Composition and punctuation ...

Front matter

Gass.

Book -

COMPOSITION

CHAPTER II. First Cause of Failure in Composition

Long-windedness deduced from parentheses 16

Sample of parenthetical writing 17

Dryden — a long-winded sentence from him, with

the correction 19

CowiiEY — another long-winded example 21

Directions for correcting long-windedness 22

Clearness in oral narration and long-windedness

in writing exemplified 24

Advantages of short sentences 26

Sentence and member explained, and illustrated

by examples 31

Sentences — caution for finishing and commencing 34

The frequent &c. reprobated -.. 36

Correction of parenthetical sample in page 17 38

Long sentences — specimen of a good one from

Robertson 39 o CONTENTS.

Page Murray — a long-winded specimen from himself,

contrasted with his own example from Swift .... 40

Swift — the example from him corrected 42

Buffon — his long sentences contrasted with those

of our own writers 44

Paragraphs.

Paragraph explained, and considerations on its

length 59

Montesquieu — uncommonly short chapter 61

CHAPTER VI. Style

Irvine's list of styles 62

Inutility of style dissertations 63

Buffon's essay, with an extract 65

CONTENTS. 9

Page Johnson — his remarks ou Pope's " Essay on Man "

applied to style-masters , 67

Cicero, Quintilian, and Longinus — their services

in teaching style exemplified 67

Author's pretensions to treating the subject 68

Test for style-teachers 74

The only feasible mode of style instruction 75

Particular definition of long-windedness and perspicuity 76

CHAPTER VII. Punctuation

COMMA. Specimens of high and low pointing .. 78

Test for comma after small words 79

High-pointing — its aid to grammar and syntax 80

Considerations on emphasis 84

SEMI-COLON. Improvement by disuse of its

former frequency 85

COLON. Superseded by the dash 86

DASH. Its great assistance in simplifying punctuation 87

Old theories of rests or pauses 88

French explanation of the dash 89

The colon system no aid to beauty in composition,

exemplified from Locke 90

Dash, now much used for parentheses 92

Instances where the dash is the only proper stop. 94

Suggestion for abbreviating millions 95

Remarkable absurdity of colon use and directions 96

Murray's sanction of stopped dashes reprobated.. 99

Punctum minusculum 100

Abuses of the dash , 101

10 CONTENTS.

Page

LONG DASH. Examples of its use 103

Catineau — his explanation illustrated 105

After pointing recommended 106

PARTICULAR EXAMINATION OF SEMI- COLON AND COLON RULES 107

First appearance of semi-colon and comma 110

PERIOD. Its use in abbreviations 113

NOTES OF INTERROGATION AND ADMI- RATION 114

CAPITALS 116

NOTICE OF CRITICISMS 116

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS 119

Rudeness of Greek and Roman letters and inscriptions 120

CHAPTER VIII. Some general Directions respecting Composition

Caution against strong condemnatory expressions 122

Negatives — Caution against multiplying them unnecessarily 125

Jingling explained 125

Notice of the former and the latter, this and that,

here and there, and the one and the other 127

Curious effect from attempting to write neat 128

CHAPTER IX. Directions to write for Printers

Various instructions 134

Explanation of some technicalities 138

CONTENTS. 1 1

CHAPTER X. English Conjugators

Page

Shall and will — various notices of them 140

Shall and will not shibboleths 142

Should, would, and ought 144

Shall substituted for will 147

Should and if 150

Two cautions for the Irish and Scotch 151

Conjugator — adoption of this word recommended 154

View of English conjugation 155

Observations on to love and other verbs 157

Foreigners — their embarrassments by our imperfect should and ought explanations 161

Curious example of would and should 162

CHAPTER XL

Synonymous Words.

Notice of synonymous words, omissions in dictionaries, and fashions of application 168

Uselessness of too nice distinctions 171

Beauties of English 173

A common Error in Concord.

Case of authorised bad grammar 186

Blunders about lie and lay 187

CHAPTER XVII. A word upon Grammar

Encouragement for the study of grammar 188

Necessity for knowledge of the irregular verbs .... 189

" Diversions of Purley " — remark on 191

Suggestion for a child's grammar 191

COMPOSITION & PUNCTUATION

FAMILIARLY EXPLAINED.

CHAPTER FIRST. Plan of the Work

I have been induced to write this treatise, not with a design of superseding any other, on the subject of composition, but because I have seen none that condescends to take my humble route. I consider, therefore, that I have the field to myself. Seeing an unclaimed spot, which is a thing not to be found every day, I have taken possession — nor will I give up the ground, until some abler pen shall warn me that I have not a good title.

My object is, to instruct those who know how to read and write, but who are unacquainted with grammar. I propose, questionable as it may appear, to shew such persons how they may compose sentences of which they may not, at least, be ashamed ,

14 PLAN OF THE WORK.

and how they may express meaning intelligibly, without exciting a laugh at their expense.

Such is the task that I have undertaken. There are many thousands, who, though very intelligent and witty, believe grammar to be so uncommonly difficult, that they will make no attempt to learn, what they feel is beyond their attainment, They say " that all the world could not beat grammar into their heads — that they had, when at school, learned verbs, participles, and the other parts of speech, but that they never did, nor never could, understand them."

When men take up such notions, it is not easy to seduce them into study. They are then afraid to write, because they are terrified about all that they hear of grammatical errors. They think that composition, without grammar, must be an absurd attempt, and thus we are, to my own knowledge, deprived of many useful essays — nay even of books. Several of those individuals who shine in conversation by the originality and brilliancy, and the weight and accuracy, of their observations, are afraid to touch a pen, through a fear of the alarming requisites that composition demands.

Now, if we cannot prevail on such persons to study grammar, would it not be a meritorious attempt, to induce some of them to commit their thoughts to paper ? The gratification of seeing themselves in print might inspire confidence, and arm them with fortitude to combat their ill-founded apprehensions— to look that science in the face

FLAN OF THE WORK. 15

which appears so appalling. If ever this were desirable, it is now, when we have grammars so simplified compared with those, out of which they vainly strove to learn, in their younger days.

The failure of such persons arises from three causes : —

First. Their over anxiety to express themselves clearly, and to include all possible contingencies and exceptions, before they finish a sentence.

Secondly. Their fear of repetitions of the same word.

Thirdly. Their not duly considering the previous part of a sentence, which often produces ludicrous errors, such as making a horse or a house appear to do the business of a man.

To these I might add a fourth — their terror of punctuation, which seems to present insurmountable difficulties.

I propose to explain, chiefly by examples, these three causes of failure, and to shew the illiterate how they may easily punctuate their writings. If any of the learned happen to take up my book, I request that they will recollect, that it is not addressed to them. It has little to say to scholars or men of education, for, though they may, occasionally, find some hints not beneath their consideration, its chief pretension is, to instruct those who have not the advantage of grammatical knowledge.

CHAPTER SECOND. First Cause of Failure in Composition

This, as described, is the bane of ordinary writing, and, until we can find an antidote, we may despair of being read with pleasure, or even with common patience. Our work, whatever it be, is soon thrown aside. People do not like to wade through long-winded sentences — they will not take the trouble of connecting their various members, so as to arrive at the sense. The consequence is, that all those efforts at clearness operate as fatally as obscurity, except in a letter or law-document, which our interest may compel us to read.

Such anxiety for clearness of expression produces, necessarily, those protracted sentences that are so fearful to the general reader. Besides, it leads to the use of frequent parentheses, which should be avoided by all who aspire above the lowest class of writers. In latter times, the parenthesis has fallen into well -merited contempt, and it is now almost confined to the persons for whom I have composed this treatise. Indeed it should never be introduced, except on very extraordinary occasions, or for the purpose of indispensable reference, and, as it might be unsafe to let my pupils make those distinctions, the best advice that I can give them is, never to bring it into any composition whatever. The general school definition is, that it is something that may be passed without injury to sense or connection, but I protest against a doctrine so destructive to good writing. Never suppose that you write anything that could be safely omitted.

The following is a sample of this parenthetical w r riting : —

I received yours of the 25th ult. (tho' I must observe it did not come to hand, as you supposed until the 6th inst. owing to the bearer, Mr. Jackson being detained by the heavy snows falling these some days past) and I now take the first opportunity business affords (which thank God is very good lately) of answering it, and which I shall do with as much particularity and attention to all your different commands as any spare time (which as I said before is now very agreeably contracted by the increased business) will permit me, and I think you may expect them all done in three weeks or thereabouts (for it may be a few days more) and then you will be tolerably provided for, for the remainder of the winter, which (as you justly observe) promises to be severer than most others in our memories.

What a precious rigmarole is here ! But perhaps you will say, " well then, I shall take away the parentheses, and then it will read better. ,, Not at all. That could effect no improvement, for they are still there in substance, and the mere omission of the marks would signify nothing. You must endeavour to write, as much as possible, without those understood parentheses — if not, you will never attain to brevity or clearness. On due examination we shall find, that parentheses generally show our want of capacity, and very ordinary capacity too, for bringing into a better place something that we do not wish to omit altogether. Some excuse must be allowed, however, for the influence of old authority. The examples of former teachers are only partially exploded, and too many follow the spirit of the explanation in our old spelling-books, " I give all I have (except my watch) to Alexander." What an illustration ! So then an exception, that may prove of great importance, is only a thing " that may be omitted without injury to the sense !" Why, according to this licence, we may put whatever we please in parentheses.

There is nothing like analysis for coming at the truth, and I shall, therefore, examine this more critically. It is admitted that sentences may be transposed, by which is meant that we may, generally, place the members otherwise than in the natural or regular order. Suppose we exercise this privilege with the example before us, and begin with the exception, see how the matter stands : —

(Except my watch) I give all I have to Alexander. Here is a fair dissection of this parenthesis, for, if it be one, it must retain its character under every change of place, and yet I hardly think, that Fenning or Dilworth themselves would have allowed it to commence a sentence. From this you may see how liable to absurdity parentheses are, and how necessary it is to avoid them. Yet, though their injury to good writing is now pretty well known and acknowledged, they are not sufficiently reprobated. Mr. Murray's directions for their management, though not all unexceptionable, are the best guide that I have seen. Their frequent \ise is the chief reason why our old English writers seem so tiresome. Wishing to appear very correct and exact, they could hardly make an assertion, without lugging into one part or other of the sentence, some qualification or exception of little importance. As far as my observation has gone, Dryden appears to be the first who emancipated our style from this insipid prolixity. His dedications are, I think, freer than any other prose compositions of the same age, from those defects under consideration, for though Lord Bacon and some others wrote before him, with great strength of construction, their English is now, unavoidably, too antiquated for our present purpose. The parenthesis, whether short or extended, marked or understood, is plainly a digression in a sentence, and it should always, unless very concise, be transferred to the next, or so placed, as to read smoothly, and to glide at once into our conception. Dean Swift was rather sparing of parentheses, though they were much used in his time. He seems indeed inclined to ridicule them, as appears from the following passage in his letter to Dr. Sheridan, dated Clonfert, August 3, 1723: —

Quilca (let me see) you see I can (if I please) make parentheses (as well as others) is about a hundred miles from Clonfert.

But, though I have commended Dryden, here is a sentence, from his Dedication of the JEneid, upon which my eye has just glanced. It is newly punctuated by Carey, and, were it not for that assistance, I believe it would be very difficult to find out the sense : —

Statius — who, through his whole poem, is noted for want of conduct and judgment — instead of staying, a he might have done, for the death of Capanens, Hippomedan, Tydeus, or some other of his seven champions (who are all heroes alike), or more properly for the tragical end of the two brothers, whose exequies the next successor had leisure to perform when the siege was raised, and in the interval betwixt the poet's first action and his second — went out of his way, as it were on prepense malice to commit a fault. For he took his opportunity to kill a royal infant, &c

Were it not for Mr. Carey's judicious punctuation, it would be a study to comprehend this sentence. The first and last dashes shew us that Statius went, &c, and all the intermediate part is a monstrous suspension, to be read, I suppose, in an abated tone of voice, as the spelling-books direct. Mr. Carey might, perhaps, have done well to omit the second dash, but it is evident that he had some vexation in trying to give the thing a readable form.

Now, with great deference, I submit the following construction of this ill-built sentence as strictly preserving Dry den's intention and meaning, and enabling us to read it divested of obscurity or trouble : —

Statius, through his whole poem, is noted for want of conduct and judgment. Without any obvious necessity, he stays for the death of Capaneus, Hippomedan, Tydeus, or some other of his seven champions, who are all heroes alike. It may, indeed, be more properly said, that he waits for the tragical end of the two brothers, whose exequies, the next successor had leisure to perform, when the siege was raised, and in the interval betwixt the poet's first and second action. He therefore went out of his way, as it were on prepense malice, to commit a fault. For he took his opportunity to kill a royal infant, &c.

The greatest celebrity will not now save an author who writes in a tedious or drawling manner. People will not read — they will, at most, only skim over such composition. Though the following example is from the pen of Cowley, I only ask yourself, whether } t ou would like to go through a book consisting chiefly of such sentences ? I cannot doubt your answer, and I therefore entreat you to consider, that you cannot expect that we should read your long-winded writing, however interesting may be the subject. It has gone, irrecoverably, out of fashion, and it is vain to oppose the present, and most certainly improved, taste in the style of composition : —

But if any man be so unlearned as to want entertainment of the little intervals of accidental solitude, which frequently occur in almost all conditions (except the very meanest of the people, who have business enough in the very provisions of life) it is truly a great shame both to his parents and himself; for a very small portion of any ingenious art will stop up all those gaps of our time ; either music, or painting, or designing, or chymistry, or history, or gardening, or twenty other things will do it usefully and pleasantly ; and if

b 3 a

FIRSTv CAUSE OF FAILURE he happen to set his affections on poetry (which I do not advise him to immediately) that will overdo it ; no wood will be thick enough to hide him from the importunities of company or business, which would abstract him from his beloved.

As I hope that you are not weak enough to think, that any improvement can be effected without some trouble, I shall now, before you receive my assistance, recommend as a task, to put the parenthetical example into something of a reasonable form. Take a pen, and try to write the whole sense or substance into six separate sentences. If you cannot do this, try five, four, three — even two will make a great amendment. This is what you should do upon every occasion. ^Yhen you write a letter or anything else, you generally make a rough sketch first, and you then copy it out afresh without blots or interlineations. But your great anxiety is about words or spelling, and you neglect that most important object — the proper division of your thoughts. You are asking this and that person, is not such a word better than another, is such an expression good grammar, or, is not such a word sometimes spelled two ways ? Those inquiries may be proper, but rely upon it that your first effort should be, to break all your long-winded sentences into small portions. This is the primary grand step to respectable composition. Without any scholastic learning, it will enable you, generally speaking, to write grammatically, or at least with much fewer errors than you would otherwise make.

Keep this important fact in mind. I assure you, that it is much truer than you imagine, and I shall now put it in a plainer and more convincing point of view.

In the works of our best authors, grammatical faults occasionally appear. Those are, of course, not from ignorance — they are generally ascribed to inadvertence. But where do you think that they are almost invariably found ? In long sentences. Now, ought not this, at once, to decide your conviction ? Since a Lowth, a Blair, a Johnson, can thus make false concords, must it not be impossible for you to avoid them, in similar circumstances ?

Suppose that you have occasion to write, u I intend to go to the country next week, but I shall take care to execute your commands first. Some of them are, no doubt, troublesome, but, with John's assistance, I am sure of their completion. The most difficult of them all is the large case, but even that is in a very forward state. When all is ready

I shall " Now this, though plain language

enough, is very intelligible, and even pleasing to read, but if you run all the sentences into one, in the usual manner, with ands, althoughs, notwithstandings, buts, ifs, your letter will be not only troublesome to make out, but it is fifty to one that you do not commit several blunders. You will be speaking of John, the case, or the commands, when you intend quite otherwise, and your friend can only guess your meaning by his knowledge of the transactions.

People who are not well acquainted with a thing, generally go about it in the way that is, really, the most difficult. Thus, a workman will cut a cork across, while others will proceed lengthways, which requires twenty times the labour and care to produce an oval exterior. Long sentences are much harder than short ones, and demand considerably more tact and ability, yet he, who can hardly express his thoughts at all on paper, is sure to take that mode which calls for an experienced practitioner. A long sentence requires not only a first-rate hand, but great attention and judgment — otherwise it will be repulsive to the reader, and, though written by a good scholar, most probably ungrammatical in some place or other.

I know many persons who can tell a story remarkably well, though they have no knowledge of grammar whatever. Yet, if those men take the pen to describe it, they give us a sad piece of work. I, who observe such things with attention, can easily solve this seeming paradox. Being naturally clear-headed, they go on regularly in oral narration, but, in writing, they impatiently crowd the circumstances together. For instance, in speaking they will say,

That two men entered Mr. Tyne's house in Lake street on Saturday night at twelve o'clock, by means of false keys, and stole a quantity of plate and other things, out of the parlour — that a boy who lay there, happened to be awake, and hid himself under the bed, when he heard them in the passage — that it being a moon-light night, he distinctly saw them — that one was a servant discharged about two months before, by Mr. Tyne — that the other was a low man about forty, with a cut on his right cheek — that when they packed up the plunder and left the room, the boy instantly fastened the door inside, and cried murder ! robbers ! as loud as he could — that they then fled, carrying the booty with them.

These, and other particulars, shall be detailed with great propriety and order in a conversation, but the same people, if committing them to paper, cannot go in this regular train. They will probably write,

That two men, one of whom was a servant discharged by Mr. Tyne about two months ago, and the other, a man about forty, with a cut on his right cheek, and who should never be known but for the fortunate circumstance, of a boy who hid himself under a bed in the parlour, and who saw them packing up, and

Thus they will run on, until they find that they have not mentioned where Mr. Tyne lived, nor the time of the robbery, nor the moon-light night, nor the false keys. Then come the winches, notwithstandings, and parentheses, and we have one monstrous sentence that is nothing but a mass of confusion.

If such persons would only consider, that the pen is but an instrument to put our thoughts on paper, they should discover a secret — that they could write as well as they can talk. But they have taken up the common notion, that writing is quite different from speaking, and this leads to the obscurity which has been just exemplified. Why should a pen require any such change ? If they speak clearty, so they could, and ought to, write plain.

Numerous advantages arise from sentences of moderate length. Should you have to address a quarter, where accuracy and somewhat of elegance may be expected, you can easily get a learned friend to correct your draught, and put it into fitting language, if the sentences be short. But when it is arranged, or rather dis-arranged, in the long-winded style, the amendments are more troublesome than you imagine, and, after making a few trifling alterations for form sake, he says that he thinks it will do very well. Thus you are shut out from assistance that may be of the greatest consequence to your individual interest.

Know then, and I pray you not to forget it, that long-sentenced communications are so troublesome to put into proper form, that you cannot reasonably expect any person to do this, except one who is under some obligations to the writer. Know also, that it prevents many useful matters from appearing in the public prints. Of this I speak from practical experience. I now tell you, since it frequently happens that it would be necessary to write out such communications entirely, to make them fit for publication, you must not imagine, that the editor of a newspaper could find time for such vexatious drudgery. No, nor his humbler assistant neither, and yet, when your information is unnoticed, you go about arraigning the venality of the press, when nothing but your own ignorance is the cause of rejection.

It will even sometimes occur, that an article from a correspondent, in which the editor made some corrections, and which he particularly ordered for insertion, does not appear. Upon inquiry the foreman says, " it was put in hand and gone on with a good way, until the compositor found that there was no sense in one part that was altered, and I thought it best to stop, but there was not time to send you word." The editor, probably, erased some parenthesis which happened to contain a necessary connection. Your common writers, who deal in verbosity, will sometimes, when frightened at their own lengthy sentences, parenthesise an important observation. 1

When you have to describe an occurrence or transaction, first set down all the facts, and w r hen you think that you have omitted none, number them regularly, and try to put them into their proper places consecutively, and into short, if not pithy sentences. In doing this, avoid that prattle and garrulity which infallibly lead to long-windedness, parentheses, and insipidity. If the subject demand remarks, reserve them for the conclusion, and if they be not too strong, or too tedious, it is likely that the whole of your communication may be inserted without alteration. This will be very gratifying. The usual complaint is, that the editors of newspapers cut out the best part of such favours, but, if proper precaution be used, this cannot be done with impunity.

To relate a simple occurrence, fit to read well in print, is amongst the hardest parts of composition, especially where names are either not known, or cannot be mentioned. For this purpose, there are men attached, as we say, to London papers, and though they have extensive practice, and though it is, in a great measure, a sort of knack or mechanical dexterity, not many succeed well. This ought to abate your vanity, when you find your communication of a similar nature cut up, as you will say, unmercifully. Suppose that you have to state an accident of a man being ridden over, you will find yourself so embarrassed by the horse, the rider, and the sufferer, that after you have finished, your narration would appear ludicrous enough to make us smile, though on such a serious subject. Here, short sentences will not, except with due consideration, assist — they will force you to an endless repetition of principal words, which, though admissible in philosophical disquisitions, is too heavy for common matter. I therefore strongly recommend you to practise things of this kind. Imagine any remarkable accident, and try to explain it clearly in a passable manner, without circumlocution, or without leaving it doubtful, at any time, whether you mean one thing or another. A few such trials will much improve your general style of composition.

The following may serve as a lesson. Some of those London w r riters of whom I have spoken, could certainly do it better, but, for my present purpose, it will answer well enough : —

To the Editor of the Politician.

Sir, — In High-street, on Tuesday evening last, at half-past eight, a gentleman violently jostled a poor inoffensive man, by which his foot was sprained, and, on remonstrance, he struck him, seized him by the collar, and handed him to a constable. Arrived at Sungate station-house, the inspector would hear nothing but from the gentleman, who, after lodging his charge for " insolence and drunkenness," went away. Although it was freezing hard, the inspector would not, at any time, let his prisoner approach the fire, and, after remaining thirteen hours in this miserable situation, he told him, about half- past nine the next morning, to <' go about his business !" The man refused, alleging that a respectable shopkeeper could prove that he was sober at the time, having been in conversation with him only ten minutes before he was charged on the watch — that he was assaulted and struck for nothing — that his foot was sprained in consequence, and he wanted to know who the gentleman was. The inspector replied by ordering his men to turn him out by force* which was immediately done. This poor fellow, who is a messenger, can get the best character from his employer, and particularly for sobriety. By the harsh treatment in the watchhouse, he has got a heavy cold, that has fallen upon his lungs — he could do nothing the next day for want of sleep, and his sprained foot will, for a long time, diminish his humble earnings, as he is only paid by the parcel.

Now, Mr. Editor, it is clear that this victim of aggravated petty tyranny has an action against the constable. But you know, that the same reason that excludes a poor man from an expensive tavern, shuts him out from the King's Bench. I therefore request your insertion of this, for the information of the police magistrates of Sungate, who will, no doubt, compel the inspector to compensate this poor creature for his unmerited sufferings.