[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the words of this text appear to be so carelessly put together, as to make nothing but jargon, or a sort of scholastic balderdash. But, according to Critical Note 8th, "To jumble together words without care for the sense, is an unpardonable negligence, and an abuse of the human understanding." I think the learned author should rather have said: "There are two numbers called the singular and the plural, which distinguish nouns as signifying either one thing, or many of the same kind.">[
"Here the noun James Munroe is addressed, he is spoken to, it is here a noun of the second person."—Mack's Gram., p. 66. "The number and case of a verb can never be ascertained until its nominative is known."—Emmons's Gram., p. 36. "A noun of multitude, or signifying many, may have the verb and pronoun agreeing with it either in the singular or plural number; yet not without regard to the import of the word, as conveying unity or plurality of idea."—Lowth's Gram., p. 75; Murray's, 152; Alger's, 54; Russell's, 55; Ingersoll's, 248; et al. "To express the present and past imperfect of the active and neuter verb, the auxiliary do is sometimes used: I do (now) love; I did (then) love."—Lowth's Gram., p. 40. "If these are perfectly committed, they will be able to take twenty lines for a lesson on the second day; and may be increased each day."—Osborn's Key, p. 4. "When c is joined with h (ch), they are generally sounded in the same manner: as in Charles, church, cheerfulness, and cheese. But foreign words (except in those derived from the French, as chagrin, chicanery, and chaise, in which ch are sounded like sh) are pronounced like k; as in Chaos, character, chorus, and chimera."—Bucke's Classical Gram., p. 10. "Some substantives, naturally neuter, are, by a figure of speech, converted into the masculine or feminine gender."—Murray's Gram., p. 37; Comly's, 20; Bacon's, 13; A Teacher's, 8; Alger's, 16; Lennie's, 11; Fisk's, 56; Merchant's, 27; Kirkham's, 35; et al. "Words in the English language may be classified under ten general heads, the names of which classes are usually termed the ten parts of speech."—Nutting's Gram., p. 14. "'Mercy is the true badge of nobility.' Nobility is a noun of multitude, mas. and fem. gender, third person, sing. and in the obj. case, and governed by 'of:' RULE 31."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 161. "gh, are either silent, or have the sound of f, as in laugh."—Town's Spelling-Book, p. 10. "As many people as were destroyed, were as many languages or dialects lost and blotted out from the general catalogue."—Chazotte's Essay, p. 25. "The grammars of some languages contain a greater number of the moods, than others, and exhibit them in different forms."—Murray's Gram., 8vo. Vol. i, p. 95. "A COMPARISON OR SIMILE, is, when the resemblance between two objects is expressed in form, and generally pursued more fully than the nature of a metaphor admits."—Ib., p. 343. "In some dialects, the word what is improperly used for that, and sometimes we find it in this sense in writing."—Ib., p. 156; Priestley's Gram., 93; Smith's, 132; Merchant's, 87; Fisk's, 114; Ingersoll's, 220; et al. "Brown makes great ado concerning the adname principles of preceding works, in relation to the gender of pronouns."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 323. "The nominative precedes and performs the action of the verb."—Beck's Gram., p. 8. "The Primitive are those which cannot receive more simple forms than those which they already possess."—Wright's Gram., p. 28. "The long sound [of i] is always marked by the e final in monosyllables; as, thin, thine; except give, live."—Murray's Gram., p. 13; Fisk's, 39; et al. "But the third person or thing spoken of being absent, and in many respects unknown, it is necessary that it should be marked by a distinction of gender."—Lowth's Gram., p. 21; L. Murray's, 51; et al. "Each of the diphthongal letters was doubtless, originally heard in pronouncing the words which contain them. Though this is not the case at present, with respect to many of them, these combinations still retain the name of diphthongs; but, to distinguish them, they are marked by the term improper."—L. Murray's Gram., p. 9; Fisk's, 37; et al. "A Mode is the form of, or manner of using a verb, by which the being, action, or passion is expressed "—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 32. "The word that is a demonstrative pronoun when it is followed immediately by a substantive, to which it is either joined, or refers, and which it limits or qualifies."—Lindley Murray's Gram., p. 54.
"The guiltless woe of being past,
Is future glory's deathless heir."—Sumner L. Fairfield.
UNDER CRITICAL NOTE IX.—OF WORDS NEEDLESS.
"A knowledge of grammar enables us to express ourselves better in conversation and in writing composition."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 7.
[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word composition is here needless. But, according to Critical Note 9th, "Words that are entirely needless, and especially such as injure or encumber the expression, ought in general to be omitted." The sentence would be better without this word, thus: "A knowledge of grammar enables us to express ourselves better in conversation and in writing.">[
"And hence we infer, that there is no other dictator here but use."—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 42. "Whence little else is gained, except correct spelling and pronunciation."—Town's Spelling-Book, p. 5. "The man who is faithfully attached to religion, may be relied on, with humble confidence."—Merchants School Gram., p. 76. "Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?"—2 Sam., vii, 5. "The house was deemed polluted which was entered into by so abandoned a woman."—Blair's Rhet., p. 279. "The farther that he searches, the firmer will be his belief."—Keith's Evidences, p. 4. "I deny not, but that religion consists in these things."—Barclays Works, i, 321. "Except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name."—Esther, ii, 14. "The proper method of reading these lines, is to read them according as the sense dictates."—Blair's Rhet., p. 386. "When any words become obsolete, or at least are never used, except as constituting part of particular phrases, it is better to dispense with their service entirely, and give up the phrases."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 185; Murray's Gram., p. 370. "Those savage people seemed to have no element but that of war."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 211. "Man is a common noun, of the third person, singular number, masculine gender, and in the nominative case."—J. Flint's Gram., p. 33. "The orator, according as circumstances require, will employ them all."—Blair's Rhet., p. 247. "By deferring our repentance, we accumulate our sorrows."—Murray's Key, ii, p. 166. "There is no doubt but that public speaking became early an engine of government."—Blair's Rhet., p. 245. "The different meaning of these two first words may not at first occur."—Ib., p. 225. "The sentiment is well expressed by Plato, but much better by Solomon than him."—Murray's Gram., p. 214; Ingersoll's, 251; Smith's, 179; et al. "They have had a greater privilege than we have had."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 211. "Every thing should be so arranged, as that what goes before may give light and force to what follows."—Blair's Rhet., p. 311. "So as that his doctrines were embraced by great numbers."—UNIV. HIST.: Priestley's Gram., p. 139. "They have taken another and a shorter cut."—SOUTH: Joh. Dict. "The Imperfect Tense of a regular verb is formed from the present by adding d or ed to the present; as, 'I loved.'"—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 32. "The pronoun their does not agree in gender or number with the noun 'man,' for which it stands."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 182. "This mark denotes any thing of wonder, surprise, joy, grief, or sudden emotion."—Bucke's Gram., p. 19. "We are all accountable creatures, each for himself."—Murray's Key, p. 204; Merchant's, 195. "If he has commanded it, then I must obey."—Smith's New Gram., pp. 110 and 112. "I now present him with a form of the diatonic scale."—Dr. John Barber's Elocution, p. xi. "One after another of their favourite rivers have been reluctantly abandoned."—Hodgson's Tour. "Particular and peculiar are words of different import from each other."—Blair's Rhet., p. 196. "Some adverbs admit rules of comparison: as Soon, sooner, soonest."—Bucke's Gram., p. 76. "From having exposed himself too freely in different climates, he entirely lost his health."—Murray's Key. p. 200. "The Verb must agree with its Nominative before it in Number and Person."—Buchanan's Syntax, p. 93. "Write twenty short sentences containing only adjectives."—Abbot's Teacher, p. 102. "This general inclination and tendency of the language seems to have given occasion to the introducing of a very great corruption."—Lowth's Gram., p. 60. "The second requisite of a perfect sentence, is its Unity."—Murray's Gram., p. 311. "It is scarcely necessary to apologize for omitting to insert their names."—Ib., p. vii. "The letters of the English Language, called the English Alphabet, are twenty-six in number."—Ib., p. 2; T. Smith's, 5; Fisk's, 10; Alger's, 9; et al. "A writer who employs antiquated or novel phraseology, must do it with design: he cannot err from inadvertence as he may do it with respect to provincial or vulgar expressions."—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 56. "The Vocative case, in some Grammars, is wholly omitted; why, if we must have cases, I could never understand the propriety of."—Bucke's Classical Gram., p. 45. "Active verbs are conjugated with the auxiliary verb I have; passive verbs are conjugated with the auxiliary verb I am."—Ib., p. 57. "What word, then, may and be called? A Conjunction."—Smith's New Gram., p. 37. "Have they ascertained the person who gave the information?"—Bullions's E. Gram., p. 81.
UNDER CRITICAL NOTE X.—OF IMPROPER OMISSIONS.
"All qualities of things are called adnouns, or adjectives."—Blair's
Gram., p. 10.
[FORMULE.—Not proper, because this expression lacks two or three words which are necessary to the sense intended. But according to Critical Note 10th, "Words necessary to the sense, or even to the melody or beauty of a sentence, ought seldom, if ever, to be omitted." The sentence may be amended thus: "All words signifying concrete qualities of things, are called adnouns, or adjectives.">[