guish it as much as possible from that member of a sentence, which contains perfect sense, and is not necessarily connected with what follows. Such a

member, which may not be improperly called a sententiola, or little sentence, requires the falling inflection, but in a higher tone than the preceding words; as if we had only finished a part of what we had to say, while the period requires the falling inflection in a lower tone, as if we had nothing more to add. But this final tone does not only lower the last word; it has the same influence on those which more immediately precede the last; so that the cadence is prepared by a gradual fall upon the concluding words; every word in the latter part of a sentence sliding gently lower till the voice drops upon the last. See this more clearly explained, Plates I. and II. This will more evidently appear upon repeating the following sentence:

EXAMPLE.

As the word taste arises very often in conversation, I shall endeavour to give some account of it, and to lay down rules how we may know whether we are possèssed of it, and how we may acquire that fine taste in writing which is so much talked of among the polite world. Spectator, No. 407.

We find perfect sense formed at the words account of it, and possessed of it; but as they do not conclude the sentence, these words, if they adopt the falling inflection, must be pronounced in a higher tone than the rest; while in the last member, not only the word world is pronounced lower than the rest, but the whole member falls gradually into the cadence, which is so much talked of among the polite world. And here it will be absolutely necessary to observe, that though the period generally requires the falling inflection, every period does not necessarily adopt this inflection in the same tone of voice; if sentences

are intimately connected in sense, though the grammatical structure of each may be independent on the other, they may not improperly be considered as so many small sentences making one large one, and thus requiring a pronunciation correspondent to their logical dependence on each other: hence it may be laid down as a general rule; that a series of periods in regular succession are to be pronounced as every other series that is, if they follow each other regularly as parts of the same observation, they are to be pronounced as parts, and not as wholes.

EXAMPLES.

Some men cannot discern between a noble and a mèan action. Others are apt to attribute them to some false end or intention, and others purposely misrepresent or put a wrong interpretation on them. Spect. No. 255.

Though the first part of this passage is marked with a period in all the editions of the Spectator I have seen, nothing can be plainer than that it ought to be pronounced as the first member of the concluding series of three compound members. See article Compound Series, Rule IV.

Thus although the whole of life is allowed by every one to be short, the several divisions of it appear long and tedious. We are for lengthening our span in general, but would fain contract the parts of which it is composed. The usurer would be very well satisfied to have all the time annihilated, that lies between the present moment and next quarter-day. The politician would be contented to lose three years in his life, could he place things in the posture, which he fancies they will stand in, after such a revolution of time. The lover would be glad to strike out of his existence all the moments that are to pass away before the happy meeting. Thus as fast as our time runs, we should be very glad in most part of our lives, that it ran much faster than it does. Spectator, No. 93.

Though here are no less than six periods in this passage, and every one of them requires the falling

inflection, yet every one of them ought to be pronounced in a somewhat different pitch of voice from the other; and for this purpose they may be considered as a concluding series of compound members; the last period of which must conclude with a lower tone of voice than the preceding, that there may be a gradation. See Compound Series, Rule IV.

To these observations this may be subjoined, that the period, though generally, does not always, require the falling inflection and a lower tone of voice. The first and most general exception to the rule is the following:

Exception I.

When a sentence concludes an antithesis, the first branch of which requires the strong emphasis, and therefore demands the falling inflection; the second branch requires the weak emphasis, and rising inflection: and, consequently, if this latter branch of the antithesis finish the sentence, it must finish without dropping the voice, that the inflections on the opposite parts of the antithesis may be different. See Emphasis.

EXAMPLES.

If we have no regard for our own character, we ought to have some regard for the character of others.

If content cannot remove the disquietudes of mankind, it will at least alléviate them.

I would have your papers consist also may be necessary or useful to any part mechanick arts should have their place as

of all things which of society; and the well as the liberal. Spectator, No. 428.

In the first of these examples, a concession is made in the strongest terms in the supposition, for the sake of strengthening the assertion in the conclusion, and

therefore neither can be pronounced with due force but by giving own the falling and others the rising infection. There is almost the same necessity for the same order of inflections on remove and alleviate in the second example; and the third would be more forcibly pronounced with the falling inflection on mechanick arts, and the rising on liberal, unless it were to conclude a paragraph or branch of a subject; for in this case, if the sense does not necessarily require the rising inflection, the ear will always expect the falling. See Penultimate Member.

To this Exception may be added another, which forms a rule of very great extent; and that is, where the last member of a sentence is a negative, in opposition to some affirmative, either expressed or understood; but this rule is so allied to emphasis, that the reader is referred to that article, where he will find it fully explained and illustrated.

Interrogation.

"BUT besides the points which mark the pauses in "discourse," says Dr. Lowth, "there are others "which denote a different modulation of the voice "in correspondence with the sense. The interroga"tion and exclamation points," says the learned bishop, are sufficiently explained by their names; they "are indeterminate as to their quantity or time, and

66

may be equivalent in that respect to a semicolon, a "colon, or a period, as the sense requires; they "mark an elevation of voice." This is, perhaps, as just an account of these points as could have been given in so few words; but, like every general rule that has been hitherto given, leaves us in a thousand difficulties when we would reduce it to practice. Whatever may be the variety of time we annex to

the interrogation, certain it is, that there is no circumstance in reading or speaking which admits of a greater variety of tone; a question may imply so many different degrees of doubt, and is liable to so many alterations from a diversity of intention in the speaker, that I shall at present content myself with pointing out a few of the most obvious; and endeavour to distinguish and reduce them to certain classes, that they may be applied to particular examples, and rendered useful.

The most obvious distinction between interrogative and other sentences is, that as, in other sentences, the substantive or pronoun precedes the verb it governs, in an interrogative sentence, the verb, either auxiliary or principal, ought always to precede either the substantive or pronoun. Thus, when I speak declaratively, I say I am going to còliege; but when I speak interrogatively, I say, Are you going to cóllege? where we may observe, that in the declarative and interrogative sentences, the pronoun and the verb hold different places.

This inversion of the common order of the words in composition is accompanied by a similar inversion of the inflection of voice in pronunciation; for as the common order of inflections in a declarative sentence, is that of placing the rising inflection towards the middle, and the falling at the end, as in the first example; the interrogation inverts this order, and uses the falling inflection of voice in the middle of the sentence, and the rising on the last word, as in the last example: this peculiarity, however, does not extend to every species of interrogation; and interrogative sentences are, in reality, so frequently to be pronounced like declarative sentences, it is scarcely any wonder that those who do not attend to the delicacies of reading should never use the rising inflection of the voice on any question: but such force, spirit, and variety, is thrown into a discourse by such