HINTS TO YOUNG WRITERS AND SPEAKERS.

299. The following extracts from the pens of those competent to speak on the subject are given here for the benefit of the inexperienced. Others, however, may find in them some valuable suggestions.

If you hear poor English and read poor English, you will pretty surely speak poor English, and write poor English.-White.

In the commerce of speech use only coin of gold and silver. profound with clear terms, and not with obscure terms.-Joubert.

Be

Never be grandiloquent when you want to drive home a searching truth. Don't whip with a switch that has the leaves on, if you want to tingle.-H. W. Beecher.

I observe that all distinguished poetry is written in the oldest and simplest English words. There is a point, above coarseness and below refinement, where propriety abides.-Emerson.

When you doubt between words, use the plainest, the commonest, the most idiomatic. Eschew fine words as you would rouge; love simple ones as you would native roses on your cheek.-Hare.

Altogether the style of a writer is a faithful representative of his mind; therefore, if any man wishes to write a clear style, let him first be clear in his thoughts; and if he would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.-Goethe.

Whatever you have to say, my friend, whether witty, or grave, or gay,
Condense as much as ever you can, and say in the readiest way;

And whether you're writing on rural affairs or particular things in town,
Just take a word of friendly advice, boil it down.—Anon.

Never use a word simply because it sounds well, unless it says what you wish to say. Take nothing for granted in the meaning of words. It often happens that careless writers transfer words from books of reference into their own writing without carefully ascertaining what the words mean.-H. L. Keeler.

Be simple, be unaffected, be honest in your speaking and writing. Never use a long word where a short one will do. Call a spade a spade, not a wellknown oblong instrument of manual husbandry;' let home be home, not a residence; a place a place, not a locality; and so of the rest. Where a short word will do, you always lose by using a long one. You lose in clearness; you lose in honest expression of your meaning; and, in the estimation of all men who are qualified to judge, you lose in reputation for ability.-Dean Alford.

Our diction is the expression of our minds. The thought is father to the word. Nothing, therefore, in discourse can take the place of close, consecutive thinking. A writer's diction will be good up to the measure of his thought. Beyond this, all is mere verbiage. It may astonish the rustic but cannot deceive the intelligent. Mere verbal power is one thing. Mental power transmitted through appropriate language is another. True expression is the expression of thought.-T. W. Hunt.

In language, as in the fine arts, there is but one way to attain to excellence, and that is by study of the most faultless models. As the air and manner of a gentleman can be acquired only by living constantly in good society, so grace and purity of expression must be attained by a familiar acquaintance with the standard authors. It is astonishing how rapidly we may by this practice enrich our vocabularies, and how speedily we imitate and unconsciously reproduce in our language the niceties and delicacies of expression which have charmed us in a favorite author.-William Mathews.

Simple and unpretending ignorance is always respectable, and sometimes charming; but there is little that more deserves contempt than the pretence of ignorance to knowledge. The curse and the peril of language in this day, and particularly in this country, is, that it is at the mercy of men who, instead of being conten to use it well according to their honest ignorance, use it ill according to their affected knowledge; who, being vulgar, would seem elegant; who, being empty, would seem full; who make up in pretence what they lack in reality; and whose little thoughts, let off in enormous phrases, sound like fire-crackers in an empty barrel.-Richard Grant White.

As a rule, employ no French or other foreign words. To many good people they are unintelligible or unpronounceable; and unless your knowledge be very accurate there is a chance of their being incorrect. They are in bad taste and wholly out of tune; and, moreover, the chances are a thousand to one that there are words enough in English to tell more than you know. Do not clothe little thoughts in big words. The effect is less disagreeable when the words seem unequal to the weight of sense they have to bear. Do not “inaugurate” a new style of shearing your "phenomenal" poodle.

The habitual and appreciative reading of good authors will influence your style without your thinking of it. Having a stock of words acquired by reading and having mastered your subject as a whole and in its details, tell your story in your own words and in your own way without any thought about style or fine writing. If time be allowed you, lay aside your manuscript until you have in a manner forgotten it and can see it with something like the eyes of a stranger. Then go over it carefully, strike out every word that can be spared, change every word and every sentence that can be changed for the better, and leave the rest unaltered.—Samuel Ramsey.

PUNCTUATION.

300. Punctuation, from the Latin punctum ('point'), is the art of pointing off printed or written language so as to make its meaning plain.

Remarks. In this work, the aim has been to give only those rules that will be found of practical every-day use. The frequency of the comma as a mark of punctuation, and the variety of its uses, make it advisable to formulate a series of rules under which those uses may be grouped. These rules are supplemented by examples and a sufficient number of sentences for practice to fix the rule more firmly in the student's mind.

The uses of the other marks of punctuation are so few and simple that formal rules are not given for them, their most common uses being merely stated in a specific way.

301. The comma indicates the slightest degree of separation between the parts of a sentence.

302. RULE 1.—Introductory words, attendant elements, intermediate expressions, and parenthetical words and phrases, should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

Note 1.-With the "introductory words" may be classed those words that are "independent by direct address" (see 206 a and b); also such words as yes, no, first, second, therefore, however, when used merely to introduce a statement. Of the introductory words (paragraph 207), that, it, and there (b), and the introductory conjunctions (c), do not come under this rule.

Note 2.-Attendant elements.-These have been fully explained under the head of "absolute constructions," pages 89 and 90. The examples given in paragraphs 214 and 216, and the sentences in paragraph 215, fully illustrate this part of the rule.

(a) When the pleonastic use of a word is more formal, being used as a title or as the subject of a discourse, it is followed by the colon; as, "Heaven: What is It and Where is It?"

Note 3.-Parenthetical words and phrases are those not essential to the meaning of the sentence in which they stand. Examples: “I will, however, keep the matter in mind." "We are, in fact, only beginning to feel its effects upon our business."

The following list contains those words and phrases most commonly used in a parenthetical

way: Therefore, then, however, perhaps, namely, indeed, too, surely, finally, moreover, accord. ingly, nevertheless, in short, in fact, in fine, in truth, in reality, in brief, in a word, so to speak, no doubt, to be brief, to be sure, after all, of course, in the first place, in the second place, etc.

"

Note 4.-Intermediate expressions are clauses and expressions not exactly parenthetical in character, yet so placed as to come between some of the essential parts of a sentence, as for instance, between the subject and predicate. Example: "Truth, like gold, shines brighter by collision." Under this head may be placed those constructions known as "nouns in apposi-> tion," or explanatory modifiers," which, together with their modifiers, should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas; as, "Paul, the great apostle, was a man of energy." When the noun in apposition is unmodified or closely connected, no comma is required; as, "Paul the apostle preached to the Gentiles." Titles following names are apposi· tive and should be separated from the name, and (in case of more than one title) from each other by commas; as, James Hills, Esq.; Rev. Noah Porter, D. D., LL. D. [See pp. 87-8. ]

SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE.*

I. No I am not prepared to do so. 2. Again we often hear men say that they will not believe what they cannot understand. 3. Why this is all wrong. 4. Mr. President I rise to a point of order. 5. My dear sir you are in error about this matter. 6. We trust however that you may yet see it in a different light. 7. They were indeed better than we expected. 8. He will not therefore consent to the change of time. 9. Consequently it will not do to present the matter in that meeting. 10. They are in fact only waiting for a favorable opportunity. II. After all it is possible that you may be wrong. 12. Just now as it happens we are out of them. 13. Secondly let us proceed to prove it from his own admission. 14. To be sure we have only his word for it. 15. Education rightly applied will bring success and honor. 16. A man of great wealth may for want of education and refinement of manner become a mere cipher in society. 17. Business education to use a figure is the golden key to business success. 18. Charity on whatever side we contemplate it is one of the highest Christian graces. 19. The reader should however as he proceeds from sentence to sentence make a note of whatever strikes his attention. 20. Then came Jesus the doors being shut and stood in the midst. 21. Victoria the Queen of England is very wealthy. 22. We the people of the United States do hereby ordain and establish this constitution.

303. RULE 2.—Words, phrases, and clauses, forming a series and having the same construction, should be separated from each other by commas, unless all the conjunctions are given.

This rule has a variety of applications which, for convenience, may be examined under the following heads:

I.

Words.-Words forming a series admit four cases, as follows:

(a) When a conjunction is used between each two of the words, no commas

*To the Teacher.-Do not allow students to mark the punctuations in their books.

are required; as, "Industry and honesty and temperance and frugality are among the cardinal virtues."

(b) When all the conjunctions but the last are omitted, a comma should be placed after each of the words excepting the last one; as, “Industry, honesty, temperance, and frugality are among the cardinal virtues."

(c) All the conjunctions may be omitted, in which case a comma should be placed after the last word in the series, to separate it from what follows; as, "Industry, honesty, temperance, frugality, are among the cardinal virtues.”

(d) When there are an even number of words, four or more, each alternate conjunction may be omitted, leaving the words in pairs; as, "Industry and honesty, temperance and frugality, are among the cardinal virtues."

2. Modified Words and Phrases.-Expressions consisting of phrases or principal words and their modifiers, when forming a series, admit the four cases given above for single words.

Examples: Pure thoughts, good deeds, and noble aspirations elevate a man. Love for study, a desire to do right, and carefulness in choosing our companions are important traits of character.

3. Co-ordinate Clauses.—Simple co-ordinate members of a compound sentence, closely connected in thought, admit cases (b) and (c) for words, and should be punctuated accordingly. However, two simple sentences connected by a co-ordinate conjunction are separated by a comma, unless they are very short and closely connected in thought.

Example: Speak as you mean, do as you profess, [and] perform what you promise. [For further examples, see paragraph 50; also exercise 18, page 22, and the compound sentences in paragraph 95.]

SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE.

1. They have been prompt honest and generous in all their dealings with us. 2. She writes an easy strong legible hand. 3. Apples pears grapes bananas and oranges have an upward tendency in the market. 4. He was brave pious patriotic in all his aspirations. 5. Infinite space endless numbers and eternal duration fill the mind with great ideas. 6. Sickness and suffering sorrow and despair poverty and crime are fruits of intemperance. [Write in four ways according to cases a, b, c, and d, Rule 2.] 7. Crafty men contemn studies simple men admire them wise men use them. 8. The frost had set in the low damp ground was hard the dykes were frozen. 9. Modern engineering spans whole continents tunnels mountains and rivers and dykes out old ocean himself. 10. Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle. 11. It is a useful accomplishment to be able to read write spell or cipher with accuracy. [Write this sentence in the four forms mentioned under Rule 2.] 12. Did God create for the poor a coarser earth a thinner air a paler sky? 13. To cleanse our opinions from false