Sentences of this kind are called Optative, from the Latin word opto I wish. By more than one good authority, they are placed in a class by themselves as a third species of Proposition. And it cannot be denied that they are expressions of a peculiar character.

Would I could.

This is also optative, meaning I wish I could, or more fully.

Such being the case,

I wish
that

I could.

we have two propositions conveyed by three words. There is the omission of the conjunction that; and (more remarkable) that of the Personal Pronoun as well.

Copula-involved in Predicate.

Sentences of this kind convey an exclamation of surprise, and have been called Exclamatory.

Optative Propositions are, to a certain extent, Imperative, and, to a certain extent, Declaratory. In expressions like

May you be happy,

change the place of may and you, the result is an

ordinary assertion,

You may be happy.

On the other hand,

You be happy

is a command. There is no command, however, without a real or supposed wish on the part of the speaker.

Exclamatory Propositions are, to a certain extent, Interrogative, and, to a certain extent, Declaratory. In expressions like

How well you look,

change the place of the essential parts, and the result is an ordinary assertion,

You look well.

Meanwhile, how indicates the degree or extent of your well-looking. But it only indicates it. The degree itself is undefined; and (as such) the possible object of a question.

How do you look?

is an actual Interrogation.

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PUNCTUATION,

derived from punctum (Latin), a point. It means the putting of points or stops to represent to the eye the pauses made by the voice in reading or speaking. These pauses differ in length, and are therefore represented by different kinds of stops.

There are four different kinds of stops Comma-the Semicolon-the Colon-the Period.

I. THE COMMA

the

separates parts or members of a sentence, which, though closely connected in sense and in construction, require some short pause between them. The proper use of the comma can only be known by practice and by attention, but there are some general rules to be observed.

1. When a parenthetical, relative, or explanatory clause is introduced, a comma should generally be placed before and after it; as—

My brother, fearing your displeasure, begged me to apologize for this delay."

"These gentlemen, who live in the country, have brought me some flowers.

""

2. When a person, or an object, is addressed, a comma should be placed after the name of the person or object, as—

66

Mary, give me your book."

Friends, countrymen, I appeal to you.'

"Fond hope of many nations, art thou dead?"

3. The case absolute, and the infinitive mood absolute, should generally be separated by commas from the other parts of the sentence—

"His father dying, he succeeded to the estate." "To confess the truth, I forgot it."

4. Words in apposition, when they are accompanied by adjuncts, require to be separated by commas,

as

"Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, who succeeded Julius Cæsar," &c., &c.

"I, Henry, king of Great Britain and defender of the faith, do hereby proclaim," &c., &c.

5. Adverbs, and adverbial phrases, in many instances, need to be separated by commas from the sentence to which they belong, as—

"His conduct is, in many respects, very unsatisfactory."

"Finally, the great source of all this evil must be looked for," &c.

"Besides, I do not know his address."

6. Three or more nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs, following one another, must be separated by commas: also two words of any of these parts of speech when the conjunction is omitted, as—

"Her time is fully occupied with music, drawing, and the study of languages."

"He is a brave, energetic, active person."

"Hopes, fears, joys, sorrows, succeed one another like passing hues.'

"You must read, mark, learn, and digest this book." "Duty, inclination, alike compel me to it."

7. In elliptical construction, commas are used to mark the ellipsis, as

"My brother likes him a little; my father, still less; and my uncle, not at all."

"To one person is given the talent of speaking; to another, facility in writing; to another, the power of retaining what he hears."

8. Sentences in which contrast or opposition is expressed, require the use of commas, as"Though slow, yet sure: though tardy, yet welcome."

"Patience arises from, and points to, the hope of a better future."

9. To mark emphasis, commas are sometimes used, as

"To you, you alone, will I entrust this mission."

"Strange, strange indeed, is the perversity of human nature."

The often-quoted suggestion of marking a comma by a pause sufficiently long to count one; a semicolon, by counting two; a colon, by counting three; and a period, by four, is not to be taken as a rule, yet it serves to show the relative value of the stops.

In reading, there is a pause which is less than a comma, and is not expressed in writing: it is called in prose, the rhetorical pause; in poetry, the cæsural pause.

II. THE SEMICOLON

of

is used for dividing clauses which are less closely connected than those separated by commas. When one clause is complete in itself, both as to sense and construction, and another clause is added by way inference or explanation, a semicolon is placed between the two. Also when a sentence is composed of many clauses, each clause being in itself complete, yet in some way depending on the other parts of the sentence, the clauses are separated by semicolons, as

"Very frankly he confess'd his treasons;

Implored your highness' pardon; and set forth
A deep repentance; nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it; he died
As one that had been studied in his death."

III. THE COLON

Shakespear.

is used to divide a sentence into two or more parts,