In the first of thefe examples, a conceffion is made in the ftrongest terms in the fuppofition, for the fake of ftrengthening the aflertion in the conclufion, and therefore neither can be pronounced with due force but by giving own the falling and others the rifing inflexion. There is almoft the fame neceffity for the same order of inflexions on remove and alleviate in the fecond example; and the third would be more forcibly pronounced with the falling inflexion on mechanic arts, and the rifing on liberal, unless it were to conclude a paragraph or branch of a fubject; for in this cafe, if the fenfe does neceffarily require the rifing inflexion, the ear will always expect the falling. See Penultimate Member.

To this Exception may be added another, which forms a rule of very great extent; and that is, where the last member of a sentence is a negative, in oppofition to fome affirmative, either expreffed or understood; but this rule is fo allied to emphafis, that the reader is referred to that article, where he will find it fully explained and illustrated.

Interrogation.

"But befides the points which mark the paufes in difcourfe," fays Dr. Lowth, "there are others which denote a different modu"lation of the voice in correfpondence with "the fenfe. The interrogation and exclama"tion points," fays the learned bishop, are fufficiently explained by their names; they are indeterminate as to their quantity or time, and may be equivalent in that refpect

"to a femicolon, a colon, or a period, as the "fense requires; they mark an elevation of "voice." This is, perhaps, as juft an account of these points as could have been given in fo few words; but, like every general rule that has been hitherto given, leaves us in a thoufand difficulties when we would reduce it to practice. Whatever may be the variety of time we annex to the interrogation, certain it is, that there is no circumstance in reading or speaking which admits of a greater variety of tone; a queftion may imply fo many different degrees of doubt, and is liable to fo many alterations from a diverfity of intention in the fpeaker, that I fhall at prefent content myself with pointing out a few of the most obvious; and endeavour to diftinguish and reduce them to certain claffes, that they may be applied to particular examples, and rendered useful.

The most obvious diftinction between interrogative and other fentences is, that as, in other fentences, the fubftantive or pronoun precedes the verb it governs, in an interrogative sentence, the verb, either auxiliary or principal, ought always to precede either the fubftantive or pronoun. Thus, when I fpeak declaratively, I fay, I am going to college; but when I fpeak interrogatively, I fay, Are you going to college? where we may obferve, that in the declarative and interrogative fentences, the pronoun and the verb hold different places.

This inverfion of the common order of the words in compofition, is accompanied by a fimilar inverfion of the inflexion of voice in pronunciation; for as the common order of

inflexions in a declarative fentence, is that of placing the rifing inflexion towards the middle, and the falling at the end, as in the first example; the interrogation inverts this order, and ufes the falling inflexion of voice in the middle of the fentence, and the rifing on the laft word, as in the laft example: this peculiarity, however, does not extend to every fpecies of interrogation; and interrogative fentences are, in reality, fo frequently to be pronounced like declarative fentences, it is fcarcely any wonder that those who do not attend to the delicacies of reading fhould never ufe the rifing inflexion of the voice on any question: but fuch force, fpirit, and variety, is thrown into a difcourfe by fuch an alteration of the voice as the queftion affords, that those who have the leaft defire to read well, ought never to neglect fo favourable an opportunity: a queftion terminating with the rifing inflexion of voice at once breaks the chain of difcourse, grown heavy by its length, roufes the auditor from the languor of attending to a continued feries of argument, and excites fresh attention by the fhortnefs, briskness and novelty of the addrefs: and if the greatest mafters of compofition have thought it neceffary to throw in questions to enliven and enforce their harangues, those who have the least taste for the delivery of them, find it as neceffary to attend to the peculiarity of voice this figure requires when they read.

This inflexion of voice, however, which diftinguishes the interrogation, feems entirely confined to thofe queftions which are formed

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without the interrogative pronouns or adverbs. When a question commences with one of these, it has invariably the fame inflexion as the declarative fentence, unless we have either not heard, or mistaken an answer juft given us; for in that cafe, the emphasis is placed upon the interrogative word; and the voice elevated by the rifing inflexion on the end of the fentence. Thus, if we fay fimply, When do you go to college? the word college has the falling inflexion, and the voice is no more elevated than if, being acquainted with the time, we fhould fay, At that time I find you go to college: but if we have mistaken the answer that has been given us concerning the time, we fay, When do you go to college? we lay a confiderable ftrefs upon the word when, and fufpend the voice with the rifing inflexion to the end of the fentence.

Again; if we ask a question without previous converfation, or reference to any thing that has paffed, if we do not use the interrogative words, we infallibly ufe the rifing inflexion, and elevate the voice on the end of the queftion; thus we meet, and fay-Are you going to college?-if we have the leaft eagerness for information, the voice is elevated and fufpended with the rifing inflexion on the last word; but if the perfon we fpeak to, either does not hear, or else mistakes what we fay, fo as to make it neceffary to repeat the queftion, we then adopt the falling inflexion on the last word, and, giving it fome degree of emphafis, fay, Are you going to college? with the fame inflexion of voice, and in nearly the fame tone,

with which we fhould fay fimply, You are now going to college, with this difference only, that in the latter cafe the voice falls into a lower tone, and in the former feems to reft in the tone of the fentence, fomewhat louder, perhaps, but with exactly the fame falling inflexion as the latter, and entirely different from that upward turn of voice which diftinguishes the first queftion.

Thus we find the immediate repetition of the fame question requires a different inflexion of voice according to its form. When we afk a question commencing with an interrogative word, we use the falling inflexion on the laft word, as-When do you go to college? When, from a mistake of the anfwer about the time, we repeat this queftion, we ufe the rifing inflexion of voice, and elevate it to the end, asWhen do you go to college? On the contrary, when we first afk a queftion without the interrogative word, we use the rifing inflexion, and raife the voice on the laft word, as-Are you going to college? and when we repeat the queftion, we ufe the falling inflexion of voice on the laft word; and though we may pronounce the last word louder than the reft, we do not ufe the rifing inflexion as in the former cafe, but the falling, as-I fay, are you going to còllege?

But fuch is the variety of this fpecies of fentence, that a queftion may be afked without either the interrogative words, or an inverfion of the arrangement, or the rifing inflexion of voice on the laft word: for inftead of faying, Do you intend to read that book? with the rifing