Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-09-25
FROM tho Associate Reformed Presbyterian.
A SENTENCE,

To those of our readers who havo q
taste for rhetoric, grammar, compost.
ton, and simila, subjects, wo would
submit tho question IIavo you over
enquired in how many different ro-
spects q sentence in our language is
liable to correction. Lot US SOC.
Q) In respect to its orthography.
Arc the words spelled correctly IN ac--
cordance with established usage, hav-
ing the right letters in tho right place.
"And l saw All angle como down from
heaven, having tho key of tho bot
tomless pit aud great chain in his
band" The error hero is.not in hay
ing too few or too many letters, but
III the position Of the and of the in
tho underscorcd word. Lot them
change positions and tho word will
appear thus-''anyci"
Ihero may be super fluous letters in
some OF tho words. "And Joseph
gave them 'waggons' according to the
commandment of Pharaoh, and gave
them provision for tho way" There
is an photographed error in this seu.
tenco, as wo have Written it in the un.
derscorcd word. 1t ought to be
"'rogons," with only ono "g.'
BY tho way, bad spelling, as wo
usually call it, vitates y mau's litcra-
~ prctensious. The trustees of an
academy and high school in want of Il
teacher, wrote TO graduate Of one
OF our colleges who advertisos him
self for situation, but tho letter
which, comes in reply has number Of
badly spelled words, and the result is,
there. is no engagement made. What
an incongruityl A scientific gentle
man furnishes an. article for ono of
The reviews. He is evidently master
Of tho subject, bat his o.thographical
b.andcrs So prejudice tho mind, OF
the cditors that They admit his COM
munication with reluctance.
(2.) ~ senteLcc may Le criticised n
a grammatical respect. 1t may be
clear and torciL!e, while tho rules Of
grammar may DO 50 violated that il
cannot be parsed. Tic words com.
posing it may not sustain the proper
relation with each other in accordance
with the rule Of govcrnmet and Of
agreement.
(3.) Tile structure Of it demands at.
tcntion. Tho several members or
parts should be 80 arranged ~ to
mako the sentence ineligible and
forciblc. "lf the Pope be anti Christ,
down with him." is c.oar, but it
would bo more forcible to run thus
'Down with the Pope, if he DO anti.
Christ"
We find the following in q printed
sermon: "From what has been said,
we may SEQ that ministers Of the Cos
pei are often exposed to trials, the Sc
verify Of which they cannot well un-
derstand who were never called to
public employment in the church ~!
This is an obscure passage. 1t is i'm.
proved by reading it thus: "From
what has been said We may 500 that
ministers Of the gospel are often .ex-
posed 10 trials, the severity Of which
cannot we'll be understood by those
who were never called TO public en-.
ploymont in the church." An Ala.
bama paper writing Of Florida says {:
''Thcre are also numerous small lakes
of pure water filled with fish, some Of
which are only few rods in extent,
while others arc from two to ton miles
in extent" What huge fish J! Some
of them few rods in extent, while
others arc from two to ten miles in
extent !! But tho writer did not
intend to express himself thus
These milos and rods apply to the
islands and not to the fish. The in
sertion of the word "lakes" after the
words "sonae Of ~Aich" would rectify
the sentence.
(4) A sentence may be criticised
on the score of 6revity, If the idea is
clearly expressed its brevity is no OBJ
lection in Itself but that brevity be-
comes Objectionable when it obscures
the sense and keeps it from being un
derstood. .
(5) 1t may be too long. Some of
the sentences in law books cover more
than printed page. The nominative
and verb are separated by wide spaces
and it requires close attention to oh.
serve tho connection. The style of a
writer is grievously faulty, let his sub
ject be what it may, when the reader,
in attempting to find the nominative TO
theverb, has to fall back whole page
or half pago. The uso OF supe, luous