An author must not produce books too rapidly; he or she must be careful to maintain the high standard of his or her work.

In dress and speech he was a genuine aborigine.

Wherein do sit the dread and fear of kings.

A heavy cloud continually hangs over the city of soft coal smoke.

2. Rewrite the following, and correct or modify according to the notes and references.

SOME pictures, as one looks at them, turns (29) hisa (30) thoughts at once to the artist; he (30) thinks of his or her (30) b name and reputation, he admires their (30) skill in drawing or painting (2). Others there are that make you oblivious (5) who painted them or how hed executed (5) the production (5); while you trace the story that they tell with absorbing interest (24). A striking example of this last (17) [kind, class, species, category, 2] is a painting entitled Adagio Consolante by a Munich artist (24).f

It represents a scene in one of the high vaulted cells of an old monastery. In the centre of the picture sits an aged monk playing on the violin by the side of a large double window.g The side of his face is only (25) toward us as he looks out at the open casement; but his long white hair and flowing beard betokens (32) a man of experience and ripe wisdom. Against the wall in front of him stands his reading-desk, the antique tomes (12) lying open upon it and beside it that he has been conning (12) (24). A basket contains his frugal repast (11) of fruits and bread by his side on the floor (24).h Floor and walls, and even his window-seat is (32) of stone; the room barely (3) furnished, and unadorned savei by the crucifix on the wall and some potted plants in the window. However,j all these surroundings are forgotten, as the old man draws forth the soft adagio from his beloved instrument, and a deep

holy light suffuses (5) his countenance (5) (28). It is a source of rest and peace to him, this quiet season of music and meditation.

Nor is the [advantage, boon, blessing, utility, service, 2] of it his alone; he is doing a gentle office of which he is [unconscious, unaware, 2] of good (24). In the open door behind him stands a tall lady in deep mourning. The distant cypress trees, revealed behind her through the door, suggests (29) that she has just come from the grave of some dear one, a husband, perhaps, or a son. The meaning is [apparent, unmistakable, manifest, evident, 1] of her presence here (24); she has brought for consolation to the spiritual father her burdened heart (24).m And it is [enough, sufficient, 5] for her to come" as far as the door. The peaceful look that steals into her face, the clasped hands, and her restful attitude leaning (19) against the doorpost, tells (32) us that she has P in the music her consolation (24), which has imparted (22) a comfort beyond the power of words.

NOTES TO THE ABOVE.—a. To repeat one, as you would have to do three times, is very awkward; would it not be better to choose here the pronoun of the second person?-b. Is the gender plainly enough suggested in "artist" to make such particularity of pronoun reference necessary?—c. "Painting" is not a particular enough word; choose something more specifically distinct from drawing.—d. “He” can stand here properly as representative of the interrogative pronoun who.e. Would it not be better to make your subject singular, "the picture"? -f. Putting the phrases in this order makes "by a Munich artist" seem to depend on "entitled." To turn the order around does not entirely remove the ambiguity, but relieves it; and the word "entitled" is chosen here rather than the simpler "called," in order to relieve the ambiguity more.— g. There is no ambiguity in the order of this sentence, but it is poorly arranged. Put the place-phrases together, and consider what is an important element to put at the end.-h. Better to put the more general placephrase before the more particular.—i. “Save” is a somewhat poetical word (Rule 12) but not out of place here.—j. The word however, unless especially emphatic, which it is not here, ought to be put after the first convenient pause.—k. If you balance clauses according to reference (28) at end, this expression "the old man" will naturally find place in another

clause.—1. Are these two place-phrases in the best order?—m. The present order is not absolutely incorrect, but wooden; amend it.—n. Is "to come" in the most accurate tense here?—o. The participle “leaning” is ambiguous in reference; you will have to change this participial phrase to a clause. -p. Try the progressive form of the present,-"is having."

IV. WORDS WITH ANTECEDENTS.

By these are meant words that refer to something that goes before and depend on it for their meaning. That something preceding, called the antecedent, may be expressed in a word or a phrase or even a whole sentence. The chief words of reference are the pronouns, personal, demonstrative, and relative; these must represent their antecedents clearly by agreeing with them in person and number. So also must words in apposition, which are virtually words of reference, their appositive being the antecedent.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

By way of learning what words of reference do, point out the antecedents in the above paragraph of text. In line 1, antecedents of "these," "that," and "that." In line 2, antecedents of "it," and "that something preceding." In line 6, antecedents of "these" and "their." In line 7, antecedent of "them." In line 8, antecedent of "which." In line 9, antecedent of "their." Name which are relatives, which demonstratives, which personal pronouns. What is there peculiar about "that something preceding"? See Rule 34.

Pronouns refer to persons and things; but besides these there may be adverbs of reference, which represent some place mentioned before, as here, hence, hither, there, thence, thither, where, whence, whither; or some time mentioned before, as now, then, when, while. These of course have no person and number, but only time or place, to agree with.

I.

Rules for Words of Reference and Antecedents. - In managing reference, there are in the main two foes to fight vagueness, arising when the antecedent is too obscurely placed or too dimly pointed out; and ambiguity, arising when the referring word does not make it clear which of two or more possible antecedents is meant. The following rules cover the most frequent cases of difficulty.

33. Make the antecedent prominent enough to be readily identified.

There are two ways in which an antecedent may be made prominent: by its position, and by its grammatical relation.

As to position, put the antecedent as near as practicable to the pronoun, and if you cannot put it near, make up for its remoteness by giving it an emphatic position in its clause.

ILLUSTRATIONS. In the sentence, "Two languid campaigns followed in the course of the next two years, during which neither army did anything remarkable," a word ("years") has slipped in between antecedent and pronoun and made the sentence ambiguous. If instead of this we say, "In the course of the next two years two languid campaigns followed, during which," etc., we put the antecedent and the pronoun so much nearer together that the sentence is sufficiently clear; and if we say, "In the course of the next two years followed two languid campaigns, during which," etc., we also give the antecedent a more emphatic position at the end of its clause.

As to grammatical relation, an antecedent is not prominent enough by being in the possessive case;1 it ought to be either nominative or objective. As a

1 The same principle applies to the participial construction; see Rule 19,

note.

principal element of the sentence (subject or object) it is more prominent than as the object of a preposition; it is more prominent also in a principal or coördinate clause than in a subordinate clause.

EXAMPLES. -1. Of antecedent in the possessive. "This way will take you to a gentleman's house that hath skill to take off these burdens." Say rather, "to the house of a gentlemen that hath,” etc.

"Nor better was their lot who fled." Say rather, "Nor better was the lot of them that (or those who) fled." Poetry is freer to use the possessive as antecedent than prose.

2. Prominent as principal element. "I gave him a piece of bread, which he ate." The noun (bread) between piece and which, being in an of-phrase, does not seriously disturb the more prominent antecedent."At this moment the colonel came up and took the place of the wounded general. He gave orders to halt." Here colonel, being the subject of the sentence, is the more prominent word.

3. Prominent as coördinate. Compare these two forms:

"In this war both Marius and Sulla served; Sulla increased his reputation, Marius tarnished his. Some plead for him (Marius, the last named) age and illness.'

"In this war both Marius and Sulla served. While Sulla increased his reputation, Marius tarnished his. Some plead for him age and illness.

The word him in the last sentence identifies its antecedent rather imperfectly so long as the two pronouns (“his”) are in coördinate clauses; but put one his in a while-clause (subordinate) and the reference is decidedly easier.

34. Make the reference definite enough to single out the exact idea intended.

A simple pronoun, he, she, it, who, or which, is often inadequate, standing alone, to point out which of two or more possible antecedents is meant. The main devices for reënforcing the reference are: demonstratives, repetition of antecedent, and direct discourse.