Chapter XCVI: Section VI: The Eroteme

The Eroteme, or Note of Interrogation, is used to designate a question.

RULE I.--QUESTIONS DIRECT.

Questions expressed directly as such, if finished, should always be followed by the note of interrogation; as, "Was it possible that virtue so exalted should be erected upon injustice? that the proudest and the most ambitious of mankind should be the great master and accomplished pattern of humility? that a doctrine so pure as the Gospel should be the work of an uncommissioned pretender? that so perfect a system of morals should be established on blasphemy?"--_Jerningham's Essay_, p. 81.

"In life, can love be bought with gold?
Are friendship's pleasures to be sold?"--_Johnson_.

RULE II.--QUESTIONS UNITED.

When two or more questions are united in one compound sentence, the comma, semicolon, or dash, is sometimes used to separate them, and the eroteme occurs after the last only; as, 1. "When--under what administration--under what exigencies of war or peace--did the Senate ever before deal with such a measure in such a manner? Never, sir, never."--_D. Webster, in Congress_, 1846.

2. "Canst thou, and honour'd with a Christian name,
Buy what is woman-born, and feel no shame;
Trade in the blood of innocence, and plead
Expedience as a warrant for the deed?"--_Cowper_.

3. "Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land?
All fear, none aid you, and few understand."--_Pope_.

RULE III.--QUESTIONS INDIRECT.

When a question is mentioned, but not put directly as a question, it loses both the quality and the sign of interrogation; as, "The Cyprians asked me _why I wept_."--_Murray_.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.--The value of the eroteme as a sign of pause, is stated very differently by different grammarians; while many of the vast multitude, by a strange oversight, say nothing about it. It is unquestionably _variable_, like that of the dash, or of the ecphoneme. W. H. Wells says, "The comma requires a momentary pause; the semicolon, a pause somewhat longer than the comma; the colon, a pause somewhat longer than the semicolon; and the period, a full stop. The note of interrogation, or the note of exclamation, _may take the place of_ EITHER _of these_, and accordingly requires a pause of the same length as the point for which it is substituted."--_Wells's School Gram._, p. 175. This appears to be accurate in idea, though perhaps hardly so in language. Lindley Murray has stated it thus: "The interrogation and exclamation points are _intermediate_ 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."--_Octavo Gram._, p. 280. But Sanborn, in regard to his "_Question Point_," awkwardly says: "_This pause_ is generally _some longer_ than that of a period."--_Analytical Gram._, p. 271. Buchanan, as long ago as 1767, taught as follows: "The Pause after the two Points of Interrogation and Admiration ought to be equal to that of the Period, or a Colon at least."--_English Syntax_, p. 160. And J. S. Hart avers, that, "A question is reckoned as equal to a complete sentence, and the mark of interrogation as equal to a period."--_Hart's English Gram._, p. 166. He says also, that, "the first word after a note of interrogation should begin with a capital."--_Ib._, p. 162. In some instances, however, he, like others, has not adhered to these exceptionable principles, as may be seen by the false grammar cited below.

OBS. 2.--Sometimes a series of questions may be severally complete in sense, so that each may require the interrogative sign, though some or all of them may be so united in construction, as not to admit either a long intermediate pause or an initial capital; as, "Is there no honor in generosity? nor in preferring the lessons of conscience to the impulses of passion? nor in maintaining the supremacy of moral principle, and in paying reverence to Christian truth?"--_Gannett_. "True honour is manifested in a steady, uniform train of actions, attended by justice, and directed by prudence. Is this the conduct of the duellist? will justice support him in robbing the community of an able and useful member? and in depriving the poor of a benefactor? will it support him in preparing affliction for the widow's heart? in filling the orphan's eyes with tears?"--_Jerningham's Essay_, p. 113. But, in this latter example, perhaps, commas might be substituted for the second and fourth erotemes; and the word _will_ might, in both instances, begin with a capital.

OBS. 3.--When a question is mentioned in its due form, it commonly retains the sign of interrogation, though not actually asked by the writer; and, except perhaps when it consists of some little interrogative word or phrase, requires the initial capital: as, "To know when this point ought to be used, do not say:[,] 'Is a question asked?' but, 'Does the sentence ask a question?'"--_Churchill's Gram._, p. 368. "They put their huge inarticulate question, 'What do you mean to do with us?' in a manner audible to every reflective soul in the kingdom."--_Carlyle's Past and Present_, p. 16. "An adverb may be generally known, by its answering to the question, How? how much? when? or where? as, in the phrase, 'He reads _correctly_,' the answer to the question, How does he read? is _correctly_."--_L. Murray's Gram._, p. 28. This passage, which, without ever arriving at great accuracy, has been altered by Murray and others in ways innumerable, is everywhere exhibited with five interrogation points. But, as to capitals and commas, as well as the construction of words, it would seem no easy matter to determine what impression of it is nearest right. In Flint's Murray it stands thus: "An adverb may generally be known by its answering the question, How? How much? When? or Where? As in the phrase, 'He reads _correctly_. The answer to the question, 'How does he read?' is, '_correctly_.'" Such questions, when the pause is slight, do not, however, in all cases, require capitals: as,

"_Rosal_. Which of the visors was it, that you wore?
_Biron_. Where? when? what visor? why demand you this?"
_Shakspeare, Love's Labour Lost_, Act V, Sc. 2.

OBS. 4.--A question is sometimes put in the form of a mere declaration; its interrogative character depending solely on the eroteme, and the tone, or inflection of voice, adopted in the utterance: as, "I suppose, Sir, you are his apothecary?"--SWIFT: _Burgh's Speaker_, p. 85. "I hope, you have, upon no account, promoted sternutation by hellebore?"--_Id., ib._ "This priest has no pride in him?"--SINGER'S SHAK., _Henry_ VIII, ii, 2.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE PUNCTUATION.--ERRORS CONCERNING THE EROTEME.

UNDER RULE I.--QUESTIONS DIRECT.

"When will his ear delight in the sound of arms."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, 12mo, p. 59.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because here is a finished question with a period set after it. But, according to Rule 1st for the Eroteme, "Questions expressed directly as such, if finished, should always be followed by the note of interrogation." Therefore, the eroteme, or note of interrogation, should here be substituted for the period.]

"When shall I, like Oscar, travel in the light of my steel."--_Ib._, p. 59. "Will Henry call on me while he shall be journeying South."--_Peirce, ib._, p. 133.

"An Interrogative Pronoun is one that is used in asking a question; as, '_who_ is he, and _what_ does he want?'"--_Day's School Gram._, p. 21. "_Who_ is generally used when we would inquire for some unknown person or persons; as, _who_ is that man."--_Ib._, p. 24. "Our fathers, where are they, and the prophets, do they live forever?"--_Ib._, p. 109.

"It is true, that some of our best writers have used _than whom_; but it is also true, that they have used _other_ phrases which we have rejected as ungrammatical: then why not reject this too.--The sentences in the Exercises [with _than who_] are correct as they stand."--_Lennie's Gram._, 5th Ed., 1819, p. 79.

"When the perfect participle of an active-intransitive verb is annexed to the neuter verb _to be_? What does the combination form?"--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 88. "Those adverbs which answer to the question _where, whither_ or _whence_, are called adverbs of _place_."--_Ib._, p. 116.

"Canst thou, by searching, find out God; Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection; It is high as heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know?"--_Blair's Rhet._ p. 132.

"Where, where, for shelter shall the guilty fly,
When consternation turns the good man pale."--_Ib._, p. 222.

UNDER RULE II.--QUESTIONS UNITED.

"Who knows what resources are in store? and what the power of God may do for thee?"

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because an eroteme is set after _store_, where a comma would be sufficient. But, according to Rule 2d for the Eroteme, "When two or more questions are united in one compound sentence, the comma, semicolon, or dash, is sometimes used to separate them, and the eroteme occurs after the last only." Therefore, the comma should here be preferred, as the author probably wrote the text. See _Key_.]

"The Lord is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said it? and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken it? and shall he not make it good?"--_Murray's Gram._, 8vo, p. 353; 12mo, 277; _Hiley's_, 139; _Hart's_, 181. "_Hath the Lord said it? and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken it? and shall he not make it good_?"--_Lennie's Gram._, p. 113; _Bullions's_, 176.

"Who calls the council, states the certain day?
Who forms the phalanx, and who points the way."
--_Brit. Poets_, vi, 376.

UNDER RULE III.--QUESTIONS INDIRECT.

"To be, or not to be?--that is the question."--_Enfield's Sp._, p. 367; _Kirkham's Eloc._, 123.[466]

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the note of interrogation is here set after an expression which has neither the form nor the nature of a direct question. But, according to Rule 3d for the Eroteme, "When a question is mentioned, but not put directly as a question, it loses both the quality and the sign of interrogation." Therefore, the semicolon, which seems adapted to the pause, should here be preferred.]

"If it be asked, why a pause should any more be necessary to emphasis than to an accent? or why an emphasis alone, will not sufficiently distinguish the members of sentences from each other, without pauses, as accent does words? the answer is obvious; that we are pre-acquainted with the sound of words, and cannot mistake them when distinctly pronounced, however rapidly; but we are not pre-acquainted with the meaning of sentences, which must be pointed out to us by the reader or speaker."--_Sheridan's Rhet. Gram._, p. lvi.

"Cry, By your Priesthood tell me what you are?"
--POPE: _British Poets_, London, 1800, Vol. vi, p. 411.

MIXED EXAMPLES OF ERROR.

"Who else can he be. Where else can he go."--_S. Barrett's Gram._, 1845, p. 71. "In familiar language _here, there_ and _where_ are used for _hither, thither_ and _whither_."--_N. Butler's Gram._, p. 183. "Take, for instance, this sentence, 'Indolence undermines the foundation of virtue.'"--_Hart's Gram._, p. 106. "Take, for instance, the sentence before quoted. '_Indolence_ undermines the foundation of virtue.'"--_Ib._, p. 110. "Under the same head are considered such sentences as these, '_he_ that heareth, let him hear,' 'Gad, a troop shall overcome him,' &c."--_Ib._, p. 108.

"TENSES are certain modifications of the verb which point out the distinctions of time."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 38; _Pract. Les._, p. 44. "Calm was the day and the scene delightful."--_Id. E. Gr._, p. 80. "The capital letters used by the Romans to denote numbers, were C. I. L. V. X. which are therefore called Numeral Letters. I, denotes _one_; V, _five_: X, _ten_; L, _fifty_; and C, a hundred."--_Id., Lat. Gram._, p. 56. "'I shall have written;' viz, at or before some future time or event."--_Id., ib._, p. 89. "In Latin words the liquids are _l_ and _r_ only. In Greek words _l, r, m, n_."--_Id., ib._, p. 277. "Each legion was divided into ten cohorts, each cohort into three maniples, and each maniple into two centuries."--_Id., ib._, p. 300. "Of the Roman literature previous to A. U. 514 scarcely a vestige remains."--_Id., ib._, p. 312.

"And that, which He delights in must be happy.
But when!--or where!--This world was made for Cæsar."
--_Burgh's Sp._, p. 122.

"And that which he delights in must be happy.
But when, or where? This world was made for Cæsar."
--_Enfield's Sp._, p. 321.

"Look next on greatness. Say, where greatness lies?
Where but among the heroes and the wise."
--_Burgh's Sp._, p. 91.

"Look next on greatness! say where greatness lies.
Where, but among the heroes and the wise?"
--_Essay on Man_, p. 51.

"Look next on Greatness; say where Greatness lies:
Where, but among the Heroes and the Wise?"
--_Brit. Poets_, vi, 380.