The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown (free ebook reader .txt) 📕

of chaos."—BURNET: ib. "Sir, how come it you have holp to make this rescue?"—SHAK.: in Joh. Dict. "He sware he had rather lose all his father's images than that table."—PEACHAM: ib. "When our language dropt its ancient terminations."—Dr. Murray's Hist., ii, 5. "When themselves they vilify'd."—Milton, P. L., xi, 515. "But I choosed rather to do thus."—Barclay's Works, i, 456. "When he plead against the parsons."— School History, p. 168. "And he that saw it, bear record."—Cutler's Gram., p. 72. "An irregular verb has one more variation, as drive, drivest, drives, drivedst, drove, driving, driven."—REV. MATT. HARRISON, on the English Language, p. 260. "Beside that village Hannibal pitcht his camp."—Walker's Particles, p. 79. "He fetcht it even from Tmolus."— Ib., p. 114. "He supt with his morning gown on."—Ib., p. 285. "There stampt her sacred name."—Barlow's Columbiad, B. i, l. 233.

   "Fixt on the view the great discoverer stood,
    And thus addrest the messenger of good."—Barlow, B, i, l. 658.

LESSON II.—MIXED.

"Three freemen were being tried at the date of our last information."—Newspaper.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the participle being is used after its own verb were. But, according to Observation 4th, on the compound form of the conjugation, this complex passive form is an absurd innovation. Therefore, the expression should be changed; thus, "Three freemen were on trial"—or, "were receiving their trial—at the date of our last information."]

"While the house was being built, many of the tribe arrived."—Ross Cox's Travels, p. 102. "But a foundation has been laid in Zion, and the church is being built upon it."—The Friend, ix, 377. "And one fourth of the people are being educated."—East India Magazine. "The present, or that which is now being done."—Beck's Gram., p. 13. "A new church, called the Pantheon, is just being completed in an expensive style."—G. A. Thompson's Guatemala, p. 467. "When I last saw him, he was grown considerably."—Murray's Key, p. 223; Merchants, 198. "I know what a rugged and dangerous path I am got into."—Duncan's Cicero, p. 83. "You were as good preach case to one on the rack."—Locke's Essay, p. 285. "Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation."—Psal., cxviii, 21. "While the Elementary Spelling-Book was being prepared for the press."—L. Cobb's Review, p. vi. "Language is become, in modern times, more correct and accurate."—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 16. "If the plan have been executed in any measure answerable to the author's wishes."—Robbins's Hist., p. 3. "The vial of wrath is still being poured out on the seat of the beast."—Christian Experience, p. 409. "Christianity was become the generally adopted and established religion of the whole Roman Empire."—Gurney's Essays, p. 35. "Who wrote before the first century was elapsed."—Ib., p. 13. "The original and analogical form is grown quite obsolete."—Lowth's Gram., p. 56. "Their love, and their hatred, and their envy, are perished."—Murray's Gram., i, 149. "The poems were got abroad and in a great many hands."—Pref. to Waller. "It is more harmonious, as well as more correct, to say, 'the bubble is almost bursted.'"—Cobbett's E. Gram., ¶ 109. "I drave my suitor from his mad humour of love."—Shak. "Se viriliter expedivit. (Cicero.) He hath plaid the man."—Walker's Particles, p. 214. "Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday."—FRIENDS' BIBLE: Acts, vii, 28. "And we, methoughts, look'd up t'him from our hill."—Cowley's Davideis, B. iii, l. 386. "I fear thou doest not think as much of best things as thou oughtest."—Memoir of M. C. Thomas, p. 34. "When this work was being commenced."—Wright's Gram., p. 10. "Exercises and Key to this work are being prepared."—Ib., p. 12. "James is loved, or being loved by John."—Ib., p. 64. "Or that which is being exhibited."—Ib., p. 77. "He was being smitten."—Ib., p. 78. "In the passive state we say, 'I am being loved.'"—Ib., p. 80. "Subjunctive Mood: If I am being smitten, If thou art being smitten, If he is being smitten."—Ib., p. 100. "I will not be able to convince you how superficial the reformation is."—Chalmers's Sermons, p. 88. "I said to myself, I will be obliged to expose the folly."—Chazotte's Essay, p. 3. "When Clodius, had he meant to return that day to Rome, must have been arrived."—Adams's Rhetoric, i, 418. "That the fact has been done, is being done, or shall or will be done."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., pp. 347 and 356. "Am I being instructed?"—Wright's Gram., p. 70. "I am choosing him."—Ib., p. 112. "John, who was respecting his father, was obedient to his commands."—Barrett's Revised Gram., p. 69. "The region echos to the clash of arms."—Beattie's Poems, p. 63.

   "And sitt'st on high, and mak'st creation's top
    Thy footstool; and behold'st below thee, all."
        —Pollok, B. vi, l. 663.

    "And see if thou can'st punish sin, and let
    Mankind go free. Thou fail'st—be not surprised."
        —Id., B. ii, l. 118.

LESSON III.—MIXED.

"What follows, had better been wanting altogether."—Blair's Rhet., p. 201.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the phrase had better been, is used in the sense of the potential pluperfect. But, according to Observation 17th, on the conjugations, this substitution of one form for another is of questionable propriety. Therefore, the regular form should here be preferred; thus, "What follows, might better have been wanting altogether."]

"This member of the sentence had much better have been omitted altogether."—Ib., p. 212. "One or [the] other of them, therefore, had better have been omitted."—Ib., p. 212. "The whole of this last member of the sentence had better have been dropped."—Ib., p. 112. "In this case, they had much better be omitted."—Ib., p. 173. "He had better have said, 'the productions'"—Ib., p. 220. "The Greeks have ascribed the origin of poetry to Orpheus, Linus, and Musæus."—Ib., p. 377. "It has been noticed long ago, that all these fictitious names have the same number of syllables."—Phil. Museum, i, 471. "When I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, I have determined to send him."—Acts, xxv, 25. "I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God."—Ps., lxxxiv, 10. "As for such, I wish the Lord open their eyes."—Barclay's Works, iii. 263. "It would a made our passidge over the river very difficult."— Walley, in 1692. "We should not a been able to have carried our great guns."—Id. "Others would a questioned our prudence, if wee had."—Id. See Hutchinson's Hist. of Mass., i, 478. "Beware thou bee'st not BECÆSAR'D; i.e. Beware that thou dost not dwindle into a mere Cæsar."—Harris's Hermes, p. 183. "Thou raisedest thy voice to record the stratagems of needy heroes."—ARBUTHNOT: in Joh. Dict., w. Scalade. "Life hurrys off apace: thine is almost up already."—Collier's Antoninus, p. 19. "'How unfortunate has this accident made me!' crys such a one."—Ib., p. 60. "The muse that soft and sickly wooes the ear."—Pollok, i, 13. "A man were better relate himself to a statue."—Bacon. "I heard thee say but now, thou lik'dst not that."—Shak. "In my whole course of wooing, thou cried'st, Indeed!"—Id. "But our ears are grown familiar with I have wrote, I have drank, &c., which are altogether as ungrammatical."— Lowth's Gram., p. 63; Churchill's, 114. "The court was sat before Sir Roger came."—Addison, Spect., No. 122. "She need be no more with the jaundice possest."—Swift's Poems, p. 346. "Besides, you found fault with our victuals one day that you was here."—Ib., p. 333. "If spirit of other sort, So minded, have o'erleap'd these earthy bounds."—Milton, P. L., B. iv, l. 582. "It should have been more rational to have forborn this."—Barclay's Works, Vol. iii, p. 265. "A student is not master of it till he have seen all these."—Dr. Murray's Life, p. 55. "The said justice shall summons the party."—Brevard's Digest. "Now what is become of thy former wit and humour?"—Spect., No. 532. "Young stranger, whither wand'rest thou?"—Burns, p. 29. "SUBJ.: Pres. If I love, If thou lovest, If he love. Imp. If I loved, If thou lovedst, If he loved."—Merchant's Gram., p. 51. "SUBJ.: If I do not love, If thou dost not love, If he does not love;" &c.—Ib., p. 56. "If he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."—James, v, 15. "Subjunctive Mood of the verb to call, second person singular: If Thou callest. If Thou calledst. If Thou hast called. If Thou hadst called. If Thou call. If Thou shalt or wilt have called."—Hiley's Gram., p. 41. "Subjunctive Mood of the verb to love, second person singular: If thou love. If thou do love. If thou lovedst. If thou didst love. If thou hast loved. If thou hadst loved. If thou shalt or wilt love. If thou shalt or wilt have loved."—Bullions's E. Gram., p. 46. "I was; thou wast, or you was; he, she, or it was: We, you or ye, they, were."—White, on the English Verb, p. 51. "I taught, thou taughtedst, he taught."—Coar's English Gram., p. 66. "We say, if it rains, suppose it rains, lest it should rain, unless it rains. This manner of speaking is called the SUBJUNCTIVE mode."—Weld's Gram., 2d Ed., p. 72; Abridged Ed., 59. "He is arrived at what is deemed the age of manhood."—Priestley's Gram., 163. "He had much better have let it alone."—Tooke's Diversions, i, 43. "He were better be without it."—Locke, on Education, p. 105. "Hadest not thou been by."—Beauties of Shak., p. 107. "I learned geography. Thou learnedest arithmetick. He learned grammar."—Fuller's Gram., p. 34. "Till the sound is ceased."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 126. "Present, die; Preterit, died; Perf. Participle, dead."—British Gram., p. 158; Buchanan's, 58; Priestley's, 48; Ash's, 45; Fisher's, 71; Bicknell's, 73.

   "Thou bowed'st thy glorious head to none, feared'st none."
        —Pollok, B. viii, l. 603.

   "Thou look'st upon thy boy as though thou guessedst it."
        —N. A. Reader, p. 320.

   "As once thou slept'st, while she to life was form'd"
        —Milt., P. L., B. xi, l. 369.

   "Who finds the partridge in the puttock's nest,
    But may imagine how the bird was dead?"
        —SHAK.: Joh. Dict.

   "Which might have well becom'd the best of men."
        —Id., Ant. and Cleop.

CHAPTER VII.—PARTICIPLES.

A Participle is a word derived from a verb, participating the properties of a verb, and of an adjective or a noun; and is generally formed by adding ing, d, or ed, to the verb: thus, from the verb rule, are formed three participles, two simple and one compound; as, 1. ruling, 2. ruled, 3. having ruled.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.—Almost all verbs and participles seem to have their very essence in motion, or the privation of motion—in acting, or ceasing to act. And to all motion and rest, time and place are necessary concomitants; nor are the ideas of degree and manner often irrelevant. Hence the use of tenses and of adverbs. For whatsoever comes to pass, must come to pass sometime and somewhere; and, in every event, something must be affected somewhat and somehow. Hence it is evident that those grammarians are right, who say, that "all participles imply time." But it does not follow, that the English participles divide time, like the tenses of a verb, and specify the period of action; on the contrary, it is certain and manifest, that they do not. The phrase, "men labouring," conveys no other idea than that of labourers at work; it no more suggests the time, than the place, degree, or manner, of their work. All these circumstances require other words to express them; as, "Men now here awkwardly labouring much to little purpose." Again: "Thenceforward will men, there labouring hard and honourably, be looked down upon by dronish lordlings."

OBS. 2.—Participles retain the essential meaning of their verbs; and, like verbs, are either active-transitive, active-intransitive, passive, or neuter, in their signification. For this reason, many have classed them with the verbs. But their formal meaning is obviously different. They convey no affirmation, but usually relate to nouns or pronouns, like adjectives, except when they are joined with auxiliaries to form the compound tenses of their verbs; or when they have in part the nature of substantives, like the Latin gerunds. Hence some have injudiciously ranked them with the adjectives. The most discreet writers have commonly assigned them a separate place among the parts of speech; because, in spite of all opposite usages, experience has shown that it is expedient to do so.

OBS. 3.—According to the doctrine of Harris, all words denoting the attributes of things, are either verbs, or participles, or adjectives. Some attributes have their essence in motion: as, to walk, to run, to fly, to strike, to live; or, walking, running, flying, striking, living. Others have it in the privation of motion: as, to stop, to rest, to cease, to die; or, stopping, resting, ceasing, dying. And there are others which have nothing to do with either motion or its privation; but have their essence in the quantity, quality, or situation of things; as, great and small, white and black, wise and foolish, eastern and western. These last terms are adjectives; and those which denote motion or its privation, are either verbs or participles, according to their formal meaning; that is, according to their manner of attribution. See