"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."—Psalms.

"Master books, but do not let them master you. Read to live, not live to read.”—Bulwer.

REMARKS.

1. When the comparison is short and the words closely connected, the comma may be omitted.

2. When so that, sc-as, rather-than, more-than, connect expressions, the comma is usually omitted; as, “ Ingratitude never so thoroughly pierces the human heart as when it proceeds from those in whose behalf we have been guilty of transgression."-Fielding.

When, however, the expressions themselves are divided into smaller parts by commas, or are unusually long, they should be separated by a comma; as,—

"So over-violent, or over-civil,

That every man with him was God or Devil.”--Dryden. 3. When two short expressions are united by as or than, a comma should not be used; as,

"He knew what's what, and that's as high

As metaphysic wit can fly.”—Butler.

When, however, the expressions are long, it is better to use a comma; as, “I have no more pleasure in hearing a man attempting wit and failing, than in seeing a man trying to leap over a ditch and tumbling into it.”—Dr. Johnson.

4. When the first expression is negative and the other affirmative, a comma should be placed between the expressions and before the negative word, if it does not commence a sentence; as, "The world generally gives its admiration, not to the man who does what nobody else even attempts to do, but to the man who does best what multitudes do well." -Macaulay.

If, however, a finite verb immediately precedes the negative word, the comma should be omitted; as, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."-Confucius.

RULE XVIII. Numeral Figures.-Arabic numbers should be separated into periods of three figures each, commencing at the right.

EXAMPLE.

2,509,909,456.

REMARK.

Dates should not be separated into periods; as, 1877.

RULE XIX. Expressions at the End of Sentences. It is frequently necessary, at the end of a sentence, to separate an expression beginning with a preposition from the rest of the sentence, in order to avoid ambiguity.

EXAMPLES.

"He trudged along, unknowing what he sought, And whistled as he went, for want of thought.”—Dryden. “Angling is always to be considered as a stick and a string, with a fly at one end and a fool at the other."-Swift.

GENERAL REMARK.

A comma should always be used, when it aids in bringing out the meaning of the writer, or in avoiding ambiguity.

THE SEMICOLON.

RULE I. Long Sentences.-When the smaller divisions of sentences are separated by commas, the main divisions should be separated by semicolons.

EXAMPLES.

"Sheridan, Pitt, and Fox all drank hard and worked hard; they were all great in the councils of the nation, but not one could rule his own household."-London Athenæum.

"Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong;

Was every thing by starts, and nothing long."-Dryden.

"Nor is it always in the most distinguished achievements that men's virtues or vices may be best discerned; but very often an action of small note, a short saying, or a jest, shall distinguish a person's real character more than the greatest sieges, or the most important battles."-Plutarch.

RULE II. Expressions Complete in Themselves. -Short expressions, complete in themselves but slightly connected in meaning, may be separated by semicolons.

EXAMPLES.

"We do not want precepts so much as patterns; an example is the softest and least invidious way of commanding.”—Pliny.

“It is a beautiful thing to model a statue · give it life; to mould an intelligence and instil truth therein is still more beautiful.”—Hugo.

"There are on every subject a few leading and fixed ideas; their tracks may be traced by your own genius as well as by reading."-Sheridan.

REMARK.

When as introduces an example, a semicolon should be placed before and a comma after it.

RULE III. Series of Expressions.-When several clauses follow each other in succession, having a common dependence on some part of the sentence, they should be separated from each other by semicolons, and from the clause on which they depend, by a comma.

EXAMPLE.

“If such men will make a firm and solemn pause, and meditate dispassionately on its importance; if they will contemplate it in all its attributes, and trace it to all its consequences, they will not hesitate to part with trivial objections to a constitution, the rejection of which would, in all probability, put a final period to the Union."-Hamilton.

REMARK.

Commas may be used instead of semicolons, when the clauses are short; as, “When public bodies are to be addressed on momentous occasions, when great interests are at stake, and strong passions excited, nothing is valuable in speech farther than it is connected with high intellectual and moral endowments."-Webster.

GENERAL REMARK.

When the members of a sentence seem to be loosely connected, they are frequently separated by semicolons.

EXAMPLES.

"Honest name is goodly; but he that hunteth only for that, is like him that hath rather seem warm than be warm."-Sir Thomas Wyatt.

"Some blemishes may undoubtedly be detected in his character; but the more carefully it is examined, the more will it appear sound in the noble parts."-Macaulay.

Some writers use commas in the examples given above in preference to semicolons, and usage varies so much among our best writers that it is impossible to lay down a general rule that will be applicable in all cases. If it is desirable to indicate a some

what close connection between the members of a sentence, a comma should be used; if the connection is slight, it is better to use a semicolon.

THE COLON.

RULE I. Long Sentences.-When the smaller divisions of sentences are separated by semicolons, the main divisions should be separated by a colon.