“What is Rule III.?”—­Hart’s Gram., p. 114.  “How is Rule III. violated?”—­Ib., p. 115.  “How do you parse ‘letter’ in the sentence, ‘James writes a letter’?  Ans.—­’Letter is a noun com., of the MASC. gend., in the 3d p., sing. num., and objective case, and is governed by the verb ‘writes,’ according to Rule III., which says.  ‘A transitive verb,’ &c.”—­Ib., p. 114.[465]

   “Creation sleeps.  ’T is as the general pulse
    Of life stood still, and nature made a pause;
    An awful pause! prophetic of her end,
    And let her prophecy be soon fulfilled;
    Fate drop the curtain; I can lose no more.”—­Hallock’s Gram., p. 216.

SECTION V.—­THE DASH.

The Dash is mostly used to denote an unexpected or emphatic pause, of variable length; but sometimes it is a sign of faltering, or of the irregular stops of one who hesitates in speaking:  as, “Then, after many pauses, and inarticulate sounds, he said:  ’He was very sorry for it, was extremely concerned it should happen so—­but—­a—­it was necessary—­a—­’ Here lord E------ stopped him short, and bluntly demanded, if his post were destined for an other.”—­See Churchill’s Gram., p. 170.

RULE I.—­ABRUPT PAUSES.

A sudden interruption, break, or transition, should be marked with the dash; as, 1. “‘I must inquire into the affair; and if’—­’And if!’ interrupted the farmer.” 2.  “Whom I—­But first ’t is fit the billows to restrain.”—­Dryd.  Virg. 3.  “HERE LIES THE GREAT—­False marble! where?  Nothing but sordid dust lies here.”—­Young.

RULE II.—­EMPHATIC PAUSES.

To mark a considerable pause, greater than the structure or the sentence or the points inserted would seem to require, the dash may be employed; as, 1.  “I pause for a reply.—­None?—­Then none have I offended.—­I have done no more to Caesar, than you should do to Brutus.”—­SHAKSPEARE:  Enfields Speaker, p. 182.

2.  “Tarry a little.  There is something else.—­
    This bond—­doth give thee here—­no jot of blood.” 
        —­ID.:  Burgh’s Sp., p. 167.

3.  “It thunders;—­but it thunders to preserve.”—­Young.

4.  “Behold the picture!—­Is it like?—­Like whom?”—­Cowper.

RULE III.—­FAULTY DASHES.

Dashes needlessly inserted, or substituted for other stops more definite, are in general to be treated as errors in punctuation; as, “Here Greece stands by itself as opposed to the other nations of antiquity—­She was none of the other nations—­She was more polished than they.”—­Lennie’s Gram., p. 78.  “Here Greece stands by herself, as opposed to the other nations of antiquity.  She was none of the other nations:  She was more polished than they.”—­Bullions, E. Gram., p. 114.  If this colon is sufficient, the capital after it is needless:  a period would, perhaps, be better.