[FORMULE.—This composition is incorrigibly bad. The participle "belonging" which seems to relate to "things," is improperly meant to qualify "state." And the "state of things," (which state really belongs only to the things,) is absurdly supposed to belong to a person—i. e., "to the painter." Then this man, to whom the "state of things" is said to belong, is forthwith called "it," and nonsensically declared to be "in the possessive case." But, according to Critical Note 16th, "Passages too erroneous for correction, may be criticised, orally or otherwise, and then passed over without any attempt to amend them." Therefore, no correction is attempted here.]
"Nouns or pronouns, following the verb to be; or the words than, but, as; or that answer the question who? have the same case after as preceded them."—Beck's Gram., p. 29. "The common gender is when the noun may be either masculine or feminine."—Frost's Gram., p. 8. "The possessive is generally pronounced the same as if the s were added."—Alden's Gram., p. 11. "For, assuredly, as soon as men had got beyond simple interjections, and began to communicate themselves by discourse, they would be under a necessity of assigning names to the objects they saw around them, which in grammatical language, is called the invention of substantive nouns."—Blair's Rhet., p. 72. "Young children will learn to form letters as soon, if not readier, than they will when older."—Taylor's District School, p. 159. "This comparing words with one another, constitutes what is called the degrees of comparison."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 29. "Whenever a noun is immediately annexed to a preceding neuter verb, it expresses either the same notion with the verb, or denotes only the circumstance of the action."—Lowth's Gram., p. 73. "Two or more nouns or pronouns joined singular together by the conjunction and, must have verbs agreeing with them in the plural number."—Infant School Gram., p. 129. "Possessive and demonstrative pronouns agree with their nouns in number and case; as, 'my brother,' 'this slate, 'these slates.'"—Ib., p. 130. "Participles which have no relation to time are used either as adjectives or as substantives."—Maunder's Gram., p. 1. "They are in use only in some of their times and modes; and in some of them are a composition of times of several defective verbs, having the same signification."—Lowth's Gram., p. 59. "When words of the possessive case that are in apposition, follow one another in quick succession, the possessive sign should be annexed to the last only, and understood to the rest; as, 'For David, my servant's sake.'"—Comly's Gram., p. 92. "By this order, the first nine rules accord with those which respect the rules of concord; and the remainder include, though they extend beyond the rules of government."—Murray's Gram., p. 143. "Own and self, in the plural selves, are joined to the possessives, my, our, thy, your, his, her, their; as, my own hand, myself, yourselves; both of them expressing emphasis or opposition, as, 'I did it my own self,' that is, and no one else; the latter also forming the reciprocal pronoun, as, 'he hurt himself.'"—Lowth's Gram., p. 25. "A flowing copious style, therefore, is required in all public speakers; guarding, at the same time, against such a degree of diffusion, as renders them languid and tiresome; which will always prove the case, when they inculcate too much, and present the same thought under too many different views."—Blair's Rhet., p. 177. "As sentences should be cleared of redundant words, so also of redundant members. As every word ought to present a new idea, so every member ought to contain a new thought. Opposed to this, stands the fault we sometimes meet with, of the last member of a period being no other than the echo of the former, or the repetition of it in somewhat a different form." [458]—Ib., p. 111. "Which always refers grammatically to the substantive immediately preceding: [as,] 'It is folly to pretend, by heaping up treasures, to arm ourselves against the accidents of life, which nothing can protect us against, but the good providence of our heavenly Father.'"—Murray's Gram., p. 311; Maunder's, p. 18; Blair's Rhet., p. 105. "The English adjectives, having but a very limited syntax, is classed with its kindred article, the adjective pronoun, under the eighth rule."—L. Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 143. "When a substantive is put absolutely, and does not agree with the following verb, it remains independent on the participle, and is called the case absolute, or the nominative absolute."—Ib., p. 195. "It will, doubtless, sometimes happen, that, on this occasion, as well as on many other occasions, a strict adherence to grammatical rules, would render the language stiff and formal: but when cases of this sort occur, it is better to give the expression a different turn, than to violate grammar for the sake of ease, or even of elegance."—Ib., p. 208. "Number, which distinguishes objects as singly or collectively, must have been coeval with the very infancy of language"—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 25. "The article a or an agrees with nouns in the singular number only, individually or collectively."—L. Murray's Gram., p. 170; and others. "No language is perfect because it is a human invention."—Parker and Fox's Grammar, Part III, p. 112. "The participles, or as they may properly be termed, forms of the verb in the second infinitive, usually precedes another verb, and states some fact, or event, from which an inference is drawn by that verb; as, 'the sun having arisen, they departed.'"—Day's Grammar, 2nd Ed., p. 36. "They must describe what has happened as having done so in the past or the present time, or as likely to occur in the future."—The Well-Wishers' Grammar, Introd., p. 5. "Nouns are either male, female, or neither."—Fowle's Common School Grammar, Part Second, p. 12. "Possessive Adjectives express possession, and distinguish nouns from each other by showing to what they belong; as, my hat, John's hat."—Ib., p. 31.
PROMISCUOUS EXAMPLES OF FALSE SYNTAX.
LESSON I.—VARIOUS RULES.
"What is the reason that our language is less refined than that of Italy, Spain, or France?"—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 185. "What is the reason that our language is less refined than that of France?"—Ingersoll's Gram., p. 152. "'I believe your Lordship will agree with me, in the reason why our language is less refined than those of Italy, Spain, or France.' DEAN SWIFT. Even in this short sentence, we may discern an inaccuracy—'why our language is less refined than those of Italy, Spain, or France;' putting the pronoun those in the plural, when the antecedent substantive to which it refers is in the singular, our language."—Blair's Rhet., p. 228. "The sentence might have been made to run much better in this way; 'why our language is less refined than the Italian, Spanish, or French.'"—Ibid. "But when arranged in an entire sentence, which they must be to make a complete sense, they show it still more evidently."—L. Murray's Gram., p. 65. "This is a more artificial and refined construction than that, in which the common connective is simply made use of."—Ib., p. 127. "We shall present the reader with a list of Prepositions, which are derived from the Latin and Greek languages."—Ib., p. 120. "Relatives comprehend the meaning of a pronoun and conjunction copulative."—Ib., p. 126. "Personal pronouns being used to supply the place of the noun, are not employed in the same part of the sentence as the noun which they represent."—Ib., p. 155; R. C. Smith's Gram., 131. "There is very seldom any occasion for a substitute in the same part where the principal word is present."—Murray's Gram., p. 155. "We hardly consider little children as persons, because that term gives us the idea of reason and reflection."—Priestley's Gram., p. 98; Murray's, 157; Smith's, 133; and others. "The occasion of exerting each of these qualities is different."—Blair's Rhet., p. 95; Murray's Gram., 302; Jamieson's Rhet., 66. "I'll tell you who time ambles withal, who time trots withal, who time gallops withal and who he stands still withal. I pray thee, who doth he trot withal?"—Shakspeare. "By greatness, I do not only mean the bulk of any single object, but the largeness of a whole view."—Addison. "The question may then be put, What does he more than mean?"—Blair's Rhet., p. 103. "The question might be put, what more does he than only mean?"—Ib., p. 204. "He is surprised to find himself got to so great a distance, from the object with which he at first set out."—Ib., p. 108. "He is surprised to find himself at so great a distance from the object with which he sets out."—Murray's Gram., p. 313. "Few precise rules can be given, which will hold without exception in all cases."—Ib., p. 267; Lowth's Gram., p. 115. "Versification is the arrangement of a certain number of syllables according to certain laws."—Dr. Johnson's Gram., p. 13. "Versification is the arrangement of a certain number and variety of syllables, according to certain laws."—L. Murray's Gram., p. 252; R. C. Smith's, 187; and others. "Charlotte, the friend of Amelia, to whom no one imputed blame, was too prompt in her own vindication."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 273. "Mr. Pitt, joining the war party in 1793, the most striking and the most fatal instance of this offence, is the one which at once presents itself."—Brougham's Sketches, Vol. i, p. 57. "To the framing such a sound constitution of mind."—The American Lady, p. 132. "'I beseech you,' said St. Paul to his Ephesian converts, 'that ye walk worthy the vocation wherewith ye are called.'"—Ib., p. 208. "So as to prevent its being equal to that."—Booth's Introd., p. 88. "When speaking of an action's being performed."—Ib., p. 89. "And, in all questions of an action's being so performed, est is added to the second person."—Ib., p. 72. "No account can be given of this, than that custom has blinded their eyes."—Dymond's Essays, p. 269.
"Design, or chance, make other wive;
But nature did this match contrive."—Waller, p. 24.
LESSON II.—VARIOUS RULES.
"I suppose each of you think it is your own nail."—Abbott's Teacher, p. 58. "They are useless, from their being apparently based upon this supposition."—Ib., p. 71. "The form and manner, in which this plan may be adopted, is various."—Ib., p. 83. "Making intellectual effort, and acquiring knowledge, are always pleasant to the human mind."—Ib., p. 85. "This will do more than the best lecture which ever was delivered."—Ib., p. 90. "Doing easy things is generally dull work."—Ib., p. 92. "Such is the tone and manner of some teachers."—Ib., p. 118. "Well, the fault is, being disorderly at prayer time."—Ib., p. 153. "Do you remember speaking on this subject in school?"—Ib., p. 154. "The course above recommended, is not trying lax and inefficient measures."—Ib., p. 156. "Our community is agreed that there is a God."—Ib., p. 163. "It prevents their being interested in what is said."—Ib., p. 175. "We will also suppose that I call another boy to me, who I have reason to believe to be a sincere Christian."—Ib., p. 180. "Five minutes notice is given by the bell."—Ib., p. 211. "The Annals of Education gives notice of it."—Ib., p. 240. "Teacher's meetings will be interesting and useful."—Ib., p. 243. "She thought an half hour's study would conquer all the difficulties."—Ib., p. 257. "The difference between an honest and an hypocritical confession."—Ib., p. 263. "There is no point of attainment where we must stop."—Ib., p. 267. "Now six hours is as much as is expected of teachers."—Ib., p. 268. "How much is seven times nine?"—Ib., p. 292. "Then the reckoning proceeds till it come to ten hundred."—Frost's Practical Gram., p. 170. "Your success will depend on your own exertions; see, then, that you are diligent."—Ib., p. 142. "Subjunctive Mood, Present Tense: If I am known, If thou art known. If he is known: etc."—Ib., p. 91. "If I be loved, If thou be loved, If he be loved;" &c.—Ib., p. 85. "An Interjection is a word used to express sudden emotion. They are so called, because they are generally thrown in between the parts of a sentence without any reference to the structure of the other parts of it."—Ib., p. 35. "The Cardinals are those which simplify or denote number; as one, two, three."—Ib., p. 31. "More than one organ is concerned in the utterance of almost every consonant."—Ib., p. 21. "To extract from them all the Terms we make use in our Divisions and Subdivisions of the Art."—Holmes's Rhetoric, Pref. "And there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe."—Ezekiel, ii, 10. "If I were to be judged as to my behaviour, compared with that of John's."—Josephus, Vol. 5, p. 172. "When the preposition to signifies in order to, it used to be preceded by for, which is now almost obsolete; What went ye out for to see."—Priestley's Gram., p. 132. "This makes the proper perfect tense, which, in English, is always expressed by the help of the auxiliary verb, 'I have written.'"—Blair's Rhet., p. 82. "Indeed, in the formation of character, personal exertion is the first, the second, and the third virtues."—Sanders, Spelling-Book, p. 93. "The reducing them to the condition of the beasts that perish."—Dymond's Essays, p. 67. "Yet this affords no reason to deny that the nature of the gift is not the same, or that both are not divine."—Ib., p. 68. "If God have made known his will."—Ib., p. 98. "If Christ have prohibited them, [i.e., oaths,] nothing else can prove them right."—Ib., p. 150 "That the taking them is wrong, every man who simply consults his own heart, will know."—Ib., p. 163. "These evils would be spared the world, if one did not write."—Ib., p. 168. "It is in a great degree our own faults."—Ib., p. 200. "It is worthy observation that lesson-learning is nearly excluded."—Ib., p. 212. "Who spares the aggressor's life even to the endangering his own."—Ib., p. 227. "Who advocates the taking the life of an aggressor."—Ib., p. 229. "And thence up to the intentionally and voluntary fraudulent."—Ib., p. 318. "'And the contention was so great among them, that they departed asunder, one from _an_other.'—Acts, xv. 39."—Rev. Matt. Harrison's English Lang., p. 235. "Here the man is John, and John is the man; so the words are the imagination and the fancy, and the imagination and the fancy are the words."—Harrison's E. Lang., p. 227. "The article, which is here so emphatic in the Greek, is lost sight of in our translation."—Ib., p. 223. "We have no less than thirty pronouns."—Ib., p. 166. "It will admit of a pronoun being joined to it."—Ib., p. 137. "From intercourse and from conquest, all the languages of Europe participate with each other."—Ib., p. 104. "It is not always necessity, therefore, that has been the cause of our introducing terms derived from the classical languages."—Ib., p. 100. "The man of genius stamps upon it any impression that he pleases."—Ib., p. 90. "The proportion of names ending in son preponderate greatly among the Dano-Saxon population of the North."—Ib., p. 43. "As a proof of the strong similarity between the English and the Danish languages."—Ib., p. 37. "A century from the time that Hengist and Horsa landed on the Isle of Thanet."—Ib., p. 27.
"I saw the colours waving in the wind,
And they within, to mischief how combin'd."—Bunyan.