Besides the points which mark the pauses in discourse, there are others, which denote a different modulation of voice, in correspondence to the sense. These are,

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A note of Interrogation is used at the end of an interrogative sentence; that is, when a question is asked; as, Who will accompany me?' 'Shall we always be friends?'

Questions which a person asks himself in contemplation, ought to be terminated by points of interrogation; as, ' Who adorned the heavens with such exquisite beauty? At whose command do the planets perform their constant revolutions?'

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A point of interrogation is improper after sentences which are not questions, but only expressions of admiration, or of some other emotion; as, 'How many instances have we of chastity and excellence in the fair sex!' With what prudence does the son of Sirach advise us in the choice of our companions!'

A note of interrogation should not be employed, in cases where it is only said a question has been asked, and where the words are not used as a question; as, 'The Cyprians asked me, why I wept.' To give this sentence the interrogative form, it should be expressed thus: The Cyprians said to me, Why dost thou weep?"

EXCLAMATION.

The note of Exclamation is applied to expressions of sudden emotion, surprise, joy, grief, &c. and also to invocations or addresses; as, My friend! this conduct amazes me!' 'Bless the Lord, O my soul! and forget not all his benefits!' 'Hear me, O Lord! for thy loving-kindness is great!'

Oh! had we both our humble state maintain'd,

And safe in peace and poverty remain'd!

It is difficult, in some cases, to distinguish between an interrogative and exclamatory sentence; but a sentence, in which any wonder or admiration is expressed, and no answer either expected or implied, may be always properly terminated by a note of exclamation; as, 'How much vanity in the pursuits of men!' Who can sufficiently express the goodness of our Creator! What is more amiable than virtue!'

The interrogation and exclamation points are indeterminate as to their quantity or time, and may be equivalent in that respect to a semicolon, a colon, or a period, as the sense may require. They mark an elevation of the voice.

The utility of the points of Interrogation and Exclamation, appears from the following examples, in which the meaning is signified and discriminated solely by the points.

What condescension!
What condescension?

How great was the sacrifice!
How great was the sacrifice?

PARENTHESIS.

A Parenthesis is a clause containing some necessary information, or useful remark, introduced into the body of a sentence obliquely, and which may be omitted without injuring the grammatical construction; as, To gain a posthumous reputation, is to save four or five letters (for what is a name besides?) from oblivion.' 'Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Know, then, this truth, (enough for man to know,)

Virtue alone is happiness below.

And was the ransom paid? It was; and paid

(What can exalt his bounty more?) for thee.

If the incidental clause is short, or perfectly coincides with the rest of the sentence, it is not proper to use the parenthetical characters. The following instances are therefore improper uses of the parenthesis. 'Speak you (who saw) his wonders in the deep.' Every planet (as the Creator has made nothing in vain) is most probably inhabited.' He found them asleep again; (for their eyes were heavy;) neither knew they what to answer him.'

The parenthesis marks a moderate depression of the voice, and may be accompanied with every point which the sense would require, if the parenthetical characters were omitted. It ought to terminate with the same kind of stop which the member has that precedes it; and to contain that stop within the parenthetical marks. We must, however, except cases of interrogation and exclamation; as, 'While they wish to please, (and why should they not wish it?) they disdain dishonourable means.' It was represented by an analogy, (oh, how adequate!) which was borrowed from paganism.'

There are other characters, which are frequently made use of in composition, and which may be explained in this place; namely, An Apostrophe, marked thus', is used to abbreviate or shorten a word; as, 'tis, for it is; tho' for though; e'en for even; judg'd for judged. Its chief use is to show the genitive case of nouns; as, A man's property;' 'A woman's ornament.'

A Caret, marked thus, is placed where some word happens to be left out in writing, and which is inserted over the line. This mark is also called a circumflex, when placed over a particular vowel, to denote a long syllable; as, 'Euphrâtes.'

A Hyphen, marked thus -, is employed in connecting compounded words; as, Lap-dog, tea-pot, pre-existence, self-love, to-morrow, mother-in-law.'

It is also used when a word is divided, and the former part is written or printed at the end of one line, and the latter part at the beginning of another. In this case, it is placed at the end of the first line, not at the beginning of the second.

The Acute Accent, marked thus'; as, 'Fáncy:' the Grave, thus '; as, 'Favour.'

In English, the accentual marks are chiefly used in spelling

books and dictionaries, to mark the syllables which require a particular stress of the voice in pronunciation.

The stress is laid on long and short syllables indiscriminately. In order to distinguish the one from the other, some writers of dictionaries have placed the grave on the former, and the acute on the latter, in this manner: 'Minor, mineral, lively, lived, rìval, river.' The proper mark to distinguish a long syllable is this; as 'Rōsy:' and a short one this; as, 'Folly.' This last mark is called a breve. A Diaresis, thus marked ", consists of two points placed over one of the two vowels that would otherwise make a diphthong, and parts them into two syllables; as, 'Creator, coädjutor, aërial.' A Section, marked thus §, is the division of a discourse, or chapter, into less parts or portions.

A Paragraph, ¶, denotes the beginning of a new subject, or a sentence not connected with the foregoing. This character is chiefly used in the Old and New Testament.

A Quotation," ".-When a phrase or passage is quoted or transcribed from the speaker or author in his own words, it is generally distinguished by having two inverted commas at the beginning, and two apostrophes at the end; as, "Vice degrades us." Sometimes only one inverted comma is used; particularly when one quotation comes within another; as, "Thomas called out 'Halt!' but in vain." "Can you read?' said James: John answered, 'Yes.'" Crotchets, or Brackets [], serve to enclose a word or sentence which is to be explained in a note; or the explanation itself; or a word or a sentence which is intended to supply some deficiency, or rectify some mistake.

An Index, or Hand, points out a remarkable passage, or something that requires particular attention.

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A Brace is used in poetry at the end of a triplet or three lines, which have the same rhyme. Braces are also used to connect a number of words with one common term, and are introduced to prevent a repetition in writing or printing.

An Asterisk, or little star*, directs the reader to some note in the margin, or at the bottom of the page. Two or three asterisks generally denote the omission of some letters in a word, or of some bold or indelicate expression, or some defect in the manuscript. An Ellipsis, which is marked thus is also used, when some letters in a word, or some words in a verse, are omitted; as, 'The k-g,' for the king.'

An Obelisk, which is marked thus †, and Parallels thus ||, together with the letters of the alphabet, and figures, are used as references to the margin, or bottom of the page.

PARAGRAPHS.

Ir may not be improper to insert, in this place, a few general directions respecting the division of a composition into paragraphs. Different subjects, unless they are very short, or very numerous in small compass, should be separated into paragraphs.

When one subject is continued to a considerable length, the larger divisions of it should be put into paragraphs. And it will have a good effect to form the breaks, when it can properly be done, at sentiments of the most weight, or that call for peculiar attention.

The facts, premises, and conclusions, of a subject, sometimes naturally point out the separations into paragraphs; and each of these, when of great length, will again require subdivisions at their most distinctive parts.

In cases which require a connected subject to be formed into several paragraphs, a suitable turn of expression, exhibiting the connexion of the broken parts, will give beauty and force to the division.

DIRECTIONS RESPECTING THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS.

Ir was formerly the custom to begin every noun with a capital; but as this practice was troublesome, and gave the writing or printing a crowded and confused appearance, it has been discontinued. It is, however, very proper to begin with a capital,

1. The first word of every book, chapter, letter, note, or any other piece of writing.

2. The first word after a period; and, if the two sentences are totally independent, after a note of interrogation or exclamation.

But if a number of interrogative or exclamatory sentences are thrown into one general group, or if the construction of the latter sentences depends on the former, all of them, except the first, may begin with a small letter; as, 'How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning? and fools hate knowledge? Alas! how different! yet how like the same!' 3. The appellations of the Deity; as, God, Jehovah, the Almighty, the Supreme Being, the Lord, Providence, the Messiah, the Holy Spirit.'

4. Proper names of persons, places, streets, mountains, rivers, ships; as, George, York, the Strand, the Alps, the Thames.'

5. Adjectives derived from the proper names of places; as, 'Gre cian, Roman, English, French, and Italian.'

6. The first word of a quotation, introduced after a colon, or when it is in a direct form; as, 'Always remember this ancient maxim: Know thyself.' 'Our great Lawgiver says, Take up thy cross daily, and follow me.' But when a quotation is brought in obliquely after a comma, a capital is unnecessary; as, Solomon observes, that pride goes before destruction.'

The first word of an example may also very properly begin with a capital; as, 'Temptation proves our virtue.'

7. Every substantive and principal word in the titles of books; as, 'Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language;' 'Thomson's Seasons;' 'Rollin's Ancient History.'

8. The first word of every line in poetry.

9. The pronoun I, and the interjection O, are written in capitals; as, 'I write;' 'Hear, O earth.'

Other words, besides the preceding, may begin with capitals, when they are remarkably emphatical, or the principal subject of the composition.

APPENDIX;

CONTAINING

RULES AND OBSERVATIONS FOR PROMOTING PERSPICUITY AND ACCURACY IN WRITING.

PERSPICUITY Originally and properly signifies transparency, such as may be ascribed to air, glass, water, or any other medium, through which material objects are viewed. From this original and proper sense, it has been metaphorically applied to language; this being, as it were, the medium, through which we perceive the notions and sentiments of any speaker or writer.

Now, in natural things, if the medium through which we look at any object, be perfectly transparent, our whole attention is fixed on the object. If, for instance, we look through the panes of glass in any window, we are scarcely sensible that there is a medium which intervenes, and can hardly be said to perceive the medium. But if there be any flaw in the glass, if we see through it but dimly, if the object be imperfectly represented, or if we know it to be misrepresented, our attention is immediately taken off the object, and turned to the medium. We are then desirous to discover the cause, either of the dim and confused representation, or of the misrepresentation of things which the medium exhibits, or that the defect in vision may be supplied by judgment.

The case of language is precisely similar. A discourse, then, excels in perspicuity, when the object engrosses the attention of the hearer, and the diction is so little minded by him, that he can scarcely be said to be conscious that it is through this medium he sees into the speaker's thoughts.

On the contrary, the least obscurity, ambiguity, or confusion in the style, instantly removes the attention from the sentiment to the expression; and the hearer endeavours, by the aid of reflection, to correct the imperfections of the speaker's language. Whatever application he must give to the words, is, in fact, so much deducted from what he owes to the sentiments. Besides, the effort which the speaker thus requires his hearer to exert in a very close attention to the language, always weakens the effect, which the thoughts were intended to produce in the mind of the hearer.

Perspicuity is, of all qualities of style, the first and most essential. Every speaker does not propose to please the imagination, nor is every subject susceptible of those ornaments which conduce to this purpose. Much less is it the aim of every speech to agitate the passions. There are some occasions, therefore, in which variety,