"Were all books reduced to their quinteffence, many a bulky author would make his appearance in a penny paper: there would be scarce any fuch thing in nature as a folio: the works of an age would be contained on a few shelves: not to mention millions of volumes, that would be utterly annihilated."-Spectator, No. 124.

This fentence is divided into four parts by the colon: the firft and laft parts are compound members, divided by the comma; the second and third are fimple members.

Each of these parts contains perfect sense, and would also form a complete fentence, if the other parts had not been joined to it.

The colon is alfo ufed when a femicolon goes before, and a greater pause is required; though the fentence be not conplete; also when a speech or an example is introduced.

The PERIOD is used when a sentence is fo far finished as not to be connected in conftruction with the following fentence; and marks both a perfect fenfe, and a perfect fentence: as,

"Man, confidered in his present state, seems only fent into the world to propagate his kind. He provides himself with a fucceffor, and immediately quits his poft to make room for him."-Spectator.

These are two perfect fentences, divided from each other by the period, and fubdivided into simple sentences by the comma. The first of these two sentences reprefents the apparent end of man's miflion into this present world; namely, to propagate his kind: the fecond fhews the real confequence of his refidence here; begetting a fucceffor, and making room for him. They are entirely diftinct fentences; unconnected în conftruction with each other, and wanting nothing to make each perfect both in fenfe and fentence.

Befide the four foregoing points used to exprefs the pauses in difcourfe; there are three others, which alfo affect the modulation of the voice: namely,

The Note of Interrogation, marked thus

(?)

The Note of Admiration, or Exclamation, marked thus (!) The Parenthefis, marked thus

()

THE

The NOTE OF INTERROGATION is used when a question is asked: as, "Would an infinitely wife Being make fuch glos rious creatures for fo mean a purpose? Can he delight in the production of fuch abortive intelligences, fuch short-lived reasonable beings? Would be give us talents that are not to be exerted? capacities that are never to be gratified?" Spect. These are all interrogative sentences, and, as fuch, are marked by the interrogation point.

The NOTE OF ADMIRATION, or EXCLAMATION, is used to mark the fpeaker's admiration, and any fudden pafLion: as,

And fee!

'Tis come, the glorious morn! the second birth
Of Heaven and earth!"

THOMSON'S WINTER.

Both thefe points mark an elevation of the voice. The length of time required by them as paufes is uncertain, and may be equal to that of a femicolon, colon, or a period."

The PARENTHESIS is used to enclose a word or sentence, inferted in another fentence; which is not neceffary to the sense, nor does it at all affect the construction: as, "Pompey on the other fide (that hardly ever spake in public without a bluft) had a wonderful fweetnefs of nature." This point marks a moderate depreffion of the voice, with a paufe fomewhat greater than a còmma.

There are alfo other marks used in writing, which, though > they do not affect the voice as paufes, yet are often neceffary to the fenfe: the principal of which marks we shall just mention.

The APOSTROPHE, marked thus ('), is only a comma placed at the head of a letter, and fignifies either that fome letter or letters are left out for a quicker pronunciation; as, I'll, for I will; he don't, for he does not :" or else it marks the poffeffive cafe: as, John's book.

The ACCENT () is placed over a vowel to denote that the word is accented on that fyllable; as, Com-pre-hén-fion.

VOL. I.

G

The

The BREVE (), placed over a vowel to fignify it fhould
be founded short: as, Putty.

The CIRCUMFLEX(), placed over fome vowel to fhew
that it is to be pronounced long: as, difpute.

The CARET," of the me form with the circumflex, but
placed beneath the line, to fhew that fomething is omitted
which is inferted over the line: as, this is he.

^

The DIALYSIS ("), or two points placed over two vowels
in a word, to fhew they are to be parted, not being a diph-
thongas, Duel. §.

The HYPHEN, or note of conjunction (-), being a straight
line, used to connect compound words together: as, Heart-
breaking; Book-keeper. And when inferted at the end of a line,
it fhews the word is divided according to its fyllables: as, dif-
tinguish.

The INDEX(), or hand, pointing to fomething re
markable.nu

1

The ASTERISM (*), or Star, directing to fome note in
the margin, or at the bottom of the page. Several of them
together denote fomething defective, or improper to be re
peated...

The OBELISK (†), is ufed to refer to a note like the fore
going. And in fome dictionaries it denotes the word to be
obfolete.

The PARAGRAPH (¶) marks a divifion of fentences und
der one head. It is ufed chiefly in the vulgar translation of
the Bible.

The SECTION (§) fhews a greater divifion than the pà-®
ragraph.

The CROTCHETS ([]) include a word or fentence expla-
natory of what was mentioned before.

The QUOTATION ("-") is a double comma (the first.
reversed), and placed at the beginning and end of a fentence,,
or fentences, taken from another author.

A PRAXIS;

A PRAXIS;

Or Examples of Grammatical Refolution.

JOHN, IV.

When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharifees had heard that Jefus made and baptized more difciples than John;

2 (Though Jefus himself baptized not, but his disciples ;) 3 He left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his fon Jofeph.

6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jefus therefore being wea ried with his journey, fat thus on the well: and it was about' the fixth hour.

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jefus faith unto her, Give me to drink.

1 When is an adverb of time; therefore, an adverb with a prepofition added to it; the, the definite article; Lord, common noun, fingular number, masculine gender, nominative cafe, being the agent of the fentence; knew, the verb neuter, third perfon, fingular, governed by the noun: Lord, and agreeing" with it, past time, îndicative mode, and the attribute of the fentence; how, an adverb of manner; the, definite article ; Pharifees, noun common, plural number, nominative cafe; had heard, verb neuter with the auxiliary had, plural, third perfon, paft time, indicative mode, governed by Pharifees; that, a copulative conjunction; Jefus, a proper name, masculine, nominative cafe, and the agent of the fentence; made, and baptized, two verbs active, third perfon, fingular, paft time, indicative mode, connected with each other by the copulative conjunction and, and are the attribute of the fentence; more, an adverb of comparison difciples, noun plural, objective cafe, and the object of the fentence; then, comparative con-junction,

هم

2

junction, comparing the number mentioned in the foregoing fentence with that of the following: as, baptized more difciples, than John (did); John, a proper name.

2 Though, a disjunctive conjunction; Jefus, a proper name, as before; himself, the objective pronoun of the third person fugular, mafculine gender, joined to the fingular fubftantive felf, to exprefs an exclufive emphasis; baptized, verb active third perfon, fingular, past time, and indicative mode, though it be governed by the conjunction though, for it is not of a doubtful, but abfolute, nature, declaring that Jefus did not baptize any; it forms the attribute of the fentence to the agent Jefus; not, a negative adverb, added to the verb, and altering its fenfe, the poffeffive pronoun any being understood; › but, a disjunctive conjunction, correfponding to the former conjunction though, and expreffing an oppofition in meaning; his, the poffeffive pronoun,, third perfon, fingular, mafculine gender; difciples, the plural fubftantive, nominative cafe, the auxiliary (did) being understood: as, his difciples did. The whole verse is included in a parenthefis, and is not connected in fenfe or construction, with the reft of the chapter.

3 He, a pronoun of the third perfon fingular, masculine : gender, nominative cafe; used as a fubftitute for the noun Jefus, and governed by it; left, a verb active, third perfon, fingular, governed by the pronoun he, paft time, indicative mode; Judea, a proper name of a city, objective case, as it forms the object to the fentence; and, a copulative conjunction; departed, a verb neuter, third person, fingular, governed alfo by the pronoun ke, paft time, indicative mode; again, an adverb; into, a prepofition; Galilee, a proper noun, objec tive cafe, governed by the prepofition into.

4 And, a copulative conjunction, expreffing an addition; he, a pronoun as before, agreeing with its antecedent nour Felus; must, an auxiliary, denoting neceffity, and having now: variation; needs, an adverb; go, a neuter verb; through, a prepofition; Samaria, a proper name for a country, objective. afe, being governed by the prepofition through.