IX. QUOTATION MARKS.

383. Till within the last few years, quotations were marked with double inverted commas [""]; and a quotation within a quotation, with a single pair; thus-"Only one man in the crowd cried 'No!'"

384. It is now more usual to employ a single pair in a simple quotation, and a double one when the quotation is within a quotation; thus- Only one man in the crowd cried "No!" and he was promptly taken into custody.'

385. In poetical quotations, the marks are placed at the commencement of every stanza or paragraph.

Exercise.

Supply the marks of interrogation, exclamation, and quotation, the parenthesis, and the dash.

His adherents, however and every great man has his adherents perfectly understood him. W. IRVING. Hath not a Jew hands Is he not fed with the same food SHAKS. Is there not my father, my uncle, and myself SHAKS. Did he not join with Lord Rockingham, and betray him Was he not the bosom friend of Mr Wilkes, whom he now pursues to destruction JUNIUS. In the question Is the work finished there are two portions. In the assertion Napoleon died in 1821, the latter part of the sentence declares something of the former. In the denial The prisoner is not guilty, the prisoner's guilt is denied, or the second part denies something of the first.

Her lover sinks she sheds no ill-timed tear;
Her chief is slain she fills his fatal post. BYRON.

In vain, in vain strike other chords. BYRON

First, therefore, let us editors and kings are always plural premise that there are, &c. W. IRVING.

I pulled it, sir, at your desire.

At mine Yes, yours; I hope I've done it well. COLMAN.

He disappeared draw nearer, child;

He died no one knew how. H. G. BELL.

I'll wager a dinner, the other one cried,

That Mary will venture there now.-SOUTHEY.

Had I but served my God SHAKS. Had we not better leave this Utica ADDISON. Hadst thou but sung this witching strain MOORE.

X. THE APOSTROPHE.

386. This mark is now little used, except as the sign of the possessive case. It was formerly employed in poetry wherever the e in ed was not to be heard. But in modern times, it is understood that this sound is always suppressed, unless marked thus-è.

387. The apostrophe is still used, however, in several cases where two syllables are contracted into one, in order to preserve the proper measure in verse.

EXAMPLES.

(386.) The first! How many a memory bright that one sweet word can bring,

Of hopes that blossomed, drooped, and died in life's delightful spring.-ALARIC A. WATTS.

Hence loathed Melancholy,

Of Cerberus and blackest midnight born!-MILTON.

Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles,

Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles.-MILTON.

(387.) If my poor pen can pleasure give,

Or e'en a smile can raise,

I'll use it thus while I may live,

If I but earn thy praise.

Nought's got, all's spent,

When our desire is had without content.

XI. THE HYPHEN.

RULE I.

388. The hyphen is used at the end of a line when a word is divided.

Though this is of frequent occurrence in printing, it should seldom be used in writing. A long word may be divided in the middle; but it is recommended to write either a little more closely, or a little more widely, rather than place a small portion of a word at the end of one line, and the rest at the beginning of another.

RULE II.

389. The hyphen connects compound words-that is, words composed of two or more simple ones.

Many words really compound are now written without the hyphen, chiefly those composed of two nouns; as-footstep, fishpond, milkmaid.

On the other hand, there is a tendency to connect with the hyphen words that formerly appeared apart, especially adverbs with adjectives before a noun, to mark a more rapid enunciation; as-A highly-gifted professor. Well and ill have long enjoyed this privilege; as-An ill-omened bird; a well-conditioned animal. We think the extension of it undesirable, as it would be difficult to assign its further limits. We are not prepared to read of a very-clever man, and we know not why not, as well as a highly-gifted one. It is the proper grammatical province of an adverb to qualify an adjective, and of an adjective to qualify a noun; and though this brings them into close relationship, it is the very reason why they must be regarded as forming distinct words, not compounds.

We recommend as the safest usage to employ the hyphen only or chiefly

1. When two nouns form a compound not yet established as a single word; as-Self-deceiver, lieutenant-general, cock

sparrow.

II. When a preposition connects two nouns into a compound; as-Brother-in-law, commander-in-chief.

III. When a noun and pronoun form a compound; as-Shegoat, he-ass.

IV. When an adjective is prefixed to a noun, with ed to form a single adjective; as-Blue-eyed, strange-voiced, sharp-beaked, ill-omened fowl.

v. When verbs, prepositions, or nouns enter into combination to form adjectives or adverbs; as- A self-styled artist. A man-made minister. A would-be scholar. Over-anxiously searching. In-door amusements.

VI. When well, or ill, or much is prefixed to a participle to form an adjective preceding a noun; as-A well-known truth. An ill-assorted pair. A much-loved friend. Perhaps ever should be similarly connected with an adjective; asAn ever-memorable day. But not in any case if the noun precedes; as- -The truth was well known; the pair ill assorted; and the friend much loved; while the day will be ever memorable.

RULE III.

390. A hyphen is not now used to join a prefix to the root, unless the omission of it would produce a double vowel, or two that might be mistaken for a diphthong. We write remodel, refit, prefigure. But co-operate, re-enter, re-instate, re-imburse, are to be preferred to cooperate, reenter, reinstate, and reimburse.

IV.

PROSODY.

391. PROSODY is that part of Grammar which treats of the quantity of syllables, of accent, and of the laws of versification.

Prosody, as to extent, is in an unsettled state. Some make it include the management of stops, pronunciation, and rhetoric; while others consider poetry and prosody as synonymous terms.

Nothing, however, can be a greater error than to suppose that mere facility in making verse constitutes a poet. Yet, while cautioning the young student against this general error, it must not be inferred that verse-making is to be condemned. On the contrary, the practice is at least an elegant recreation, and is recommended by Franklin for its singular efficacy in forming a good style in prose. Many of our most eminent prose authors-such as Johnson, Scott, Moore, Southey, and others commenced their literary career by writing verse.

392. ACCENT is the stress of the voice on a syllable; thus— 'Cómfort' has the accent on the first syllable; compóse,' on the second; 'commandánt,' on the third.

393. QUANTITY is the measure of a syllable; the time taken to pronounce it. The quantity of a syllable may be long; as— 'māne;' or short, as, măn." The melody of English verse depends on accent not on quantity.

In general, the difference made between long and short syllables, in our manner of pronouncing them, is so very inconsiderable, and so much liberty is left us for making them either long or short at pleasure, that mere quantity is of very little effect in English versification.— BLAIR.

394. RHYTHM is the easy flow produced by a judicious and elegant arrangement of the accents and pauses. It is not confined to verse; for a well-turned period in prose is the result of due attention to the number and proportionate length of the words employed; as may be proved by the numerous alterations which are sometimes required to make a sentence even in familiar composition read well.

The term is derived from two Greek words-gos, with, along with, won, an ode or song, and may be defined as Words set to music. The first poets sung their own verses; and hence the beginning of what we call versification, or words arranged in a more artful order than prose, so as to be suited to some tune or melody.'-BLAIR'S Lectures.

1

VERSIFICATION-MEASURE.

395. VERSIFICATION, or verse-making, is the art of placing words of certain length in regular lines, in order that the ear may be pleased by the musical movement of the composition. It includes measure, and sometimes rhyme.

396. A VERSE is a single measured line, containing a determinate number of syllables, so arranged as to rise and fall alternately; in other words, accented and unaccented by turns.

Our thoughts as boúnd | less, ánd | our soúls | as freé.

(The popular meaning of verse is that series of lines properly called a stanza.)

397. A Foor is a part of a verse_containing generally two, and in some cases three syllables. In the line above, there are ten syllables, making five feet, each foot containing an accented and unaccented syllable.

Here quantity would not apply; for our' is as long in sound as 'thoughts.'

398. A CESURA is a pause in a line by cutting a word, dividing it so as to render it more melodious. Its best position is at the end of the second foot; or in the middle; or at the end of the third foot. Hence the melody of the following:

In ad aman | tine chains | and pe | nal fire.-MILTON.

Clíme of the ún | forgót | ten bráve,

Whose land, from plain to mountain cave,

Was free dom's hóme, | or gló | ry's gráve.-BYRON.

A line without this would be tame and prosaic :

Extreme mistrust, | intense | alarm, | prevail.

But cesura means also a melodious pause, even where no division of a word occurs :

Unlock your springs, and open all your shades.

399. SCANNING is dividing a verse into feet.

400. In English there are two principal kinds of verseIambic and Trochaic; and two subordinate-Anapaestic and Dactylic; so named from the feet composing them.

1. An Iambus has two syllables, the second accented-retire. II. A Trochee

first

third

first

-folly. -entertain. -mérrily.