When the sense admits it, the sooner a circumstance is introduced the better:

"Whether a choice, altogether unexceptionable, has ever, in any country, been made, seems doubtful."Better thus:-"Whether in any country, a choice," &c.

Circumstances should not follow one another, but should be interspersed among the principal words, on which they depend, or to which they refer :

Virgil, who has cast the whole system of Platonic philosophy, so far as it relates to the soul of man, into beautiful allegories, in the sixth book of his Eneid, gives us the punishment," &c. Better thus:— "Virgil, who has cast into beautiful allegories the whole system of Platonic philosophy, so far as it relates to the soul of man, gives us, in the sixth book of his Æneid, the punishment," &c.

ON UNITY.-RULES.

A sentence should contain one leading proposition. It may embrace several members or circumstances, provided they are made subservient to one predominating object or principle.

It is obvious that objects, having no intimate connexion, should not be associated in the same sentence.

During the course of the sentence the scene should be changed as little as possible. One principal agent should lead the sentence, and one species of construction should generally prevail in it, an unnecessary

mixture of active, passive, and neuter phraseologies being carefully avoided.

Unnecessary parentheses should be avoided, as an indiscreet use of them seldom fails to be disagreeable. Sentences should never be extended beyond what seems their natural close. Inattention to this rule is destructive both of strength and unity.

ON STRENGTH.

The strength of a sentence consists in such a selection and position of the words, and arrangement of the members, as are the most conducive to the full and explicit expression of the meaning intended to be conveyed.

Rules:-A sentence should be divested of all redundant words or members. The relation of unnecessary circumstances should be avoided—of such as are either unimportant in themselves, or already implied.

Particular care is requisite in the use of copulatives, relatives, and all the words employed either in connexion or transition. These have been named the joints and hinges of language. Its gracefulness and strength, therefore, depend, in a great measure, on the manner, in which they are employed. And the less conspicuous this is, the more complete will be the union of the various parts, and the more easily will the reader glide from one word, clause, or member, to another.

The splitting of particles, or separating of a prepo

sition from its regimen, ought to be avoided; though to avoid it is not always easy.

The more important words should be placed in that situation, in which they are likely to make the strongest impression-the first and last words of a sentence are always the most conspicuous.

Great animation arises from placing an important word at the beginning: thus-" Sunk are thy bowers in shapeless ruin all." When, however, the leading object is, not only to give weight to the sentiment, but also to sustain the attention, or suspend the curiosity, important words may advantageously be placed at the close: thus-" Happy the man, who, void of cares and strife, in silken or in leathern purse retains a splendid shilling."

The plain and grammatical order of a sentence being that, which corresponds to the usual mode of expression, may be deemed the most consistent with ease and simplicity. Inversion is a branch of ornament, combining an attention to sound, sense, and effect. The language, that is addressed solely to the understanding, seldom admits much inversion. It is employed chiefly in works addressed to the passions, emotions, or imagination. It should not, however, be indulged, but to reach some beauty, or produce some effect, not attainable by the usual order. Nor should much inversion be employed in a long sentence, lest the mind become bewildered amidst the profusion and unusual order of the words.

A sentence should not, in general, be concluded with a word of inconsiderable figure, or little intrinsic importance: we should, therefore, generally avoid

concluding it with such particles as of, to, from, by, up, about, &c. But it should be observed that certain words included in this vague term, may, with great propriety, terminate a sentence, when they are particularly significant.

Carefully avoid long and intricate sentences. Errors are frequently committed in the extent of sentences. Sometimes they are too long; at other times too short and abrupt. A long period, perfectly clear, and well constructed, is always beautiful and agreeable, if it be not so prolonged as to exhaust the patience and attention of the reader. It is, however, extremely difficult to construct such periods: hence, long sentences are often feeble, ungraceful, and obscure.

Lastly-The strength and beauty of a sentence may be promoted by a judicious use of the figures, climax, and antithesis; and of figurative language in general.

ON PUNCTUATION.

Punctation treats of the points or marks inserted in written composition, for the purpose of showing more clearly the sense intended to be conveyed, and the pauses required in reading.

The principal points or marks employed in punctuation are the comma [,], the semicolon [;], the colon [:], the period [.], the note of interrogation [?], the note of exclamation [!], and the dash [—].

The comma requires a momentary pause; the semicolon, a pause somewhat longer than the comma; the

colon, a pause somewhat longer than the semicolon; and the period a full stop. The note of interrogation, or the note of exclamation, may take the place of any one of these, and accordingly requires a pause of the same length as the point, for which it is substituted. The duration of these pauses depends on the character of the composition; the grave le requiring much longer intervals than the lively or impassioned. The sense of a passage often requires a pause in reading, where usage does not allow the insertion of a point in writing; as in the sentence, "Our schemes of thought in childhood | are lost in those of youth." On the other hand, points are sometimes inserted merely to indicate the syntactical construction, without requiring a suspension of the voice in reading; as in the phrase, "No, Sir."

THE COMMA.

Rule 1.-When a relative and its antecedent are separated from each other by one or more words, a comma should generally be inserted before the relative; as, "Think not man was made in vain, who has such an eternity reserved for him."-Spectator. "There is a pleasure in poetic pains,

Which only poets know."-Cowper.

Exception. When, however, the intervening word is an adverb, the comma is more commonly omitted; as, "It is labor only which gives a relish to pleasure.'

Rule 2.-When two or more words come between the adjective and its noun, a comma is placed after