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9. The Index () points to some remarkable passage. 10. The Section (§) also denotes the divisions of a treatise. 11. A Paragraph (¶) also denotes the beginning of a new subject.

12. The vowel marks are the Diaresis (...), placed over the second of two vowels which are separated; the Long sound (-) placed over a long vowel; the Breve, or Short sound (~), placed over a short vowel; and accents, Grave (`), Acute ( ́), and Circumflex (^).

NOTE. The best practical exercises on all these marks and points, will be given by the teacher. Let the pupil be required to construct sentences requiring the use of them; or, let the teacher read from some book, any passaga which demands their use, and let the class be required to insert them in their proper places.

258. Exercise.

a traitor

Punctuate properly the following examples, and insert the capitals:— what was cæsar that stood upon the bank of the rubicon bringing war and pestilence into the heart of that country no wonder that he paused no wonder if his imagination wrought upon by his conscience he had beheld blood instead of water and heard groans instead of murmurs no wonder if some gorgon horror had turned him into stone upon the spot but no he cried the die is cast he plunged he crossed and rome was free no more knowles.

what sort of eyes can you have got said he
why very good ones friend as you may se
yes i perceive the clearness of the ball
pray let me ask you can you read at all

Index. Section. Paragraph. Diaresis, &c. Exercise.

PROSODY.

259. Definition.

Prosody treats of the laws of versification.

260. Verse.

1. A verse is a succession of accented and unaccented syllables, constituting a line of poetry.

2. A couplet is the combination of two lines or verses. A riplet consists of three lines.

3. A stanza is the combination of several lines forming a division of a poem or song.

4. Verse is sometimes erroneously applied to a stanza.

5. Verse is of two kinds-rhyme and blank verse.

6. Rhyme is the correspondence of the last sound of one verse to that of another.

7. Blank verse is verse without rhyme.

261. Feet.

1. A foot is a portion of verse containing two or more syllables, combined according to accent.

2. The quantity of a syllable is the time employed in uttering it. syllables are either long or short.

All

3. In English, an accented syllable is considered long; and an unaccented, short.

4. A straight line (−) over a syllable shows that it is accented, and a curved line (~) that it is unaccented.

5. The principal feet in English are the iambus, the trochee, the anapost, and the dactyl.

6. The iambus consists of a short and a long syllable; as, "invite," "děvōte," "benign."

Prosody. Verse. Couplet. Stanza. Rhyme and blank verse. Quantity. Iambus.

22*

R

(257)

A foot.

7. The trochee consists of a long and a short syllable; as, "grateful," "grievous."

8. The anapast consists of two short syllables and one long one; as, "incomplete," "condescend."

9. The lactyl consists of one long syllable and two short ones; as, “pōsitive,' “līnelīnēss.”

10. Besides the kinds of feet mentioned above, four others sometimes occur, the pyrrhic and the spondee, the amphibrach, and the tribrach The pyrrhic consists of two short, and the spondee of two long syllables; as, in the (vale);” “võin man." The amphibrach has three syllables, of which the first and third are short, the second is long; as, “contentment." The tribrach consists of three short syllables; as, “(innu)mēruble."

11. These last four feet are seldom found in English poetry. They sometimes mingle with other feet, and give thereby a pleasing variety; as,

"From peak to peak | the rat- | tling crags | ǎmōng.
Leaps the live thun- | der! nōt | from ōne | lone cloud."

Here, in the second line, the first foot is a trochee, and the second is a spondee. They occur in a single verse of an Iambic poem.

262. Exercises.

1. What foot docs each of the following words contain :—

Absent, control, viewing, darkness, complete, correct, glory, reproduce, indite, reconstruct, compose, gloriously, positive, acquiesce, reunite, beautiful, sweetest, comforter, overcome, churlishness, nourishing, intercede, foolishness.

2. Prefix one or more words to the following, so as to make a phrase con sisting of two iambic feet, thus:

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1. A line consisting of one foot is called monometer; of two, dimeter; of three, trimeter; of four, tetrameter; of five, pentameter; of six, hexameter; of seven, heptameter.

2. When a syllable is wanting, the line is said to be catalectic; when

Trochee. Anapæst. Dactyl. Other kinds of feet. Classes of verse.

e measure is full, the line is acatalectic; when there is a redundant llable, it is called hypermeter.

264. Scanning.

1. Scanning consists in dividing a verse into the feet which mpose it.

265. Iambic Verse.

1. Iambic of one foot-monometer :—

They gō

To sow.

2. Iambic of two feet-dimeter :—

To me the rose

No longer glows.

3. Iambic of three feet-trimeter :—

No rōy- | ǎl pōmp | ǎdōrns
This King of righteousness.

4. Iambic of four feet-tetrameter :—

And cold- er still | the winds | did blow,
And darker hours of night came on.

5. Iambic of five feet-pentameter :—

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On rift- ed rocks, | the drag- | on's late | abōdes,
The green reed trembles, and the bulrush nods.

6. Iambic of six feet-hexameter :—

His heart is sad, | his hōpe | is gone, | his light | is passed;
He sits and mourns in silent grief the lingering day.

7. Iambic of seven feet-heptameter :—

The lōf- tỷ hill, | thě hūm- | blĕ lāwn, | with cōunt- | less beau- ties shine;

The silent grove, the solemn shade, proclaim thy power divine.

8. Iambic of five feet is called heroic verse; that of six feet s called Alexandrine.

9. Iambic of seven feet is commonly divided into two lines— he first containing four feet, the second three. This is called -ommon metre; as,

Scanning. Iambic verse. Heroic. Alexandrine.

The lofty hill, the humble lawn,
With countless beauties shine;

The silent grove, the solemn shade,
Proclaim thy power divine.

10. In long metre, each line has four iambic feet; in short metre, the first, second, and fourth lines contain three iambie feet, the third four.

11. Each species of iambic verse may have one additional short syllable, thus:

(a.) Rělent- | Ing.

(b.) Upon | ǎ mōun- | tain.

(c.) When on her Mā- | kĕr's bō- | som.

(d.) First this | large pār- | cel brings | you tî- | dings.

(e.) Each sub- | stance of | ǎ grief | hath twēn- | tỷ shād- | ŏws. (f) Thine eye | Jove's light- | ning seems, | thy voice | his dread- ||

ful thun- děr.

(g.) How gãy- | ly - | věr fell | ănd fēn | yěn sports- | mãn light i

dash- ing!

266. Trochaic Verse.

1. Trochaic of one foot :~

Changing,

Ranging.

2. Trochaic of two feet :

Fancy viewing,

Joys ensuing.

3. Trochaic of three feet:

Gō where glory | waits thee,

But when fame elates thee.

4. Trochaic of four feet :

'Twas the hōur when | rītes un | hōly,
Called each Paynim | voice to prayer.

·

5. Trochaic of five feet :

All that walk on | foot or | ride în | chariots,
I

All that dwell in palaces or garrets.

6. Trochaic of six feet :

On ǎ | mountain | stretched, be- | neath ǎ | hōary | willow,
Lay a shepherd swain, and viewed the rolling billow.

Long Metre. Trochaic verse.

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