12th Phrase: when the quality of a fubject is compared with that of another fubject; the pofitive adjective having after it the conjunction as; the comparative the conjunction than; the fuperlative the prepofition of: as, as tall as you; taller than he; tallest of all.

SECT. V.

OF PUNCTUATION.

PUNCTUATION is the art of making the feveral points, ufed in fentences, to exprefs the degrees of connexion between fentences and their parts; and to exprefs the ftops, or paufes, as they are expreffed in a juft and accurate pro

nunciation.

Notwithstanding the different paufes in fentences, and degrees of connexion between them, admit of great variety, yet we have but four points by which to exprefs them.

Thus we are often obliged to exprefs pauses of the fame quantity, on different occafions, by different points; but more frequently to express pauses of different quantities by the fame points.

The doctrine of punctuation must therefore be very im perfect: few rules can be given that will hold good in all cafes; but much must be left to the judgment of the writer.

Grammarians have followed the divifion of the Rhetoricians, who divide all the pauses in writing or difcourse into the four following:

The Period marks a whole fentence, either fimple or compound, making a full and perfect fenfe, and not connected ia conftruction with another sentence.

The Colon marks the greateft divifion of a fentence, and is a member thereof; containing a perfect sense, but not a perfect fentence.

The Semicolon is a lefs constructive part of a sentence that the colon, and does not form a perfect fenfe, but holds a middle place between the colon and the comma, being a greater pause than the latter, and lefs than the former.

The Comma marks the least constructive parts of a sentence; or it marks a simple sentence.

The precife quantity of time required at each of these pauses or points is uncertain; as the fame compofition may be rehearsed in a longer or fhorter time; but the proportional quantity of time of the points is as follows: the period is a pause of double the quantity of time of the colon; the colon is double of the femicolon; the femicolon is double of the comma.

In order to discover, the proper use of these points, we muft confider the nature of a sentence, as divided into its conftructive parts, and the degrees of connexion between these parts: as also the nature of an imperfect phrafe.

An imperfect phrase contains no affertion, or does not amount to a propofition or sentence, as was feen in page 41.

A fimple fentence, as was before hinted, confifts of an agent, or fubject, an attribute, and (if the verb be active or paffive) an object: or it confifts of one agent or fubject, and one finite verb; that is, a verb in the indicative, imperative, or fubjunctive mode: as, "God made man ;" here God is the agent or fubject, as he performs the action, viz. made man's the verb made is the attribute which always expreffes the action; and man is the object upon which the action is exercifed; that is, the action of creation.

But the fubject, or agent, and the attribute, and the object, may each of them be accompanied with feveral circum

stances or characteristics, called therefore their adjuncts; as the motive, place, time, manner, caufe, and the like: and thefe may be connected either immediately, or mediately, to the parts of the fentence to which they belong.

If the several adjuncts are related to the parts of a sentence in a different manner, they are then only fo many imperfect phrases, and the sentence is fimple,

But if the several adjuncts belong to the parts of a fentence in the fame manner, they then become fo many fimple fentences; and the sentence is then compound.

For a compound fentence confifts of two or more fimple fentences connected together; or it hath more than one fubject, and one finite verb.

Thus, if several subjects belong in the fame manner to one verb, or several verbs belong in the fame manner to one sub. ject, the fubjects and verbs are to be accounted equal in number: for every fubject, except the cafe abfolute, and the vocative case, must have its verb; and every finite verb its subject; and generally has its point of diftinction.

Examples of the Ufe of the Comma.

"This fingle confideration will be fufficient to extinguish all envy in inferior natures," In this fentence confideration is the fubject or agent, extinguish the attribute or verb, envy the object: each of which is connected with its adjuncts. The fubject does not mean any confideration indefinitely, but a particular confideration, treated of in the former part of the Effay (namely, the confideration of the progrefs of a human foul towards perfection in knowledge), and here defined by the adjunct, this fingle (confideration). The attribute or verb is alfo connected with its adjuncts; immediately with euy, as the object of the action; and mediately by the intervention of the word envy v inferior natures, the fubject in which envy is extinguished; the adverb fufficient is the adjunct of the verb, denoting its power. It is to be obferved, that each of thefe adjuncts belong to the verb in a

different

different manner; envy belongs to it as the object; inferior na tures as the subject in which the object is extinguished; and: fufficient as the power of the verb to produce the effect. The adjuncts are, therefore, only fo many imperfect phrafes; and the fentence is fimple, and admits of no points to distinguish it into parts.

“Methinks this single consideration, of the progrefs of a finite spirit to perfection, will be fufficient to extinguish all envy in inferior natures, and all contempt in fuperior." Here two new fentences are introduced; the one inferted in the middle of the former sentence, and the other added to the end of it. The former of them, of the progrefs of a finite spiri& to perfection, is connected with the attribute in the fanie manner as the agent, or this fingle confideration, for they both exprefs the fame idea; and the verb may be joined with either of them, and the sentence have the fame fenfe: as, "the progrefs of a finite spirit to perfection, will be fufficient to extinguish all envy in inferior natures." The latter fentence, and all contempt in fuperior, is connected exactly in the fame manner with the attribute as the object in the first sentence is, though it does not convey the fame idea; and may be made the object of the fentence in the fame manner as the former fentence was made the agent; as, “Methinks this fingle confideration will be fufficient to extinguish all contempt in fuperior." (beings) The first of these newly inferted fentences may therefore be confidered as only another agent; and the latter as another object to the verb, in the firft-mentioned fentence. They are therefore so many fimple fentences, and fhould each be diftinguished by a comma; and the whole is a compounded sentence.

And again, "A wife man will defire no more than what he may get juftly, ufe foberly, diftribute cheerfully, and live upon contentedly." In this fentence, the phrases, get juftly use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and live upon contentedly, are cach connected with the fubject, he, in the fame manner, and in effect, form so many diftinct fentences; as,

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wife man will defire no more than what he may get juftly: a wife man will defire no more than what he may use soberly: a wife man will defire no more than what he may diftribute cheerfully: a wife man will defire no more than what he may live upon contentedly. They muft each of them, therefore, be diftinguished by a comma. They are fo many fimple fentences, and the whole is a compound fentence.

As fentences themselves are divided into fimple and compound, fo the members of fentences may be divided into fimple and compound members: for whole fentences, whether fimple or compound, may become members of other fentences, by means of a connexion.

The following are marked by a Comma:

Firft, fimple members of fentences, clofely connected together in one compound member or sentence; as in the foregoing example: except, firft, when the members are short in comparative sentences: as, in the former part of the last example, "a wife man will defire no more than what he may get justly." Thefe are, in fact, two fimple fentences compared by the conjunction than; but, being fhort, they are not separated by a comma. Secondly, when two fimple members or fentences are closely connected by a relative, and the subject of the antecedent is confined to a particular fense: as, "the man who is poffeffed of this excellent frame of mind, is not only afy in his thoughts, but a perfect mafter of all the powers and faculties of his foul."-Spectator. In this fentence, the man, is connected to the following fentences by the relative cho; which reftrains the idea of the antecedent to the fenfe here mentioned.

Secondly, the cafe abfolute: as, "the doors being fhut, Jefus flood in the midft."

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Thirdly, nouns in appofition, when confifting of many terms: as, Alexander, the great, cruel, and unjust.” Fourthly, the vocative cafe, or when an addrefs is made to a perfon: as, "This faid, he formed thee, Adam; thee, O man."-Milton.

3

W

Fifthly,