Remark.—­Some authors give the following rule for the reading of a concluding series:  “All the particulars of a concluding series, except the last but one, require the falling inflection.”  Exception l.—­When the particulars enumerated in a concluding series are not at all emphatic, all except the last require the rising inflection.

EXAMPLES (30)

He was esteemed for his kindness’, his intelligence’, his self-denial’, and his active benevolence’.

Exception 2.—­When all the terms of a concluding series are strongly emphatic, they all receive the falling inflection.

EXAMPLES. (30)

1.  They saw not one man’, not one woman’, not one child’, not one four-footed beast’.

2.  His hopes’, his happiness’, his life’, hung upon the words that fell from those lips,

3.  They fought’, they bled’, they died’, for freedom.

PARENTHESIS. (30)

Rule XI.—­A parenthesis should be read more rapidly and in a lower key than the rest of the sentence, and should terminate with the same inflection that next precedes it.  If, however, it is complicated, or emphatic, or disconnected from the main subject, the inflections must be governed by the same rules as in the other cases.

Remark.—­A smooth and expressive reading of a parenthesis is difficult of acquisition, and can be secured only by careful and persistent training.

EXAMPLES. (30)

1.  God is my witness’ (whom I serve with my spirit, in the gospel of his Son’), that, without ceasing, I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request’ (if, by any means, now at length, I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God’), to come unto you.

2.  When he had entered the room three paces, he stood still; and laying his left hand upon his breast’ (a slender, white staff with which he journeyed being in his right’), he introduced himself with a little story of his convent.

3.  If you, AEschines, in particular, were persuaded’ (and it was no particular affection for me, that prompted you to give up the hopes, the appliances, the honors, which attended the course I then advised; but the superior force of truth, and your utter inability to point any course more eligible’) if this was the case, I say, is it not highly cruel and unjust to arraign these measures now, when you could not then propose a better?

4.  As the hour of conflict drew near’ (and this was a conflict to be dreaded even by him’), he began to waver, and to abate much of his boasting.

CIRCUMFLEX. (31)

Rule XII.—­The circumflex is used to express irony, sarcasm, hypothesis, or contrast.

Note.—­For the reason that the circumflex always suggests a double or doubtful meaning, it is appropriate for the purposes expressed in the rule.  It is, also, frequently used in sportive language; jokes and puns are commonly given with this inflection.