Chapter 26

NOTE 1.--When the words _learned_, _blessed_, _loved,_ &c. are used as participial adjectives, the termination _ed_ should generally be pronounced as a separate syllable; as, "A _learn-ed_ man; The _bless-ed_ Redeemer;" but when they are employed as verbs, the _ed_ is contracted in pronunciation; as, "He _learn'd_ his lesson; They are _lov'd;_ I have _walk'd_."

2. The accent of the following words falls on those syllables expressed in the _italic_ characters: Eu ro _pe_ an, hy me _ne_ al, Ce sa _re_ a, co ad _ju_ tor, ep i cu _re_ an, _in_ ter est ed, _in_ ter est ing, _rep_ a ra ble, _rec_ og nise, _leg_ is la ture, _ob_ li ga to ry, in _com_ pa ra ble, ir _rep_ a ra ble, in _ex_ o ra ble. In a large class of words, the vowels _a_, _e_, and _ai_, should be pronounced like long _a_ in _late_; such as, _fare_, _rare_, _there_, _their_, _where_, _air_, _chair_, _compare_, _declare_, &c. In the words _person_, _perfect_, _mercy_, _interpret_, _determine_, and the like, the vowel _e_ before _r_, is often _erroneously_ sounded like short _u_. Its proper sound is that of _e_ in _met_, _pet_, _imperative_.

3. With respect to the pronunciation of the words _sky_, _kind_, _guide_, &c. it appears that a mistake extensively prevails. It is believed that their common pronunciation by the vulgar, is the _correct_ one, and agreeable to the pronunciation intended by Mr. John Walker. The proper diphthongal sounds 11 1 1 in skei, kyind, gyide, are adopted by the common mass, and _perverted_ by those who, in their unnatural and affected pronunciation of these words, say, 1 1 1 1 1 1 ske-i; ke-inde, ge-ide. This latter mode of pronouncing them in two syllables, is as incorrect and ridiculous as to pronounce the words _boil_, _toil_, in two 3 4 3 4 syllables; thus, bo-il, to-il.

4. _My_, _wind_. When _my_ is contrasted with _thy_, _his_, _her_, _your_, 1 1 &c, it is pronounced, mi: in all other situations, it is pronounced, me; as, "_My [me]_ son, give ear to _my [me]_ counsel." When _wind_ ends a line in poetry, and is made to rhyme with _mind_, _bind_, kind_, &c. it is 1 4 pronounced, wind; but, in other situations, it is pronounced, wind.

"Lo, the poor Indian! whose untutored mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the _wind_."

PROVINCIALISMS.

CONTRACTIONS, VULGARISMS, AND OTHER IMPROPRIETIES.

As each of the following provincialisms and vulgarisms, has its locality in some one section or other of our country, it is hoped that these corrections will be found useful in the districts to which the various phrases respectively belong.

IMPROPER. CORRECT.

Aint Are not haint have not taint 'tis not haint are not maint may not wont will not wer'nt were not waunt was not woodent would not mussent must not izzent is not wazzent was not hezzent has not doozzent does not tizzent 'tis not whool who will don't can't i'll 'tis

COMMON IN NEW ENGLAND OR NEW YORK.

4 Akst askt 4 4 ben bin 4 2 hul hole 4 1 hum home 4 1 stun stone 66 4 dooz duz 2 4 glass glass 2 4 mass mass 2 4 brass brass 2 4 pass pass 3 2 flawnt flant 4 4 hiz'zn hiz 37 37 4 hou'zn houz'iz 1 4 1 4 an'shent ane'tshent 1 4 1 1 an'jel ane'jel 4 4 1 4 dan'jur dane'jur 4 4 1 4 stran'jur strane'jur 2 4 1 4 tscham'bur tshame'bur 1 4 1 1 na'tur na'tshure 4 4 4 4 1 4 nat'ur-el natsh'u-ral 3 4 3 1 for'tin for'tshune 3 1 1 3 1 1 for'tew-nate for'tshu-nate 4 1 4 1 vur'tew ver'tshu 4 1 4 4 1 4 vur'tew-us ver'tshu-us 1 1 4 4 1 4 ak'tew-el ak'tschu-al 4 1 1 4 1 1 ed'ew-kate ed'ju-kate 4 4 2 4 faTH'ur fa'THur heft weight stoop porch stent task helve handle muss disorder dump unload scup swing shay gig or chaise cutter one-horse sleigh staddle sapling foxy reddish suple spry or supple

IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Strenth strength lenth length brenth breadth ort ought nan what wisht wish wunst once ouch oh cheer chair spook ghost furnentz opposite wanity vanity in wain in vain ornary ordinary for by to spare we bit small piece disremember do not remember

IRISH.

66 1 Door dore 66 1 floor flore 5 4 ond and 5 55 loss looz 66 1 koorse korse 66 1 soorse sorse 4 66 till too 4 7 put put 4 7 fut fut 4 66 4 54 a-koont' ak-kount' 4 4 7 4 pul'pit pul'pit 1 4 3 pare'sun par'sn

IMPROPER. CORRECT.

MD. VA. KY. MISS. &c.

2 1 THar THare 2 1 whar hware 2 1 bar [bear] bare 2 4 war wer 37 1 mout mite [might] 1 1 4 gwine go'ing 4 4 4 shet or shut rid 1 5 1 1 4 4 tote or fotch kar're, fetsh, or bring 1 4 hop'd helpt 4 66 2 4 4 ca-hoot' part'nur-ship 3 66 5 mar'bl moov off

NOTE, _Clever_, _pretty_, _ugly_, _curious_, _expect_, _guess_, and _reckon_, though correct English words, have, among the common people of New England and New York, a provincial application and meaning. With them, a _clever_ man, is one of a gentle and obliging disposition; instead of, a man of distinguished talents and profound acquirements. _Pretty_ and _ugly_, they apply to the _disposition_ of a person, instead of, to his _external appearance_. In these states, one will often hear, "I _guess_ it rains," when the speaker _knows_ this to be a fact, and, therefore, _guessing_ is uncalled for. "I _expect_ I can go;" or, "I _reckon_ I can;" instead of, "I _suppose_ or _presume_." In New England, a clergyman is often called a _minister_, in New York, a _priest_, and south of N.Y. a _parson_. The last is preferable.

NEW ENGLAND OR NEW YORK. CORRECTED. I be goin. He lives to hum. I _am_ going. He lives _at_ home.

Hese ben to hum this two weeks. _He has been at home these_ 2 weeks.

You haddent ought to do it. Yes You ought _not_ to do it. had ought. _Certainly_ I ought.

Taint no better than hizzen. _'Tis_ no better than _his_.

Izzent that are line writ well? _Is not_ that line well _written_?

Tizzent no better than this ere. _It is_ no better, or it is _not any_ better than his.

The keows be gone to hum, neow, The _cows are_ gone _home_, and and I'mer goin arter um. _I am going after them_.

He'll be here, derights, and, bring He _will_ here, directly, and bring yourn and thairn. yours and theirs.

He touched the stun which I shew He touched the _stone_ which I him, an di guess it made him sithe, _showed_ him and it made him for twas cissing hot. _sigh_, for _it was hissing_ hot.

Run, Thanel, and cut a staddle, for Go, Nathaniel, and cut a _sapling_, to make a lever on. Ize jest agoneter to make a _lever of_. I _was about_ go, daddy. to go, or _intending_ to go _immediately_, father.

Where shell I dump my cart, square? Where _shall_ I _unload_ my cart? Dump it yender. Whats the heft of _Yonder_. _What is_ the _weight_ your load? of your load?

When ju git hum from Hafford? When _did you return from A fortnit ago. You diddent, did ye? Hartford_? A _fortnight_ ago. _It Ju see my Danel, whose sot up a is possible! Did_you see my _son tarvern there? No. Hede gone afore Daniel, who has opened a public I got there. O, the pesky criter! house_ there? No. _He had left Hele soon be up a stump. before_ I _arrived_ there. O, the _paltry fellow! He will_ soon _come to naught._

My frinds supurb mansion is _My friend's_ superb mansion is delightfully sitewated on a nate-eral delightfully _situated_ on a mound of considerable hithe. It hez _natural_ mound of considerable a long stoop in front; but it is furder _height_. It _has_ a long _porch_ from the city than I'de like my hum. in front; but it is _farther_ from the city than _I would_ like to _reside_.

I know'd the gal was drownded, and I _knew_ the _girl had been I tell'd the inquisitdoners, that ize drowned_, and I _told_ the _jury nither geestin nor jokin about it; but of inquest_, that _I was_ if they'd permit me to give em my _not jesting_ about it; but, _by ideze, they'd obleege me. So I permitting_ me to _give them_ my parsevered, and carried my pinte. You _view of the subject_, they _would don't say so. Be you from Barkshire? oblige_ me. So, I _persevered_, I be. Neow I swan! if I aint clean and _gained_ my _point. Indeed! beat. Are_ you from _Berkshire_? I _am. Really_!I _am surprised_.

You baint from the Jarseys, be ye? _Are_ you from _New Jersey_? Yes, Yes. Gosh! then I guess you kneow Then I _presume_ you _know how_ heow to tend tarvern. to tend _a tavern_.

IN PENNSYLVANIA. CORRECTED

I seen him. Have you saw him I _saw_ him. Have you _seen_ him? Yes, I have saw him wunst; and that Yes, _once_; and that was before was before you seed him. you _saw_ him.

I done my task. Have you did I _have_ done my task. Have you yours? No, but I be to do it. _done_ yours? No, but I _must_.

I be to be there. He know'd me. I _shall_ be there; or, I _must_ be there. He _knew_ me.

Leave me be, for Ime afear'd. _Let_ me be, for I _am afraid_.

I never took notice to it. I never took notice _of_ it: or, better thus, I never _noticed_ it.

I wish I haddent did it; howsumever, I wish I _had not done_ it: I don't keer: they cant skeer me. _however, I disregard them_. They _cannot scare_ me.

Give me them there books. Give me _those_ books.

He ort to go; so he ort. He _ought_ to go, _really_.

No he orten. He _ought_ not.

Dont scrouge me. Don't _crowd_ me.

I diddent go to do it. I _did not intend_ to do it.

Aint that a good hand write? _Is not_ that _beautiful writing_?

Nan? I know'd what he meant, but _What_? I _knew_ what he meant, but I never let on. I _kept that to myself_.

It is a long mile to town. Ah! I It is a _little over_ a mile to thought 'twas unle a short mile. town. Ah! I _supposed it to be less than_ a mile.

IRISH. CORRECTED.

Not here the day; he went till _He is_ not here to-day. He went Pittsburg. _to_ Pittsburg.

Let us be after pairsing a wee bit. Let us _parse_ a _little_.

Where did you loss it? Where did you _lose_ it?

MD. VA. KY. OR MISS. CORRECTED.

Carry the horse to water. _Lead_ the horse to water; or, water the horse.

Tote the wood to the river. _Carry_ the wood to the river.

Have you focht the water? Have you _fetched_, or _brought_, the water?

I've made 200 bushels of corn this I _have raised_ 200 bushels of corn year. this year.

He has run against a snag. He has _got into difficulty_.

Is that your plunder, stranger? Is that your _baggage, sir_?

He will soon come of that habit. He will soon _overcome_, or _get rid of_, that habit.

I war thar, and I seen his boat was I _was there_, and I _saw that_ his loadend too heavy. boat was too _heavily laden_, or _loaded_.

Whar you gwine. _Where are_ you _going_?

Hese in cohoot with me. _He is_ in _partnership_ with me.

Did you get shet of your tobacca? Did you _get rid_, or _dispose_ of, your _tobacco_?

Who hoped you to sell it? Who _helped_ you to sell it?

PROSODY.

PROSODY treats of the modulations of the voice according to the usages of the language we speak, and the sentiments we wish to express: hence, in its most extensive sense, it comprises all the laws of elocution.

Prosody is commonly divided into two parts: the first teaches the true pronunciation of words, comprising _accent_, _quantity_, _emphasis_, _pause_, and _tone_; and the second, the laws of _versification_.

_Accent_. Accent is the laying of a peculiar stress of the voice on a particular letter or syllable in a word, that it may be better heard than the rest, or distinguished from them; as, in the word _presúme_, the stress of the voice must be on the letter _u_ and the second syllable, _sume_, which syllable takes the accent.

Every word of more syllables than one, has one accented syllable. For the sake of euphony or distinctness in a long word, we frequently give a secondary accent to another syllable besides the one which takes the principal accent; as, _'tes ti mo' ni'al_, _a ban'don 'ing._

_Quantity_. The quantity of a syllable is that time which is occupied in pronouncing it. It is considered as long or short.

A vowel or syllable is long, when the accent is on the vowel; which causes it to be slowly joined in pronunciation with the following letters; as, "Fāll, bāle, mōōd, hōūse, fēature."

A syllable is short, when the accent is on the consonant; which causes the vowel to be quickly joined to the succeeding letter; "as, ănt, bŏnnĕt, hŭngĕr."

A long syllable generally requires double the time of a short one in pronouncing it; thus, "māte" and "nōte" should be pronounced as slowly again as "măt" and "nŏt."

_Emphasis_. By emphasis is meant a stronger and fuller sound of the voice, by which we distinguish some word or words on which we design to lay particular stress, and to show how they affect the rest of the sentence. Sometimes the emphatic words must be distinguished by a particular tone of voice, as well as by a greater stress.

Emphasis will be more fully explained under the head of Elocution.

_Pauses_. Pauses or rests, in speaking and reading, are a total cessation of the voice during a perceptible, and, in many cases, a measurable space of time.

_Tones_. Tones are different both from emphasis and pauses; consisting in the modulation of the voice, or the notes or variations of sound which we employ in the expression of our sentiments.

Emphasis affects particular words and phrases; but tones affect sentences, paragraphs, and sometimes a whole discourse.

PUNCTUATION.

PUNCTUATION is the art of dividing written composition into sentences or parts of sentences, by points or stops, in order to mark the different pauses which the sense and an accurate pronunciation require.

The _Comma_ represents the shortest pause; the _Semicolon_, a pause double that of the comma; the _Colon_, double that of the semicolon; and the _Period_, double that of the colon.

Punctuation is a modern art. The ancients were entirely unacquainted with the use of points; and wrote, not only without any distinction of members and periods, but also without any distinction of words. This custom continued till the year 360 before Christ. How the ancients read their works, written in this manner, it is not easy to conceive. After the practice of joining words together had ceased, notes of distinction were placed at the end of every word. This practice continued a considerable time.

As it appears that the present usage of points did not take place while manuscripts and monumental inscriptions were the only known methods of conveying knowledge, we must conclude, that it was introduced with the art of printing. The introduction was, however, gradual: all the points did not appear at once. The colon, semicolon, and note of admiration, were produced some time after the others. The whole set, as they are now used, became established, when learning and refinement had made considerable progress.

As the rules of punctuation are founded altogether on the grammatical construction of sentences, their application pre-supposes, on the part of the student, a knowledge of Syntax. Although they admit of exceptions, and require a continual exercise of judgment and literary taste in applying them properly, they are of great utility, and justly merit our particular attention.

The great importance of acquiring a thorough knowledge of punctuation, and of attending strictly to the application of its rules, is established by the single fact, that _the meaning of a sentence is often totally perverted by the omission or misapplication of points_. To illustrate the correctness of this remark, numerous example might be selected. The following border on the ridiculous: "Mr. Jared Hurton having gone to sea his wife, desires the prayers of this church:" "Tryon, who escaped from the jail on Friday last, is 22 years of age, has sandy hair, light eyes, thin visage, with a short nose turned up about six feet high, &c." Corrected; "Mr. Jared Hurton having gone to sea, his wife desires the prayers of this church;" "thin visage, with a short nose turned up, about six feet high, &c."

Before one enters upon the study of punctuation, it is necessary for him to understand what is meant by an _adjunct_, _a simple sentence_, and a _compound sentence_.

An _adjunct_ or _imperfect phrase_ contains no assertion, or does not amount to a proposition or sentence; as, "Therefore;" "studious of praise;" "in the pursuit of commerce."--For the definition of a sentence, and a compound sentence, turn to page 119.

When two or more adjuncts are connected with the verb in the same manner, and by the same preposition or conjunction, the sentence is compound, and may be resolved into as many simple ones as there are adjuncts; as, "They have sacrificed their _health_ and _fortune_, at the _shrine_ of vanity, _pride_, and _extravagance_." But when the adjuncts are connected with the verb in a different manner, the sentence is simple; as, "Grass of an excellent _quality_, is produced in great _abundance_ in the northern regions of our country."

COMMA.

RULE 1. The members of a simple sentence should not, in general, be separated by a comma; as, "Every part of matter swarms with living creatures."

_Exercises in Punctuation_.--Idleness is the great fomenter of all corruptions in the human heart. The friend of order has made half his way to virtue. All finery is a sign of littleness.

RULE 2. When a simple sentence is long, and the nominative is accompanied with an inseparable adjunct of importance, it may admit a comma immediately before the verb; as, "The good taste _of the present age_, has not allowed us to neglect the cultivation of the English language;" "Too many _of the pretended friendships of youth_, are mere combinations in pleasure."

_Exercises_.--The indulgence of a harsh disposition is the introduction to future misery. To be totally indifferent to praise or censure is a real defect in character. The intermixture of evil in human society serves to exercise the suffering graces and virtues of the good.

RULE 3. When the connexion of the different parts of a simple sentence, is interrupted by an adjunct of importance, the adjunct must be distinguished by a comma before and after it; as, "His work is, _in many respects,_ very imperfect. It is, _therefore,_ not much approved." But when these interruptions are slight and unimportant, it is better to omit the comma; as, "Flattery is _certainly_ pernicious;" "There is _surely_ a pleasure in beneficence."

_Exercises_.--Charity like the sun brightens all its objects. Gentleness is in truth the great avenue to mutual enjoyment. You too have your failings. Humility and knowledge with poor apparel excel pride and ignorance under costly attire. The best men often experience disappointments. Advice should be seasonably administered. No assumed behavior can always hide the real character.

RULE 4. The nominative case independent, and nouns in apposition when accompanied with adjuncts, must be distinguished by commas; as, "My _son_, give me thy heart;" "Dear _Sir_, I write to express my gratitude for your many kindnesses;" "I am obliged to you, my _friends_, for your many favors;" "_Paul_, the _apostle_, of the Gentiles, was eminent for his zeal and knowledge;" "The _butterfly_, _child_ of the summer, flutters in the sun."

But if _two_ nouns in apposition are unattended with adjuncts, or if they form only a proper name, they should not be separated; as, _"Paul_ the _apostle_, suffered martyrdom;" "The _statesman Jefferson_, wrote the declaration of Independence."

_Exercises_.--Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Continue my dear child to make virtue thy chief study. Canst thou expect thou betrayer of innocence to escape the hand of vengeance? Death the king of terrors chose a prime minister. Hope the balm of life sooths us under every misfortune. Confucius the great Chinese philosopher was eminently good as well as wise. The patriarch Joseph is an illustrious example of true piety.

RULE 5. The nominative case absolute and the infinitive mood absolute with their adjuncts, a participle with words depending on it, and, generally, any imperfect phrase which may be resolved into a simple sentence, must be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas; as, "_His father dying_, he succeeded to the estate;" "_To confess the truth_, I was in fault;" "The king, _approving the plan_, put it in execution;" "He, _having finished his academical course_, has returned home, _to prosecute his professional studies_."