

PUNCH IN". 



1TNI 



the prominent feature which has ever been characteristic of 



PUNCHING, [c.iu ' M-; UIVI-TISO.] 



1'1'NiTl'ATION U the art of dividing written or printed com- 

 position into Mntenoei mnd clauses, l>y point, <ir stops, so as to indicate 

 the closer or more remote connection of the several parts. It serves to 

 elucidate the sense, and tints also amixtx the delivery, since the Utter 

 must have reference to the grammatical construction. 



The element* of a Hyrtain of punctuation are discoverable in 

 ancient time*. Aristotle mentions th<- .-ul.jcet in his Uhetoric' (iii. 5); 

 Jerome, in the 4th century, a' -he puitetiiatioii of tlio sacred 



books which he revised ; about the middle of th.- .'th century, 

 Kuthalitu published an edition of tin' four Gospels, and .ifUTwnnlH of 

 the Act*, and of nil the apostolic Kpistles, in which lie divided tin- 

 New Testament into ilicJioi (<rrixai), or lines, regulated liy the sense, so 

 that each tennir.at.-d where some pause W.K made in the reading; and 

 in the Alexandrine manuscript, which may l>c referred to the Itli 

 or 5th century, we find not only a break nt the end of each para- 

 graph, but stops inserted, though sparingly, in the body of the 



The invention of the modem system of punctuation has been attri- 

 buted to Aristophanes, a grammarian of Alexandria ; but the subject 

 was very imperfectly understood till the close of the 15th century, 

 when the learned Venetian printers, the Manutii, increased thenumlier 

 of the sign*, and established some fixed rules which have been BO 

 generally adopted, that we may regard them as the inventors of the 



;:-'::' -_'. ' -i - 



The points used in English composition are : - 



The comma, marked thus , The period, or full stop . 



The semicolon ; The note of interrogation ? 



The colon : The note of admiration ! 



to which may be added the dash , the apostrophe ' , and the paren- 

 thesis ( ). 



It is considered that the proper length of the pause at a comma is 

 while we may count one ; at a semicolon, tico ; at a colon, three ; and 

 at a period, four. But it will be easy to show that there is frequently 

 a much greater separation of the sense, and that there ought therefore 

 to be a longer pause at some commas than at others. Thus in the 

 following sentence there should evidently be a longer pause after 

 iHttatut, than after rainli.iir, f'n-tituitc, charity, and yeneruaity , though 

 these words are all followed by the same mark of grammatical 

 punctuation, namely the comma : " The qualities of candour, fortitude, 

 charity, and generosity, for instance, are not in their own nature 

 virtues ; and if ever they deserve the title, it is owing only to justice, 

 which impels and directs them." 



The form and structure of sentences are so various, that it would be 

 difficult, if not impossible, to lay down rules for punctuation which shall 

 meet every case which can occur. The following m:iy serve as a 

 general guide. 



I. The comma is used, 



1. To throw together such similar parts of speech as are joined in 

 pairs by the conjunction ami. 



2. To separate the several members of a series, that is, a succession 

 of similar words or members. 



3. To separate from the rest of the sentence such clauses as are 

 added by way of explication or illustration, or such as are really paren- 

 thetical, though they may not be so marked. 



4. To separate from the rest of the sentence words in the vocative 



5. In many cases to separate the relative and the antecedent. 



6. To separate from the rest of the sentence such clauses as are 

 introduced by a connective, conditional, or exceptive particle, or by an 

 adverb of time or place ; and to separate antithetical clauses, and such 

 comparative clauses as are introduced by the adjectives lite, I" 



the conjunctions at, *o, than, by the adverbs how muck, more, of tetter, 

 rather, unless the comparative member at the end be short. 



II. The temiculm is used when a longer pause is required than at a 

 comma, but when the sense is imperfect, and needs some other member 

 to render it complete. Or it is used for dividing a compound sentence 

 into two or more parts, which are not so closely connected as those 

 which are separated by comma* only, nor yet co independent and per- 

 fect as those which admit a colon : thus 



" Life, with a swift though insensible course, glides away ; and like 

 a river which undermines its banks, gradually impairs our state." 



" A* there is a worldly happiness which God perceives to be only 

 disguised misery ; as there are worldly honours which in his estimation 

 are a reproach ; so there is a worldly wisdom which in his night is 



f... :.-;,-:-' --- 



III. The colon may be inserted 



1. Wh.-n a member of a sentence is complete in itself, but is 

 followed by some additional remark or illustration of the subject: 

 thus 



* Do not natter yourself with the idea of enjoying perfect happiness : 

 there U no such thing in the world." 



" Keep close to thy business : it will keep thee from wickedness, 

 poverty, and shame." 



2. When several semicolons have preceded, and when a longer pause 



is necessary in order to mark the connecting or concluding sentiment : 

 thus 



vine legislator uttering his voice from heaven; an almighty 

 governor stretching forth hi* arm to punish or reward ; informing us 

 of perpetual rest prepared hereafter for the righteous, and of iudig- 

 ii .'i.-ii and wrath awaiting tin- ',-. i< 1..-.1 : these arc the cov 

 which overawe the world, which support integrity, and \vhk-h rluvk 

 guilt" 



8. A colon is generally placv.l at the close of the words which 

 introduce an example, a quotation, a saying, a speech, or a nan 

 thus 



Tin: Karl of Chatham made an excellent speech, from which the 

 following is a brief extract: 'I know that the conquest 

 America is a> iui|>oMbility.'" 



IV. Tin- /.-;/'./ or full stop i* placed at the end of a sentence, that 

 is, at the end of Mich an assemblage of words as present a complete 

 and ind. ; u-*e : thus 



" Truth is the basis of every virtue." 



" The Latin tongue is now called a dead language, because it 

 spoken as the mother tongue of any nation." 



MIC sentences an a Mitiou.d clause is included, which do> 

 motlify the preceding : thus 



" The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." 



These are called loote tenlencet. 



V. The note of interrogation, as its name implies, is placed at the end 

 of every question. 



The Spaniards place this mark also at tl lixjiuainij of intern 

 sentences; and it must be acknowledged that in some cases this H 

 an advantage, as it suggests to the reader from the first the tones of 

 voice which are suitable. 



VI. The note of exclamation or admiration it placed at the end of 

 such words or clauses as express any strong passion or emotion of 

 the mind. 



The dtifh should be used sparingly : it is introduced with propriety 

 where a sentence or dialogue breaks off abruptly ; where the sense is 

 suspended, and continued after a short interruption ; where a significant 

 pause is required; where there is an unexpected turn in the sentiment, 

 or a sort of epigrammatic point ; when a sentence consists of several 

 clauses which form the nominative to a verb following, or lead 

 to a conclusion or inference, and it is desirable to assist the eye 

 more readily than by semicolons ; and in some cases to indicate an 

 ellipsis. 



The apostrophe shows the omission of a letter, as inform'd, e'en, e'er, 

 used chiefly in poetry ; and in the genitive case, as man'g, boyi, both in 

 prose and poetry. 



The jxircnthetu marks a clause, which should contain some necessary 

 information, or a useful remark, introduced into the body of a sentence 

 i'y, but which might be omitted without doing injury to the 

 sense of the construction. 



It has been remarked above, that one use of the points is as a guide 

 to reading ; but it must not be supposed that those which are usually 

 inserted even in well punctuated books are sufficient for this pi i 

 But the pauses required in good and impressive reading or speaking 

 belong to elocution, and will be found treated of under OHATORT. 



PUNICIN. A non-azotised, bitter, tmcrystallUable substance of 

 unknown composition found in the bark of the Punica granalum. 



PUNISHMENT. The verb to punish (whence the noun substan- 

 tive punishment) is formed from the French punir, derived from the 

 Latin punire, anciently pocnire, which is connected with poena and the 

 Greek irolvri. Poiue signified a pecuniary satisfaction for an offence, 

 similar to the mlinjtld of the German codes: poena had doubtless 

 originally a similar sense ; but in the Latin classical writers its meaning 

 is equivalent to that of our word ptmahment. 



Punishment may be inflicted on men by a supernatural being or by 

 men ; and it may be inflicted on them either in the present life, or in 

 the existence which commences after death. Punishment may likewise 

 be inflicted by men on the more intelligent and useful species of 

 animals, such as horses and dogs. In the following remarks, we confine 

 ourselves to punishment inflicted by man on man. 



The original idea of punishment was, pain inflicted on or endured by 

 a person as a satisfaction or atonement by him for some offence which 

 he had committed. (Grimm, ' Deutsche Rechtsalterthiimer.') According 

 to this conception of punishment, it appeared to lie just that a person 

 -hould suffer the same amount of pain which he had inflicted on others 

 by his offence; and hence the origin of the retaliatory principle of 

 punishment, or tli <x. This principle is of great antiquity, 



and is probably the earliest idea which all nations have formed con- 

 cerning the nature of punishment. It occurs among the early Greeks, 

 and was attributed by them to their mythical prince and judge of 

 Hades, Khadamanthys. They embodied it in the following proverbial 

 verse ; 



<f K( irafloi T<f K e/0<(<, Si'xi) K tfftia ytrotru. 



(Arlntot., 'Kth. NIC.,' v. 8.) 



The talio was also recognised in the Twelve Tables of Rome (' Inst.,' 

 iv. 4, 7), and upon it was founded the well-known provision of the 

 Mosaic law, " an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth :" a maxim 

 which is condemned by the Christian morality. (Matth., v. 38-40 ; 



