The Grammar of English Grammars

by Goold Brown

NOTES TO RULE XXII.

NOTE I.—When two terms connected are each to be extended and completed in sense by a third, they must both be such as will make sense with it. Thus, in stead of saying, "He has made alterations and additions to the work," say, "He has made alterations in the work, and additions to it;" because the relation between alterations and work is not well expressed by to.

NOTE II.—In general, any two terms which we connect by a conjunction, should be the same in kind or quality, rather than different or heterogeneous. Example: "The assistance was welcome, and seasonably afforded."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 249. Better: "The assistance was welcome, and it was seasonably afforded." Or: "The assistance was both seasonable and welcome."

NOTE III.—The conjunctions, copulative or disjunctive, affirmative or negative, must be used with a due regard to their own import, and to the true idiom of the language. Thus, say, "The general bent or turn of the language is towards the other form;" and not, with Lowth and Churchill, "The general bent and turn of the language is towards the other form."—Short Introd., p. 60; New Gram., p. 113. So, say, "I cannot deny that there are perverse jades;" and not, with Addison, "I cannot deny but there are perverse jades."—Spect., No. 457. Again, say, "I feared that I should be deserted;" not, "lest I should be deserted."

NOTE IV.—After else, other,[437] otherwise, rather, and all English comparatives, the latter term of an exclusive comparison should be introduced by the conjunction than—a word which is appropriated to this use solely: as, "Style is nothing else than that sort of expression which our thoughts most readily assume."—Blair's Rhet., p. 92. "What we call fables or parables are no other than allegories."—Ib., p. 151; Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 243. "We judge otherwise of them than of ourselves."—R. Ainsworth. "The premeditation should be of things rather than of words."—Blair's Rhet., p. 262. "Is not the life more than meat?"—Com. Bible. "Is not life a greater gift than food?"—Campbell's Gospels.

NOTE V.—Relative pronouns, being themselves a species of connective words, necessarily exclude conjunctions; except there be two or more relative clauses to be connected together; that is, one to the other. Example of error: "The principal and distinguishing excellence of Virgil, and which, in my opinion, he possesses beyond all poets, is tenderness."—Blair's Rhet., p. 439. Better: "The principal and distinguishing excellence of Virgil, an excellence which, in my opinion, he possesses beyond all other poets, is tenderness."

NOTE VI.—The word that, (as was shown in the fifth chapter of Etymology,) is often made a pronoun in respect to what precedes it, and a conjunction in respect to what follows it—a construction which, for its anomaly, ought to be rejected. For example: "In the mean time THAT the Muscovites were complaining to St. Nicholas, Charles returned thanks to God, and prepared for new victories."—Life of Charles XII. Better thus: "While the Muscovites were thus complaining to St. Nicholas, Charles returned thanks to God, and prepared for new victories."

NOTE VII.—The words in each of the following pairs, are the proper correspondents to each other; and care should be taken, to give them their right place in the sentence:

1. To though, corresponds yet; as, "Though he were dead, yet shall he live."—John, xi, 25. 2. To whether, corresponds or; as, "Whether it be greater or less."—Butler's Analogy, p. 77.

3. To either, corresponds or; as, "The constant indulgence of a declamatory manner, is not favourable either to good composition, or [to] good delivery."—Blair's Rhet., p. 334.

4. To neither, corresponds nor; as, "John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine."—Luke, vii, 33. "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor oppress him."—Exod., xxii, 21.

5. To both, corresponds and; as, "I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise."—Rom., i, 14.

6. To such, corresponds as; (the former being a pronominal adjective, and the latter a relative pronoun;) as, "An assembly such as earth saw never."—Cowper.

7. To such, corresponds that; with, a finite verb following, to express a consequence: as, "The difference is such that all will perceive it."

8. To as, corresponds as; with an adjective or an adverb, to express equality of degree: as, "And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."—2 Kings. v. 27.

9. To as, corresponds so; with two verbs, to express proportion or sameness: as, "As two are to four, so are six to twelve."—"As the tree falls, so it must lie."

10. So is used before as; with an adjective or an adverb, to limit the degree by comparison: as, "How can you descend to a thing so base as falsehood?"

11. So is used before as; with a negative preceding, to deny equality of degree: as, "No lamb was e'er so mild as he."—Langhorne. "Relatives are not so useful in language as conjunctions."—BEATTIE: Murray's Gram., p. 126.

12. To so, corresponds as; with an infinitive following, to express a consequence: as, "We ought, certainly, to read blank verse so as to make every line sensible to the ear"—Blair's Rhet., p. 332.

13. To so, corresponds that; with a finite verb following, to express a consequence: as, "No man was so poor that he could not make restitution."—Milman's Jews, i, 113. "So run that ye may obtain."—1 Cor., ix, 24.

14. To not only, or not merely, corresponds but, but also, or but even; as, "In heroic times, smuggling and piracy were deemed not only not infamous, but [even] absolutely honourable."—Maunder's Gram., p. 15. "These are questions, not of prudence merely, but of morals also."—Dymond's Essay, p. 82.

NOTE VIII.—"When correspondent conjunctions are used, the verb, or phrase, that precedes the first, applies [also] to the second; but no word following the former, can [by virtue of this correspondence,] be understood after the latter."—Churchill's Gram., p. 353. Such ellipses as the following ought therefore in general to be avoided: "Tones are different both from emphasis and [from] pauses."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, i, 250. "Though both the intention and [the] purchase are now past."—Ib., ii, 24.