What did you do then? O, I just walked away without replying. O, sir, may I not have the place?

Tennyson has the following:

"O sir, oh prince, I have no country: none."

102. The interjection el is usually followed by a question mark.

You are going, eh?

When so used an interjection is really a modal adverb, because it modifies the meaning of the entire sentence.

RULE XXXVII.

103. Graduated Emotion.-Emotion is represented as increasing or decreasing by using more or fewer exclamation points.

Police! Help!! Murder!!! Murder!!!!

Oh! Oh!! Oh!!! Ah!! Ah-h-h!-the tooth was out.

THE DASH.

RULE XXXVIII.

104. Changes in Sense or Construction.-A sudden change in sense or in grammatical construction, or an abrupt pause, is indicated by the dash.

My uncle he was my best friend-died a week ago.

Honesty, they say, here's your health, sir, is the best policy.
That old teacher of

was an odd character.

yours—by the way, what ever became of him?—

105.

RULE XXXIX.

Rhetorical Pause.-A dash is used to mark a rhetorical pause, or suspension of the voice for effect, where there is no change in the grammatical construction.

He is shrewd, polished, unscrupulous, and-religious.

My friend devotes much time to charity and general benevolencewhen there's money in it.

A-"Thou art a villain."

B-"You are-a senator."

"You are very kind; I can never repay-" she was unable to pro

ceed.

RULE XL.

106.

Rhetorical Repetition.-When the construction is broken and resumed for rhetorical effect, a dash should follow between the break and the part repeated.

O those happy days of childhood!-childhood, the beautiful!-childhood, the innocent!-they are gone forever.

To me-me, his benefactor-me, his lifelong friend-to me he has been false.

Is there is there balm in Gilead?-tell me,-tell me, I implore!

RULE XLI.

107. Generalization. When a series of terms is represented by a following generic expression, a dash should follow the series.

Write a tale, a history, a poem,—anything,- only write.
He was chubby and plump-a right jolly old elf.

108. The generic term may precede the series.

Those old Greek names,-Demosthenes, Agamemnon, Epaminondas, --they have a suggestion of immortality in their resonance.

RULE XLII.

109. Parenthetical Dash.-Parenthetical expressions that are too closely connected to be enclosed in marks of parenthesis may be placed between dashes.

In those beautiful far-off June days,-and no days can be more beautiful,-she and I gathered flowers in the Kentish meadows.

What woman-was it your mother, I wonder ?—taught you to reverence woman?

I live by myself, and all the bread and cheese I get,-which is not much, I put upon a shelf.

110. Various degrees of connection of parenthetical elements are indicated by the manner of their punctuation. The following forms show how such matter is punctuated when introduced within the body of a sentence. The first indicates the least degree of remoteness, and the last, the greatest.

.....

(..............)

.]

Examples illustrating these forms of parenthetical elements may be found in many places in this work. (See Arts. 104 to 109, inclusive, and elsewhere.)

Of course, a dash should not displace a period, a question mark, or a mark of exclamation at the end of a sentence.

111. Questions and exclamations, being in their nature rhetorical or logical, have no determinate degrees of closeness in connection. When introduced in intermediate positions in sentences, they are punctuated in the following, among other ways:

112. Omissions.-The omission of letters or figures that are plainly implied may be marked by the dash (the em and the en dash respectively).

D-n and P-s were noted for their great friendship.

The winter of 1837-38 was a very severe one.

Matt. 7:9-14. This means Matthew, 7th chapter, verses 9 to 14, inclusive.

In referring to pages no omissions of figures are allowable. See letter X in “Standard Dictionary," pp. 2085–2087, inclusive.

RULE XLIV.

113. Titles Run In.-When a title begins the first line of a paragraph, a dash following a period should separate it from the text of the paragraph (see rule XXX).

114.

RULE XLV.

For Introductory Words.-The dash may be used as a substitute for certain words of formal introduction, such as viz., namely, e. g., i.e., that is, etc.

In his library were editions beautifully bound of all the great poets -Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, etc.

115.

RULE XLVI.

Authorities.—When an author's name immediately follows a citation it should be separated from the quoted passage by a dash.

"Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet. Then all things are at risk."-Emerson.

116. If the author's name is placed on a line by itself no dash is required.

"Nothing is so dangerous as an ignorant friend; a wise enemy is more helpful."

Voltaire.

117. If both the writer's name and the writing in which the quotation is found are given, they should be separated by a dash and be printed in different type.

"Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas."

JOHNSON-Preface to “English Dictionary."

THE MARKS OF PARENTHESIS.

RULE XLVII.

118. Words inserted in the body of a sentence or paragraph, and nearly or quite independent, so that they may be omitted without changing the sense or construction, should be enclosed in marks of parenthesis.

Great rifts or spots sometimes appear on the surface of the sun (a picture of solar spots is thrown upon the screen), which are never seen at the poles, but always in a narrow belt along the sun's equator.

Another theory (that of Weissman) is that acquired aptitudes cannot be transmitted from parent to offspring.

This subject will be found more fully treated in another place (see pp. 125–137) and admirably illustrated.

119. A distinction should be observed between parenthesis and marks of parenthesis. The former should mean the enclosed matter; the latter, the enclosing marks.

plural, parentheses, should be used to denote the matter enclosed within several pairs of marks of parenthesis.

Too many parentheses greatly weaken the force of every form of composition.

Enclose all the adjectives in marks of parenthesis.

A parenthesis should, in general, not begin with a capital, unless the first word is a proper name, but should be treated as a mere inferior part of the sentence within which it occurs, even though it is itself a complete sentence.

120. Such punctuation as a parenthesis requires should be wholly within the enclosing marks. If the parenthesis is a declarative sentence, it usually takes no period at the end; but if it is a question or an exclamatory sentence, the punctuation should denote this fact.

Kit's mother, poor woman, is waiting at the gate below, accompanied by Barbara's mother (she, honest soul! never does anything but cry and hold the baby), and a sad interview ensues.

BRACKETS.

RULE XLVIII.

121. Brackets should be used to enclose (a) suggested corrections in grammar and spelling; (b) stage directions in plays; (c) derivation of words, plurals, principal parts, etc., in dictionaries.

He was the subtilest [subtlest (?)] reasoner whom [that] the age produced.

Macbeth. [Aside.]

Two truths are told,
As happy prologues to the swelling act

Of the imperial theme.

[Exeunt.]

SPEED, spid, v. [SPED or SPEED'ED; SPEED'ING.] [A. s. spedan, < sped; see SPEED, n.]

The principle governing the use of the brackets is that the matter enclosed by them shall have no grammatical connection with other words. Their purpose is simply explanatory

or to supply an omission.