The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-12-14
: VIGLE IaE' Oh COMPOSITION.

the week OF the instliute) / showed that
where the relative that can be used instead
of irso or rkick. the clause being explanaso-
~ or restrictive fkaf should rot ke Pre- eisd
by a comma. This leads me TO say sone-
thing about punctuation, which msy be de-
fined as "the act or art Of marking with
points
As the artificial system taught by the text
books is falling into disuse. the proper rule
would seem 10 be TO use the points only as
guides TO the scase, and not TO the aaaissisof
the sentence Shakespeare says Much yir-
tusi in r." We may say the same Of the
comms. when il drops into the right place,
-osherwise the virtue consists in its alb
sence. Take for instance the following By q
sprightly and agreeable writer, as rendered
! by the cOmpositor: " But now, the foot
l Ii. hts, and torch-lighls, and gay parades %
if anywhere q were behind the scenes q
where the chief actors, for the most part
stretched their fee. upon the tables, and
smoked their last cigar" Here we have
nine commas in half dozen lines. Of which
none but the three have marked are at all
needed. Ofthe rest three are used with the
conjunction and, which seldom needs such
an introduction.
Let me dd,-any marks Of punctuation
that do not assist Us in grasping the sense Of
/ the a1thor or indicate such pauses IS the
sen,s requires are useless and ofiea mis-
leading. The following = from an adver-
tisement by one that is a better caterer than
/ grammarian We keep our oysters on ice,
and are always fresh Here the comma
before and is superfaOus. and the sentence
itself is misleading. for srammaiieally speak
ing the freshness in this case would be in
the dealer, and not in the oysters
In each Of the following sentences COM
ma /. necessary. Insert it 50 as 10 express
the true meaning and you have good les
son in punctuation.
!. The act is attributed TO overwork
causing loss Of sleep and worry over busi-
ness affairs.
p The attorneys for Miller and Reese
ssked for Il fenient sentence On account of
the families Of the men who are in needy
circumstances.
3. There is now upon the same spot
bright new one-story church with chapel al
tsched which will cost so, 900.
was about TO add another, but there ap
pears to be a joke lurking there. See if you
can fad it. The other political parties are
just as much opposed TO trusts as theiF plat
forms viii show"
had an item that appeared TO have been
written by some sHell-he.d after an over
night debanch. 1t was about grocer that
had just moved in, and his Improvements,
and his stock all SO new, and the bargains
he had to offer, and nearly every third word
was aud Excuse the commas, as they are
part Of the illnstration-or you may treat
them as the boys Of the old Normal had to
do when fir.i taught them to read,-.kip
them. His next effort probably sounded
something like this: owing to the pressure
Of circumstances (bootS2l l have resigned ny
position on the DAILY G,iad, which took e.
feet as soon as the boss came round this
morning
But 10 return TO our relatives-eVery
sentence must express come act OK fact as
cribed to the person, place or thing known
as the subject. The foundation being laid, 8
relative or nome ether mode Of speech may
be employed to introduce additional matter.
generally in explanation OF the how, why
when or where Of the act or fact aseribed 10
the subject. In the sentence, "Dr. Gordon.
- ,,as - a,-;,r sr.r,, -,a-,-,r,. .,-ss -offor
refused 10 see anyone, the leading fac; is that
"Dr Gordon refused to see anyone. and the
relative clause introduced by sSh0l gives the
reason why he refused.
Fho is often equivalent TO and he aud
she, esd hsy-Ekich 10 and Il, and they. Ex
ample, Gov. Dinwiddie had become inter-
e.led in the Ohio Company, and ordered
two companies Of provincial militia 70 be
raised This sentence recites two facts, the
order and the reason for the order. Insert
ing the relative where it properly belongs,
We have Gov. Dinviddie who had become
interested in the Ohio Company, ordered, -
and having disappeared.
You may nov apply this method to the
following examples:
l. He was surrounded by women, and
they being alarmed made an outery.
,. Mr. Hugus now holds all the stock
and will dissolve the company.
3. In the evening fine display Of FIRE
works was given. and it is said to have been
the finest ever given by the Berlin people.
The grammar ofthese sentences is not at
fault, but what think you OF this?
Some OF the old residents Of S;onycreek
/ remember tragedy occurring upwards OF
sixty years .son Or this They sllo wed
some lightning rod men to put up rods for
them as an advertisement only, and then
wanted them to sign paper, which they
found was a Judgment note in disguise.
Then, and they have got themselves 50 badly
mixed up here that it may require s lawsuit
TO ds,ermine which is tgho.
Which sometimes relates 10 an set or l.ct
set forth in the precsiing part OF the sen
tence, as H. vas there for any service he
might be called upon To- do. which IS aore
than can be said OF bis detractorsn Correct
the following 10 serve as sn additional er
simple: III We fail to gel the proper sleep
we will live on brsin capital instead Of
brain income, and will result in brain bank
ruptey.p
Hhon is the objective form Of ,sho, as
whom ye ignorantly worship, e" by whom
the worlds we're made, and il is one Of the
crucial tests Of Z grsmmarian s,Esys 10 be
able 70 use the soper form. WhieA is oftea
used as an adjective, as which road did Re
take?"
Hhose is cal 'ei TIE poSsessive form Of ,ch7
and ,ehieh, as the laiy whose house we &C
cupy." Inser; IL in the f5lIoring to make
a complete sentence: Next cam. the tr,-
! dsrs, the date Of their first appearance IS
not known" Wherever srss Or ,sh'ek is used
in any form The combination IS called rel
alive clause. Recosstruct the following sen
teaees 50 that each may contain a relative
clause:
l. Ny return. fsom the Tine, are larger
than from any other paper, and many Of
them are published IA larger eiiies.
,. Cumberland IS protected by the noun
tains that surround it, and the velocity OF
the wind is broken before it reaches that
city.
Butt out one ba. TO make room for rela-
tive in each ofthe following
l. A fierce storm passed over the toTu,
sut did no damags to buildings but utterly
demolished the county bridge.
Z