as possible. There is, however, ample scope for discretion in this particular. 386. Other deviations from propriety may be discovered by the transposition and re-transposition of words, thus:— "John, though not much admired for his talents, he possessed great accomplishments." 387. If we transpose "though not much admired for his talents" to the beginning or end of the sentence, or even omit it altogether, we shall discover a disagreeable repetition : Though not much admired for his talents, John he possessed great accomplishments." 388. This power of transposition may be exercised in almost every sentence. As you have before seen, we say indiscriminately, "If he were to go." "If thou wert to go." 389. You have now observed something of what may be done towards arriving at grammatical accuracy by the aid of grammar rules, and last of all, though not least of all, you have had afforded a few specimens of the many capital errors that may be detected by the simple process of dissecting and refitting together of sentences whose original construction may hide some of the grossest violations of the true sense and dignity of language. APPLICATION OF THE WORD IT. 390. And now, the application of the forname it, is the only difficulty, if a difficulty it can be called, which has not already been fully cleared up—a defect which may be best made good in the language of Mr. Cobbett: "The pronoun it, though a personal pronoun, does not always stand for, or at least appear to stand for, any noun whatever; but is used in order to point out a state of things, or the cause of something produced. For instance: 'It freezed hard last night, and it was so cold, that it was with great difficulty the travellers kept on their journey.' Now, what was it that freezed so hard? Not the frost; because frost is the effect, and not the cause, of freezing. We cannot say that it was the weather that freezed; because the freezing constituted in part the weather itself. No; the pronoun it stands, in this place, for state of things or circumstances; and this sentence might be written thus: The freezing was so hard last night, and the cold was so severe, that the travellers found great difficulty in keeping on their journey.' Let us take another example or two. 'It is a frost this morning. It will rain to-night. It will be fine to-morrow.' That is to say, 'A state of things called frost exists this morning; a state of things called rain will exist to-night; and to-morrow a state of things called fine weather.' Another example: 'It is delightful to see brothers and sisters living in uninterrupted love to the end of their days.' That is to say; 'The state of things which exhibits brothers and sisters living in uninterrupted love to the end of their days, is delightful to The pronoun it, is, in this its impersonal capacity, used in a great variety of instances." see.' 391. It will be perceived, therefore, that usage alone is the rule for the application of this little word it, and it may be affirmed that no Englishman, from his familiarity with its import, could by possibility employ it improperly. 392. Should you, on some more than common occasions, have any ambiguity to reject, and find that rules possess not that latitude of application which the emergency may require, you will find it manageable by steady reflection on its true import. The rules laid down will, if rightly attended to, enable you to legislate even in more than ordinary criticism; but it must be ever borne in mind, that a blind and inconsiderate reliance on rules is like resting upon an ever-tottering sand-bed, and that the only never-failing rock of security is the sense! PUNCTUATION. 393. Punctuation has ever been viewed as a mysterious branch of instruction. While grammarians, in order to keep pace with the march of intellect, have sought, by every possible means, a better development of the beauties of our language, they have, at all times, manifested the profoundest ignorance on the subject of our present inquiry, and, while advancing, step by step, in every other branch of grammatical science, have endeavoured to create and foster the unhappy prejudice, that correct punctuation is known exclusively to compositors, who have had a kind of mechanical training in the printing office. This preposterous prejudice, the succeeding pages are calculated to remove. But before proceeding to the practical department of punctuation, a word or two may be offered on its importance. 394. As Cobbett observes, "A memorable proof of the great importance of attending to points was given to the English nation in the year 1817. A committee of the House of Lords made a report to the house, respecting certain political clubs. A secretary of one of those clubs presented a petition to the house, in which he declared positively, and offered to prove at the bar, that part of the report was totally false. At first their lordships blustered; their high blood seemed to boil: but at last the chairman of the committee apologised for the report by saying, that there ought to have been a full point where there was only a comma! and that it was this which made that false, which would otherwise have been, and which was intended to be, true!" 395. Another instance : "The prisoners answering, said the leaders, were all beheaded." 396. The meaning this passage conveys is, that "The leaders said the prisoners were all beheaded." On omitting the comma after leaders, we obtain an opposite sense :"The prisoners answering, said the leaders were all beheaded." 397. The omission or insertion of the fatal comma en ables us to behead either the prisoners or the leaders. And as easily might we behead a king, or subvert a kingdom! 398. The points, or stops, of disjunction, are seven in number, namely: Comma, Semicolon; Colon : Period. DashNote of Interrogation? Note of Admiration! THE COMMA. 399. The order in which the points are here exhibited may be adhered to in the exemplification of their different functions. In the case of the four first, each one will be an introductory step to the next in succession. The use of the comma being primarily impressed upon the mind, will furnish a stepping-stone to the semicolon, and so on respectively with the other points. 400. Parenthetical, or Explanatory, words and phrases should be separated by the Comma. Example-" Cyrus, the younger, king of Persia, was remarkable for his greatness of soul and love of virtue." 401. A word or phrase called parenthetical, is part of a sentence interspersed merely as explanatory, or elucidatory, of some part of the real sentence. The word preceding a parenthetical word or phrase will unite, in construction, with the word succeeding the parenthesis, and hence it arises that the omission of parenthetical words do not endanger the reading of the original sentence :Cyrus was remarkable for his greatness of soul and love of virtue." 66 402. This reads and harmonizes, you perceive, with or without the appendaged, the younger, king of Persia. Each parenthetical phrase ought to be separated by the comma, for if we employ no point between younger and king, we make a younger and an elder king of Persia, but, by the comma, we have the younger Cyrus, who was the king of Persia. 403. The comma after parenthetical in the rule which is now more immediately under our consideration, implies by the comma, simply that explanatory and parenthetical mean the same thing. And had it not been desirable to attempt the clearest possible explanation of that rule, the word explanatory might have been dispensed with altogether. 404. We will, now, first, take an extract from James ii. 8, and then see how far the parenthesis may possibly be introduced into composition: "If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the Scriptures, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors: For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all, &c. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy." 405. The following is a striking instance of the same passage, well parenthesized, taken from "Fletcher's Last Check to Antinomianism": "If ye (believers, says he,) fulfil the royal law, according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (Ye acquit yourselves like perfect Christians.) But if ye have (uncharitably) respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors: (that is, Ye are condemned by the Mediator's law, under which ye are.) For whosoever shall keep the whole law (of the Mediator;) and yet (uncharitably) offend in one point, he is guilty of all, &c. So speak ye, (therefore) and so do, as people that shall be judged by the law of liberty (the Mediator's law). For he (the imperfect, uncharitable, fallen believer) shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy." 400. The author's object here, is not solely to find fault with the frequent recurrence of the parenthetical phrases in this extract. The particular design of Fletcher may be better answered by them, than it would have been had he treated the language of St. James otherwise. But students ought to guard against a frequent or an unhappy introduction of parenthetical phrases into ordinary composition. 407. The extract, however, may serve a double purpose. It not only shews how far we may possibly indulge in the parenthesis, but also affords some of the most glaring violations of legitimate punctuation. 408. All the words which are absent in the former inance, Fletcher has inserted in the latter by way of ex |