The Difficulties of English Grammar and Punctuation Removed

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1839 Excerpt: ... against the use of colons and semicolons, if we were assured that those who adopted them would also adopt his hints on composition. It is necessary to take both together. His mode of stopping is unsuited to the ordinary style of writing. There are very few, even of our best writers, who can so completely command their language as to fine-draw their writings to sentences marked only by commas; nor is it desirable that they should, since one of the chief beauties, next to brevity and clearness, is that species of comprehensiveness which can rarely be so powerfully attained as by the consecutive aid of the stops he rejects. Marks of any kind are but the signs of connection or disjunction, and it appeal's quite immaterial how they are formed so long as their offices are understood." As the reviewer would intimate, writing should not be adapted to points, but points to writing. It is quite immaterial to us, how such and such a disjunction is indicated, if we can only comprehend it. According to this position, Brenan has no clew sufficiently established for rejecting the colons. I will, freely, admit that his little book answers well without tbem, but I cannot speakof the writings of any other man in such terms. I apprehend, he has paid more attention to the fine-drawing branch of his subject than any preceding writer. But Brenan's object should have gone further than this. His penetration ought to have lead him to conceive, that all punctuators are not writers, and that it is with other men's composition that they have to do. Being thus, punctuators must fine-draw their points, for there are few men who are not vain enough of their productions, to prohibit any fine-drawing in the context, by the individual to whom they may be submitted for punctuation. 67. Brena...