7. I will bring the book she said if I can find it. 8. I saw that the fall fearful as it was had only stunned him and I tried to arouse him. 9. The Mississippi River which is the largest river of North America flows into the Gulf of Mexico. 10. To hold as 't were the mirror up to nature. SHAKESPEARE. II. Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed to be simple is to be great. EMERSON. 12. Charles in spite of the delay had left England. XV. THE COMMA WITH WORDS IN CONTRAST. 1. Liberal, not lavish, is kind Nature's hand. 2. Intrinsic worth, and not riches, ought to call forth esteem. 3. As thy day is, so shall thy strength be. BIble. 4. We ought not to betray, but to defend, our country. Words and phrases placed in contrast to each other should be separated by a comma. Explain the use of the comma in the illustrative sentences above. Exercise. Complete the punctuation of the following sentences:1. Success is usually gained not by sudden bound but by steady effort. 2. He was a distinguished statesman but a bad man. 3. The President should be the head of the nation and not of a party. 4. Be familiar but by no means too intimate. BIBLE. 7. We walk by faith not by sight. 8. Condemn the fault but not the actor of it. 9. I will speak daggers to her but use none. SHAKESPEARE. 10. I am nothing if not critical. SHAKESPEARE. 11. Though deep yet clear; though gentle yet not dull. 12. Pardon not wrath is God's best attribute. TAYLOR. XVI. THE COMMA WITH WORDS IN THE SAME 1. Words repeated for the sake of emphasis should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas; as: Come, come, be still. 2. If one of two or more words or phrases which are in the same construction has a modifier that belongs to itself only, this word or phrase with its modifiers should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas; as:— The interest of the state, and the interest of their own ambition, impelled them to unite. 3. If three or more words or phrases are in the same construction, they are separated by commas whether they have modifiers or not. If they are all connected by conjunctions, the commas are usually omitted. See the rule for the comma in a series, page 293. Exercise. Complete the punctuation of the following sen tences: I. I love not the woman that is vain of her beauty nor the man that prides himself on his wisdom. 2. An absolute monarchy is a government in which the sovereign rules according to his own will and has almost entire power over the lives and property of his subjects. 3. If at first you don't succeed try try again. 4. Philip the Second was a small meagre man much below the medium height with thin legs a narrow chest and the shrinking timid air of an habitual invalid. 5. Regret for the past grief at the present and anxiety respecting the future are plagues which affect the generality of men. XVII. THE COMMA IN COMPOUND ELEMENTS. 1. The clauses of a compound sentence should usually be separated from each other by a comma. For examples see sentences for analysis, pages 267, 269. See also rule 2, page 312. 2. The parts of a compound predicate, if they are long, or have different modifiers, should be separated by commas; as: Beauty flows in the waves of light, radiates from the human face divine, and sparkles in the pathway of every child. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea, and gleams out in the hues of the shell and the precious stone. XVIII. THE COMMA WITH ADJECTIVE ELEMENTS. A phrase or clause limiting a noun or pronoun is restrictive when it cannot be omitted without destroying the sense; as:— No Vice-President who had become President has died during his term of office. The tomb of Washington is at Mt. Vernon. A phrase or clause is explanatory when it gives some additional thought or adds a description; as: The Governor, who is the chief executive officer of a state, has the title of "His Excellency." Having approved the plan, the king put it into execution. An adjective phrase or clause, unless restrictive, should be separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma or commas. Exercise. Complete the punctuation of the following sen tences: 1. Edward apprehensive of danger to the province put it in a position of defense. 2. From the summit of Vesuvius darkly visible in the distance shot a pale meteoric livid light. 3. Our Western prairies stretching as far as the eye can reach and covered with tall grass moving with a wave-like motion in the wind have often been compared to seas. 4. Shakespeare who lived in the reign of Queen Elizabeth was the greatest of all the English poets. 5. The messengers who brought the news of our army's defeat were immediately seized and imprisoned. 6. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honor her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. 7. The stars which twinkle are all distant suns shining like our sun with their own light those which do not twinkle are worlds like our earth and are rolling with it about our sun at various distances they are called planets the sun with its planets including the earth is called the solar system. XIX. THE COMMA WITH ADVERBIAL ELEMENTS. An adverbial phrase or clause, unless short and closely connected with the word which it modifies, should be set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma; as: In old times, kings claimed to rule by Divine right. At Sheffield, knives, forks, scissors, and cutlery of all kinds are made. Exercises. I. Explain the use of the comma in the following sentences: 1. Beneath the caravan, all is dry and bare; but far in advance, and far in the rear, is the semblance of refreshing waters. The pilgrims hasten forward, and find nothing but sand where, an hour before, they had seen a lake. They turn their eyes, and see a lake where, an hour before, they were toiling through sand. — MACAULAY. 2. Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; 3. Though with patience He stands waiting, with exact ness grinds He all. LONGFELLOW. Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains; They crown'd him long ago On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, With a diadem of snow. BYRON. II. Complete the punctuation of the following sen tences: I. In countries on the seacoast men engage in fishing; where there are fine forests in lumbering; and where there are beds of stone or ores in quarrying and mining. |