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is to divide them as they are pronounced, without any regard to the different combinations of consonants and vowels, any further than what is observed in a right pronunciation.

SECTION III.

OF CAPITALS.

APITALS, or great letters, are used only at

Cthe beginning of words, and as follows:

The first word of any writing, discourse, or epistle, must begin with a capital.

The first word after a full stop, and all proper names of persons, places, or things, must begin with capitals.

The pronoun I, and the Interjection O, must always be written in capitals.

Every sentence taken from an author, or introduced as spoken by another, must begin with a capital.

All the names of God; as, Jehovah, Lord, Almighty, Deity, Divine Being, &c. must always begin with capitals.

The several names belonging to the Trinity, must begin with capitals; as, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost.

Some distinguish every substantive with a capital; and the next word after a colon: And some every adjective that is put absolutely.

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SECTION IV.

Ν

OF THE STOPS OR PAUSES.

IN order to read and write distinctly, and so as to be understood, it will be necessary to observe the following stops, or points of distinction, which

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A COMMA is the shortest stop, and may be held while the reader can tell one. It is properly used after a number of names of persons, places, or things; as, Thomas, James, Henry, John;-sticks, bricks, trees, wood, stones. It also distinguishes the parts, or clauses of a sentence, as,

"The time profusely squander'd there,
On, vulgar arts beneath thy care,
If well employ'd, at less expence,
Had taught thee honour, virtue, sense,
And rais'd thee from a coachman's fate,
To govern men, and guide the state."

WHITEHEAD.

A SEMICOLON makes a full distinction, while the reader may count two.-This stop is put at the close of a sentence; yet includes an after

4

sense,

sense, and denotes that something is to follow :

as,

"With hymns divine the joyous banquet ends;
The pæans lengthen'd 'till the sun descends;
The Greeks restor'd the grateful notes prolong;
Apollo listens and approves the song."

РОРЕ.

A COLON stops the reader while he may count three; and is used when the sense is compleat, and the sentence appears to be finished; though there remain in the mind a kind of distant expectation of something to come; as,

"Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride, And e'en his failings lean'd to virtue's side: But in his duty prompt at every call,

He watch'd and wept, he pray'd and felt for all."

GOLDSMITH.

A PERIOD makes the fullest distinction, while the reader may count four. when the sense is compleat,

quite ended; as,

This stop is used, and the sentence

"Thus am I doubly arm'd. My death and life, My bane and antidote are both before me."

CATO.

A NOTE of INTERROGATION is a kind of period, used after asking a question; as,

"Is this a dagger which see before me,

The handle tow'rd my hand?

SHAKESPEAR.

A NOTE

A NOTE of ADMIRATION, or EXCLAMATION is used upon any sudden cry, or wondering; as,

"Oh, how wretched

Is that poor man that hangs on princes favours!"

To these we may add the four following marks, which (though not so commonly used) are necessary to exact writing.

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A PARENTHESIS incloses one sentence in another, which (inclosed sentence) is not necessary to the

sense; as,

"Thy son (nor is th' appointed season far) In Italy shall wage successful war."

DRYDEN.

An HYPHEN is usually placed at the end of a line, to shew that the last word is not ended; but that part of it is at the beginning of the next. It is used also to join the parts of compound words; as, man-servant, coach-man.

A DIERESIS is placed over the last of two vowels, to show that they do not make a diphthong; as,

"If our young Iülus be no more."

IBID.

An APOSTROPHE, placed at the head of a letter, denotes that one or more letters are left out; as, tho' for though.

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ETYMOLOGY;

OR THE

SECOND PART OF GRAMMAR.

TYMOLOGY treats of words, or the parts of

E speech.

The whole of a language, or all the words in a language, are divided by Grammarians into different classes, according to the several different uses they serve to; and these are denominated parts of speech; of which, in English, there are ten.

ARTICLE,
SUBSTANTIVE,
ADJECTIVE,

PRONOUN,
VERB,

PARTICIPLE,
ADVERB,

CONJUNCTION,

PREPOSITION,

INTERJECTION.

A

SECTION I.

OF AN ARTICLE.

N ARTICLE is a part of speech placed before substantives, to limit and fix their signification: as, an house, the house, a book, the book. There are two articles; a or an, and the. The Article a, or an, is indefinite, and to be used when we speak of some one single person

or

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