4. The long Pause,, double that of the rest, and equal to the Bar-rest in music.

Of all these, the first, or short pause, is of the greatest importance, on account of its continual use, and its great assistance and relief to the orator, -being rather in the nature of a suspension of the breath, than an absolute pause.

1. SHORT PAUSE,, or Quaver-rest.

In the first place, the short pause, or quaver-rest, may always be used when a comma is used or required in grammatical punctuation.

For rhetorical or elocutionary purposes it must have place

AFTER,

1. The nominative phrase (or it might be called the subjective phrase); that is, several words composing one phrase, and standing as the nominative to some verb: as,

The passions of mankind too frequently obscure their judgment.

To act virtuously is to act wisely.

To judge correctly of others we should first well know ourselves;

for this is as if we said,—

To judge others justly requires us to know ourselves well

2. When the form of the sentence is inverted, this pause has place

After the objective phrase; as,—

By the violence of our passions our judgment is frequently blinded.

By acting virtuously we act wisely.

By virtuous conduct we consult our own happiness.

So, when by inversion the predicate* precedes the subject, there must be a short pause after the predicate; as,

Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

The wisest of men' was Solomon.

The most splendid temple of art is the Crystal Palace.

So, in every inversion, there will be a short pause after the first inverted phrase; as,—

Like a loyal subject he defended his king.

Boldly and wisely he upheld the constitution of his country.

Brief and few were the words he spoke.

Cold and unmoved he faced the angry multitude.

The rights of the living he violated; the ashes of the dead he desecrated and scattered to the winds.

By the " “predicate" logicians mean what is said or predicated of a subject, as " John (subject) is a good boy" (predicate).

3. After the emphatic word of force; and the subject of a sentence, though but one word, if requiring to be particularly marked: as,

Virtue is the wisest philosophy.

Well, honor is the subject of my story.

4. After each member of a series; as,—

Charity joy peace patience are Christian ornaments of the soul.

(The middle pause has place after the last member of the series.)

A good heart a tender disposition a charity that shuns the day a modesty that blushes at its own excellence- such are the accomplishments that please in youth and endure in age.

In the second place-the short pause is to be used

BEFORE

5. The infinitive mood; as,—

We are all called upon to assist our fellow creatures in distress.

6. Before prepositions, when they govern a whole clause of a sentence; but not when they occur in the body of the clause or phrase *: as,— It is prudent in every man to make early provision against the wants of age and the chances of accident.

* i. e. not when forming the genitive case.

Here the prepositions "in" and "against" govern respectively the words or clauses which they precede; they form points of division or land marks of the meaning; they consequently require a pause before them to indicate that division; but the preposition "of" in the clauses "wants of age" and "chances of accident" is not to be marked with a preceding pause, for it is only part of a phrase, and forms no division of meaning: for in Elocution the phrases "wants of age" and "chances of accident" would be respectively read as one word, as if written and accented "wants-of-áge" and "chánces-of-ac'cident."

7. Before relative pronouns; as,—

These are the men

who desire your support.

Such are the errors which you must avoid; such the example which you should emulate.

8. Before conjunctions; and adverbs of time, similitude, and some others: as,—

ગ્

Nations like men fail in nothing which they boldly undertake when sustained by virtuous purpose and firm resolution.

When the conjunctions "and," "but," "or," serve merely as connecting links to a phrase conveying a whole idea, or of words and ideas closely allied to each other, there should be no pause before them (analogous to the rule respecting prepositions); for pause is intended to mark the division of one clause, and one step in the progress of the meaning, from another: as,

A virtuous life most surely conduces to peace and happi

ness.

Here there should be no pause before and; the ideas it links together are so similar and so allied to each other, as not to admit of being disjoined. But, if the sentence stood

A virtuous life will secure peace to our youth and happiness to our age,

a pause, as marked, would be required before the conjunction and, separating, as it does, two distinct clauses, conveying distinctly separate, though not dissimilar ideas.

9. The short pause has also place on an ellipsis, supplying the omitted word; as,

Such is the example you are offered.

(Here the pause supplies the place of which).

A people once enslaved may groan ages in bondage, (instead of "for ages").

NOTE.-Never pause between the verb and its objective case, in a direct sentence, unless other words intervene; except for the sake of emphasis.

2. MIDDLE PAUSE,, or Crotchet-rest,

Frequently occurs in the middle of a sentence, -which it serves to divide, by separating the