Part 289 (1/2)

[132] These definitions are numbered here, because each of theun In class rehearsals, the pupils ive the definitions in turn; and, to prevent any fro the place, it is important that the numbers be mentioned When all have become sufficiently familiar with the _definitions_, the exercise may be performed _without them_ They are to be read or repeated till faults disappear--or till the teacher is satisfied with the perfor his class to proceedsuch distinctions as are required in the praxis, but ceasing to explain the ter all the definitions, for brevity's sake_ This remark is applicable likewise to all the subsequent praxes of ety]

[133] The _ to the different parts of speech consist chiefly of the _inflections_ or _changes_ to which certain words are subject But I use the ter not only _variations_ of words, but, in certain instances, their _original forms_, and also such of their _relations_ as serve to indicate peculiar properties This is no questionable license in the use of the ter, or changes its person or case, this effect is clearly a grah there be no absolute _inflection_ Lord Kaenus, one species, or even one individual, from an other, is termed a _modification_: thus the same particular that is ter to an individual, or a class of individuals, is ter the individual or the class from an other”--_Elements of Criticis put the articles into the class of adjectives, produces authority as follows: ”'The words _a_ or _an_, and _the_, are reckoned by _sorammarians a separate part of speech; but, as they in all respects come under the definition of the adjective, it is unnecessary, as well as _improper_, to rank them as a class by themselves'--Cannon” To this he adds, ”The articles are also ranked with adjectives by Priestley, E

Oliver, Bell, Elphinston, M'Culloch, D'Orsey, Lindsay, Joel, Greenwood

S, Hort, Buchanan, Crane, J Russell, Frazee, Cutler, Perley, Swett, Day Goodenow, Willard, Robbins, Felton, Snyder, Butler, S

Barrett, Badgley, Howe, Whiting, Davenport, Fowle, Weld, and others”--_Wells's School Gram_, p 69 In this way, he ation, he had decided the point discreetly, and with preponderance of authority For it is clairahly investigated_, and reference is carefullywriters, in all cases which adht of authority_”--WILLIAM RUSSELL, _on the cover_

But, in this instance, as in sundry others, wherein he opposes the more common doctrine, and cites concurrent authors, both he and all his authorities are deht, while reason, usage, and the prevailing opinion, are still against therammars which reject, the articles as a part of speech, we havewhich are those of the following authors: viz, Adaer, W

Allen, Ash, Bacon, Barnard, Beattie, Beck, Bicknell, Bingham, Blair, J H

Brown, Bucke, Bullions, Burn, Burr, Chandler, Churchill, Coar, Cobbett, Cobbin, Comly, Cooper, Davis, Dearborn, Ensell, Everett, Farnum, Fisk, A

Flint, Folker, Fowler, Frost, R G Greene, Greenleaf, Guy, Hall, Hallock, Hart, Harrison, Matt Harrison, Hazen, Hendrick, Hiley, Hull, Ingersoll, Jaudon, Johnson, Kirkham, Latham, Lennie, A Lewis, Lowth, Maltby, Maunder, Mennye, Merchant, T H Miller, Murray, Nixon, Nutting, Parker and Fox, John Peirce, Picket, Pond, S Putnam, Russell, Sanborn, Sanders, R C

Smith, Rev T Smith, Spencer, Tower, Tucker, Walker, Webber, Wilcox, Wilson, Woodworth, J E Worcester, S Worcester, Wright The articles characterize our language more than some of the other parts of speech, and are worthy of distinction for reat _frequency_ of their use

[135] In Murray's Abridgement, and in his ”Second Edition,” 12iven by er's Murray_, p 68; _Alden's_, 89; _Bacon's_, 48; _Cooper's_, 111; _A Flint's_, 65; _Maltby's_, 60; _Miller's_, 67; _S

Putnam's_, 74; _Russell's_, 52; _T Smith's_, 61 All these, and many more, repeat both of these ill-devised rules

[136] When this ritten, Dr Webster was living

[137] In French, the preposition _a, (to,)_ is always carefully distinguished frorave accent, which is placed over the foreneral also the Latin word _a, (from,)_ is n has hitherto been adopted to distinguish the preposition _a_ froiven by Johnson with an acute, even where no other _a_ is found Hence, in their ignorance, thousands of vulgar readers, and arammars, have constantly mistaken this preposition for an article Examples: ”Some adverbs are composed of _the article a_ prefixed to nouns; as _a_-side, _a_-thirst, _a_-sleep, _a_-shore, _a_-ground, &c”--_Comly's Gram_, p67

”Repeat some [adverbs] that are composed of _the article a_ and nouns”--_Kirkha;”

ie ”to go _on_ a fishi+ng _voyage_ or _business_;” ”to go _on_ a hunting _party_”--_Murray's Graersoll's_, 157; _Smith's_, 184; _Bullions's_, 129; _Merchant's_, 101; _Weld's_, 192, _and others_ That this interpretation is false and absurd, may be seen at once by any body who can read Latin; for, _a hunting, a fishi+ng_, &c, are expressed by the supine in _u” ”_Abeo piscatu”--_John_, xxi, 3 Every school-boy ought to know better than to call this _a_ an article _A fishi+ng_ is equivalent to the infinitive _to fish_ For the Greek of the foregoing text is [Greek: Hupago halieuein,]

which is rendered by Montanus, ”_Vado piscari_;” ie, ”_I go to fish_”

One author ignorantly says, ”The _article a_ see_, and is _hardly proper_ in such expressions as these 'He went _a-hunting_,' She lies _a-bed_ all day'”--_Wilcox's Gra of an _article_ in this _a!_ With doltish and double inconsistency, Weld first calls this ”The _article a_ employed _in the sense_ of a _preposition_,” (_E Gram_, p 177,) and afterwards adopts Murray's interpretation as above cited! So this preposition to the participle; generally with the hyphen, but sometioing_”--_Webster's Dict_ The doctor does not tell us what part of speech _agoing_ is; but, certainly, ”to set the , and is about as often heard In the burial-service of the Common Prayer Book, we read, ”They are even as _asleep_;” but, in the ninetieth Psalm, from which this is taken, we find the text thus: ”They are as _a sleep_;” that is, as a dreas, and cannot both he right

[138] Here the lexicographer forgets his false etyy of _a_ before the participle, and writes the words _separately_, as the generality of authors always have done _A_ was used as a preposition long before the article _a_ appeared in the language; and I doubt whether there is any truth at all in the coin Webster says, ”In the words _abed, ashore_, &c, and before _the_ participles _aco_, [he should have said, 'and _before participles_; as, _a co_,'] _a_ has been supposed a contraction of _on_ or _at_ It may be so _in some cases_; but with the participles, it _is soe, and so_”--_Improved Gram_, p 175 See _Philos Gra is this! _A_, forsooth, is a _contraction_ of _ge!_ And this is the doctor's reason for _joining_ it to the participle!

[139] The following construction may he considered an _archaism_, or a form of expression that is now obsolete: ”You have bestowed _a_ lish Particles_, p 278

[140] ”If _I_ or _we_ is set before a name, it [the name] is of the first person: as, _I, N-- N--, declare; we, N-- and M-- do promise_”--_Ward's Gram_, p 83 ”Nouns which relate to the person or persons _speaking_, are said to be of the _first_ person; as, I, _William_, speak to you”--_Fowle's Common School Gram_, Part ii, p 22 The first person of nouns is adhtland, J H

Brown, Bullions, Butler, Cardell, Chandler, S W Clark, Cooper, Day, Emmons, Farnum, Felton, Fisk, John Flint, Fowle, Frazee, Gilbert, Goldsbury, R G Greene, S S Greene, Hall, Hallock, Hamlin, Hart, Hendrick, Hiley, Perley, Picket, Pinneo, Russell, Sanborn, Sanders, Smart, R C Smith, Spear, Weld, Wells, Wilcox, and others It is denied, either expressly or virtually, by Alger, Bacon, Coersoll, Jaudon, Kirkha, Parkhurst, S Putnarammarians who do not appear to have noticed the persons of nouns at all, are Alden, W Allen, D C Allen, Ash, Bicknell, Bingham, Blair, Buchanan, Bucke, Burn, Burr, Churchill, Coar, Cobb, Dalton, Dearborn, Abel Flint, R W Green, Harrison, Johnson, Lennie, Lowth, Mennye, Mulligan, Priestley, Staniford, Ware, Webber, and Webster

[141] Prof S S Greene most absurdly and erroneously teaches, that, ”When the speaker wishes to represent himself, _he cannot use his name_, but _must_ use some other word, as, _I_; [and] when he wishes to represent the hearer, he _must_ use _thou_ or _you_”--_Greene's Eleiven above sufficiently show the falsity of all this

[142] In _shoe_ and _shoes, canoe_ and _canoes_, the _o_ is sounded slenderly, like _oo_; but in _doe_ or _does, foe_ or _foes_, and the rest of the fourteen nouns above, whether singular or plural, it retains the full sound of its own name, _O_ Whether the plural of _two_ should be ”_twoes_” as Churchill writes it, or ”_twos_,” which isto Dr Ash and the Spectator, the plural of _who_, taken substantively, is ”_whos_”--_Ash's Graular compounds of the plural word _pence_, which forularly; as, _sixpence, sixpences_ ”If you do not all show like gilt _twopences_ to me”--SHAKSPEARE ”The _sweepstakes_ of which are to be composed of the disputed difference in the value of two doubtful _sixpences_”--GOODELL'S LECT: _Liberator_ Vol ix, p 145

[144] In the third canto of Lord Byron's Prophecy of Dante, this noun is used in the singular number:--