PUNCTUATION.

PUNCTUATION is the art of marking in writing the feveral paufes, or refts, between fentences, and the parts of fentences, according to their proper quantity or proportion, as they are expressed in a juft and accurate pronunciation.

As the feveral articulate founds, the fyllables and words, of which fentences confift, are marked by Letters; fo the refts and pauses between fentences and their parts, are marked by Points.

But, though the feveral articulate founds are pretty fully and exactly marked by Letters of known and determinate power; yet the several pauses, which are used in a juft pronunciation of discourse, are very imperfectly expressed by

Points.

For the different degrees of connexion between the several parts of sentences, and the different pauses in a juft pronunciation which express those degrees of connexion according to their proper value, admit of great variety; but the

whole number of Points, which we have to exprefs this variety, amounts only to Four.

Hence it is, that we are 'under a neceffity of expreffing pauses of the fame quantity, on dif ferent occafions, by different points; and more frequently, of expreffing paufes of different quantity by the fame points.

So that the doctrine of Punctuation muft needs be very imperfect: few precife rules can be given, which will hold without exception in all cafes: but much must be left to the judgment and tafte

of the writer.

On the other hand, if a greater number of marks were invented to exprefs all the poffible different pauses of pronunciation; the doctrine of them would be very perplexed and difficult, and the use of them would rather embarrass than affift the reader.

It remains therefore, that we be content with the Rules of Punctuation, laid down with as much exactness as the nature of the subject will admit: such as may serve for a general direction, to be accommodated to different occafions; and to be fupplied, where deficient, by the writer's judge th

ment.

The

of

The feveral degrees of Connexion between Sentences, and between their principal conftructive parts, Rhetoricians have confidered under the following diftinctions, as the most obvious and remarkable: the Period, Colon, Semicolon, and Comma.

The Period is the whole Sentence, complete in itfelf, wanting nothing to make a full and perfect fenfe, and not connected in conftruction with a fubfequent Sentence.

The Colon, or Member, is a chief conftruetive part, or greater divifion, of a Sentence. The Semicolon, or Half-member, is a lefs conftructive part, or subdivision, of a Sentence or Member.

A Sentence or Member is again fubdivided into Commas, or Segments; which are the leaft conftructive parts of a Sentence or Member, in this way of confidering it for the next fubdivifion would be the refolution of it into Phrases and Words.

The Grammarians have followed this divifion of the Rhetoricians, and have appropriated to each of thefe diftinctions its mark, or Point;

M

which takes its name from the part of the Sentence, which it is employed to distinguish; as

follows:

The Period

The Colon

is thus marked

The Semicolon

The Comma

The proportional quantity, or time, of the points, with respect to one another, is determined by the following general rule: The Period is a pause in quantity or duration double of the Colon; the Colon is double of the Semicolon; and the Semicolon is double of the Comma. So that they are in the fame proportion to one another, as the Semibref, the Minim, the Crotchet, and the Quaver, in Mufic. The precife quantity, or duration, of each Paufe or Note. cannot be defined; for that varies with the Time; and both in Difcourfe and Mufic the fame. Compofition may be rehearsed in a quicker or a flower Time: but in Mufic the proportion between the Notes remains ever the fame; and in Discourse, if the doctrine of Punctuation were exact, the proportion between the Paufes would be ever invariable.

Sen

The Points then being defigned to exprefs the Paufes, which depend on the different degrees of connexion between Sentences, and between their principal conftructive parts; in order to understand the meaning of the Points, and to know how to apply them properly, we muft confider the nature of a Sentence, as divided into its principal conftructive parts; and the degrees of connexion between thofe parts, upon which fuch divifion of it depends.

To begin with the least of these principal conftructive parts, the Comma. In order the more clearly to determine the proper application of the Point which marks it, we muft diftinguish between an Imperfe&t Phrafe, a Simple Sentence, and a Compounded Sentence.

An imperfect Phrafe contains no assertion, or does not amount to a Propofition or Sentence. A Simple Sentence has but one Subje&, and one finite Verb.

A compounded Sentence has more than one Subject, or one finite Verb, either expreffed or understood; or it confifts of two or more fimple Sentences connected together.