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

"In the temper of mind he was then."—Addison, Spect., No. 54. "To bring them into the condition I am at present."—Spect., No. 520. "In the posture I lay."—Swift's Gulliver. "In the sense it is sometimes taken."—Barclay's Works, i, 527. "Tools and utensils are said to be right, when they serve for the uses they were made."—Collier's Antoninus, p. 99. "If, in the extreme danger I now am, I do not imitate the behaviour of those," &c.—Goldsmith's Greece, i, 193. "News was brought, that Darius was but twenty miles from the place they then were."—Ib., ii, 113. "Alexander, upon hearing this news, continued four days in the place he then was."—Ib., ii, 113. "To read, in the best manner it is now taught."—L. Murray's Gram., p. 246. "It may be expedient to give a few directions as to the manner it should be studied."—Hallock's Gram., p. 9. "Participles are words derived from verbs, and convey an idea of the acting of an agent, or the suffering of an object, with the time it happens."—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 50.

   "Had I but serv'd my God with half the zeal
    I serv'd my king, he would not in mine age
    Have left me naked to mine enemies."—Beauties of Shak., p. 173.

"In compositions where pronunciation has no place."—Blair's Rhet., p. 101. "They framed a protestation, where they repeated their claims."—Hume's Hist. "Which have reference to Substances, where Sex never had existence."—Harris's Hermes, p. 43. "Which denote substances where sex never had existence."—Murray's Gram., p. 38; Fisk's, 57. "There is no rule given how truth may be found out."—Walker's Particles, p. 160. "The nature of the objects whence they are taken."—Blair's Rhet., p. 165. "That darkness of character, where we can see no heart."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 236. "The states where they negotiated."—Formey's Belles-Lettres, p. 159. "Till the motives whence men act be known."—Beattie's Moral Science, p. 262. "He assigns the principles whence their power of pleasing flows."—Blair's Rhet., p. 19. "But I went on, and so finished this History in that form as it now appears."—Sewel's Preface, p. v. "By prepositions we express the cause why, the instrument by which, wherewith, or the manner how a thing is done."—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 128; John Burn's, 121. "They are not such in the language whence they are derived."—Town's Analysis, p. 13. "I find it very hard to persuade several, that their passions are affected by words from whence they have no ideas."—Burke, on the Sublime, p. 95. "The known end, then, why we are placed in a state of so much affliction, hazard, and difficulty, is our improvement in virtue and piety."—Butler's Anal., p. 109.

   "Yet such his acts, as Greeks unborn shall tell,
    And curse the battle where their fathers fell."
        —Pope, Il., B. x, I. 61.

"Youth may be thoughtful, but it is not very common."—Webster's El. Spelling-Book, p. 85. "A proper name is that given to one person or thing."—Bartlett's School Manual, ii, 27. "A common name is that given to many things of the same sort."—Ibid. "This rule is often violated; some instances of which are annexed."—Murray's Gram., p. 149; Ingersoll's, 237. "This is altogether careless writing. It renders style often obscure, always embarrassed and inelegant."—Blair's Rhet., p. 106. "Every inversion which is not governed by this rule, will be disrelished by every one of taste."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 62. "A proper diphthong is that in which both the vowels are sounded."—Murray's Gram., p. 9; Alger's, 11; Bacon's, 8; Merchant's, 9; Hiley's, 3; and others. "An improper Diphthong is one in which only one of the two Vowels is sounded."—Lennie's Gram., p. 5. "Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants, are called Hebrews."—Wood's Dict. "Every word in our language, of more than one syllable, has one of them distinguished from the rest in this manner."—Murray's Gram., p. 236. "Two consonants proper to begin a word must not be separated; as, fa-ble, sti-fle. But when they come between two vowels, and are such as cannot begin a word, they must be divided; as, ut-most, un-der."—Ib., p. 22. "Shall the intellect alone feel no pleasures in its energy, when we allow them to the grossest energies of appetite and sense?"—Harris's Hermes, p. 298; Murray's Gram., 289. "No man hath a propensity to vice as such: on the contrary, a wicked deed disgusts him, and makes him abhor the author."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 66. "The same that belong to nouns, belong also to pronouns."—Greenleaf's Gram., p. 8. "What is Language? It is the means of communicating thoughts from one to another."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 15. "A simple word is that which is not made up of more than one."—Adam's Gram., p. 4; Gould's, p. 4. "A compound word is that which is made up of two or more words."—Ib. "When a conjunction is to be supplied, it is called Asyndeton."—Adam's Gram., p. 235.

"It gives a meaning to words, which they would not have."—Murray's Gram., p. 244. "There are many words in the English language, that are sometimes used as adjectives, and sometimes as adverbs."—Ib., p. 114. "Which do not more effectually show the varied intentions of the mind, than the auxiliaries do which are used to form the potential mood."—Ib., p. 67. "These accents make different impressions on the mind, which will be the subject of a following speculation."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 108. "And others very much differed from the writer's words, to whom they were ascribed."—Pref. to Lily's Gram., p. xii. "Where there is nothing in the sense which requires the last sound to be elevated, an easy fall will be proper."—Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 250; Bullions's E. Gram., 167. "There is an ellipsis of the verb in the last clause, which, when you supply, you find it necessary to use the adverb not."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 176; Murray's Gram., 368. "Study is singular number, because its nominative I is, with which it agrees."—Smith's New Gram., p. 22. "John is the person, or, thou art who is in error."—Wright's Gram., p. 136. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin."—2 Cor., v, 21.

   "Take that of me, my friend, who have the power
    To seal the accuser's lips."—Beauties of Shakspeare, p. 268.

"I had no idea but what the story was true."—Browns Inst., p. 144. "The post-boy is not so weary but what he can whistle."—Ib. "He had no intimation but what the men were honest."—Ib. "Neither Lady Haversham nor Miss Mildmay will ever believe, but what I have been entirely to blame."—See Priestley's Gram., p. 93. "I am not satisfied, but what the integrity of our friends is more essential to our welfare than their knowledge of the world."—Ibid. "There is, indeed, nothing in poetry, so entertaining or descriptive, but what a didactic writer of genius may be allowed to introduce in some part of his work."—Blair's Rhet., p. 401. "Brasidas, being bit by a mouse he had catched, let it slip out of his fingers: 'No creature, (says he,) is so contemptible but what may provide for its own safety, if it have courage.'"—PLUTARCH: Kames, El. of Crit., Vol. i, p. 81.

"In narration, Homer is, at all times, remarkably concise, which renders him lively and agreeable."—Blair's Rhet., p. 435. "It is usual to talk of a nervous, a feeble, or a spirited style; which are plainly the characters of a writer's manner of thinking."—Ib., p. 92. "It is too violent an alteration, if any alteration were necessary, which none is."—Knight, on the Greek Alphabet, p. 134. "Some men are too ignorant to be humble, without which, there can be no docility."—Berkley's Alciphron, p. 385. "Judas declared him innocent; which he could not be, had he in any respect deceived the disciples."—Porteus. "They supposed him to be innocent, which he certainly was not."—Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 50; Emmons's, 25. "They accounted him honest, which he certainly was not."—Fetch's Comp. Gram., p. 89. "Be accurate in all you say or do; for it is important in all the concerns of life."—Brown's Inst., p. 145. "Every law supposes the transgressor to be wicked; which indeed he is, if the law is just."—Ib. "To be pure in heart, pious, and benevolent, which all may be, constitutes human happiness."—Murray's Gram., p. 232. "To be dexterous in danger, is a virtue; but to court danger to show it, is weakness."—Penn's Maxims.

"This seems not so allowable in prose; which the following erroneous examples will demonstrate."—Murray's Gram., p. 175. "The accent is laid upon the last syllable of a word; which is favourable to the melody."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 86. "Every line consists of ten syllables, five short and five long; from which there are but two exceptions, both of them rare."—Ib., ii, 89. "The soldiers refused obedience, which has been explained."—Nixon's Parser, p. 128. "Cæsar overcame Pompey, which was lamented."—Ib. "The crowd hailed William, which was expected."—Ib. "The tribunes resisted Scipio, which was anticipated."—Ib. "The censors reproved vice, which was admired."—Ib. "The generals neglected discipline, which has been proved."—Ib. "There would be two nominatives to the verb was, which is improper."—Adam's Lat. Gram., p. 205; Gould's, 202. "His friend bore the abuse very patiently; which served to increase his rudeness: it produced, at length, contempt and insolence."—Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 50; Emmons's, 25. "Almost all compounded sentences, are more or less elliptical; some examples of which may be seen under the different parts of speech."—Murray's Gram., p. 217; Guy's, 90; R G. Smith's, 180; Ingersoll's, 153; Fisk's, 144; J. M. Putnam's, 137; Weld's, 190, Weld's Imp. Ed., 214.

"In things of Nature's workmanship, whether we regard their internal or external structure, beauty and design are equally conspicuous."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 269. "It puzzles the reader, by making him doubt whether the word ought to be taken in its proper or figurative sense."—Ib., ii, 231. "Neither my obligations to the muses, nor expectations from them, are so great."—Cowley's Preface. "The Fifth Annual Report of the Anti-Slavery Society of Ferrisburgh and vicinity."—Liberator, ix, 69. "Meaning taste in its figurative as well as proper sense."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 360. "Every measure in which either your personal or political character is concerned."—Junius, Let. ix. "A jealous, righteous God has often punished such in themselves or offspring."—Extracts, p. 179. "Hence their civil and religious history are inseparable."—Milman's Jews, i, 7. "Esau thus carelessly threw away both his civil and religious inheritance."—Ib., i, 24. "This intelligence excited not only our hopes, but fears likewise."—Jaudon's Gram., p. 170. "In what manner our defect of principle and ruling manners have completed the ruin of the national spirit of union."—Brown's Estimate, i, 77. "Considering her descent, her connexion, and present intercourse."—Webster's Essays, p. 85. "His own and wife's wardrobe are packed up in a firkin."—Parker and Fox's Gram., Part i, p. 73.

"The sound of e and o long, in their due degrees, will be preserved, and clearly distinguished."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 242. "If any person should be inclined to think," &c., "the author takes the liberty to suggest to them," &c.—Ib., Pref., p. iv. "And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it."—1 Kings, xxii, 43. "If ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."—Matt., xviii, 35. "Nobody ever fancied they were slighted by him, or had the courage to think themselves his betters."—Collier's Antoninus, p. 8. "And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son."—Gen., xxvii, 15. "Where all the attention of man is given to their own indulgence."— Maturin's Sermons, p. 181. "The idea of a father is a notion superinduced to the substance, or man—let man be what it will."—Locke's Essay, i, 219. "Leaving every one to do as they list."—Barclay's Works, i, 460. "Each body performed his part handsomely."—J. Flint's Gram., p. 15. "This block of marble rests on two layers of stone, bound together with lead, which, however, has not prevented the Arabs from forcing out several of them."—Parker and Fox's Gram., Part i, p. 72.

   "Love gives to every power a double power,
    Above their functions and their offices."—Shakspeare.

When the antecedent is a collective noun conveying the idea of plurality, the Pronoun must agree with it in the plural number: as, "The council were divided in their sentiments."—"The Christian world are beginning to awake out of their slumber."—C. Simeon. "Whatever Adam's posterity lost through him, that and more they gain in Christ."—J.