“Were all books reduced to their quintessence, many a bulky author would
make his appearance in a penny paper: there would be scarce any such
thing in nature as a folio: the works of an age would be contained on a
few shelves: not to mention millions of volumes, that would be utterly
annihilated.” Addison, Spect. Nᵒ 124.
Here the whole Sentence is divided into four parts by Colons: the first
and last of which are Compounded Members, each divided by a Comma; the
second and third are Simple Members.
When a Semicolon has preceded, and a greater pause is still necessary; a
Colon may be employed, tho’ the Sentence be incompleat.
The Colon is also commonly used, when an Example, or a Speech is
introduced.
When a Sentence is so far perfectly finished, as not to be connected in
construction with the following Sentence, it is marked with a Period.
In all cases the proportion of the several Points in respect to one
another is rather to be regarded, than their supposed precise quantity,
or proper office, when taken separately.
Beside the Points which mark the pauses in discourse, there are others
which denote a different modulation of the voice in correspondence with
the sense. These are
The Interrogation Point } thus { ?
The Exclamation Point } marked { !
The Parenthesis } { ()
The Interrogation and Exclamation Points are sufficiently explained by
their names: they 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 requires. They mark an Elevation of the voice.
The Parenthesis incloses in the body of a Sentence a member inserted
into it, which is neither necessary to the Sense, nor at all affects the
Construction. It marks a moderate depression of the voice, with a pause
greater than a Comma.
A PRAXIS, or Example of Grammatical Resolution.
1. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate
late being Governour of Judea, the word of God came unto John the Son of
Zecharias in the wilderness.
2. And he came into all the country about Jordan preaching the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins.
3. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern
girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
4. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him,
O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.
5. And as all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the
Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you
with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I
am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and
with fire.
6. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that, Jesus
also being baptized and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy
Ghost descended in a bodily shape upon him; and lo! a voice from heaven
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
1. _In_ is a Preposition; _the_ the Definite Article; _fifteenth_, an
Adjective; _year_, a Substantive, or Noun, in the Objective Case governed
by the Preposition _in_; _of_, a Preposition; _the reign_, a Substantive,
Objective Case, governed by the Preposition _of_; _of Tiberius Cæsar_,
both Substantives, Proper Names, Government and Case, as before; _Pontius
Pilate_, Proper Names; _being_, the Present Participle of the Verb
Neuter _to be_; _Governour_, a Substantive; _of Judea_, a Proper Name,
Government and Case as before: _Pontius Pilate being governour_, is the
Case Absolute, that is, the Nominative Case with a Participle without
a Verb following and agreeing with it; the meaning is the same as,
_when_ Pilate _was_ governour: _the word_, a Substantive; _of God_, a
Substantive; _came_, a Verb Neuter, Indicative Mode, Past Time, third
Person Singular Number, agreeing with the Nominative Case _word_; _unto_,
a Preposition; _John_, a Proper Name; _the Son_, a Substantive, put in
Apposition to _John_; that is, in the same Case, governed by the same
Preposition _unto_; _of Zecharias_, a Proper Name; _in_, a Preposition;
_the wilderness_, a Substantive, Government and Case as before.
2. _And_, a Conjunction Copulative; _he_, a Pronoun, third Person
Singular, Masculine Gender, Nominative Case, standing for _John_; _came_,
as before; _into_, a Prep. _all_, an Adjective; the country, a Subst.
_about_, a Prep. _Jordan_, a Proper Name; _preaching_, the Present
Participle of the Verb Active _to preach_, joined like an Adjective
to the Pronoun _he_; _the baptism_, a Substantive in the Objective
Case following the Verb Active _preaching_, and governed by it; _of
repentance_, a Subst. Government and Case as before; _for_, a Prep.
_the remission of sins_, Substantives, the latter in the Plural Number,
Government and Case as before.
3. _And_, (b. that is, _as before_) _the same_, an Adjective; _John_
(b.) _had_, a Verb Active, Indicative Mode, Past Time, third Person
Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case _John_; _his_, a Pronoun, third
Person Sing. Possessive Case; _raiment_, a Subst. in the Objective Case,
following the Verb Active _had_, and governed by it; _of camel’s_, a
Substantive, Possessive Case; _hair_, Subst. Objective Case, governed
by the Preposition _of_, the same as, _of the hair of a camel_; _and_,
(b.) _a_, the Indefinite Article; _leathern_, an Adj. _girdle_, a Subst.
_about_, (b.) _his_, (b.) _loins_, Subst. plural Number; _and his_, (b.)
_meat_, Subst. _was_, Indicative Mode, Past Time, third Person Singular
of the Verb Neuter _to be_; _locusts_, Subst. plural Number, Nominative
Case after the Verb _was_; _and_, (b.) _wild_, Adj. _honey_, Subst.
4. _Then_, an Adverb; _said_, a Verb Active, Past Time, third Person
Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case _he_ (b.) _to_, a Prep. _the
multitude_, Subst. Objective Case, governed by the Prep. _to_; _that_,
a Relative Pronoun, its Antecedent is _the multitude_; _came_, (b.)
_forth_, an Adverb; _to_, a Prep. and before a Verb the sign of the
Infinitive Mode; _be baptized_, a Verb Passive, made of the Participle
Passive of the Verb _to baptize_, and the Auxiliary Verb _to be_, in
the Infinitive Mode; _of him_, Pronoun, third Person Sing. standing
for _John_, in the Objective Case governed by the Prep. _of_; _O_,
an Interjection; _generation_, Subst. Nominative Case; _of vipers_,
Subst. plural Number; _who_, an Interrogative Pronoun; _hath warned_,
a Verb Active, Present Perfect Time, made of the Perfect Participle
_warned_ and the Auxiliary Verb _hath_, third Person Singular agreeing
with the Nominative Case _who_; _you_, Pronoun, second Person plural,
Objective Case, following the Verb Active _warned_ and governed by it;
_to flee_, Verb Neuter, Infinitive Mode; _from_, a Prep.; _the wrath_,
Subst. Objective Case, governed by the Prep. _from_; _to come_, Verb
Neuter, Infinitive Mode; _bring_, Verb Active, Imperative Mode, second
Person plural, agreeing with the Nominative Case _ye_ understood, as
if it were, _bring ye_; _forth_, an Adverb; _therefore_, a Conjunction;
_fruits_, a Subst. plur. Objective Case, following the Verb Active
_bring_, and governed by it; _meet_, an Adjective, joined to _fruits_,
but placed after it, because it has something depending on it; _for
repentance_, a Subst. governed by a Prep. as before.
5. _And_, (b.) _as_, an Adverb; _all_, (b.) _men_, Subst. plural Number;
_mused_, a Verb Neuter, Past Time, third Person plural, agreeing with
the Nominative Case _men_; _in_, (b.) _their_, a Pronominal Adjective,
from the Pronoun _they_; _hearts_, Subst. plural Number, Objective Case
governed by the Prep. _in_; _of John_, (b.) _whether_, a Conjunction;
_he_, (b.) _were_, Subjunctive Mode, governed by the Conjunction
_whether_, Past Time, third Person Sing. of the Verb _to be_, agreeing
with the Nominative Case _he_; _the Christ_, Subst. Nominative Case
after the Verb _were_; _or_, a Disjunctive Conjunction, corresponding
to the preceding Conjunction _whether_; _not_, an Adverb; _John_, (b.)
_answered_, a Verb Active, Indicative Mode, Past Time, third Person Sing.
agreeing with the Nominative Case _John_; _saying_, Present Participle
of the Verb Active _to say_, joined to the Substantive _John_; _unto_,
(b.) _them_, a Pronoun, third Person plural, Objective Case governed
by the Prep. _unto_; _all_, (b.) _I_, Pronoun, first Person Singular;
_indeed_, an Adverb; _baptize_, a Verb Active, Indicative Mode, Present
Time, first Person Singular, agreeing with the Nominative Case _I_;
_you_, Pronoun, second Person plural, Objective Case, following the
Verb Active _baptize_, and governed by it; _with_, a Prep. _water_,
Subst. _but_, a Disjunctive Conjunction; _one_, a Pronoun, standing
for some Person not mentioned by name; _mightier_, an Adjective in the
Comparative Degree, from the Positive _mighty_; _than_, a Conjunction,
used after a Comparative word; _I_, (b.) the Verb _am_ being understood,
that is, _than I am_; _cometh_, a Verb Neuter, Indicative Mode, Present
Time, third Person Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case _one_; _the
latchet_, Subst. _of_, (b.) _whose_, Pronoun Relative, _one_ being the
Antecedent to it, in the Possessive Case; _shoes_, Subst. plural; _I_,
(b.) _am_, Indicative Mode, Present Time, first Person Sing. of the Verb
_to be_, agreeing with the Nominative Case _I_; _not_, (b.) _worthy_,
an Adjective; _to unloose_, a Verb Active, in the Infinitive Mode,
governing the Substantive _latchet_ in the Objective Case; _he_, (b.)
_shall baptize_, a Verb Active, Indicative Mode, Future Time, made by
the Auxiliary _shall_, third Person Sing. agreeing with, the Nominative
Case _he_; _you_, (b.) _with the_, (b.) _Holy_, an Adjective; _Ghost_, a
Subst. _and with_, (b.) _fire_, a Subst. this and the former both in the
Objective Case governed by the Prep. _with_.
6. _Now_, an Adverb; _when_, an Adverb; _all_, (b.) _the people_, a
Subst. _were baptized_, a Verb Passive, made of the Auxiliary Verb
_to be_ joined with the Participle Passive of the Verb _to baptize_,
Indicative Mode, third Person plural, agreeing with the Nominative Case
Sing. _people_, being a Noun of multitude; _it_, Pronoun, third Person
Sing. Neuter Gender, Nominative Case; _came_, (b.) _to pass_, Verb
Neuter, Infinitive Mode; _that_, a Conjunction; _Jesus_, a Proper Name;
_also_, an Adverb; _being_, Present Participle of the Verb _to be_;
_baptized_, Participle Passive of the Verb _to baptize_; _and_, (b.)
_praying_, Present Participle of the Verb Neuter _to pray_; _Jesus being
baptized and praying_ is the Case Absolute, as before; _the heaven_,
Subst. _was opened_, Verb Passive, Indicative Mode, Past Time, third
Person Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case _heaven_, the Auxiliary
Verb _to be_ being joined to the Participle Passive, as before; _and
the Holy Ghost_, (b.) _descended_, Verb Neuter, Indicative Mode, Past
Time, third Person Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case _Ghost_; _in
a_ (b.) _bodily_, an Adjective; _shape_, a Subst. _like_, an Adjective;
_a dove_, a Subst. Objective Case, the Prep. _to_ being understood,
that is, _like to a dove_; _upon_, Prep. _him_, Pronoun, third Person
Sing. Objective Case governed by the Prep. _upon_; _and_, (b.) _lo!_ an
Interjection; _a voice_, a Subst. Nominative Case, _there was_ being
understood, that is, _there was a voice_; _from_, Prep. _heaven_, Subst.
Objective Case, (b.) _saying_, (b.) _this_, a Pronominal Adjective,
_person_ being understood; _is_, Indicative Mode, Present Time, of the
Verb _to be_, third Person Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case
_this_; _my_, a Pronominal Adjective; _beloved_, an Adjective; _Son_, a
Subst. Nominative Case after the Verb _is_; _in_, (b.) _whom_, Pronoun
Relative, Objective Case governed by the Prep. _in_, the Substantive
_Son_ being its Antecedent; _I am_, (b.) _well_, an Adverb; _pleased_,
the Passive Participle of the Verb _to please_, making with the Auxiliary
Verb _am_ a Passive Verb, in the Indicative Mode, Present Time, first
Person Sing. agreeing with the Nominative Case _I_.