Mr. Holland would have expressed what he does say, only with more strength, had he said, "The author has aimed at being stupid and silly." What he meant to say was, not that he had aimed not to be brilliant, but that he had not aimed to be brilliant. The sentence should have read, "In this book, as in its predecessors, the author has not aimed at being either brilliant or profound."

Sometimes care in arrangement is needed to prevent ambiguity. Thus, "The cure for drunkenness is not to be ascetic.". Here the not is intended to modify the verb, but may easily be taken to modify the last three words. The first meaning would be expressed by saying, “To be ascetic is not the cure for drunkenness;" the second by saying, "Not to be ascetic is the cure for drunkenness."

(iii) Denial of a Modifier.-Here also errors are frequent.

Thus, "No allusion is meant or made to their face, but to their race."-R. G. WHITE. Here the connecting of the negative with the subject makes a universal negative, -there was no allusion at all. But the last clause shows that there was an allusion, only it was not to their face, but to their race. The sentence should therefore read, "Allusion was meant and made not to their face, but to their race."

Again, even Abbott, in his "How to Write Clearly," puts in heavy type the following useful rule : "In all styles, especially in letter-writing, a final emphasis must not be so frequent as to become obtrusive and monotonous." What he means is, "Not in any style, especially in letter-writing, must a final emphasis," etc.

NEGATIVE PREFIXES.-It should be remarked that the prefixes un-, in-, etc., do not, as "not" does, extend over a conjunction to the next adjective, making it negative.

Thus, It was not safe or secure, means that it was not safe and not secure, but It was unsafe or secure, means that though not safe it was secure-an absurdity; though we might say It was unmoved or steadfast. Hence the error in the following sentence:

Regan and Goneril are the only pictures of the unnatural in

Shakspere; the pure unnatural-and you will observe that Shakspere has left their hideousness unsoftened or diversified by a single line of goodness or common human frailty.-COLERIDGE.

EXERCISE XXX.-Transfer the negation so as to bring out the meaning intended in the following sentences, explaining just what is meant by the words as they stand, and how the meaning is changed.

Example.-As written the statement is that all of them are inapplicable, while the meaning of the author is that some are applicable and some are not. Hence the predicate should be made positive, and the subject partial. 'Not all the rules of Latin syntax can be applied to our language."

All the rules of Latin syntax, it is true, cannot be applied to our language.-BLAIR.

Everything favored by good use is not on that account to be retained. CAMPBELL.

But it ought carefully to be noted that every address, even every pertinent address to contempt, is not humorous.-CAMPBELL.

The result is not pleasant to us only because it fulfils our predictions, but because any other would have been productive of infinite mischief.-The Spectator.

Mr. Ris was not happy because Nature had ordained it so beforehand; .. he was happy because, etc.

No essay should terminate very abruptly, nor too gradually.PARKER'S Exercises in English Composition.

Obs. 53.-Double negatives in English no longer convey a negative sense.

In Anglo-Saxon, two negatives strengthened the negation, as in Greek. Even in Shakspere we find many illustrations of this use. I never was, nor never will be false.

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.

This England never did, nor never shall

Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.

Thackeray thus reproduces in a novel of the age of Queen Anne a usage then common:

And then she said that we must leave directly, and abused my mamma,-who was cognizant of the business; but she wasn't never thinking of anything but father.Esmond.

“Wasn't never” and similar expressions are now expected only from the quite illiterate, but more subtle blunders are still not

uncommon.

EXERCISE XXXI.-Correct the following sentences.

Example.

any more than velocity," etc.

Popularity alone, therefore, is no test at all of the eloquence of the speaker, no more than velocity alone could be of the force of the external impulse originally given to the body moving.— CAMPBELL.

I won't never see you no more at no time.

He couldn't throw it over, no more than as if it had weighed a ton.

Obs. 54.-Negative sentences can be made affirmative in form by substituting a negative or obverse of the predicate.

66

"

"No

Thus, They are not here"-"They are gone elsewhere; man is perfect "-" All men are imperfect; "Matter is not selfmoved"-" Matter is moved from without."

This is an operation of great significance in logic, and not without importance in grammar; it is the mode of giving the reality apart from the form of negation, and should be familiar to those that are tracking out the varieties of English expression. General Havelock addressed the Indian army in these terms:

Soldiers, your labors, your privations, your sufferings, your valer, will not be forgotten (will be remembered) by a grateful country.

The negative form is here chosen for emphasis; it is the case that people are in a more energetic mood when denying than when affirming; denial implies an opponent to fight; affirmation not necessarily so.-BAIN.

EXERCISE XXXII.-Transform the following negative into affirmative, and the following affirmative into negative sentences.

Example.-I fail to understand you.

I do not understand you.

She acted unbecomingly.

He did not see through it accurately.
The cars never swerved from the track.

Obs. 55.-ONLY should generally be placed before the word it is meant to qualify. But it should not separate two emphatic words, or be used where alone can be substituted.

Thus, not "Only Cæsar came," where the meaning is, “Cæsar came alone." If the meaning is, "Nobody but Cæsar came," or "Nobody of any more consequence than Cæsar came," with a somewhat contemptuous fling at Cæsar's lack of importance, then "Only Cæsar came," would be correct.

On Postal Cards.-The difficulty of properly placing the word only is shown in the history of the inscription on postal cards, which has been thus given:

The direction at first was, · Write the address only on this side." If only is read in connection with address, as intended, the meaning is clear; but if read in connection with on this side, it becomes ridiculous, for nobody would write the address on both sides.

Then: "Write the address on this side--the message on the other." But this seemed unnecessary, for any one accustomed to writing letters would put the address upon the same side with the stamp.

Finally: "Nothing but the address can be placed on this side." Of this it has been well remarked that the average school-boy knows better. He "can" place a good deal more than the address on that side, and he concludes that the authors of that statement had a more varied ability than the boy who couldn't tell a lie, for they have demonstrated that they can. (See page lxxiii.)

Better: "Place on this side nothing but the address.”

At the beginning of a sentence, only is equivalent to but, as, "I don't like to importune you, only I know you'll forgive me." This may lead to ambiguity, as, "Help yourself to these oranges, only a dozen were eaten yesterday." According as one has a basket of oranges or a box, this may mean, I want to be generous, but you must remember that a dozen are gone already; or, I am afraid

they will not all be eaten; no more than a dozen are gone so far. In conversation the doubt would be removed by the emphasis, but in a letter it might lead to unfortunate mistakes.

The location of an adverb is one of the most perplexing details of composition. One must have a very well-trained and quick taste to decide upon it intuitively with uniform accuracy. Take, for example, the word "only," which is sometimes adverbial, and sometimes adjective, in its qualifying force. I select from Gibbon's History a sentence of moderate length, which contains the word. Observe how many distinct meanings may be obtained by simply sliding it gradually from the beginning to the end of the sentence.

First,

Only they forgot to observe, that, in the first ages of society, a successful war against savage animals is one of the most beneficial labors of heroism;

that is, they did some things well, but one thing not well-they forgot to observe, etc.

Secondly,

They only forgot to observe, etc.;

that is, either they were the only persons who did so; or, thirdly, they did not intentionally neglect the fact, they only forgot it. Fourthly,

They forgot to observe that only in the first ages of society;

that is, there is but one period in the history of society in which the fact observed is true.

Fifthly,

They forgot to observe that, in the first ages only of society, etc.;

that is, it is not true in the ages preceding organized social life. Sixthly,

They forgot to observe, that, in the first ages of society, only a successful war against savage animals, etc.;

that is, not war which is a failure.

Seventhly,

They forgot to observe, that, in the first ages of society, a successful war only against savage animals, etc.;

that is, not a war for their preservation.