Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/783

 before the verb; as, "Confession of sin without amendment, obtains no pardon."&mdash;Dillwyn's Reflections, p. 6. "To be totally indifferent to praise or censure, is a real defect in character."&mdash;Murray's Gram., p. 268. "O that the tenor of my just complaint,    Were sculpt with steel in rocks of adamant!"&mdash;Sandys.

RULE II.&mdash;SIMPLE MEMBERS.
The simple members of a compound sentence, whether successive or involved, elliptical or complete, are generally divided by the comma; as, And his last sighs reproach the faith of kings."&mdash;Johnson.
 * 1) "Here stand we both, and aim we at the best."&mdash;Shak.
 * "I, that did never weep, now melt in woe."&mdash;Id.
 * 1) "Tide life, tide death, I come without delay."&mdash;Id.
 * 2) "I am their mother, who shall bar me from them?"&mdash;Id.
 * 3) "How wretched, were I mortal, were my state!"&mdash;Pope.
 * 4) "Go; while thou mayst, avoid the dreadful fate."&mdash;Id.
 * 5) "Grief aids disease, remember'd folly stings,

EXCEPTION I.&mdash;RESTRICTIVE RELATIVES.
When a relative immediately follows its antecedent, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma should not be introduced before it; as, "For the things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal."&mdash;2 Cor., iv, 18. "A letter is a character that expresses a sound without any meaning."&mdash;St. Quentin's General Gram., p.3.

EXCEPTION II.&mdash;SHORT TERMS CLOSELY CONNECTED.
When the simple members are short, and closely connected by a conjunction or a conjunctive adverb, the comma is generally omitted; as, "Honest poverty is better than wealthy fraud."&mdash;Dillwyn's Ref., p. 11. "Let him tell me whether the number of the stars be even or odd."&mdash;: ''Joh. Dict., w. Even''. "It is impossible that our knowledge of words should outstrip our knowledge of things."&mdash;CAMPBELL: Murray's Gram., p 359.

EXCEPTION III.&mdash;ELLIPTICAL MEMBERS UNITED.
When two simple members are immediately united, through ellipsis of the relative, the antecedent, or the conjunction that, the comma is not inserted; as, "Make an experiment on the first man you meet."&mdash;Berkley's Alciphron, p. 125. "Our philosophers do infinitely despise and pity whoever shall propose or accept any other motive to virtue."&mdash;Ib., p. 126. "It is certain we imagine before we reflect."&mdash;Ib., p. 359. "The same good sense that makes a man excel,   Still makes him doubt he ne'er has written well."&mdash;Young.

RULE III.&mdash;MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
When more than two words or terms are connected in the same construction, or in a joint dependence on some other term, by conjunctions expressed or understood, the comma should be inserted after every one of them but the last; and, if they are nominatives before a verb, the comma should follow the last also: as, Teach beauty, virtue, truth, and love, and melody."&mdash;Beattie.
 * 1) "Who, to the enraptur'd heart, and ear, and eye,