“The passion for praise produces excellent effects in women of sense.”
Addison, Spect. Nᵒ 73. In this Sentence _passion_ is the Subject, and
_produces_ the Verb; each of which is accompanied and connected with
its adjuncts. The Subject is not passion in general, but a particular
passion determined by its Adjunct of Specification, as we may call it,
the passion for praise. So likewise the Verb is immediately connected
with its object, _excellent effects_; and mediately, that is, by the
intervention of the word _effects_, with _women_, the Subject in which
these effects are produced; which again is connected with its Adjunct
of Specification; for it is not meant of women in general, but of women
of sense only. Lastly it is to be observed, that these several Adjuncts
are connected with the Verb each in a different manner; namely, with
_effects_, as the object; with _women_, as the subject of them; with
_sense_, as the quality or characteristic of those women. The Adjuncts
therefore are only so many imperfect Phrases; the Sentence is a Simple
Sentence, and admits of no Point, by which it may be distinguished into
parts.
“The Passion for praise, which is so very vehement in the fair sex,
produces excellent effects in women of sense.” Here a new Verb is
introduced, accompanied with Adjuncts of its own; and the Subject is
repeated by the Relative Pronoun _which_. It now becomes a Compounded
Sentence, made up of two Simple Sentences, one of which is inserted in
the middle of the other; it must therefore be distinguished into its
component parts by a Point placed on each side of the additional Sentence.
“How many instances have we [in the fair sex] of chastity, fidelity,
devotion? How many Ladies distinguish themselves by the education of
their children, care of their families, and love of their husbands;
which are the great qualities and achievements of woman-kind: as the
making of war, the carrying on of traffic, the administration of justice,
are those by which men grow famous, and get themselves a name?” Ibid.
In the first of these two Sentences the Adjuncts _chastity_, _fidelity_,
_devotion_, are connected with the Verb by the word _instances_ in
the same manner, and in effect make so many distinct Sentences: “how
many instances have we of chastity? how many instances have we of
fidelity? how many instances have we of devotion?” They must therefore
be separated from one another by a Point. The same may be said of the
Adjuncts “education of their children, &c” in the former part of the next
Sentence: as likewise of the several Subjects, “the making of war, &c”
in the latter part; which have in effect each their Verb; for each of
these “is an atchievement by which men grow famous.”
As Sentences themselves are divided into Simple and Compounded, so the
members of sentences may be divided likewise into Simple and Compounded
members: for whole Sentences, whether Simple or Compounded, may become
members of other Sentences by means of some additional connexion.
Simple members of Sentences closely connected together in one Compound
member or sentence, are distinguished or separated by a Comma: as in the
foregoing examples.
So likewise the Case Absolute; Nouns in Apposition, when consisting of
many terms; the Participle with something depending on it; are to be
distinguished by the Comma: for they may be resolved into Simple members.
When an address is made to a person, the Noun, answering to the Vocative
Case in Latin, is distinguished by a Comma.