ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE NINTH DUODECIMO EDITION.

THE eighth edition of this grammar received considerable alterations and additions; but works of this nature admit of repeated improvements; and are, perhaps, never complete. The author, solicitous to render his book more worthy of the encouraging approbation bestowed on it by the public, has again revised the work with care and attention. The new edition, he hopes, will be found much improved. The additions which are very considerable, are, chiefly such as are calculated to expand the learner's views of the subject; to obviate objections; and to render the study of grammar both easy and interesting. This edition contains also a new and enlarged system of parsing; copious lists of nouns arranged according to their gender and number; and many notes and observations, which serve to extend, or to explain, particular rules and positions.*

The writer is sensible that, after all his endeavours to elucidate the principles of the work, there are few of the divisions, arrangements, definitions or rules, against which critical ingenuity cannot devise plausible objections. The subject is attended with so much intricacy, and admits of views so various, that it was not possible to render every part of it unexceptionable; or to accommodate the work, in all respects, to the opinions and prepossessions of every grammarian and teacher. If the author has adopted that system which, on the whole, is best suited to the nature of the subject, and conformable to the sentiments of the most judicious grammarians; if his reasonings and illustrations, respecting particular points, are founded on just principles, and the peculiarities of the English language; he has, perhaps, done all that could reasonably be expected in a work of this nature; and he may warrantably indulge a hope, that the book will be still more extensively approved and circulated.

Holdgate, near York,-1804.

The author conceives that the occasional strictures, dispersed through the book, and intended to illustrate and support a number of important grammatical points, will not, to young persons of ingenuity, appear to be dry and useless discussions. He is persuaded that, by such persons they will be read with attention. And he presumes that these strictures will gratify their curiosity, stimulate application, and give solidity and permanence to their grammatical knowledge.

VOL. I.

2

CONTENTS.

PART I.

ORTHOGRAPHY.

1

CHAP. 1. Of letters.

SECT. 1. Of the letters, of language, and a perfect

Page

CHAP. 2.

Of syllables, and the rules for ar-

ranging them

21

CHAP. 3.

Of words in general, and the rules for

spelling them

22

CHAP. 4. Of Adjectives,

SECT. 1. Of the nature of adjectives, and the de-

grees of comparison

2. Remarks on the subject of comparison

46

48

SECT. 1. Of the nature of verbs in general

2. Of number and person

3. Of moods and participles

4. Remarks on the potential mood

5. Of the tenses

6. The conjugation of the auxiliary verbs to

have and to be

7. The auxiliary verbs conjugated in their

simple form; with observations on their

peculiar nature and force

8. The conjugation of regular verbs

90

9. Observations on passive verbs

99

10. Of irregular verbs

101

11. Of defective verbs; and of the different

ways in which verbs are conjugated

108

guage

110.

114

117

123

128

12. Theory respecting the inflections of lan-

CHAP. 7. Of adverbs

CHAP. 8. Of prepositions

CHAP. 9. Of conjunctions

CHAP. 10. Of interjections

CHAP. 11. Of derivation.

SECT. 1. Of the various ways in which words are

derived from one another

2. A sketch of the steps by which the Eng-

lish language has risen to its present state

of refinement

CHAP. 12. Number and variety of words, &c.

Of several nouns joined by copulatives

Of nouns connected by disjunctives

Of nouns of multitude

Page

149

151

152

Of one noun governing another in the possessive case 173

Of the syntax of the pronoun.

Of pronouns agreeing with their antecedents

Of the relatives being the nominative to the verb

Of the relatives preceded by nominatives of different

persons

Of the syntax of the adjective

Of the syntax of the verb.

154

159

160

161, 170

Of the verb's agreement with the nominative case

Of verbs active requiring the objective case

Of one verb governing another in the infinitive mood

Of verbs and words related in point of time

Of the syntax of the participle

Of the rules respecting adverbs.

Of the position of adverbs

Of two negatives

Of the syntax of prepositions

Of the syntax of conjunctions.

143

179

183

185

192

196

198

199, 204

Of conjunctions connecting the same moods, tenses,

and cases

Of conjunctions requiring the subjunctive mood,

&c.

Of the syntax of interjections

204

205, 213

224

214

217

222

225, 234

Of comparisons by the conjunction than or as

Directions respecting the ellipsis

General rule of syntax

Directions for parsing

PART IV.

PROSODY.

CHAP. 1. Of pronunciation

235

CHAP. 4. Of the period

277

CHAP. 5. Of the dash, notes of interrogation and

exclamation, and the parenthesis

278

CHAP. 6. Of the apostrophe, caret, &c.

281

CHAP. 7. Directions respecting capital letters

283

CHAP. 8. Of paragraphs

285

VINDICATION OF THE STUDY OF GRAMMAR

288

APPENDIX.

RULES AND OBSERVATIONS FOR PROMOTING PERSPICUITY
AND ACCURACY IN WRITING.

PART I.

Of perspicuity and accuracy of expression, with respect to sin-

gle words and phrases.

CHAP. 1. Of purity

CHAP. 2. Of propriety

CHAP. 3. Of precision,

294

295

301