per, another will follow it, and still another, until you have written a page. You can not fathom your mind. There is a well of thought there which has no bottom. The more you draw from it, the more clear and fruitful it will be. 3. The key to every man is his thought. Sturdy and defying though he look, he has a helm which he obeys, which is the idea after which all his thoughts are classified. He can only be reformed by showing him a new idea which commands his own. -R. W. EMERSON. NOTE OF INTERROGATION (?). § 686. The INTERROGATION POINT at the close of a sentence denotes a question. EXAMPLES. 1. When shall you return from abroad? 2. Can our curiosity pierce through the cloud which the Supreme Being hath made impenetrable to mortal eye? THE EXCLAMATION POINT (!). § 687. The EXCLAMATION POINT is used after sudden expressions of surprise, and after invocations and addresses; as, "How are the mighty fallen!" "When the interjection oh is used, the point is generally placed immediately after it; but when O is employed, the point is placed after one or more intervening words; as, "Oh! my offense is rank, it smells to heaven.' 666 But thou, O Hope! with eyes so fair.'" EXAMPLES. 1. To lie down on the pillow after a day spent in temperance, how sweet is it! 2. Gripus has long been endeavoring to fill his chest, and lo! it is now full. OTHER POINTS AND MARKS. § 688. The PARENTHESIS () includes a remark or clause not essential to the sentence, but useful in explaining it; as, "Ev ery planet (for God has made nothing in vain) is most probably inhabited." § 689. BRACKETS [] inclose a word or sentence which is to be explained in a note, or the explanation itself, or a word or sentence which is intended to supply some deficiency or rectify some mistake; as, "He [Mr. Canning] was of a different opinion." § 690. The DASH (-) marks a break in the sentence, or an abrupt transition; as, "There was to be a stern death-grapple between Might and Right-between the heavy arm and the ethereal thought-between that which was and that which ought to be." "If thou art he-but oh how fallen!" § 691. The CARET (A) denotes that some word or letter has last been left out in writing; as, "I called to see him ^ night." § 692. The APOSTROPHE (') is used to denote the abbreviation of a word; as, 'tis for it is. Its chief use is to mark the genitive case of nouns; as, "John's hat." § 693. The mark of ACCENT (or) is placed over a syllable to denote a particular stress of the voice which is required in the pronunciation. The first is called the Acute accent, and is in use. The other is called the Grave accent, and is not much in use in the English language. The two united (^) is called the Circumflex. § 694. A HYPHEN (-) is employed in connecting compounded words; as, "Lap-dog;" " to-morrow." It is also used when a word is divided, and the former part is printed or written at the end of one line, and the latter part at the beginning of another. In this case it is placed at the end of the first line, and not at the beginning of the second. When each of two contiguous substantives retains each its original accent, the hyphen should be omitted; as, “Máster build'er." When the latter loses or alters its accent, the hyphen should be inserted; as, "Ship-builder." When two substantives are in apposition, and either of the two is separately applicable to the person or thing designated, the hyphen should be omitted; as, Lord chancellor. When they are not in apposition, and only one of the two is separately applicable to the person or thing, the hyphen should be inserted; as, a horse-dealer, one who is a dealer, but not a horse. When the first substantive serves the purpose of an adjective, Between an adjective and its substantive the hyphen should When an adjective, or an adverb, and a participle immediate- § 695. The mark for the long vowel (-) is used by being § 696. The DIERESIS () consists of two points, which are ། § 697. The PARAGRAPH (T) denotes the beginning of a new § 698. The SECTION (§) denotes the division of a discourse $699. QUOTATION MARKS ("") denote that the words of an- § 700. The INDEX or HAND () points out a remarkable passage. § 701. The ELLIPSIS ( *** or -) denotes the omission of BBB § 702. The ASTERISK ( * ), the OBELISK (†), the DOUBLE DAGGER (4), and PARALLELS (), together with LETTERS and FIGURES, are used as references to the margin or bottom of the page. CAPITAL LETTERS. § 703. In ancient manuscripts capital letters only were used, which followed one another without being divided into words by spaces or into sentences by points. At a later period, nouns always commenced with a capital, as is the practice now in the German language. In the use of capitals in the English language, there is some diversity in the practice of writers and printers. The following classes of words usually begin with capital letters: 1. The first word of every book, chapter, letter, or any other piece of writing; also the first word after a Period; also the first word after an Interrogation point, or an Exclamation point, if it closes an independent sentence; also the first word of every line of poetry; also the first word of a formal quotation; as, Remember the ancient maxim: "Know thyself." But for an informal quotation a capital is unnecessary; as, Solomon remarks "that pride goes before destruction" of places. 2. Proper names; Adjectives derived from proper names; titles of honor and distinction; and Common Nouns personified: New York; Roman; General Scott; Alexander the Great; "There Honor comes a pilgrim gray." 3. Words used as the names of the Deity; as, God, Jehovah. 4. Every substantive and principal word in the title of books; as, "Pope's Essay on Man." The title-page of books, the pronoun I, and the interjection O. Other words besides the preceding may begin with capital letters when they are emphatical, or the Principal Subject of discourse. Italic letters are used for distinguishing words and phrases which are emphatic. THE END. |
