To see him would have afforded me pleasure all my life." Corrected, "To ave seen him ;" or, "To see him would afford me pleasure," &c. "The argu ments were sufficient to have satisfied all who heard them :"-"were sufficient to satisfy." "History painters would have found it difficult to have invented such a species of beings:"-" to invent such a species."

5. General and immutable truths ought to be expressed in the present tense.

Instead of saying, "He did not know that eight and twenty were equal to twenty and eight;" "The preacher said very audibly, that whatever was useful, was good;" "My opponent would not believe, that virtue was always advantageous;" The constructions should be, "are equal to twenty;" "whatever is useful, is good;" "virtue is always advantageous."

EXAMPLES IN FALSE SYNTAX PROMISCUOUSLY ARRANGED.

We adore the Divine Being, he who is from eternity to eternity.

On these causes depend all the happiness or misery which exist among men.

The enemies who we have most to fear, are those of our own hearts.

Is it me or him who you requested to go?

Though great has been his disobedience and his folly, yet if he sincerely acknowledges his misconduct, he shall be forgiven. There were, in the metropolis, much to amuse them.

By exercising of our memories, they are improved.

The property of my friend, I mean his books and furniture, were wholly consumed.

Affluence might give us respect in the eyes of the vulgar, but vill not recommend us to the wise and good.

The cares of this world, they often choke the growth of virtue. They that honour me, I will honour; and them that despise ne, shall be lightly esteemed.

I intended to have called last week, but could not.

The fields look freshly and gayly since the rain.

The book is printed very neat, and on fine wove paper.

I have recently been in Washington, where I have seen Gcn. Andrew Jackson, he who is now president.

Take the two first, and, if you please, the three last.

The Chinese wall is thirty foot high.

It is a union supported by an hypothesis, merely.

I have saw him who you wrote to; and he would have camo back with me, if he could.

Not one in fifty of those who call themselves deists, understand the nature of the religion which they reject.

If thou studiest diligently, thou will become learned.
Education is not attended to properly in Spain.

He know'd it was his duty; and he ought, therefore, to do it.
He has little more of the great man besides the title.
Richard acted very independent on the occasion.

We have done no more than it was our duty to have done.
The time of my friend entering on business, soon arrived.
His speech is the most perfect specimen I ever saw.

Calumny and detraction are sparks which, if you do not blow, they will go out of themselves.

Those two authors have each of them their merit.

Reasons whole pleasure, all the joys of sense,

Lies in three words, health, peace, and competence.

A great mass of rocks thrown together by the hand of nature with wildness and confusion, strike the mind with more grandeur, than if they were adjusted to one another with the accuratest symmetry.

A lampoon or a satire do not carry in them robbery or murder. The side A, with the sides B and C, compose the triangle. If some persons opportunities were never so favourable, they would be too indolent to improve.

It is reported that the governour will come here to-morrow. Beauty and innocence should be never separated.

Extravagance and folly may reduce you to a situation where will have much to fear and little to hope.

you

Not one in fifty of our modern infidels are thoroughly versed in their knowledge of the Scriptures.

Virtue and mutual confidence is the soul of friendship. Where these are wanting, disgust or hatred often follow little differences. An army present a painful sight to a feeling mind.

To do good to them that hate us, and, on no occasion, to seek revenge, is the duty of a christian.

The polite, accomplished libertine, is but miserable amidst all his pleasures: the rude inhabitant of Lapland is happier than

him.

There are principles in man, which ever have, and ever will, incline him to offend.

This is one of the duties which requires great circumspection. They that honour me, them will I honour.

Every church and sect have opinions peculiar to themselves. Pericles gained such an ascendant over the minds of the Athenians, that he might be said to attain a monarchical power in Athens.

Thou, Lord, who hath permitted affliction to come upon us, shall deliver us from it in due time.

That writer has given us an account of the manner in which christianity has formerly been propagated among the heathens.

Thougn the measure be mysterious, it is not unworthy of your attention.

In his conduct was treachery, and in his words, faithless professions.

After I visited Europe, I returned to America.

I have not, nor shall not, consent to a proposal so unjust.

I had intended yesterday to have walked out, but I have been again disappointed.

Five and eight makes thirteen; five from eight leaves three. If he goes to Saratoga next week, it will make eight times that he has visited that renowned watering place.

I could not convince him, that a forgiving disposition was nobler than a revengeful one. I consider the first, one of the brightest virtues that ever was or can be possessed by man.

The college consists of one great, and several smaller edifices. He would not believe, that honesty was the best policy. The edifice was erected sooner than I expected it to have been.

Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, &c.?

He might have completed his task sooner, but he could not do it better.

The most ignorant and the most savage tribes of men, when they have looked round on the earth, and on the heavens, could not avoid ascribing their origin to some invisible, designing cause, and felt a propensity to adore their Creator.

CRITICAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. OBSERVATION 1. The following absurd phrases so common in the sacred desk and elsewhere, should be carefully avoided by all who regard common sense;"Sing the two first and three last verses." Just as if there could be more than one first and one last. There may be a first two, a second two, &c.; a first three, a second three, a last three. "Within the two last centuries;' "The second syllable of the three first words;" "The three first of these orhoepists have no rule by which their pronunciation is regulated;"—" the ast two centuries;" "the first three words ;"" the first three of these orthoepists."

2. Adjectives should not be used to express the manner of action. "The higher the river, the swifter it flows;" "James learns easier than Juliet; he sees deeper into the millstone than she;"-"the more swiftly it flows;" learns more easily; farther into the millstone," "He conducted the boldest of any ;"-" the most boldly."

3. More requires than after it. The following sentences are therefort improper: "He was more beloved, but not such admired, Cin;' Richard is more active, but not so studious. L'e companion.' dinate mode of supplying the clipses in thes arerioza vi

ross impropriety: thus, "He was more beloved as Cinthio;" "Richard » more active as his companion," &c.

4. Adverbs, as illustrated on page 85 are generally substitutes for two of more words belonging to other parts of speech. "Will you accompany me to Europe next summer?" "Yes." "Do you believe that the voyage will restore your health ?" "No." In these examples, the adverbs yes and no, are substitutes for whole sentences, and, therefore, do not qualify any words understood. Yes, in this instance, literally means, "I will accompany you to Europe next summer ;" and no, "I do not believe that the voyage will restore my health." Many other adverbs are often employed in a similar manner. "Firstly," is often improperly used instead of the adverb first; a good deal," instead of, much, or, a great deal.

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5. A nice distinction should be observed in the use of such and so. The former may be einployed in expressing quality; the latter, in expressing a degree of the quality; as, "Such a temper is seldom found;" "So bad a temper is seldom found." In the following examples, so should be used instead of such: "He is such an extravagant young man, that I cannot asso ciate with him ;" "I never before saw such large trees."

The affected use of cardinal, instead of ordinal numbers, ought not to be imitated. "On page forty-five;" "Look at page nineteen ;”—forty-fifth, nineteenth.

6. In the choice and application of prepositions, particular regard should be paid to their meaning as established by the idiom of our language and the best usage. "In my proceedings, I have been actuated from the conviction, that I was supporting a righteous cause;" ." "He should have profited from those golden precepts ;" "It is connected to John with the conjunction and" "Aware that there is, in the minds of many, a strong predi lection in favour of established usages;" "He was made much on at Argos;" "They are resolved of going ;""The rain has been falling of a long time;" ;" "It is a work deserving of encouragement." These examples may be corrected thus, "actuated by the conviction;" "by those golden pre cepts;" "by the conjunction and;" "predilection for ;" "much of at Ar gos;" on going;" "falling a long time;" "deserving encouragement."

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7. The preposition to is used before nouns of place, where they follow verbs or participles of motion; as, "I went to Washington." But at is em ployed after the verb to be; as, "I have been at Washington;" "He has been to New-York, to home," &c. are improper. The preposition in is sc before countries, cities, and large towns; "He lives in France, in London, in Philadelphia, in Rochester." But before single houses, and cities and villages which are in distant countries, at is commonly used; as, "He lives at Park-place;" "She resides at Vincennes." People in the northern states may say, "They live in New-Orleans, or, at New-Orleans."

8. Passive agents to verbs in the infinitive mood, should not be employed as active agents. The following are solecisms: "This house to let;" "Horses and carriages to let ;" "Congress has much business to perform this session;" because the agents, house, horses and carriages, and business, which are really passive, are, according to these constructions, rendered as active. The expressions should be, "This house to be let;"" Horses and carriages to be let ;" "much business to be performed."

9. AMBIGUITY." Nothing is more to be desired than wisdom." Not literally correct, for wisdom is certainly more to be desired than nothing; but, as a figurative expression, it is well established and unexceptionable.

"A crow is a large black bird:"-a large, black-bird.

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I saw a horse-fly through the window:"-I saw a horsefly.

"I saw a ship gliding under full sail through a spy glass." I saw, through glass, a ship gliding under full spil.

always are not synonymous. Ever refers to one indefinit as, "If he ever become rich :" always means at all times. pardon. The former signifies to release from an obligatio the future; the latter, to forgive a neglect or crime that me for neglecting to call yesterday:" pardon me.

ber, recollect. We remember a thing which we retain in ou ct it, when, though having gone from the mind, we have p

k.

deficiency. A thing which is incomplete in any of its part total absence of the thing, is a deficiency.

bject will be resumed in the appendix to this work.

RRECTIONS IN ORTHOGRAPH

mong those words which are often erroneously spelled, the lected and corrected according to Johnson, and to Cobb's