All the parts of speech, which were originally only particles of one or two letters, having naturally coalesced and united, in more complex names, and words or propositions, without the assistance of art, so in all languages, like the English, in which respect both the simple and complex names still retain their primitive state, without any loss of their natural powers of construction, by any arbitrary addition or combination of artificial signs or modes of concord, like the Greek and Latin, the parts both simple and complex being precisely understood, will still be governed by their meaning, and naturally coincide in sentences, in the same manner as the ideas of a person unacquainted with the artificial rules of logick, are by their natural relation logically connected and formed into regular thesises, hypothesises and synthesises. As for instance; a person, who perfectly knows the meaning of the parts, can in his mind form and express the following sentences; two and two of any thing are, is or is to be sounded four, and not three; and should they happen to be horses, whether with or without shoes, they must be the horses of some man, rather than those of a cow; but if they are delivered, in whatever place they stand, it must be to and from some place, and by and to some body, or if they should only be called, it ought to be done by their right names. Or; supposing Adam, i, or any one know myself or himself to be the first man, inhabiting space, and that his length and breadth of extension, was at all times or upon all motions, and as much more, as he or i might by the extension of the arms acquire, without dispossessing another, were our own property, i might, as the first existence and proprietor here of the kind, call myself the first, one, or i. If I had a wife and a son, who had a wife and a son, and had been taught to tell seven in English, with their precise meaning, I might as my next relation, as well as the second person in existence, name my wife two or thou, my son, as the third in being and possession, I might name he, him, or three, which make up the number of the singular stock; and as to the plural number or stock, the first and second person of the singular, and the son which sprung from them, with his son being four in number, and the first spring of the second stock might be named we, as the first person plural; the two wives ye, the second persons plural of the kind or genders; and all other persons excepting those of the singular number, as the grandson and his offspring, the sixth person from the first or the third in the second generation or plural number, they. Then if the first man or any other perfectly understood the meaning of all other names and energies, which appear to be as equally related to the nature of things as these, he could have no difficulty of putting them together according to true concord, as the meaning and signification would not permit him to err; nor indeed is the English to be taught by any other significant rules. The parts of speech being precisely understood, the best way then of acquiring the right English construction, is carefully to observe the manner and style of the best English writers, and to procure an habit thereof by reading and writing, rather than be perplexed by innumerable tedious and unmeaning rules of phrases, sentences, distinctions, and variations of names, from their natural order; for which there is no sort of foundation in the English, or any other language of nature.
But since the English language is that here proposed as an universal one, it may not however be improper to take some little farther notice of the rules of English Syntax. In all languages to form a right sentence the words must agree in construction with one another, as to case, number, gender, and person, either according to the natural order of things, or some arbitrary mode of concord and government, by a variation of the terminations substituted in lieu thereof in particular languages. But the English doth so only from the sense of the words, without any variation of terminations, except that es or s signifying the feminine gender, is sometimes added to form the plural number of substantives, and the substantive verb is, or the pronouns it, with its inflections, to form the third person singular of verbs, and as and es in some instances, to express the masculine and feminine genders.
And though it has no other case but the nominative, or any variation of cases at all, yet all English verbs agree with the substantives in number and person, without any exception; and the state or situation of substantives are expressed by prepositions set in apposition thereto in the same manner as the articles; nor have the adjectives any variations, besides the degrees of comparison; and yet both they and participles agree with the substantives in gender, number and case; and when two substantives of different sorts of things come together, the place, state, or case of the last is expressed by the preposition of or-’s, signifying of his; unless the latter substantive is of the same sort with, or explains the former; in which case they are both of the same case, state, or situation. Conjunctions, adverbs, and relatives, serve to connect sentences, as prepositions do words. The relatives who, what, and which, and all other English names as well as things, must agree with the antecedents as their originals, whether persons, actions, or substantives. When two verbs come together, the latter is to be in the infinitive mode.
VOCABLES.
An additional vocabulary of primitive nouns defined, with a separate explication of pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions; which compleats what has been already published, of the English, Welsh, Greek, and Latin primitive names, and fully explains the nature and origin of all the vocables and parts of those several languages.
Abhor, Detest, Hate; Cashau, Troi Ymaith; Mudasomai, Stugeo, Aversor, Odio Habeo. These signify to turn from one with a scornful note of exclamation, or scornful motion or manner.
Able; Gallu, Dichoni; Dunamai, Possum. To be up or high in existence.
Accept, Take, Snatch; Cymeryd, Derbyn, Cipio; Dechomai, Lambano, Arpaso; Accipio, Capio, Rapio. To enter into possession of places and things.
Accurate; Dyfal, Manwl; Akribos; Exquisitus. Active in running to, seeing small things, and above active in things.