McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader Part 5

2. They offer us their protec'tion. Yes', such protection as vultures give to lambs, covering and devouring them.

3. I knew when seven justices could not make up a quarrel; but when the parties met themselves, one of them thought but of an if; as, If you said so, then I said so; O ho! did you say so! So they shook hands and were sworn brothers.

REMARKS.--In the first example, the emphasis is that of contrast. The queen had poisoned her husband, of which she incorrectly supposed her son ignorant, and she blames him for treating his father-in-law with disrespect. In his reply, Hamlet contrasts her deep crime with his own slight offense, and the circ.u.mflex upon "you" becomes proper.

In the second example the emphasis is ironical. The Spaniards pretended that they would protect the Peruvians if they would submit to them, whereas it was evident that they merely desired to plunder and destroy them. Thus their protection is ironically called "such protection as vultures give to lambs," etc.

In the third example, the word "so" is used hypothetically; that is, it implies a condition or supposition. It will be observed that the rising circ.u.mflex is used in the first "so," and the falling, in the second, because the first "so" must end with the rising inflection and the second with the falling inflection, according to previous rules.

MONOTONE.

When no word in a sentence receives an inflection, it is said to be read in a monotone; that is, in nearly the same tone throughout. This uniformity of tone is occa-sionally adopted, and is fitted to express solemnity or sublimity of idea, and sometimes intensity of feeling. It is used, also, when the whole sentence or phrase is emphatic. In books of elocution, when it is marked at all, it is generally marked thus (---), as in the lines following.

EXAMPLES.

Hence! loathed melancholy!

Where brooding darkness spreads her jealous wings, And the night raven sings; There, under ebon shades and low-browed rocks, As ragged as thy locks, In deep Cimmerian darkness ever dwell.

IV. ACCENT.

In every word which contains more than one syllable, one of the syllables is p.r.o.nounced with a somewhat greater stress of voice than the others.

This syllable is said to be accented. The accented syllable is distinguished by this mark ('), the same which is used in inflections.

EXAMPLES.

Love'ly, re-turn', re-mem'ber, Con'stant, re-main', a-sun'der, Mem'ber, a-bide', a-ban'don, Win'dow, a-tone', rec-ol-lect', Ban'ner, a-lone', re-em-bark',

REMARK.--In most cases custom is the only guide for placing the accent on one syllable rather than another. Sometimes, however, the same word is differently accented in order to mark its different meanings.

EXAMPLES.

Con'jure, to practice enchantments. Con-jure', to entreat.

Gal'lant, brave. Gal-lant', a gay fellow.

Au'gust, a month. Au-gust', grand.

REMARK.--A number of words used sometimes as one part of speech, and sometimes as another, vary their accents irregularly.

EXAMPLES.

Pres'ent, noun. Pres'ent, adjective. Pre-sent', verb.

Com'pact, noun. Com-pact', adjective. Com-pact', verb.

In words of more than two syllables there is often a second accent given, but more slight than the princ.i.p.al one, and this is called the secondary accent; as, car'a-van'', rep''ar-tee', where the princ.i.p.al accent is marked (') and the secondary (''); so, also, this accent is obvious in nav''-i-ga'tion, com''pre-hen'sion, plau''si-bil'i-ty, etc. The whole subject, however, properly belongs to dictionaries and spelling books.

V. EMPHASIS.

A word is said to be emphasized when it is uttered with a greater stress of voice than the other words with which it is connected.

REMARK 1.--The object of emphasis is to attract particular attention to the word upon which it is placed, indicating that the idea to be conveyed depends very much upon that word. This object, as just stated, is generally accomplished by increasing the force of utterance, but sometimes, also, by a change in the inflection, by the use of the monotone, by pause, or by uttering the words in a very low key. Emphatic words are often denoted by italics, and a still stronger emphasis by SMALL CAPITALS or CAPITALS, according to the degree of emphasis desired.

REMARK 2.--Emphasis const.i.tutes the most important feature in reading and speaking, and, properly applied, gives life and character to language.

Accent, inflection, and indeed everything yields to emphasis.

REMARK 3.--In the following examples it will be seen that accent is governed by it.

EXAMPLES.

What is done cannot be undone.

There is a difference between giving and forgiving.

He that descended is the same that ascended.

Some appear to make very little difference between decency and indecency, morality and immorality, religion and irreligion.

REMARK 4.--There is no better ill.u.s.tration of the nature and importance of emphasis than the following examples. It will he observed that the meaning and proper answer of the question vary with each change of the emphasis.

EXAMPLES.

QUESTIONS. ANSWERS.

--------- -------- Did you walk into the city yesterday? No, my brother went.

Did you walk into the city yesterday? No, I rode.

Did you walk into the city yesterday? No, I went into the country.

Did you walk into the city yesterday? No, I went the day before.

ABSOLUTE EMPHASIS.

Sometimes a word is emphasized simply to indicate the importance of the idea. This is called absolute emphasis.

EXAMPLES.

To arms! they come! the Greek! the Greek!

Woe unto you, PHARISEES! HYPOCRITES!

Days, months, years, and ages shall circle away.

REMARK.--In instances like the last, it is sometimes called the emphasis of specification.