“I’ll give it you, you idle dog: I will!”
“Oh, pray, Sir! Oh, pray, Sir! Oh! Oh! Oh!”
“I shall ever have the highest esteem for you, Sir; but as to love, that is out of the question.”
“I say, Jim, look at that chaffinch: there’s a shy!”
“So then, you see, we popped round the corner, and caught them just in the nick of time.”
“Sir, your behaviour has done you great credit.”
“Honourable Members might say what they pleased; but he was convinced, for his part, that the New Poor Law had given great general satisfaction.”
There being now no reason (or rule) to detain us in the Syntax, we shall forthwith advance into Prosody, where we shall have something to say, not only about rules, but also of measures.
Prosody consists of two parts; wherefore, although it may be a topic, a head, or subject for discussion, it can never be a point; for a _point_ is that which hath _no_ parts. Besides, there are a great many _lines_ to be considered in the second part of Prosody, which treats of Versification. The first division teaches the true Pronunciation of Words, including Accent, Quantity, Emphasis, Pause, and Tone.
Lord Chesterfield’s book about manners, which is intended to teach us the proper _tone_ to be adopted in Society, may be termed an Ethical Prosody.
Lord Chesterfield may have been a polished gentleman, but Dr. Johnson was of the two the more shining character.
Though _penetrated_ ourselves by the desire of imparting instruction, we are far from wishing to _bore_ our readers; and therefore we shall endeavour to repeat nothing here that we have said before.
Accent is the marking with a peculiar stress of the voice a particular letter or syllable in a word, in such a manner as to render it more distinct or audible than the rest. Thus, in the word _théatre_, the stress of the voice should be on the letter _e_ and first syllable _the_; and in _cóntrary_, on the first syllable _con_. How shocking it is to hear people say _con-tráry_, _the-átre_! The friends of education will be reminded with regret, that an error in the pronunciation of the first of these words is very early impressed on the human mind.
“Mary, Mary, Quite contráry, How does your garden grow?”
How many evils, alas! arise from juvenile associations!