That winter campaigns are undertaken, shows a desire to kill the Indians.
Captain Smith’s obedience to orders, issued in his promotion.
Every year that is added to the age of the world, serves to lengthen the thread of its history.
He that gives a portion of his time and talent to the investigation of mathematical truth, will come to all other questions with a decided advantage over his opponents.
In the following sentence, a comma after “them” might not be improper (for we once heard a reader place a pause after “attacked”),—but we shall not attack one of General Sherman’s sentences, lest we “get the worst of it.”
During this campaign hundreds if not thousands of miles of similar intrenchments were built by both armies, and as a rule whichever party attacked one of them got the worst of it.—Memoirs Gen. W. T. Sherman.
OBS. 18. Whether a comma should be inserted after the verb to be, when that verb is followed by an infinitive clause which might by transposition be made the nominative, is a question on which the best authorities differ.
First Method.—The highest art of the mind of man is to possess itself with tranquillity in the hour of danger. {p108}
Second Method.—The highest art of the mind of man is, to possess itself with tranquillity in the hour of danger.
We are of opinion that usage is in favor of the omission of the comma, as in the following examples: