SECTION IV.

EASE AS AFFECTED BY ORDER

From the point of view of ease, it is especially important so to construct a sentence as to give the reader as little trouble as possible in getting from word to word and from clause to clause.

Position of Words. — The misplacing of one word sometimes interferes with the reader's ease.

I.

Anne,

Anne, must it not? must it not be our Mr. Elliot? Pray, sir, did you not hear?

Is it not the same with other professions?

II.

Anne, must not it? Anne, must it not be our Mr. Elliot? Pray, sir, did not you hear?

Is not it the same with other professions?

Nowadays it is more natural to write "Must it not?” "Did you not?" "Is it not?" than "Must not it?" "Did not you?" "Is not it?" but the latter order was preferred in the days of Miss Austen, from one of whose novels the sentences under II. are taken. Sounds that are agreeable to one generation may be disagreeable to another.

I.

A woman who had refused him was still as fair as when she declined to leave the world for him, fairer, indeed.

The blow had come, and it struck him now as hard as if it had not been expected, — almost harder.

II.

A woman who had refused him was still as fair as, more beautiful in fact than, when she declined to leave the world for him.

The blow had come, and it struck him now as hard as, almost harder than, if it had not been expected.

In these sentences as originally written, the stress thrown on the unimportant words "as" and "than" is offensive to the ear.

I.

The Rev. Mr. Collins was filled with gratitude to his benefactress

and admiration of her.

II.

The Rev. Mr. Collins was filled

with gratitude to and admiration of his benefactress.1

In this sentence as originally written, a disagreeable emphasis is thrown on "to" and "of," the least important words in the sentence.

Other examples are

I.

I wish to be much more with my children, and to work much more for them.

Weakness produced by insufficient food was, no doubt, the chief cause of their death on their arrival, or very soon afterward.

All have come (just as Philadelphia bricks come) from a distinctly superior sort of clay, and are in the process of returning to it.

II.

I wish to be much more with, and to work much more for, my children.

The weakness produced by the insufficient food has no doubt been the chief cause of their death on, or very soon after, their arrival.

All have come from (even as Philadelphia bricks come from), and are in the process of returning to, a distinctly superior sort of clay.

By emphasizing insignificant words, a writer sins not only against ease, but also against force; for he lays stress on what is least important. When, however, a preposition, or some other little word, is really emphatic, it should be emphasized e. g., "He could not help laughing, partly at, and partly with, his countryman."

Position of Phrases and Clauses. Phrases and clauses are often so placed as to interfere with the reader's ease.

I.

This affords to the other colleges just grounds for indignation. To the other colleges this affords just grounds for indignation.

II.

This affords just grounds to the other colleges for indignation.

1 See page 234.

I.

Most of Washington's portraits

have to me (or, To me most of, etc.) a mask-like appearance.

II.

The majority of Washington's portraits to me have a mask-like appearance.

In these sentences as originally written, "to the other colleges" and "to me" are so placed as to jar on the ear. If the writer does not mean to emphasize these expressions, they should come after "affords" and "have;" if he does mean to emphasize them, they should come at the beginning.

In this sentence as originally written, "if you will" is so placed as to separate words that are in apposition. Another fault is in the misplacing of "perhaps."

I.

To this exposure Culbert attributes the affection of the lungs from which she is suffering.

In this state of affairs, Francis vacillated between the two parties. In spite of great resistance from the Parliament, this concordat was at length ratified.

Although a Jewess, Jessica believed in Christianity.

II.

Culbert to this exposure attributes the affection of the lungs from which she is suffering.

Francis, in this state of affairs, vacillated between the two parties.

This concordat, in spite of great resistance from the Parliament, was at length ratified.

Jessica, although a Jewess, believed in Christianity.1

In these sentences as originally written, the words which stand between subject and verb clog the flow of thought and interfere with the reader's ease.

1 See page 239.

I.

The doctor's house, which had been the most hospitable house in Carlingford, would, of course, be shut up.

Of all women who have undertaken to write poetry, she is by far the best.

By their support of prohibition, the Republicans have retained thousands of voters who would otherwise have left the party long ago.

II.

The doctor's house would, of course, be shut up, which had been the most hospitable house in Carlingford.

Of all women she is by far the best that ever took upon them the task of writing poetry.

The Republicans have gained thousands of voters by their support of prohibition who would long ago have left the party had it not taken this start.

These sentences as originally written are so framed as to put the emphatic words in an obscure place, and to separate the relative clause from the noun with which it belongs. The first fault is a sin against force; the second is a sin against ease.

Sentence-endings. Some teachers and some text-books maintain that a sentence should never end with a preposition or other insignificant word.

The remark attributed to a college professor, "A preposition is a bad word to end a sentence with," whether authentic or not, is instructive. If the professor's practice had squared with his theory, he would have said, "A preposition is a bad word with which to end a sentence;" but his instinct for language was stronger than his doctrine. His practical refutation of his own theory shows how dangerous it is to base a rule upon one's notion of what good use should be, rather than upon what it is.

From the point of view of ease, the professor's remark as it slipped from his lips is certainly better than the form it would have taken had his sentence been framed in ac

cordance with his theory. That the theory is inconsistent with the practice of many good authors might easily be shown by pages of citations. A few instances must suffice. Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on.

SHAKSPERE.

Thou art all the comfort

The gods will diet me with.

SHAKSPERE.

For the same reason, idiots are still in request in most of the courts of Germany, where there is not a prince of any great magnificence, who has not two or three . . . fools in his retinue, whom the rest of the courtiers are always breaking their jests upon. ADDISON.

"I am heartily sorry, sir, I ever deceived you, or indeed any man; for you see," continued he, showing his shackles, "what my tricks have brought me to."- GOLDSMITH.

This proposal, which she could not avoid considering as perfectly just, was readily agreed to. GOLDSMITH.

"There is hardly any personal defect," replied Anne, “which an agreeable manner might not gradually reconcile one to." - JANE AUSTEN.

What part of Bath do you think they will settle in?-JANE AUSTEN.

I am struck, almost into silence, at my own pert little protestant mind, which never thought for a moment of asking what the church had been built for. - RUSKIN.

They wanted to make a fire, but there were no matches to light it with.

It seemed a pity that in a land full of turkeys the Fishes couldn't have just one to make merry with.

The last two sentences come from a book written for children. In the best of such books, sentences ending with prepositions are of frequent occurrence.