_. "But, _unfortunately for us_, the tide was ebbing already."

"When buttress and buttress, _alternately_,
Seem framed of ebon and ivory."--_Scott's Lay_, p. 33.

RULE XIII.--CONJUNCTIONS.

Conjunctions, when they are separated from the principal clauses that depend on them, or when they introduce examples, are generally set off by the comma; _as_, "_But_, by a timely call upon Religion, the force of Habit was eluded."--_Johnson_.

"They know the neck that joins the shore and sea,
_Or_, ah! how chang'd that fearless laugh would be."--_Crabbe_.

RULE XIV.--PREPOSITIONS.

Prepositions and their objects, when they break the connexion of a simple sentence, or when they do not closely follow the words on which they depend, are generally set off by the comma; as, "Fashion is, _for the most part_, nothing but the ostentation of riches."--"_By reading_, we add the experience of others to our own."

"In vain the sage, _with retrospective eye_,
Would from th' apparent What conclude the Why."--_Pope_.

RULE XV.--INTERJECTIONS.

Interjections that require a pause, though more commonly emphatic and followed by the ecphoneme, are sometimes set off by the comma; as, "For, _lo_, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north."--_Jeremiah_, i, 15. "_O_, 'twas about something you would not understand."--_Columbian Orator_, p. 221. "_Ha, ha!_ you were finely taken in, then!"--_Aikin_. "_Ha, ha, ha!_ A facetious gentleman, truly!"--_Id._

"_Oh_, when shall Britain, conscious of her claim,
Stand emulous of Greek and Roman fame?"--_Pope_.

RULE XVI.--WORDS REPEATED.

A word emphatically repeated, is generally set off by the comma; as, "Happy, happy, happy pair!"--_Dryden_. "Ay, ay, there is some comfort in that."--_Shak_. "Ah! no, no, no."--_Dryden_.

"The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket,
The moss-covered bucket, which hung in the well!"--_Woodworth_.

RULE XVII.--DEPENDENT QUOTATIONS.

A quotation, observation, or description, when it is introduced in close dependence on a verb, (as, _say, reply, cry_, or the like,) is generally separated from the rest of the sentence by the comma; as, "'The book of nature,' said he, 'is before thee.'"--_Hawkesworth_. "I say unto all, Watch."--_Mark_. "'The boy has become a man,' means, 'he has _grown to be_ a man.' 'Such conduct becomes a man,' means, 'such conduct _befits_ him.'"--_Hart's Gram._, p. 116.

"While man exclaims, 'See all things for my use!'
'See man for mine!' replies a pamper'd goose."--_Pope_.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE PUNCTUATION.--ERRORS CONCERNING THE COMMA.

UNDER RULE I.--OF SIMPLE SENTENCES.

"Short, simple sentences should not be separated by a comma."--_Felton's Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 135; 3d Ed., Stereotyped, p. 137.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because a needless comma is put after _short_, the sentence being simple. But, according to Rule 1st for the Comma, "A simple sentence does not, in general, admit the comma." Therefore, this comma should be omitted; thus, "Short simple sentences should not be separated by a comma." Or, much better: "_A_ short simple _sentence_ should _rarely be divided_ by _the_ comma." For such sentences, combined to form a period, _should generally be separated_; and even a single one may have some phrase that must be set off.]

"A regular and virtuous education, is an inestimable blessing."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 174. "Such equivocal expressions, mark an intention to deceive."--_Ib._, p. 256. "They are, _This_ and _that_, with their plurals _these_ and _those_."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 26; _Practical Lessons_, p. 3. "A nominative case and a verb, sometimes make a complete sentence; as, He sleeps."--_Felton's Gram._, p. 78. "_Tense_, expresses the action connected with certain relations of time; _mood_, represents it as farther modified by circumstances of contingency, conditionally, &c."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 37. "The word Noun, means name."--_Ingersoll's Gram._, p. 14. "The present, or active participle, I explained then."--_Ib._, p. 97. "Are some verbs used, both transitively and intransitively?"--_Cooper's Pt. and Pract. Gram._, p. 54. "Blank verse, is verse without rhyme."--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 242. "A distributive adjective, denotes each one of a number considered separately."--_Ib._, p. 51.

"And may at last my weary age,
Find out the peaceful hermitage."
--_Murray's Gr._, 12mo, p. 205; 8vo, 255.

UNDER THE EXCEPTION CONCERNING SIMPLE SENTENCES.

"A noun without an Article to limit it is taken in its widest sense."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 8; _Practical Lessons_, p. 10.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is here set before the verb _is taken_. But, according to the Exception to Rule 1st for the Comma, "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." Therefore, a comma should be here inserted; thus, "A noun without an article to limit it, is taken in its widest sense."--_Lennie's Gram._, p. 6.]

"To maintain a steady course amid all the adversities of life marks a great mind."--_Day's District School Gram._, p. 84. "To love our Maker supremely and our neighbor as ourselves comprehends the whole moral law."--_Ibid._ "To be afraid to do wrong is true courage."--_Ib._, p. 85. "A great fortune in the hands of a fool is a great misfortune."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 89. "That he should make such a remark is indeed strange."--_Farnum, Practical Gram._, p. 30. "To walk in the fields and groves is delightful."--_Id., ib._ "That he committed the fault is most certain."--_Id., ib._ "Names common to all things of the same sort or class are called _Common nouns_; as, _man, woman, day_."--_Bullions, Pract. Les._, p. 12. "That it is our duty to be pious _admits_ not of any doubt."--_Id., E. Gram._, p. 118. "To endure misfortune with resignation is the characteristic of a great mind,"--_Id., ib._, p. 81. "The assisting of a friend in such circumstances was certainly a duty."--_Id., ib._, 81. "That a life of virtue is the safest is certain."--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 169. "A collective noun denoting the idea of unity should be represented by a pronoun of the singular number."--_Ib._, p. 167.

UNDER RULE II.--OF SIMPLE MEMBERS.

"When the sun had arisen the enemy retreated."--_Day's District School Gram._, p. 85.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma here separates the two simple members which compose the sentence. But, according to Rule 2d, "The simple members of a compound sentence, whether successive or involved, elliptical or complete, are generally divided by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be inserted after _arisen_; thus, "When the sun had arisen, the enemy retreated."]

"If he _become_ rich he may be less industrious."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 118. "The more I study grammar the better I like it."--_Id., ib._, p. 127. "There is much truth in the old adage that fire is a better servant than master."--_Id., ib._, p. 128. "The verb _do_, when used as an auxiliary gives force or emphasis to the expression."--_Day's Gram._, p. 39. "Whatsoever it is incumbent upon a man to do it is surely expedient to do well."--_J. Q. Adams's Rhetoric_, Vol. i, p. 46. "The soul which our philosophy divides into various capacities, is still one essence."--_Channing, on Self-Culture_, p. 15. "Put the following words in the plural and give the rule for forming it."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 19. "We will do it if you wish."--_Id., ib._, p. 29. "He who does well will be rewarded."--_Id., ib._, 29. "That which is always true is expressed in the present tense."--_Id., ib._, p. 119. "An observation which is always true must be expressed in the present tense."--_Id., Prin. of E. Gram._, p. 123. "That part of orthography which treats of combining letters to form syllables and words is called SPELLING."--_Day's Gram._, p. 8. "A noun can never be of the first person except it is in apposition with a pronoun of that person."--_Ib._, p. 14. "When two or more singular nouns or pronouns refer to the same object they require a singular verb and pronoun."--_Ib._, p. 80. "James has gone but he will return in a few days."--_Ib._, 89. "A pronoun should have the same person, number, and gender as the noun for which it stands."--_Ib._, 89 and 80. "Though he is out of danger he is still afraid."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 80. "She is his inferior in sense but his equal in prudence."--_Ib._, p. 81. "The man who has no sense of religion is little to be trusted."--_Ib._, 81. "He who does the most good has the most pleasure."--_Ib._, 81. "They were not in the most prosperous circumstances when we last saw them."--_Ib._, 81. "If the day continue pleasant I shall return."--_Felton's Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 22; Ster. Ed., 24. "The days that are past are gone for ever."--_Ib._, pp. 89 and 92. "As many as are friendly to the cause will sustain it."--_Ib._, 89 and 92. "Such as desire aid will receive it."--_Ib._, 89 and 92. "Who gave you that book which you prize so much?"--_Bullions, Pract. Lessons_, p. 32. "He who made it now preserves and governs it."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 83.

"Shall he alone, whom rational we call,
Be pleased with nothing if not blessed with all?"
--_Felton's Gram._, p. 126.

UNDER THE EXCEPTIONS CONCERNING SIMPLE MEMBERS.

"Newcastle is the town, in which Akenside was born."--_Bucke's Classical Gram._, p. 54.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because a needless comma here separates the restrictive relative _which_ from its antecedent _town_. But, according to Exception 1st to Rule 2d, "When a relative immediately follows its antecedent, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma should not be introduced before it." Therefore, this comma Should be omitted; thus, "Newcastle is the town in which Akenside was born."]

"The remorse, which issues in reformation, is true repentance."--_Campbell's Philos. of Rhet._, p. 255. "Men, who are intemperate, are destructive members of community."--_Alexander's Gram._, p. 93. "An active-transitive verb expresses an action, which extends to an object."--_Felton's Gram._, pp. 16 and 22. "They, to whom much is given, will have much to answer for."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 188. "The prospect, which we have, is charming."--_Cooper's Pl. and Pr. Gram._, p. 143. "He is the person, who informed me of the matter."--_Ib._, p. 134; _Cooper's Murray_, 120. "These are the trees, that produce no fruit."--_Ib._, 134; and 120. "This is the book, which treats of the subject."--_Ib._, 134; and 120. "The proposal was such, as pleased me."--_Cooper, Pl. and Pr. Gram._, p. 134. "Those, that sow in tears, shall reap in joy."--_Id., ib._, pp. 118 and 124; and _Cooper's Murray_, p. 141. "The pen, with which I write, makes too large a mark."--_Ingersoll's Gram._, p. 71. "Modesty makes large amends for the pain, it gives the persons, who labour under it, by the prejudice, it affords every worthy person in their favour."--_Ib._, p. 80. "Irony is a figure, whereby we plainly intend something very different from what our words express."--_Bucke's Gram._, p. 108. "Catachresis is a figure, whereby an improper word is used instead of a proper one."--_Ib._, p. 109. "The man, whom you met at the party, is a Frenchman."--_Frost's Practical Gram._, p. 155.

UNDER RULE III.--OF MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

"John, James and Thomas are here: that is, John _and_ James, &c."--_Cooper's Plain and Practical Grammar_, p. 153.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is here used after _James_, or after _Thomas_, or again after _John_, in the latter clause; the three nouns being supposed to be in the same construction, and all of them nominatives to the verb _are_. But, according to Rule 3d for the Comma, "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." Therefore, the comma should be inserted after each; thus, "John, James, and Thomas, are here: that is, John, _and_ James, and Thomas, are here."][463]

"Adverbs modify verbs adjectives and other adverbs."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 97. "To Nouns belong Person, Gender, Number and Case."--_Id., Practical Lessons_, p. 12. "Wheat, corn, rye, and oats are extensively cultivated."--_Id., ib._, p. 13. "In many, the definitions, rules and leading facts are prolix, inaccurate and confused."--_Finch's Report on Gram._, p. 3. "Most people consider it mysterious, difficult and useless."--_Ib._, p. 3. "His father and mother, and uncle reside at Rome."--_Farnum's Gram._, p. 11. "The relative pronouns are _who, which_ and _that_."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 29. "_That_ is sometimes a demonstrative, sometimes a relative and sometimes a conjunction."--_Id., ib._, p. 33. "Our reputation, virtue, and happiness greatly depend on the choice of our companions."--_Day's Gram._, p. 92. "The spirit of true religion is social, kind and cheerful."--_Felton's Gram._, p. 81. "_Do, be, have_ and _will_ are sometimes principal verbs."--_Ib._, p. 26. "John and Thomas and Peter reside at Oxford."--_Webster, Philos. Gram._, p. 142; _Improved Gram._, p. 96. "The most innocent pleasures are the most rational, the most delightful and the most durable."--_Id., ib._, pp. 215 and 151. "Love, joy, peace and blessedness are reserved for the good."--_Id., ib._, 215 and 151. "The husband, wife and children, suffered extremely."--_Murray's Gram._, 4th Am. Ed., 8vo, p. 269. "The husband, wife, and children suffer extremely."--_Sanborn's Analytical Gram._, p. 268. "He, you, and I have our parts assigned us."--_Ibid._

"He moaned, lamented, tugged and tried,
Repented, promised, wept and sighed."--_Felton's Gr._, p. 108.

UNDER RULE IV.--OF ONLY TWO WORDS.

"Disappointments derange, and overcome, vulgar minds."--_Murray's Exercises_, p. 15.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the two verbs here connected by _and_, are needlessly separated from each other, and from their object following. But, according to Rule 4th, "When only two words or terms are connected by a conjunction, they should not be separated by the comma." Therefore, these two commas should be omitted; thus, "Disappointments derange and overcome vulgar minds."]

"The hive of a city, or kingdom, is in the best condition, when there is the least noise or buzz in it."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 171. "When a direct address is made, the noun, or pronoun, is in the nominative case independent."--_Ingersoll's Gram._, p. 88. "The verbs _love_ and _teach_, make _loved_, and _taught_, in the imperfect and participle."--_Ib._, p. 97. "Neither poverty, nor riches were injurious to him."--_Cooper's Pl. and Pr. Gram._, p. 133. "Thou, or I am in fault."--_Wright's Gram._, p. 136. "A verb is a word that expresses action, or being."--_Day's District School Gram._, pp. 11 and 61. "The Objective Case denotes the object of a verb, or a preposition."--_Ib._, pp. 17 and 19. "Verbs of the second conjugation may be either transitive, or intransitive."--_Ib._, p. 41. "Verbs of the fourth conjugation may be either transitive, or intransitive."--_Ib._, 41. "If a verb does not form its past indicative by adding _d_, or _ed_ to the indicative present, it is said to be _irregular_."--_Ib._, 41. "The young lady is studying rhetoric, and logic."--_Cooper's Pl. and Pr. Gram._, p. 143. "He writes, and speaks the language very correctly."--_Ib._, p. 148. "Man's happiness, or misery, is, in a great measure, put into his own hands."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 183. "This accident, or characteristic of nouns, is called their _Gender_."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, 1843, p. 195.

"Grant that the powerful still the weak controul;
Be Man the Wit, and Tyrant of the whole."
--POPE: _Brit. Poets_, vi, 375.

UNDER EXCEPTION I.--TWO WORDS WITH ADJUNCTS.

"Franklin is justly considered the ornament of the new world and the pride of modern philosophy."--_Day's District School Gram._, p. 88.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the words _ornament_ and _pride_, each of which has adjuncts, are here connected by _and_ without a comma before it. But, according to Exception 1st to Rule 4th, "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." Therefore, a comma should be set before _and_; thus, "Franklin is justly considered the ornament of the New World, and the pride of modern philosophy."]

"Levity and attachment to worldly pleasures, destroy the sense of gratitude to him."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 183. "In the following Exercise, point out the adjectives and the substantives which they qualify."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 100. "When a noun or pronoun is used to explain or give emphasis to a preceding noun or pronoun."--_Day's Gram._, p. 87. "Superior talents and _briliancy_ of intellect do not always constitute a great man."--_Ib._, p. 92. "A word that makes sense after an _article_ or the phrase _speak of_, is a noun."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 12. "All feet used in poetry, are reducible to eight kinds; four of two syllables and four of three."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 123. "He would not do it himself nor let me do it."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 113.[464] "The old writers give examples of the subjunctive mode and give other modes to explain what is meant by the words in the subjunctive."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 352.

UNDER EXCEPTION II.--TWO TERMS CONTRASTED.

"We often commend as well as censure imprudently."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p. 214. "It is as truly a violation of the right of property, to take little as to take much; to purloin a book, or a penknife, as to steal money; to steal fruit as to steal a horse; to defraud the revenue as to rob my neighbour; to overcharge the public as to overcharge my brother; to cheat the postoffice as to cheat my friend."--_Wayland's Moral Science_, 1st Edition, p. 254. "The classification of verbs has been and still is a vexed question."--_Bullions, E. Grammar_, Revised Edition, p. 200. "Names applied only to individuals of a sort or class and not common to all, are called _Proper Nouns_."--_Id., Practical Lessons_, p. 12. "A hero would desire to be loved as well as to be reverenced."--_Day's Gram._, p. 108. "Death or some worse misfortune now divides them."--_Cooper's Pl. and Pr. Gram._, p. 133. "Alexander replied, 'The world will not permit two suns nor two sovereigns.'"--_Goldsmith's Greece_, Vol. ii, p. 113.

"From nature's chain, whatever link you strike,
Tenth or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike."
--_Felton's Gram._, p. 131.

UNDER EXCEPTION III.--ALTERNATIVE OF WORDS.

"_Metre_ or _Measure_ is the number of poetical feet which a verse contains."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 123. "The _Cæsura_ or _division_, is the pause which takes place in a verse, and which divides it into two parts."--_Ib._, 123. "It is six feet or one fathom deep."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 113. "A BRACE is used in poetry at the end of a triplet or three lines which rhyme together."--_Felton's Gram._, p. 142. "There are four principal kinds of English verse or poetical feet."--_Ib._, p. 143. "The period or full stop denotes the end of a complete sentence."--_Sanborn's Analytical Gram._, p. 271. "The scholar is to receive as many _jetons_ or counters as there are words in the sentence."--_St. Quentin's Gram._, p. 16. "_That_ [thing] or _the thing which_ purifies, fortifies also the heart."--_Peirce's Gram._, p. 74. "_That thing_ or _the thing which_ would induce a laxity in public or private morals, or indifference to guilt and wretchedness, should be regarded as the deadly Sirocco."--_Ib._, 74. "What is elliptically _what thing_ or _that thing which_."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 99. "_Demonstrate_ means _show_ or _point out precisely_."--_Ib._, p. 139. "_The_ man or _that_ man, who endures to the end, shall be saved."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 73. UNDER EXCEPTION IV.--A SECOND COMMA.

"Reason, passion answer one great end."--_Bullions's E. Gram._, p. 152; _Hiley's_, p. 112. "Reason, virtue answer one great aim."--_Cooper's Pl. and Pract. Gram._, p. 194; _Butler's_, 204. "Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above."--_Felton's Gram._, p. 90. "Every plant, and every tree produces others after its kind."--_Day's Gram._, p. 91. "James, and not John was paid for his services."--_Ib._, 91. "The single dagger, or obelisk [Dagger] is the second."--_Ib._, p. 113. "It was I, not he that did it."--_St. Quentin's Gram._, p. 152. "Each aunt, (and) each cousin hath her speculation."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 139. "'I shall see you _when_ you come,' is equivalent to 'I shall see you _then_, or _at that time_ when you come.'"--_Butler's Pract. Gram._, p. 121.

"Let wealth, let honour wait the wedded dame,
August her deed, and sacred be her fame."--_Pope_, p. 334.

UNDER RULE V.--OF WORDS IN PAIRS.

"My hopes and fears, joys and sorrows centre in you."--B. GREENLEAF: _Sanborn's Gram._, p. 268.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma here separates the second pair of nominatives from the verb. But, according to Rule 5th, "When successive words are joined in pairs by conjunctions, they should be separated in pairs by the comma." Therefore, an other comma should be inserted after _sorrows_; thus, "My hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, centre in you."]

"This mood implies possibility, or liberty, will, or obligation."--_Ingersoll's Gram._, p. 113. "Substance is divided into Body, and Spirit into Extended and Thinking."--_Brightland's Gram._, p. 253. "These consonants, [_d_ and _t_,] like _p_, and _b, f_, and _v, k_, and hard _g_, and _s_, and _z_, are letters of the same organ."--_Walkers Dict._, p. 41: _Principles_, No. 358. "Neither fig nor twist pigtail nor cavendish have passed my lips since, nor ever shall they again."--_Boston Cultivator_, Vol. vii, p. 36. "The words WHOEVER, or WHOSOEVER, WHICHEVER, or WHICHSOEVER, and WHATEVER, or WHATSOEVER are called COMPOUND RELATIVE PRONOUNS."--_Day's Gram._, p. 23. "Adjectives signifying profit or disprofit, likeness or unlikeness govern the dative."--_Bullions, Lat. Gram._, 12th Ed., 215.

UNDER RULE VI.--OF WORDS ABSOLUTE.

"Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 135.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is here set after _staff_, which, with the noun _rod_, is put absolute by pleonasm. But, according to Rule 6th, "Nouns or pronouns put absolute, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be here inserted; thus, "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."--_Psalm_ xxiii, 4.]

"Depart ye wicked."--_Wright's Gram._, p. 70. "He saith to his mother, Woman behold thy son."--_Gurney's Portable Evidences_, p. 44. "Thou God seest me."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 9; _Practical Lessons_, p. 13. "Thou, God seest me."--_Id., E. Gram._, Revised Ed., p. 195. "John write me a letter. Henry go home."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 356. "John; write a letter. Henry; go home."--_Ib._, p. 317. "Now, G. Brown; let us reason together."--_Ib._, p. 326. "Smith: You say on page 11, the objective case denotes the object."--_Ib._, p. 344. "Gentlemen: will you always speak as you mean?"--_Ib._, p. 352. "John: I sold my books to William for his brothers."--_Ib._, p. 47. "Walter and Seth: I will take my things, and leave yours."--_Ib._, p. 69. "Henry: Julia and Jane left their umbrella, and took yours."--_Ib._, p. 73. "John; harness the horses and go to the mine for some coal. William; run to the store for a few pounds of tea."--_Ib._, p. 160. "The king being dead the parliament was dissolved."--_Chandler's Gram._, p. 119.

"Cease fond nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life."--_Bullions's E. Gram._, p. 173.

"Forbear great man, in arms renown'd, forbear."--_Ib._, p. 174.

"Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind,
Each prayer accepted and each wish resign'd."--_Hiley's Gr._, p. 123.

UNDER RULE VII.--WORDS IN APPOSITION.

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice," &c.--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 200.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is here set after the pronoun _We_, with which the word _people_, which has adjuncts, is in apposition. But, according to Rule 7th, "Words in apposition, (especially if they have adjuncts,) are generally set off by the comma." Therefore, an other comma should be here inserted; thus, "We, the people of the United States," &c.]

"The Lord, the covenant God of his people requires it."--_Anti-Slavery Magazine_, Vol. i, p. 73. "He as a patriot deserves praise."--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 124. "Thomson the watchmaker and jeweller from London, was of the party."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 128. "Every body knows that the person here spoken of by the name of _the conqueror_, is William duke of Normandy."--_Murray's Gram._, 8vo, p. 33. "The words _myself, thyself, himself, herself_, and their plurals _ourselves, yourselves_, and _themselves_ are called Compound Personal Pronouns."--_Day's Gram._, p. 22.

"For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey,
This pleasing anxious being e'er resign'd,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
Nor cast one longing, ling'ring look behind?"--_U. Poems_, p. 68.

UNDER EXCEPTIONS CONCERNING APPOSITION.

"Smith and Williams' store; Nicholas, the emperor's army."--_Day's Gram._, p. 17. "He was named William, the conqueror."--_Ib._, p. 80. "John, the Baptist, was beheaded."--_Ib._, p. 87. "Alexander, the coppersmith, did me great harm."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 126. "A nominative in immediate apposition; as, 'The boy, _Henry_, speaks.'"--_Smart's Accidence_, p. 29. "A noun objective can be in apposition with some other; as, 'I teach the boy, _Henry_.'"--_Ib._, p. 30.

UNDER RULE VIII.--OF ADJECTIVES.

"But he found me, not singing at my work ruddy with health vivid with cheerfulness; but pale and dejected, sitting on the ground, and chewing opium."

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the phrases, "_ruddy with health_," and "_vivid with cheerfulness_," which begin with adjectives, are not here _commaed_. But, according to Rule 8th, "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." Therefore, two other commas should be here inserted; thus, "But he found me, not singing at my work, ruddy with health, vivid with cheerfulness; but pale," &c.--_Dr. Johnson_.]

"I looked up, and beheld an inclosure beautiful as the gardens of paradise, but of a small extent."--See _Key._ "_A_ is an article, indefinite and belongs to '_book_.'"--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 10. "The first expresses the rapid movement of a troop of horse over the plain eager for the combat."--_Id., Lat. Gram._, p. 296. "He [, the Indian chieftain, King Philip,] was a patriot, attached to his native soil; a prince true to his subjects and indignant of their wrongs; a soldier daring in battle firm in adversity patient of fatigue, of hunger, of every variety of bodily suffering and ready to perish in the cause he had espoused."--See _Key_.

"For thee, who mindful of th' unhonour'd dead
Dost in these lines their artless tale relate."
--_Union Poems_, p. 68.

"Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest:
Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood."
--_Day's Gram._, p. 117.

"Idle after dinner in his chair
Sat a farmer ruddy, fat, and fair."
--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 125.

UNDER THE EXCEPTION CONCERNING ADJECTIVES.

"When an attribute becomes a title, or is emphatically applied to a name, it follows it; as Charles, the Great; Henry, the First; Lewis, the Gross."--_Webster's Philos. Gram._, p. 153; _Improved Gram._, p. 107. "Feed me with food, convenient for me."--_Cooper's Practical Gram._, p. 118. "The words and phrases, necessary to exemplify every principle progressively laid down, will be found strictly and exclusively adapted to the illustration of the principles to which they are referred."--_Ingersoll's Gram., Pref._, p. x. "The _Infinitive Mode_ is that form of the verb which expresses action or being, unlimited by person, or number."--_Day's Gram._, p. 35. "A man, diligent in his business, prospers."--_Frost's Practical Gram._, p. 113.

"O wretched state! oh bosom, black as death!"
--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 118.

"O, wretched state! O, bosom, black as death!"
--_Singer's Shak._, Vol. ii, p. 494.

UNDER RULE IX.--OF FINITE VERBS.

"The Singular denotes _one_; the Plural _more_ than one."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 12; _Pract. Lessons_, p. 16; _Lennie's Gram._, p. 7.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is here set after _Plural_, where the verb _denotes_ is understood. But, according to Rule 9th, "Where a finite verb is understood, a comma is generally required." Therefore, a comma should be inserted at the place mentioned; thus, "The Singular denotes _one_; the Plural, _more_ than one."]

"The _comma_ represents the shortest pause; the _semicolon_ a pause longer than the comma; the _colon_ longer than the semicolon; and the _period_ longer than the colon."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 111. "The comma represents the shortest pause; the semicolon a pause double that of the comma; the colon, double that of the semicolon; and the period, double that of the colon."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 151; _Pract. Lessons_, p. 127. "Who is applied only to persons; which to animals and things; what to things only; and that to persons, animals, and things."--_Day's Gram._, p. 23. "_A_ or _an_ is used before the singular number only; _the_ before either singular or plural."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 10. "Homer was the greater genius; Virgil the better artist."--_Day's Gram._, p. 96. "Homer was the greater genius, Virgil the better artist."--POPE'S PREFACE: _British Poets_, Vol. vi, p. viii. "Words are formed of syllables; syllables of letters."--_St. Quentin's General Gram._, p. 2. "The Conjugation of an active verb is styled the ACTIVE VOICE; and that of a passive verb the PASSIVE VOICE."--_Frost's El. of E. Gram._, p. 19. "The CONJUGATION of an active verb is styled the ACTIVE VOICE, and that of a passive verb the PASSIVE VOICE."--_Smith's New. Gram._, p. 171. "The possessive is sometimes called the genitive case; and the objective the accusative."--_L. Murray's Gram._, 12mo, p. 44. "Benevolence is allied to few vices; selfishness to fewer virtues."--_Kames, Art of Thinking_, p. 40. "Orthography treats of Letters, Etymology of Words, Syntax of Sentences, and Prosody of Versification."--_Hart's English Gram._, p. 21.

"Earth praises conquerors for shedding blood;
Heaven those that love their foes, and do them good."--See _Key_.

UNDER RULE X.--OF INFINITIVES.

"His business is to observe the agreement or disagreement of words."--_Bullions, E. Grammar_, Revised Edition, p. 189.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma here divides _to observe_ from the preceding verb. But, according to Rule 10th, "The infinitive mood, when it follows a verb from which it must be separated, or when it depends on something remote or understood, is generally, with its adjuncts, set off by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be inserted after _is_; thus, "His business is, to observe the agreement or disagreement of words."]

"It is a mark of distinction to be made a member of this society."-- _Farnum's Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 25; 2d Ed., p. 23. "To distinguish the conjugations let the pupil observe the following rules."--_Day's D. S. Gram._, p. 40. "He was now sent for to preach before the Parliament."-- _Life of Dr. J. Owen_, p. 18. "It is incumbent on the young to love and honour their parents."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 83. "It is the business of every man to prepare for death."--_Id., ib._, 83. "It argued the sincerest candor to make such an acknowledgement."--_Id., ib._, p. 115. "The proper way is to complete the construction of the first member, and leave that of the second understood."--_Ib., ib._, p. 125. "ENEMY is a name. It is a term of distinction given to a certain person to show the character in which he is represented."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 23. "The object of this is to preserve the soft sound of _c_ and _g_."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 29. "The design of grammar is to facilitate the _reading, writing_, and _speaking_ of a language."--_Barrett's Gram._, 10th Ed., Pref., p. iii. "Four kinds of type are used in the following pages to indicate the portions that are considered more or less elementary."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 3.

UNDER RULE XI.--OF PARTICIPLES.

"The chancellor being attached to the king secured his crown."--_Wright's Gram._, p. 114.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the phrase, "being attached to the king," is not _commaed_. But, according to Rule 11th, "Participles, when something depends on them, when they have the import of a dependent clause, or when they relate to something understood, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma." Therefore, two commas should be here inserted; thus, "The chancellor, being attached to the king, secured his crown."--_Murray's Gram._, p. 66.]

"The officer having received his orders, proceeded to execute them."-- _Day's Gram._, p. 108. "Thus used it is in the present tense."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, Revised Ed., p. 33. "The _Imperfect_ tense has three distinct forms corresponding to those of the present tense."--_Id., ib._, p. 40. "Every possessive case is governed by some noun denoting the thing possessed."--_Id., ib._, p. 87. "The word _that_ used as a conjunction is preceded by a comma."--_Id., ib._, p. 154. "His narrative being composed upon such good authority, deserves credit."--_Cooper's Pl. and Pr. Gram._, p. 97. "The hen being in her nest, was killed and eaten there by the eagle."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo. p. 252. "Pronouns being used instead of nouns are subject to the same modifications."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 92. "When placed at the beginning of words they are consonants."--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 14. "Man starting from his couch, shall sleep no more."--_Ib._, p. 222. "_His_ and _her_ followed by a noun are possessive pronouns: not followed by a noun they are personal pronouns."--_Bullions, Practical Lessons_, p. 33.

"He with viny crown advancing,
First to the lively pipe his hand addressed."--_Id., E. Gram._, p. 83.

UNDER THE EXCEPTION CONCERNING PARTICIPLES.

"But when they convey the idea of many, acting individually, or separately, they are of the plural number."--_Day's Gram._, p. 15. "Two or more singular antecedents, connected by _and_ require verbs and pronouns of the plural number."--_Ib._, pp. 80 and 91. "Words ending in _y_, preceded by a consonant, change _y_ into _i_ when a termination is added."--_Butlers Gram._, p. 11. "A noun, used without an article to limit it, is generally taken in its widest sense."--_Ingersoll's Gram._, p. 30. "Two nouns, meaning the same person or thing, frequently come together."--_Bucke's Gram._, p. 89. "Each one must give an account to God for the use, or the abuse of the talents, committed to him."--_Coopers Pl. and Pract. Gram._, p. 133. "Two vowels, united in one sound, form a diphthong."--_Frost's El. of Gram._, p. 6. "Three vowels, united in one sound, form a triphthong."--_Ib._ "Any word, joined to an adverb, is a secondary adverb."--_Barrett's Revised Gram._, p. 68. "The person, spoken to, is put in the Second person. The person, spoken of, in the Third person."--_Cutler's Gram._, p. 14. "A man, devoted to his business, prospers."--_Frost's Pr. Gram._, p. 113.

UNDER RULE XII.--OF ADVERBS.

"So in indirect questions; as, 'Tell me _when_ he will come.'"--_Butler's Gram._, p. 121.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the adverb _So_ is not set off by the comma. But according to Rule 12th, "Adverbs, when they break the connexion of a simple sentence, or when they have not a close dependence on some particular word in the context, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be inserted after _So_; thus, "So, in indirect questions; as," &c.]

"Now when the verb tells what one person or thing does to another, the verb is transitive."--_Bullions, Pract. Les._, p 37. "Agreeably to your request I send this letter."--_Id., E. Gram._, p. 141. "There seems therefore, to be no good reason for giving them a different classification."--_Id., E. Gram._, p. 199. "Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls."--ALGER'S BIBLE: _Matt._, xiii, 45. "Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea."--_Ib, ib._, verse 47. "_Cease_ however, is used as a transitive verb by our best writers."--_Webster's Philos. Gram._, p. 171. "Time admits of three natural divisions, namely: Present, Past, and Future."--_Day's Gram._, p. 37. "There are three kinds of comparison, namely: regular, irregular, and adverbial."--_Ib._, p. 31. "There are five Personal Pronouns namely: _I, thou, he, she_, and _it_."--_Ib._, p. 22. "Nouns have three cases, viz. the Nominative, Possessive, and Objective."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 16; _P. Lessons_, p. 19. "Hence in studying Grammar, we have to study words."--_Frazee's Gram._, p. 18. "Participles like Verbs relate to Nouns and Pronouns."--_Miller's Ready Grammarian_, p. 23. "The time of the participle like that of the infinitive is estimated from the time of the leading verb."--_Bullions, Lat. Gram._, p. 97.

"The dumb shall sing the lame his crutch forego,
And leap exulting like the bounding roe."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 123.

UNDER RULE XIII.--OF CONJUNCTIONS.

"But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them."--FRIENDS' BIBLE, and SMITH'S: _Matt._, xiii, 29.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is inserted after _lest_. But, according to Rule 13th, "Conjunctions, when they are separated from the principal clauses that depend on them, or when they introduce examples, are generally set off by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be put after the word _lest_; thus, "But he said, Nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them."--SCOTT'S BIBLE, ALGER'S, BRUCE'S.]

"Their intentions were good; but wanting prudence, they missed the mark at which they aimed."--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, Vol. ii, p. 221. "The verb _be_ often separates the name from its attribute; as war is expensive."-- _Webster's Philos. Gram._, p. 153. "_Either_ and _or_ denote an alternative; as 'I will take _either_ road at your pleasure.'"--_Ib._, p. 63; _Imp. Gram._, 45. "_Either_ is also a substitute for a name; as '_Either_ of the roads is good.'"--_Webster, both Grams._, 63 and 45. "But alas! I fear the consequence."--_Day's Gram._, p. 74. "Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?"--_Scott's Bible, and Smith's_. "Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?"--_Smiths Bible_. "The infinitive sometimes performs the office of a nominative case, as 'To enjoy is to obey.'--POPE."--_Cutler's Gram._, p. 62. "The plural is commonly formed by adding _s_ to the singular, as _book, books_."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 12. "As 'I _were_ to blame, if I did it.'"--_Smart's Accidence_, p. 16.

"Or if it be thy will and pleasure
Direct my plough to find a treasure."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 124.

"Or if it be thy will and pleasure,
Direct my plough to find a treasure."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 185.

UNDER RULE XIV.--OF PREPOSITIONS.

"Pronouns agree with the nouns for which they stand in gender, number, and person."--_Butler's Practical Gram._, pp. 141 and 148; _Bullions's Analyt. and Pract. Gram._, p. 150.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the preposition _in_ has not the comma before it, as the text requires. But, according to Rule 14th, "Prepositions and their objects, when they break the connexion of a simple sentence, or when they do not closely follow the words on which they depend, are generally set off by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be here inserted; thus, "Pronouns agree with the nouns for which they stand, in gender, number, and person." Or the words may be transposed, and the comma set before _with_; thus, "Pronouns agree _in_ gender, number, and person, _with_ the nouns for which they stand."]

"In the first two examples the antecedent is _person_, or something equivalent; in the last it is _thing_."--_Butler_, ib., p. 53. "In what character he was admitted is unknown."--_Ib._, p. 55. "To what place he was going is not known."--_Ib._, p. 55. "In the preceding examples _John, Cæsar_, and _James_ are the subjects."--_Ib._, p. 59. "_Yes_ is generally used to denote assent in _the_ answer to a question."--_Ib._, p. 120. "_That_ in its origin is the passive participle of the Anglo-Saxon verb _thean, to take_"--_Ib._, p. 127. "But in all these sentences _as_ and _so_ are _adverbs_."--_Ib._, p. 127. "After an interjection or exclamatory sentence is placed the mark of exclamation."--_Blair's Gram._, p. 116. "Intransitive verbs from their nature can have no distinction of voice."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 30. "To the inflection of verbs belong Voices, Moods, Tenses, Numbers, and Persons."--_Id._, ib., p. 33; _Pract. Lessons_, p. 41. "_As_ and _so_ in the antecedent member of a comparison are properly adverbs."--_Id., E. Gram._, p. 113. "In the following Exercise point out the words in apposition."--_Id., P. Lessons_, p. 103. "In the following Exercise point out the noun or pronoun denoting the possessor."-- _Id., ib._, p. 105. "_Its_ is not found in the Bible except by misprint."--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 68. "No one's interest is concerned except mine."--_Ib._, p. 70. "In most of the modern languages there are four concords."--_St. Quentin's Gen. Gram._, p. 143. "In illustration of these remarks let us suppose a case."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 104. "On the right management of the emphasis depends the life of pronunciation."-- _Ib._, p. 172; _Murray's_, 8vo, p. 242.

UNDER RULE XV.--OF INTERJECTIONS.

"Behold he is in the desert."--SCOTT'S BIBLE: _Matt._, xxiv, 26.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the interjection _Behold_, which has usually a comma after it in Scripture, has here no point. But, according to Rule 15th, "Interjections that require a pause, though more commonly emphatic and followed by the ecphoneme, are sometimes set off by the comma." In this instance, a comma should be used; thus, "Behold, he is in the desert."--_Common Bible_.]

"And Lot said unto them, Oh not so my Lord."--SCOTT'S BIBLE: _Gen._, xix, 18. "Oh let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."--SCOTT: _Gen._, xix, 20. "Behold! I come quickly.--BIBLE."--_Day's Gram._, p. 74. "Lo! I am with you always."--_Day's Gram._, pp. 10 and 73. "And lo! I am with you always."--_Ib._, pp. 78 and 110. "And lo, I am with you alway."--SCOTT'S BIBLE, and BRUCE'S: _Matt._, xxviii, 20. "Ha! ha! ha! how laughable that is."--_Bullions, Pract. Les._, p. 83. "Interjections of _Laughter_,--Ha! he! hi! ho!"--_Wright's Gram._, p. 121.

UNDER RULE XVI.--OF WORDS REPEATED.

"Lend lend your wings! I mount! I fly!"--_Example varied_.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the repeated word _lend_ has here no comma. But, according to Rule 16th, "A word emphatically repeated, is generally set off by the comma." In this instance, a comma is required after the former _lend_, but not after the latter; thus,

"Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!"--_Pope's Poems_, p. 317.

]

"To bed to bed to bed. There is a knocking at the gate. Come come come. What is done cannot be undone. To bed to bed to bed."--See _Burgh's Speaker_, p. 130. "I will roar, that the duke shall cry, Encore encore let him roar let him roar once more once more."--See ib., p. 136.

"Vital spark of heav'nly flame,
Quit oh quit this mortal frame."--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 126.

"Vital spark of heav'nly flame,
Quit, oh quit, this mortal frame!"--_Bullions, E. Gr._, p. 172.

"O the pleasing pleasing Anguish,
When we love, and when we languish."--_Ward's Gram._, p. 161.

"Praise to God immortal praise
For the love that crowns our days!"--_Hiley's Gram._, p. 124.

UNDER RULE XVII.--OF DEPENDENT QUOTATIONS.

"Thus, of an infant, we say '_It_ is a lovely creature.'"--_Bullions, Prin. of E. Gram._, p. 12.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because no comma is here inserted between _say_ and the citation which follows. But, according to Rule 17th, "A quotation, observation, or description, when it is introduced in close dependence on a verb, (as, _say, reply, cry_, or the like.) is generally separated from the rest of the sentence by the comma." Therefore, a comma should be put after _say_; as, "Thus, of an infant, we say, '_It_ is a lovely creature.'"]

"No being can state a falsehood in saying _I am_; for no one can utter it, if it is not true."--_Cardell's Gram._, 18mo, p. 118. "I know they will cry out against this and say 'should he pay, means if he should pay.'"--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 352. "For instance, when we say '_the house is building_,' the advocates of the new theory ask, 'building _what_?' We might ask in turn, when you say 'the field ploughs well,' ploughs _what_? 'Wheat sells well,' sells _what_? If _usage_ allows us to say 'wheat _sells_ at a dollar' in a sense that is not active, why may it not also allow us to say 'wheat _is selling_ at a dollar' in a sense that is not active?"--_Hart's English Gram._, p. 76. "_Man_ is accountable, equals _mankind_ are accountable."--_S. Barrett's Revised Gram._, p. 37. "Thus, when we say 'He may be reading,' _may_ is the real verb; the other parts are verbs by name only."--_Smart's English Accidence_, p. 8. "Thus we say _an apple, an hour_, that two vowel sounds may not come together."--_Ib._, p. 27. "It would be as improper to say _an unit_, as to say _an youth_; to say _an one_, as to say _an wonder_."--_Ib._, p. 27. "When we say 'He died for the truth,' _for_ is a preposition."--_Ib._, p. 28. "We do not say 'I might go yesterday,' but 'I might have gone yesterday.'"--_Ib._, p. 11. "By student, we understand one who has by matriculation acquired the rights of academical citizenship; but, by bursché, we understand one who has already spent a certain time at the university."--_Howitt's Student-Life in Germany_, p. 27.