The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown (read books for money TXT) 📖

we cannot answer it to ourselves, as-well-as to our Maker, that we should live and die ignorant of ourselves, and thereby of him, and of the obligations which we are under to him for ourselves."—William Penn.

"But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
The depth saith, 'It is not in me;' and the sea saith, 'It is not with me.'
Destruction and death say, 'We have heard the fame thereof with our
ears.'"—See Job, xxviii, 12, 14, 22; and Blair's Lect., p. 417.

   "I still had hopes, my latest hours to crown,
    Amidst these humble bow'rs to lay me down."—Goldsmith.

    "Why dost thou then suggest to me distrust,
    Knowing who I am, as I know who thou art?"—Milton, P. R.

LESSON II.—PARSING.

"I would, methinks, have so much to say for myself, that if I fell into the hands of him who treated me ill, he should be sensible when he did so: his conscience should be on my side, whatever became of his inclination."—Steele, Spect., No. 522.

"A boy should understand his mother tongue well before he enters upon the study of a dead language; or, at any rate, he should be made perfect master of the meaning of all the words which are necessary to furnish him with a translation of the particular author which he is studying."—Gallaudet, Lit. Conv., p. 206.

"No discipline is more suitable to man, or more congruous to the dignity of his nature, than that which refines his taste, and leads him to distinguish, in every subject, what is regular, what is orderly, what is suitable, and what is fit and proper."—Kames's El. of Crit., i, 275.

"Simple thoughts are what arise naturally; what the occasion or the subject suggests unsought; and what, when once suggested, are easily apprehended by all. Refinement in writing, expresses a less natural and [less] obvious train of thought."—Blair's Rhet., p. 184.

"Where the story of an epic poem is founded on truth, no circumstances must be added, but such as connect naturally with what are known to be true: history may be supplied, but it must not be contradicted."—See Kames's El. of Crit., ii, 280.

"Others, I am told, pretend to have been once his friends. Surely they are their enemies, who say so; for nothing can be more odious than to treat a friend as they have treated him. But of this I cannot persuade myself, when I consider the constant and eternal aversion of all bad writers to a good one."—Cleland, in Defence of Pope.

   "From side to side, he struts, he smiles, he prates,
    And seems to wonder what's become of Yates."—Churchill.

    "Alas! what sorrows gloom'd that parting day,
    That call'd them from their native walks away!"—Goldsmith.

LESSON III.—PARSING.

"It is involved in the nature of man, that he cannot be indifferent to an event that concerns him or any of his connexions: if it be fortunate, it gives him joy; if unfortunate, it gives him sorrow."—Kames's El. of Crit., i, 62.

"I knew a man who had relinquished the sea for a country life: in the corner of his garden he reared an artificial mount with a level summit, resembling most accurately a quarter-deck, not only in shape, but in size; and here he generally walked."—Ib., p. 328.

"I mean, when we are angry with our Maker. For against whom else is it that our displeasure is pointed, when we murmur at the distribution of things here, either because our own condition is less agreeable than we would have it, or because that of others is more prosperous than we imagine they deserve?"—Archbishop Seeker.

"Things cannot charge into the soul, or force us upon any opinions about them; they stand aloof and are quiet. It is our fancy that makes them operate and gall us; it is we that rate them, and give them their bulk and value."—Collier's Antoninus, p. 212.

"What is your opinion of truth, good-nature, and sobriety? Do any of these virtues stand in need of a good word; or are they the worse for a bad one? I hope a diamond will shine ne'er the less for a man's silence about the worth of it."—Ib., p. 49.

"Those words which were formerly current and proper, have now become obsolete and barbarous. Alas! this is not all: fame tarnishes in time too; and men grow out of fashion, as well as languages."—Ib., p. 55.

   "O Luxury! thou curs'd by Heaven's decree,
    How ill exchang'd are things like these for thee."—Goldsmith.

    "O, then, how blind to all that truth requires,
    Who think it freedom when a part aspires!"—Id.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION. ERRORS OF PRONOUNS. LESSON I.—RELATIVES.

"At the same time that we attend to this pause, every appearance of sing-song and tone must be carefully guarded against."—Murray's English Reader, p. xx.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word that had not clearly the construction either of a pronoun or of a conjunction. But, according to Observation 18th, on the Classes of Pronouns, "The word that, or indeed any other word, should never be so used as to leave the part of speech uncertain." Therefore, the expression should be altered: thus, "While we attend to this pause, every appearance of singsong must be carefully avoided."]

"For thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee."—Jeremiah, i, 7; Gurney's Obs., p. 223. "Ah! how happy would it have been for me, had I spent in retirement these twenty-three years that I have possessed my kingdom."—See Sanborn's Gram., p. 242. "In the same manner that relative pronouns and their antecedents are usually parsed."—Ib., p. 71. "Parse or mention all the other nouns in the parsing examples, in the same manner that you do the word in the form of parsing."—Ib., p. 8. "The passive verb will always be of the person and number that the verb be is, of which it is in part composed."—Ib., p. 53. "You have been taught that a verb must always be of the same person and number that its nominative is."—Ib., p. 68. "A relative pronoun, also, must always be of the same person, number, and even gender that its antecedent is."—Ib., p. 68. "The subsequent is always in the same case that the word is, which asks the question."—Ib., p. 95. "One sometimes represents an antecedent noun in the same definite manner that personal pronouns do."—Ib., p. 98. "The mind being carried forward to the time that an event happens, easily conceives it to be present."—Ib., p. 107. "Save and saving are parsed in the same manner that except and excepting are."—Ib., p. 123. "Adverbs describe, qualify, or modify the meaning of a verb in the same manner that adjectives do nouns."—Ib., p. 16. "The third person singular of verbs, is formed in the same manner, that the plural number of nouns is."—Ib., p. 41. "He saith further: 'that the apostles did not anew baptize such persons, that had been baptized with the baptism of John.'"—Barclay's Works, i, 292. "For we which live, are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake."—2 Cor., iv, 11. "For they, which believe in God, must be careful to maintain good works."—Barclay's Works, i, 431. "Nor yet of those which teach things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake."—Ib., i, 435. "So as to hold such bound in heaven, whom they bind on earth, and such loosed in heaven, whom they loose on earth."—Ib., i, 478. "Now, if it be an evil to do any thing out of strife; then such things that are seen so to be done, are they not to be avoided and forsaken?"—Ib., i, 522. "All such who satisfy themselves not with the superficies of religion."—Ib., ii, 23. "And he is the same in substance, what he was upon earth, both in spirit, soul and body."—Ib., iii, 98. "And those that do not thus, are such, to whom the Church of Rome can have no charity."—Ib., iii, 204. "Before his book he placeth a great list of that he accounts the blasphemous assertions of the Quakers."—Ib., iii, 257. "And this is that he should have proved."—Ib., iii, 322. "Three of which were at that time actual students of philosophy in the university."—Ib., iii, 180. "Therefore it is not lawful for any whatsoever * * * to force the consciences of others."—Ib., ii, 13. "What is the cause that the former days were better than these?"—Eccl., vii, 10. "In the same manner that the term my depends on the name books."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 54. "In the same manner as the term house depends on the relative near."—Ib., p. 58. "James died on the day that Henry returned."—Ib., p. 177.

LESSON II.—DECLENSIONS.

"Other makes the plural others, when it is found without it's substantive."—Priestley's Gram., p. 12.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the pronoun it's is written with an apostrophe. But, according to Observation 25th, on the Declensions of Pronouns, "The possessive case of pronouns should never be written with an apostrophe." Therefore, this apostrophe should be omitted; thus, "Other makes the plural others, when it is found without its substantive."]

"But his, her's, our's, your's, their's, have evidently the form of the possessive case."—Lowth's Gram., p. 23. "To the Saxon possessive cases, hire, ure, eower, hira, (that is, her's, our's, your's, their's,) we have added the s, the characteristic of the possessive case of nouns."—Ib., p. 23. "Upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's."—FRIENDS' BIBLE: 1 Cor., i, 2. "In this Place His Hand is clearly preferable either to Her's or It's." [220]—Harris's Hermes, p. 59. "That roguish leer of your's makes a pretty woman's heart ake."—ADDISON: in Joh. Dict. "Lest by any means this liberty of your's become a stumbling-block."—FRIENDS' BIBLE: 1 Cor., viii, 9. "First person: Sing. I, mine, me; Plur. we, our's, us."—Wilbur and Livingston's Gram., p. 16. "Second person: Sing. thou, thine, thee; Plur. ye or you, your's, you."—Ib. "Third person: Sing. she, her's, her; Plur. they, their's, them."—Ib. "So shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not your's."—SCOTT ET AL.: Jer., v, 19. "Second person, Singular: Nom. thou or you, Poss. thine or yours, Obj. thee or you."—Frost's El. of E. Gram., p. 13. "Second person, Dual: Nom. Gyt, ye two; Gen. Incer, of ye two; Dat. Inc, incrum, to ye two; Acc. Inc, ye two; Voc. Eala inc, O ye two; Abl. Inc, incrum, from ye two."—Gwill's Saxon Gram., p. 12. "Second person, Plural; Nom. Ge, ye; Gen. Eower, of ye; Dat. Eow, to ye; Acc. Eow, ye; Voc. Eala ge, O ye; Abl. Eow, from ye."—Ib. (written in 1829.) "These words are, mine, thine, his, her's, our's, your's, their's, and whose."—Cardell's Essay, p. 88. "This house is our's, and that is your's. Their's is very commodious."—Ib., p. 90. "And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds."—Jeremiah, v, 17. "Whoever and Whichever are thus declined. Sing. and Plu. nom. whoever, poss. whoseever, obj. whomever. Sing. and Plu. nom. whichever, poss. whoseever, obj. whichever."—Cooper's Plain and Practical Gram., p. 38. "The compound personal pronouns are thus declined; Sing. N. Myself, P. my-own, O. myself; Plur. N. ourselves, P. our-own, O. ourselves. Sing. N. Thyself or yourself, P. thy-own or your-own, O. thyself or yourself;" &c.—Perley's Gram., p. 16. "Every one of us, each for hisself, laboured how to recover him."—SIDNEY: in Priestley's Gram., p. 96. "Unless when ideas of their opposites manifestly suggest their selves."—Wright's Gram., p. 49. "It not only exists in time, but is time its self."—Ib., p. 75. "A position which the action its self will palpably deny."—Ib., p. 102. "A difficulty sometimes presents its self."—Ib., p. 165. "They are sometimes explanations in their selves."—Ib., p. 249. "Our's, Your's, Their's, Her's, It's."—S. Barrett's Gram., p. 24.

   "Their's the wild chace of false felicities:
    His, the compos'd possession of the true."
        —Murray's E. Reader, p. 216.

LESSON III.—MIXED.

"It is the boast of Americans, without distinction of parties, that their government is the most free and perfect, which exists on the earth."—Dr. Allen's Lectures, p. 18.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the relative which is here intended to be taken in a restrictive sense. But, according to Observation 26th, on the Classes of Pronouns, (and others that follow it,) the word who or which, with a comma before it, does not usually limit the preceding term. Therefore, which should be that, and the comma should be omitted; thus,—"that their government is the most free and perfect that exists on the earth."]

"Children, who are dutiful to their parents, enjoy great prosperity."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 69. "The scholar, who improves his time, sets an example worthy of imitation."—Ib., p. 69. "Nouns and pronouns, which signify the same person, place, or thing, agree in case."—Cooper's Gram., p. 115. "An interrogative sentence is one, which asks a question."—Ib., p. 114. "In the use of words and phrases, which in