"Oh? Absalom, my son."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 375. "Oh! STAR-EYED SCIENCE!! whither hast thou fled?"—Ib., p. 366. "Why do you tolerate your own inconsistency, by calling it the present tense!"—Ib., p. 360. "Thus the declarative mode may be used in asking a question; as, what man is frail."—Ib., p. 358. "What connexion has motive wish, or supposition, with the term subjunctive!"—Ib., p. 348. "A grand reason, truly! for calling it a golden key."—Ib., p. 347. "What 'suffering'! the man who can say this, must be 'enduring.'"—Ib., p. 345. "What is Brown's Rule! in relation to this matter?"—Ib., p. 334.
"Alas! how short is life." "Thomas, study your book."—Day's District School Gram., p. 109. "As, 'alas!' how short is life; Thomas, study your book.'"—Ib., p. 82. "Who can tell us who they are."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 178. "Lord have mercy on my son; for he is a lunatic, etc."—Felton's Gram., 1st Ed., p. 138; Ster. Ed., 140. "O, ye wild groves, O, where is now your bloom!"—Ib., p. 88; Ster. Ed., 91.
"O who of man the story will unfold!"
—Farnum's Gr., 2d Ed., p. 104.
"Methought I heard Horatio say to-morrow.
Go to I will not hear of it—to-morrow."
—Hallock's Gr., 1st Ed., p. 221.
"How his eyes languish? how his thoughts adore
That painted coat which Joseph never wore?"
—Love of Fame, p. 66.
SECTION VIII.—THE CURVES.
The Curves, or Marks of Parenthesis, are used to distinguish a clause or hint that is hastily thrown in between the parts of a sentence to which it does not properly belong; as, "Their enemies (and enemies they will always have) would have a handle for exposing their measures."—Walpole.
"To others do (the law is not severe)
What to thyself thou wishest to be done."—Beattie.
OBS.—The incidental clause should be uttered in a lower tone, and faster than the principal sentence. It always requires a pause as great as that of a comma, or greater.