An Abridgment of Lectures on Rhetoric (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1808. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... -o good and mseful, . his compositions will always suffer in the public esteem, if his expression be deficient in purity or propriety. At, the safne time, the attainment of a-correct and elegant style is. an object which demands application and labour. If any one suppose he can catch it merely by the ear, or acquire it by a perusal of some of our good authors, he will be much disappointed. The many grammatical errors> the many impure .expressions, which are found in authors who are fu- from being contemptible, demonstrate thai .- .cartful study of: pur language is previously requisite. fur writing it with propriety, purity, and. elegance.. i. . .1 .' STYLE, PERSPICUITY, AND PRECISION. STYLE is the peculiar manner in which a man expresses his thoughts by words. It is a picture of the ideas in Lis miml, and of the order in which they there exjist. . The qualities of. a good style may be ranged under two heads, perspicuity and ornament. It will readily be admitted, that perspicuity is the fundamental quality* of M good style. .Without this, the brightest ornaments dnly glimmer through the dark, and perplex instead, of pleasing the reader. If we be forced to fol low a writer with much care; to pause, and to read over his sentences a second time, in order to understand them folly, he will not please Us long. Men are too indolent to relish so rrinch labour. Though they may pretend to admire an author's depth, after they have discovered his meaning, they will seldom be inclined to look a second time into his book. i > . .1 Perspicuity requires attention first to single Vords and phrases, and then to the construction of sentences. When considered with respect to words- and phrases, it requires these three qualities, purity, firoprtety, .