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

"No person was ever more perplexed than he has been to-day."—Id. "In no other case are writers so apt to err, as in the position of the word only."—Maunder cor. "For nothing is more tiresome than perpetual uniformity."—Blair cor.

"Naught else sublimes the spirit, sets it free, Like sacred and soul-moving poesy."—Sheffield cor.

UNDER NOTE VII.—EXTRA COMPARISONS.

"How much better are ye than the fowls!"—Bible cor. "Do not thou hasten above the Most High."—Esdras cor. "This word, PEER, is principally used for the nobility of the realm."—Cowell cor. "Because the same is not only most generally received, &c."—Barclay cor. "This is, I say, not the best and most important evidence."—Id. "Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High."—The Psalter cor. "The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High."—Id. "As boys should be educated with temperance, so the first great lesson that should be taught them, is, to admire frugality."—Goldsmith cor. "More general terms are put for such as are more restricted."—Rev. J. Brown cor. "This, this was the unkindest cut of all."—Enfield's Speaker, p. 353. "To take the basest and most squalid shape."—Shak. cor. "I'll forbear: I have fallen out with my more heady will."—Id. "The power of the Most High guard thee from sin."—Percival cor. "Which title had been more true, if the dictionary had been in Latin and Welsh."—Verstegan cor. "The waters are frozen sooner and harder, than further upward, within the inlands."—Id. "At every descent, the worst may become more depraved."—Mann cor.

   "Or as a moat defensive to a house
    Against the envy of less happy lands."—Shak. cor.

    "A dreadful quiet felt, and worse by far
    Than arms, a sullen interval of war."—Dryden cor.

UNDER NOTE VIII.—ADJECTIVES CONNECTED.

"It breaks forth in its highest, most energetic, and most impassioned strain."—Kirkham cor. "He has fallen into the vilest and grossest sort of railing."—Barclay cor. "To receive that higher and more general instruction which the public affords."—J. O. Taylor cor. "If the best things have the best and most perfect operations."—Hooker cor. "It became the plainest and most elegant, the richest and most splendid, of all languages."—Bucke cor. "But the principal and most frequent use of pauses, is, to mark the divisions of the sense."—Blair cor. "That every thing belonging to ourselves is the best and the most perfect."— Clarkson cor. "And to instruct their pupils in the best and most thorough manner."—School Committee cor.

UNDER NOTE IX.—ADJECTIVES SUPERADDED.

"The Father is figured out as a venerable old man."—Brownlee cor. "There never was exhibited an other such masterpiece of ghostly assurance."—Id. "After the first three sentences, the question is entirely lost."—Spect. cor. "The last four parts of speech are commonly called particles."—Al. Murray cor. "The last two chapters will not be found deficient in this respect."—Todd cor. "Write upon your slates a list of the first ten nouns."—J. Abbott cor. "We have a few remains of two other Greek poets in the pastoral style, Moschus and Bion."—Blair cor. "The first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs are highly poetical."—Id. "For, of these five heads, only the first two have any particular relation to the sublime."—Id. "The resembling sounds of the last two syllables give a ludicrous air to the whole."—Kames cor. "The last three are arbitrary."—Id. "But in the sentence, 'She hangs the curtains,' hangs is an active-transitive verb."—Comly cor. "If our definition of a verb, and the arrangement of active-transitive, active-intransitive, passive, and neuter verbs, are properly understood."—Id. "These last two lines have an embarrassing construction."—Rush cor. "God was provoked to drown them all, but Noah and seven other persons."—Wood cor. "The first six books of the Æneid are extremely beautiful."—Formey cor. "Only a few instances more can here be given."—Murray cor. "A few years more will obliterate every vestige of a subjunctive form."—Nutting cor. "Some define them to be verbs devoid of the first two persons."—Crombie cor. "In an other such Essay-tract as this."—White cor. "But we fear that not an other such man is to be found."—Edward Irving cor. "O for an other such sleep, that I might see an other such man!" Or, to preserve poetic measure, say:—

"O for such sleep again, that I might see An other such man, though but in a dream!"—Shak. cor.

UNDER NOTE X.—ADJECTIVES FOR ADVERBS.

"The is an article, relating to the noun balm, agreeably to Rule 11th."—Comly cor. "Wise is an adjective, relating to the noun man's, agreeably to Rule 11th."—Id. "To whom I observed, that the beer was extremely good."—Goldsmith cor. "He writes very elegantly." Or: "He writes with remarkable elegance."—O. B. Peirce cor. "John behaves very civilly (or, with true civility) to all men."—Id. "All the sorts of words hitherto considered, have each of them some meaning, even when taken separately."—Beattie cor. "He behaved himself conformably to that blessed example."—Sprat cor. "Marvellously graceful."— Clarendon cor. "The Queen having changed her ministry, suitably to her wisdom."—Swift cor. "The assertions of this author are more easily detected."—Id. "The characteristic of his sect allowed him to affirm no more strongly than that."—Bentley cor. "If one author had spoken more nobly and loftily than an other."—Id. "Xenophon says expressly."— Id. "I can never think so very meanly of him."—Id. "To convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have impiously committed."—Bible cor. "I think it very ably written." Or: "I think it written in a very masterly manner."—Swift cor. "The whole design must refer to the golden age, which it represents in a lively manner."—Addison cor. "Agreeably to this, we read of names being blotted out of God's book."—Burder et al. cor. "Agreeably to the law of nature, children are bound to support their indigent parents."—Paley. "Words taken independently of their meaning, are parsed as nouns of the neuter gender."—Maltby cor.

"Conceit in weakest bodies strongliest works."—Shak. cor.

UNDER NOTE XI.—THEM FOR THOSE.

"Though he was not known by those letters, or the name CHRIST."—Bayly cor. "In a gig, or some of those things." Better: "In a gig, or some such vehicle."—M. Edgeworth cor. "When cross-examined by those lawyers."—Same. "As the custom in those cases is."—Same. "If you had listened to those slanders."—Same. "The old people were telling stories about those fairies; but, to the best of my judgement, there is nothing in them."—Same. "And is it not a pity that the Quakers have no better authority to substantiate their principles, than the testimony of those old Pharisees?"—Hibbard cor.

UNDER NOTE XII.—THIS AND THAT.

"Hope is as strong an incentive to action, as fear: that is the anticipation of good, this of evil."—Inst., p. 265. "The poor want some advantages which the rich enjoy; but we should not therefore account these happy, and those miserable."—Inst., p. 266.

   "Ellen and Margaret, fearfully,
    Sought comfort in each other's eye;

    Then turned their ghastly look each one,
    That to her sire, this to her son."—Scott cor.

    "Six youthful sons, as many blooming maids,
    In one sad day beheld the Stygian shades;
    Those by Apollo's silver bow were slain,
    These Cynthia's arrows stretch'd upon the plain."—Pope cor.

    "Memory and forecast just returns engage,
    That pointing back to youth, this on to age."—Pope, on Man.

UNDER NOTE XIII.—EITHER AND NEITHER.

"These make the three great subjects of discussion among mankind; namely, truth, duty, and interest: but the arguments directed towards any of them are generically distinct."—Dr. Blair cor. "A thousand other deviations may be made, and still any of the accounts may be correct in principle; for all these divisions, and their technical terms, are arbitrary."—R. W. Green cor. "Thus it appears, that our alphabet is deficient; as it has but seven vowels to represent thirteen different sounds; and has no letter to represent any of five simple consonant sounds."—Churchill cor. "Then none of these five verbs can be neuter."—O. B. Peirce cor. "And the assertor[534] is in none of the four already mentioned."—Id. "As it is not in any of these four."—Id. "See whether or not the word comes within the definition of any of the other three simple cases."—Id. "No one of the ten was there."—Frazee cor. "Here are ten oranges, take any one of them."—Id. "There are three modes, by any of which recollection will generally be supplied; inclination, practice, and association."—Rippingham cor. "Words not reducible to any of the three preceding heads."—Fowler cor. "Now a sentence may be analyzed in reference to any of these four classes."—Id.

UNDER NOTE XIV.—WHOLE, LESS, MORE, AND MOST.

"Does not all proceed from the law, which regulates all the departments of the state?"—Blair cor. "A messenger relates to Theseus all the particulars."—Ld. Kames cor. "There are no fewer than twenty-nine diphthongs in the English language."—Ash cor. "The Redcross Knight runs through all the steps of the Christian life."—Spect. cor. "There were not fewer than fifty or sixty persons present."—Mills and Merchant cor. "Greater experience, and a more cultivated state of society, abate the warmth of imagination, and chasten the manner of expression."—Blair and Murray cor. "By which means, knowledge, rather than oratory, has become the principal requisite."—Blair cor. "No fewer than seven illustrious cities disputed the right of having given birth to the greatest of poets."—Lempriere cor. "Temperance, rather than medicines, is the proper means of curing many diseases."—Murray cor. "I do not suppose, that we Britons are more deficient in genius than our neighbours."—Id. "In which, he says, he has found no fewer than twelve untruths."—Barclay cor. "The several places of rendezvous were concerted, and all the operations were fixed."—Hume cor. "In these rigid opinions, all the sectaries concurred."—Id. "Out of whose modifications have been made nearly all complex modes."—Locke cor. "The Chinese vary each of their words on no fewer than five different tones."—Blair cor. "These people, though they possess brighter qualities, are not so proud as he is, nor so vain as she."—Murray cor. "It is certain, that we believe our own judgements more firmly, after we have made a thorough inquiry into the things."—Brightland cor. "As well as the whole course and all the reasons of the operation."—Id. "Those rules and principles which are of the greatest practical advantage."—Newman cor. "And all curse shall be no more."—Rev. cor.—(See the Greek.) "And death shall be no more."—Id. "But, in recompense, we have pleasanter pictures of ancient manners."—Blair cor. "Our language has suffered a greater number of injurious changes in America, since the British army landed on our shores, than it had suffered before, in the period of three centuries."—Webster cor. "All the conveniences of life are derived from mutual aid and support in society."—Ld. Kames cor.

UNDER NOTE XV.—PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES.

"To such as think the nature of it deserving of their attention."—Bp. Butler cor. "In all points, more deserving of the approbation of their readers."—Keepsake cor. "But to give way to childish sensations, was unbecoming to our nature."—Lempriere cor. "The following extracts are deserving of the serious perusal of all."—The Friend cor. "No inquiry into wisdom, however superficial, is undeserving of attention."—Bulwer cor. "The opinions of illustrious men are deserving of great consideration."—Porter cor. "And resolutely keep its laws. Uncaring for consequences." Or:—"Not heeding consequences."—Burns cor. "This is an item that is deserving of more attention."—Goodell cor.

"Leave then thy joys, unsuiting to such age:"—Or,

    "Leave then thy joys not suiting such an age,
    To a fresh comer, and resign the stage."—Dryden cor.

UNDER NOTE XVI.—FIGURE OF ADJECTIVES.

"The tall dark mountains and the deep-toned seas."—Dana. "O! learn from him To station quick-eyed Prudence at the helm."—Frost cor. "He went in a one-horse chaise."—David Blair cor. "It ought to be, 'in a one-horse chaise.'"—Crombie cor. "These are marked with the above-mentioned letters."—Folker cor. "A many-headed faction."—Ware cor. "Lest there should be no authority in any popular grammar, for the perhaps heaven-inspired effort."—Fowle cor. "Common-metre stanzas consist of four iambic lines; one of eight, and the next of six syllables. They were formerly written in two fourteen-syllable lines."—Goodenow cor. "Short-metre stanzas consist of four iambic lines; the third of eight, the rest of six syllables."—Id. "Particular-metre stanzas consist of six iambic lines; the third and sixth of six syllables, the rest of eight."—Id. "Hallelujah-metre stanzas consist of six iambic lines; the last two of eight syllables, and the rest of six."—Id. "Long-metre stanzas are merely the union of four iambic lines, of ten syllables each."—Id. "A majesty more commanding than is to be found among the rest of the Old-Testament poets."—Blair cor.

   "You, sulphurous and thought-executed fires,
    Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts,
    Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder,
    Strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world!"—Lear, Act iii, Sc. 2.

CHAPTER V.—PRONOUNS. CORRECTIONS UNDER RULE X AND ITS NOTES. UNDER THE RULE ITSELF.—OF AGREEMENT.

"The subject is to be joined with its predicate."—Wilkins cor. "Every one must judge of his own feelings."—Byron cor. "Every one in the family should know his or