parately and distinctly exhibited, be more readily and distinctly conceived *. This rule is so far from being unnecessary, when we are obliged to pause after the verb, that it then becomes more essential. EXAMPLE. This account of party patches will, I am afraid, appear improbable to those who live at a distance from the fashionable world. Addison's Spect. N° 81. If in this sentence we only pause at will, as marked by the printer, we shall find the verb swallowed up as it were by the nominative case, and confounded with it; but if we make a short pause, both before and after it, we shall * It is not a little astonishing that so acute a grammarian as Beauzée should make the propriety of a pause in this case depend, not on the necessity of distinguishing parts more or less connected, but on the necessity of breathing. If the sense is impaired by a pause, a pause is absolutely inadmissible in the longest as well as the shortest sentence; but if a pause between the nominative and verb, where the nominative consists of many words, does not injure the sense, but rather clears and strengthens it, we may safely pronounce that a pause between every complex nominative and verb is not only admissible but necessary. His examples of sentences where we may pause, and where we may not, are the following: L'homme injuste ne voit la mort que comme un fantôme affreux. Theor. des Sent. chap. 14. Lavenue des faux Christs, et des faux prophétes, sembloit étre un plus prochain acheminement à la dernière ruine. Bossuet Disc. 'sur l'Hist. Univ. P. II. But if the foregoing observations are just, a pause in speak- · ing is quite as admissible at injuste as at prophétes: for, to use his own words-C'est une erreur sensible, de faire dépendre le degré d' affinité de phrases de leur plus ou moins d'étendue; un atome tient aussi peu à un autre atome qu'une montagne à une montagne. Gram. Generale, vol. ii. p. 592. find every part of the sentence obvious and distinct. That the nominative is more separable from the verb than the verb from the objective case, is plain from the propriety of pausing at selflove, and not at forsook, in the following example : Self-love forsook the path it first pursu'd, The same may be observed of the last line of the following couplet: Earth smiles around with boundless bounty blest, And heaven beholds its image on his breast. Ibid. In these instances, though the melody invites to a pause at forsook and beholds, propriety requires it at self-love and heaven. RULE VI. Whatever member intervenes between the nominative case and the verb is of the nature of a parenthesis, and must be separated from both of them by a short pause. EXAMPLES. I am told that many virtuous matrons, who formerly have been taught to believe that this artificial spotting of a face was unlawful, are now reconciled, by a zeal for their cause, to what they could not be prompted by a concern for their beauty. Addison's Spect. N° 81. The member intervening between the nominative matrons, and the verb are, may be considered as incidental, and must therefore be separated from both. When the Romans and Sabines were at war, and just upon the point of giving battle, the women, who were allied to both of them, interposed with so many tears and entreaties, that they prevented the mutual slaughter which threatened both parties, and united them together in a firm and lasting peace. Addison's Spect. No s1. Here the member intervening between the nominative case women, and the verb interposed, must be separated from both by a short pause. RULE VII. Whatever member intervenes between the verb and the accusative case, is of the nature of a parenthesis, and must be separated from both by a short pause. EXAMPLES. I knew a person who possessed the faculty of distinguishing flavors in so great a perfection, that, after having tasted ten different kinds of tea, he would distinguish, without seeing the colour of it, the particular sort which was offered him. Addison's Spect. No 409. The member intervening between the verb distinguish, and the accusative the particular sort, must be separated from them by a short pause. A man of a fine taste in writing, will discern, after the same manner, not only the general beauties and imperfections of an author, but discover the several ways of thinking and expressing himself, which diversify him from all other authors. Addison, ibid. The member intervening between the verb discern, and the accusative not only the general beauties and imperfections of an author, must be separated from both by a short pause. RULE VIII. Whatever words are put into the case absolute, must be separated from the rest by a pause. EXAMPLES. If a man borrow aught of his neighbour, and it be hurt or die, the owner thereof not being with it, he shall surely make it good. Here, the owner thereof not being with it, is the phrase called the ablative absolute, and this, like a parenthesis, must be separated from the rest of the sentence by a short pause on each side, God, from the mount of Sinai, whose Milton. Here, he descending, neither governs nor is governed by any other part of the sentence, and is said to be in the ablative absolute; and this independence must be marked by a short pause before and after the phrase, RULE IX. If an adverb is placed after the verb, and consists but of one word, it must be separated from what follows by a pause. 1 EXAMPLE. He did not act prudently, in one of the most important affairs of his life, and therefore could not expect to be happy. RULE X. If the adverb consists of more words than one, or forms what is called an adverbial phrase, it ought to be separated both from the verb and what follows, by a pause. EXAMPLE. Thus man is, by nature, directed to correct, in some measure, that distribution of things, which she herself would otherwise have made, Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments. RULE XI. Words or phrases in apposition, or when the latter only explains the former, have a short pause between them. EXAMPLE. Goddess of the lyre, Which rules the accents of the moving spheres, And join this festive train? RULE XII. When two substantives come together, and the latter, which is in the genitive case, consists of several words closely united with each other, a pause is admissible between the two principal substantives. EXAMPLES. We may observe, that any single circumstance of what we have formerly seen often raises up a whole scene of imagery, and awakens numberless ideas that before slept in the imagination. Spect. N° 417. I do not know whether I am singular in my opinion, but for my own part I would rather look upon a tree in all its luxuriancy, and diffusion of boughs and branches, than when it is cut and trimmed into a mathematical figure. Ib. N° 415. Correct reading would admit of a pause in the first example at circumstance, and, in the last, rather at diffusion than at luxuriancy. RULE XIII. Who and which, when relative pronouns, and that, when it stands for who and which, always admit of a pause before them. EXAMPLES. A man can never be obliged to submit to any power, unless he can be satisfied, who is the person, who has a right to exercise it. Locke. |