5. After the conjunctions than or as the verb or other words whose omission causes ambiguity must be inserted; as "He likes me better than you" should be "He likes me better than you like me," or, "better than he likes you."

6. When the sentence is long and the verb far from its subject, the subject or some word that will stand as a summary of what has been said must be inserted. Thus: "Gold and cotton, banks and railways, crowded ports and populous cities, although matters of great moment, these are not the elements that constitute a great nation."

LENGTH OF SENTENCES.

Long Sentences. With young persons there is no more fruitful source of obscurity than long sentences. The beginner plunges with such zest into his subject that he never thinks of a full stop, but goes on in one continuous sentence and is soon hopelessly lost in his maze of words. Then he flounders about evidently without the faintest idea of what is the subject, what the predicate, which the dependent, or which the independent clause, in his neverending sentence. His remedy is to put in plenty of full stops, and, if the style has no other excellence, it will at least possess some degree of clearness.

If, in a sentence, the subordinate clauses are all of the same kind, all constructed in a similar form, and all depending on the same principal clause, there is not necessarily any obscurity; but when a sentence consists of many clauses promiscuously thrown together, or when the dependent clauses have others depending on them, very close attention - closer than the writer is entitled to demand is required to gather the meaning.

1. She always thought more of attending to the wants of others than of herself.

2. My boyhood days were, in a measure, like all other boys, spent in school and at home.

3. Some young people find it difficult to distinguish between a synecdoche and metonymy.

4. They aimed at nothing less the supreme control of the gov

ernment.

5. The hotel's night watchman enables gentlemen to be called at any time, and adds greatly to the comfort and security of all. 6. If dead, his wife and children may apply.

7. We hope the time will be short until your health is restored and in our midst again.

8. He wished for nothing more than a dictionary.

9. Of those now at the Home some were born in England and Ireland, and some came from the city.

10. The geography and history are valuable books.

II. I have no more influence over him than others.

12. His childhood was like many others, the happiest part of his life.

13. To add to their burdens, they suffered from the exactions of the nobles and land-owners.

14. The clergyman announced that there would be no prayermeeting that week as usual.

15. Every advantage manufacturers desire can be had, and substantial aid when deserving.

16. Our wedding-cakes are got up in a style equal to any baker in the city.

17. The opinions of people in those days differed so much from the present time that he was popular though vicious.

18. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

19. One would think there were more sophists than one had a hand in the argument.

EXERCISE XXXIII.

LENGTH OF SENTENCES.

DIRECTION.-Improve these sentences by breaking them up into shorter

ones.

1. It is to be hoped that the distinguished author will be spared to fill up this gap himself, when, in his own words, there will be a "continuous history of the French occupation of the Continent," written we may add, with the most painstaking research, and the most praiseworthy impartiality, combined with such picturesque and graphic narrative power as have already made it the great authority on the subject of which it treats, and will, we doubt not, long maintain it in that most honorable and deserved position.

2. There is a great controversy about the most convenient and genteel way of holding your plate at meals; some stick it between the frame and the back of the chair, which is an excellent expedient, where the make of the chair will allow it; others, for fear the plate should fall, grasp it so firmly that their thumb reaches to the middle of the hollow: which, however, if your thumb be dry, is no secure method; and therefore, in that case, I advise your wetting the ball of it with your tongue; as to that absurd practice of letting the back of the plate lie leaning on the hollow of your hand, which some ladies recommend, it is universally exploded, being liable to so many accidents.

3. Notwithstanding the urgent entreaties of his friends, for him to abandon his enterprise, Columbus, the discoverer of America, set sail from Palos on the morning of Friday, the 3d of August, 1492, and after a stormy and difficult voyage he landed on one of the West India Islands on the 4th day of October in the same year; although his sailors had always despaired of ever reaching

land, and had been wishing during the last few weeks of their voyage, for Columbus to return with them to Spain.

4. To the apprehension of the Corporation of Trinity University, and the Board of Regents of Victoria University, that, were the proposed University Professoriate and the new University College in the same building, i.e. the building at present occupied by University College, then University college would, by its location under the University roof, its proximity to the University Professoriate, overshadow the other colleges and put them into an unfair comparison with it-to this apprehension must be assigned the motive of the amendments proposing that the confederating colleges, University College included, shall be placed on precisely the same footing towards the common University; which, being interpreted, is that the University Professoriate and University College shall have separate buildings provided for them.

EXERCISE XXXIV.

CLEARNESS.

DIRECTION. - In this miscellaneous exercise point out the cause of the ambiguity or obscurity, and then reconstruct the sentence so as to make the meaning clear.

PART I.

1. The interjection more nearly resembles the verb than any other part of speech.

2. The wife of this distinguished lecturer accompanied him to the city; and though her hair is quite white and apparently his senior, she walks with a firm step.

3. After some difficulty, we reached the gate where we parted. 4. Children in the East have their own pet elephants, and the big creatures enjoy a frolic with the little ones, as well as they do themselves.

5. While oiling the gearing of the machine his hand caught in it, nearly taking it off.

6. When Julius Cæsar was lampooned by Catullus, he invited

him to a supper and treated him with such generous civility that he made him his friend ever after.

7. By the articles subsisting between us, on the day of marriage, you agreed to pay down the sum of eighty thousand dollars.

8. He forgets the gratitude he owes to those that helped him when he was poor, and John Smith in particular.

9. He told his servant to call upon his friend to give information, and not to leave him till he started.

10. I thought that the safest plan was to praise everything he did. 11. Classify the following, analyzing the derivatives and compounds, and translate each into an equivalent phrase.

12. Although the people were rid of the locusts, they were not rid of the trouble which they caused them.

13. About the Falls hung a cloud or mist, and which was increasing every moment.

14. It is necessary that God should choose for us, and therewith to be content.

15. May asked her sister if she would bring her her work-basket, as she wished to make something for her mother.

16. With the beloved daughter she kept up the most intimate fellowship, though she tried to hide from her all knowledge of her father's intense cruelty to her.

17. When the strangers spoke of the ferocity of his dogs, he said they were ill-bred curs.

18. He told his friend that his brother was surprised that he had given so small a sum, for he was a very rich man, in spite of his recent losses, compared with himself.

19. Never allow the muzzle of a gun to point towards yourself or any other person.

20. Tell him, if he is wrong, he should retrace his steps.

21. His remains were committed to that bourne whence no traveller returns, attended by his family and friends.

22. The laborers crowd into the towns to enter into competition with you, to lower the rate of wages, and to huddle population together until healthful dwellings become impossible.