A few miles from Boston, in Massachusetts, there is a deep inlet winding several miles into the interior. . . . On one side of this inlet is a beautiful dark grove; on the opposite, the land rises abruptly into a high ridge on which grow a few scattered oaks of great age and immense size. Under one of these gigantic trees, etc. In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter the description of Governor Bellingham's mansion abounds in sentences which begin with an expression of place: ... At one extremity this it was more pow Here, then, was a wide and lofty hall. spacious room was lighted. . . At the other end erfully illuminated. .. Here, on the cushion, lay a folio tome. the table. . . stood a large pewter tankard. . row of portraits, etc. On On the wall hung a For expressions of time note the following: For a time old Oxford was full of enjoyment for me.—IRVING. One September night a family had gathered round their hearth and piled it high. Up the chimney roared the fire, etc.—HAWTHORNE. ... On the twenty-fourth of June, the tenth day after William's landing, he marched southward from Loughbrickland with all his forces.MACAULAY. On fine evenings I was wont to carry forth my supper (bread-crumb boiled in milk) and eat it out of doors.-CARLYLE. After the foregoing discussion, which has been much compressed, we may assume that the modified descendants of any one species will succeed so much the better as they become more diversified in structure, etc. -DARWIN. In addition to the sentences corrected in § 21, the student may consider the following: * He had left Clare on the knoll before the battle. Mr. A told me a half hour ago, when he was in Greece he paid only seventeen cents for a day's labor. I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three o'clock of a black winter morning, and my way lay Before the battle he had left Clare on the knoll. told A half hour ago Mr. Ame that when he was in Greece he paid only seventeen cents for a day's labor. About three o'clock of a black winter morning I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, and my way lay through a through a part of the town where there was literally nothing to be seen but lamps.-R. L. STEVENSON. He altered his mode of life to a great extent and cultivated the acquaintance of people for Eppie's sake that heretofore he had had nothing to do with. See 27; also $$ 47, 48. part of the town where there was literally nothing to be seen but lamps. For Eppie's sake he altered completely his mode of life and cultivated the acquaintance of persons with whom he had heretofore had nothing to do. 23. Careless Omission of Essential Words.- Quite frequently a sentence is lacking in clearness because the writer has neglected to supply all the necessary words. For example: *If you can get carnations and roses cheaper, bring us $2 worth of carnations (white) and roses (yellow and white). Does this mean two dollars' worth of carnations and two dollars' worth of roses, or one dollar's worth of carnations and one dollar's worth of roses? *With misgivings they [the Prince, Cyril, and Florian] are shown to their rooms. The imperfect mirrors perfection more completely than the perfected. * As he [Sir Launfal] passed out through the castle gate on his fine charger and shining armor, he saw a leper who asked for alms. Let any housewife of our day, who does not find the Keltic element in domestic life so refreshing as to Mr. Arnold in literature, imagine a household with one wild Pequot woman, etc.-LOWELL. *This seemed contradicted by the manifest pleasure with which most women accepted his attentions. So much so that now he was indifferent to them, surfeited. Their minds filled with misgivings, they retire to their rooms. The imperfect mirrors perfection more completely than the perfect mirrors it. As he passed out through the castle gate on his fine charger and in his shining armor, he saw a leper who asked for alms. Let any housewife of our day, to whom the Keltic element is not so refreshing in domestic life as it is to Mr. Arnold in literature, imagine a household with one wild Pequot woman, etc. This seemed contradicted by the manifest pleasure with which most women accepted his attentions. The pleasure was, in fact, so manifest that he became indifferent to women, even surfeited with them. Far back in the "seventies," before they had built any Public Offices at Simla and the broad road round Yalko lived in a pigeon-hole in the P. W. D. hovels, her parents made Miss Gaurey marry Colonel Schreiderling. He spent the night after the English mail in rather severe pain. * This party consisted of a young man of noble bearing, who seemed to be the leader or guardian of his companions. The feelings of most people are influenced as much by the weather as a barometer. The common woman in them made cheer together after their own April fashion. * Is not a poet as much of a genius as either a scientist or a musician? The choice of subject for this occasion is significant. It indicates a felt lack in education. * Dante employed the machinery of Vergil for his guide. The difference between the work of Addison and Steele was as great as the difference in their characters. Ah! it is something to have known that Paris which lay at one's feet as one gazed from the heights of Passy, with all its pinnacles and spires and gorgeously gilded domes, etc.-DUMAURIER. Far back in the "seventies," before any Public Offices had been built at Simla and while the broad road round Yalko still lived in a pigeon-hole in the P. W. D. hovels, the parents of Miss Gaurey made her marry Colonel Schreiderling. The night after the departure of the English mail he spent in rather severe pain. This party consisted of three persons, two young ladies and a young gentleman of noble bearing, who seemed to be their leader or guardian. The weather affects most persons as readily as it affects the barometer. The womanhood that was common to them made them take cheer together after their own April fashion. Is not the poet as much a genius as is the scientist or the musician? The choice of subject for this occasion is significant. It indicates that the members of the conference have discovered a defect in the system of education. Dante used the device of taking Vergil for his guide. The difference between the work of Addison and the work of Steele was as great as the difference in their characters. Ah! it is something to have known that Paris which lay at one's feet as one gazed from the heights of Passy-that Paris with all its pinnacles and spires and gorgeously gilded domes, etc. *The Rambler is marked with the impression of a deeper, more pious nature than the Spectator. The Rambler bears the imprint of a deeper, more pious nature than that which we discern in the Spec tator. 24. Obscurity and Ambiguity.-The opposites of Clearness are Ambiguity and Obscurity. A sentence is ambiguous when the reader is likely to understand it in a sense different from that intended by the writer. A sentence is obscure when the reader is uncertain how he is to understand it. Ambiguity.-Either a word or a phrase has been put in the wrong place, or a word has been used in a double sense. In addition to the examples of misplaced words or phrases in §§ 19-23, note the following examples of the misleading repetition of a word in different senses : He looked for something on the floor of the car, until the whole car was leaning over endeavoring to discover the object of his search. The fact impressed my childish fancy very much; in fact fascinated it. The Primroses, wishing to make a better appearance in society, decided to sell one of their horses and with the proceeds purchase a finer-looking one. Moses was the one selected to attend a neighboring fair and make the necessary transactions. As Mr. Wedmore does not, as we understand his words, pretend to be exhaustive, there is no reason to quarrel with his selection, as all, or at least nearly all, of the etchers he has chosen use the needle with a He looked for something on the floor of the car, until at last all the passengers were leaning over in order to see what he was looking for.1 The fact impressed my childish fancy very much,- fascinated it, indeed.2 Wishing to make a better appearance in society, the Primroses decided to sell one of their horses and with the proceeds purchase a finer-looking animal. Accordingly they selected Moses to attend a neighboring fair and make the bargain. Since Mr. Wedmore does not, as we understand his words, pretend to be exhaustive, there is no reason to quarrel with his selection; for all, or nearly all, the etchers he has chosen use the needle with a 1 From Hill, Foundations of Rhetoric, p. 219. 2 From Hill, p. 259. true sense of its capacities and limits as a means of artistic expression. *After the first outburst of zeal the founders of the "Edinburgh found that their enterprise would take more time than they could afford to give. The old blacklegs played shy, for whatever people may think, he is not always to be had for the calling for.-IRVING. His countenance was of the true Scottish cast, strongly marked and rather harsh in features, with a shrewd and penetrating eye, and a countenance in which habitual gravity was enlivened by a cast of ironical humor.-SCOTT. The department also contains a large and growing herbarium. Obscurity.-A sentence is obscure when there lies over the thoughts or ideas a haze which prevents the reader from seeing them at a glance. This haze is due to a variety of causes. Sometimes the writer has not chosen the right word or phrase ; at other times the words or phrases, though correct in themselves, are not well arranged. The right choice of words cannot, of course, be taught systematically. All that can be attempted here is to cite a few hazy sentences as representative of certain general tendencies to blunder. *Macaulay must have had reference to that group of singers which, etc. *Their work was similar in that they both had the same aims to interest, instruct, reform. Macaulay must have had in mind that group of singers which, etc. Their work was similar in that they both aimed to interest, instruct, reform. |