Chapter XCVII: Section VII: The Ecphoneme

The Ecphoneme, or Note of Exclamation, is used to denote a pause with some strong emotion of admiration, joy, grief, or other feeling; and, as a sign of great wonder, it is sometimes, though not very elegantly, repeated: as, "Grammatical consistency!!! What a gem!"--_Peirce's Gram._, p. 352.

RULE I.--INTERJECTIONS, &c.

Emphatic interjections, and other expressions of great emotion, are generally followed by the note of exclamation; as, "Hold! hold! Is the devil in you? Oh! I am bruised all over."--MOLIERE: _Burgh's Speaker_, p. 250.

"And O! till earth, and seas, and heav'n decay,
Ne'er may that fair creation fade away!"--_Dr. Lowth_.

RULE II.--INVOCATIONS.

After an earnest address or solemn invocation, the note of exclamation is now generally preferred to any other point; as, "Whereupon, O king Agrippa! I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision."--_Acts_, xxvi, 19.

"Be witness thou, immortal Lord of all!
Whose thunder shakes the dark aërial hall."--_Pope_.

RULE III.--EXCLAMATORY QUESTIONS.

Words uttered with vehemence in the form of a question, but without reference to an answer, should be followed by the note of exclamation; as, "How madly have I talked!"--_Young_.

"An Author! 'Tis a venerable name!
How few deserve it, and what numbers claim!"
--_Id., Br. Po._, viii, 401.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE PUNCTUATION.--ERRORS CONCERNING THE ECPHONEME.

UNDER RULE I.--OF INTERJECTIONS, &c.

(1.) "O that he were wise."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 111.

[FORMULE. Not proper, because this strong wish, introduced by "O," is merely marked with a period. But, according to Rule 1st for the Ecphoneme, "Emphatic interjections, and other expressions of great emotion, are generally followed by the note of exclamation." Therefore, the pause after this sentence, should be marked with the latter sign; and, if the "O" be read with a pause, the same sign may be there also.]

(2.) "O that his heart was tender."--_Exercises, ib._, p. 111. (3.) "_Oh_, what a sight is here!"--_Lennie's Gram._, p. 48. (4.) "Oh! what a sight is here."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 71; (Obs. 2;) _Pract. Les._, p. 83. (5.) "O virtue! How amiable thou art."--_Id._,, p. 71; _Pract. Les._, p. 82. (6.) "O _virtue_! how amiable thou art."--_Day's Gram._, p. 109. (7.) "O, virtue! how amiable thou art."--_S. Putnam's Gram._, p. 53. (8.) "_Oh!_ virtue, how amiable thou art!"--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 191; _O. B. Peirce's_, 375. (9.) "_O_ virtue! how amiable thou art!"--_Hallock's Gram._, p. 126. (10.) "Oh! that I had been more diligent."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 167; see _Hiley's_, 117. (11.) "O! the humiliation to which vice reduces us."--_Farnum's Gram._, p. 12; _Murray's Ex._, p. 5. (12.) "O! that he were more prudent."--_Farnum's Gram._, p. 81. (13.) "Ah! me."--_P. Davis's Gram._, p. 79. (14.) "Ah me!"--_Ib._, p. 122. (15.) "Lately alas I knew a gentle boy," _&c.--The Dial_, Vol. i, p. 71.

(16.) "Wo is me Alhama."--_Wells's School Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 190.

(17.) "Wo is me, Alhama."--_Ibid._, "113th Thousand," p. 206.

UNDER RULE II.--OF INVOCATIONS.

"Weep on the rocks of roaring winds, O _maid_ of Inistore."--_Kirkham's Gram._, p. 131; _Cooper's Plain and Practical Gram._, p. 158.

[FORMULE--Not proper, because the emphatic address in this sentence, is marked with a period after it. But, according to Rule 2d for the Ecphoneme, "After an earnest address or solemn invocation, the note of exclamation is now generally preferred to any other point." Therefore, this period should be changed to the latter sign.]

"Cease a little while, O wind; stream, be thou silent a while; let my voice be heard around. Let my wanderer hear me. Salgar, it is Colma who calls. Here is the tree, and the rock. Salgar, my love, I am here. Why delayest thou thy coming? Lo, the calm moon comes forth. The flood is bright in the vale."--See _Key_.

"Ah, stay not, stay not, guardless and alone;
Hector, my lov'd, my dearest, bravest son."--See _Key_.

UNDER RULE III.--EXCLAMATORY QUESTIONS.

"How much better is wisdom than gold."--_Bullions, E. Gram._, p. 153; _Hiley_, p. 113.

[FORMULE--Not proper, because this exclamatory sentence is pointed with a period at the end. But, according to Rule 3d for the Ecphoneme, "Words uttered with vehemence in the form of a question, but without reference to an answer, should be followed by the note of exclamation." Therefore, this period should be changed to the latter sign.]

"O virtue! how amiable art thou."--_Flint's Murray_, p. 51. "At that hour, O how vain was all sublunary happiness."--_Day's Gram._, p. 74. "Alas! how few and transitory are the joys which this world affords to man."--_Ib._, p. 12. "Oh! how vain and transitory are all things here below."--_Ib._, p. 110.

"And oh! what change of state, what change of rank,
In that assembly everywhere was seen."--_Day's Gram._, p. 12.

"And O! what change of state! what change of rank!
In that assembly every where was seen!"--_Pollok_, B. ix, l. 781.

MIXED EXAMPLES OF ERROR.

"O shame! where is thy blush."--_S. Barren's Principles of Language_, p. 86. "O _shame_, where is thy blush; _John_, give me my hat."--_Ib._, p. 98. "What! is Moscow in flames."--_Ib._, p. 86. "Ah! what happiness awaits the virtuous."--_Ib._, 86.

"Ah, welladay,--do what we can for him, said Trim, maintaining his point,--the poor soul will die."--STERNE: _Enfield's Speaker_, p. 306. "A well o'day! do what we _can_ for him, said Trim, maintaining his point: the poor soul will _die_"--_Kirkham's Elocution_, p. 340.

"Will John _return_ to-morrow."--_S. Barrett's Gram._, Tenth Ed., p. 55. "_Will not_ John _return_ to-morrow."--_Ib._, 55. "John! _return_ to-morrow; Soldiers! _stand_ firm."--_Ib._, 55. "If _mea_ which means _my_ is an adjective in _Latin_, why may not _my_ be so called _in_ English, and if _my_ is an adjective, why not _Barrett's_"--_Ib._, p. 50.

"Oh? Absalom, my son."--_O. B. Peirce's Gram._, p. 375. "Oh! STAR-EYED SCIENCE!! whither hast thou fled?"--_Ib._, p. 366. "Why do you tolerate your own inconsistency, by calling it the present tense!"--_Ib._, p. 360. "Thus the declarative mode may be used in asking a question; as, _what_ man _is_ frail."--_Ib._, p. 358. "What connexion has motive wish, or supposition, with the term subjunctive!"--_Ib._, p. 348. "A grand reason, truly! for calling it a golden key."--_Ib._, p. 347. "What '_suffering_'! the man who can say this, must be '_enduring._'"--_Ib._, p. 345. "What is Brown's Rule! in relation to this matter?"--_Ib._, p. 334.

"_Alas!_ how short is life." "_Thomas_, study your book."--_Day's District School Gram._, p. 109. "As, '_alas!_' how short is life; _Thomas_, study your book.'"--_Ib._, p. 82. "Who can tell us who they are."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 178. "Lord have mercy on my son; for he is a lunatic, etc."--_Felton's Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 138; Ster. Ed., 140. "O, ye wild groves, O, where is now your bloom!"--_Ib._, p. 88; Ster. Ed., 91.

"O who of man the story will unfold!"
--_Farnum's Gr._, 2d Ed., p. 104.

"Methought I heard Horatio say to-morrow.
Go to I will not hear of it--to-morrow."
--_Hallock's Gr._, 1st Ed., p. 221.

"How his eyes languish? how his thoughts adore
That painted coat which Joseph never wore?"
--_Love of Fame_, p. 66.