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

cor. [The word orthography stands for different things: as, 1. The art or practice of writing words with their proper letters; 2. That part of grammar which treats of letters, syllables, separate words, and spelling.] (13.) "A vowel is a letter which forms a perfect sound when uttered alone."—Inst., p. 16; Hazen, Lennie, and Brace, cor. (14-18.) "Spelling is the art of expressing words by their proper letters."—G. BROWN: Lowth and Churchill cor.; also Murray, Ing. et al.; also Comly; also Bullions; also Kirkham and Sanborn. (19.) "A syllable is one or more letters, pronounced by a single impulse of the voice, and constituting a word, or part of a word."—Lowth, Mur., et al., cor. (20.) "A syllable is a letter or a combination of letters, uttered in one complete sound."—Brit. Gram. and Buch. cor. (21.) "A syllable is one or more letters representing a distinct sound, or what is uttered by a single impulse of the voice."—Kirkham cor. (22.) "A syllable is so much of a word as is sounded at once, whether it be the whole or a part."—Bullions cor. (23.) "A syllable is so many letters as are sounded at once; and is either a word, or a part of a word."—Picket cor. (24.) "A diphthong is a union of two vowels in one syllable, as in bear and beat."—Bucke cor. Or: "A diphthong is the meeting of two vowels in one syllable."—Brit. Gram., p. 15; Buchanan's, 3. (25.) "A diphthong consists of two vowels put together in one syllable; as ea in beat, oi in voice."—Guy cor. (26.) "A triphthong consists of three vowels put together in one syllable; as, eau in beauty."—Id. (27.) "But a triphthong is the union of three vowels in one syllable."—Bucke cor. Or: "A triphthong is the meeting of three vowels in one syllable."—British Gram., p. 21; Buchanan's, 3. (28.) "What is a noun? A noun is the name of something; as, a man, a boy."—Brit. Gram. and Buchanan cor. (29.) "An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, to describe the object named or referred to."—Maunder cor. (30.) "An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, to describe or define the object mentioned."—R. C. Smith cor. (31.) "An adjective is a word which, without assertion or time, serves to describe or define something; as, a good man, every boy."—Wilcox cor. (32.) "An adjective is a word added to a noun or pronoun, and generally expresses a quality."—Mur. and Lowth cor. (33.) "An adjective expresses the quality, not of the noun or pronoun to which it is applied, but of the person or thing spoken of; and it may generally be known by the sense which it thus makes in connexion with its noun; as, 'A good man,' 'A genteel woman.'"—Wright cor. (34.) "An adverb is a word used to modify the sense of a verb, a participle, an adjective, or an other adverb."—Wilcox cor. (35.) "An adverb is a word added to a verb, a participle, an adjective, or an other adverb, to modify the sense, or denote some circumstance."—Bullions cor. (36.) "A substantive, or noun, is a name given to some object which the senses can perceive, the understanding comprehend, or the imagination entertain."—Wright cor. (37-54.) "Genders are modifications that distinguish objects in regard to sex."—Brown's Inst., p. 35: Bullions cor.: also Frost; also Perley; also Cooper; also L. Murray et al.; also Alden et al.; also Brit. Gram., with Buchanan; also Fowle; also Burn; also Webster; also Coar; also Hall; also Wright; also Fisher; also W. Allen; also Parker and Fox; also Weld; also Weld again. (55 and 56.) "A case, in grammar, is the state or condition of a noun or pronoun, with respect to some other word in the sentence."—Bullions cor.; also Kirkham. (57.) "Cases are modifications that distinguish the relations of nouns and pronouns to other words."—Brown's Inst., p. 36. (58.) "Government is the power which one word has over an other, to cause it to assume some particular modification."—Sanborn et al. cor. See Inst., p. 104. (59.) "A simple sentence is a sentence which contains only one assertion, command, or question."—Sanborn et al. cor. (60.) "Declension means the putting of a noun or pronoun through the different cases and numbers."—Kirkham cor. Or better: "The declension of a word is a regular arrangement of its numbers and cases."—See Inst., p. 37. (61.) "Zeugma is a figure in which two or more words refer in common to an other which literally agrees with only one of them."—B. F. Fish cor. (62.) "An irregular verb is a verb that does not form the preterit and the perfect participle by assuming d or ed; as, smite, smote, smitten."—Inst., p. 75. (63). "A personal pronoun is a pronoun that shows, by its form, of what person it is."—Inst., p. 46. UNDER CRITICAL NOTE IV.—OF COMPARISONS.

"Our language abounds more in vowel and diphthong sounds, than most other tongues." Or: "We abound more in vowel and diphthongal sounds, than most nations."—Dr. Blair cor. "A line thus accented has a more spirited air, than one which takes the accent on any other syllable."—Kames cor. "Homer introduces his deities with no greater ceremony, that [what] he uses towards mortals; and Virgil has still less moderation than he."—Id. "Which the more refined taste of later writers, whose genius was far inferior to theirs, would have taught them to avoid."—Dr. Blair cor. "As a poetical composition, however, the Book of Job is not only equal to any other of the sacred writings, but is superior to them all, except those of Isaiah alone."—Id. "On the whole, Paradise Lost is a poem which abounds with beauties of every kind, and which justly entitles its author to be equalled in fame with any poet."—Id. "Most of the French writers compose in short sentences; though their style, in general, is not concise; commonly less so than that of most English writers, whose sentences are much longer."—Id. "The principles of the Reformation were too deeply fixed in the prince's mind, to be easily eradicated."—Hume cor. "Whether they do not create jealousy and animosity, more than sufficient to counterbalance the benefit derived from them."—Leo Wolf cor. "The Scotch have preserved the ancient character of their music more entire, than have the inhabitants of any other country."—Gardiner cor. "When the time or quantity of one syllable exceeds that of the rest, that syllable readily receives the accent."—Rush cor. "What then can be more obviously true, than that it should be made as just as we can make it."—Dymond cor. "It was not likely that they would criminate themselves more than, they could not avoid."—Clarkson cor. "In their understandings they were the most acute people that have ever lived."—Knapp cor. "The patentees have printed it with neat types, and upon better paper than was used formerly."—John Ward cor. "In reality, its relative use is not exactly like that of any other word."—Felch cor. "Thus, in stead of having to purchase two books,—the Grammar and the Exercises,—the learner finds both in one, for a price at most not greater than that of the others."—Alb. Argus cor. "They are not improperly regarded as pronouns, though they are less strictly such than the others."—Bullions cor. "We have had, as will readily be believed, a much better opportunity of becoming conversant with the case, than the generality of our readers can be supposed to have had."—Brit. Friend cor.

UNDER CRITICAL NOTE V.—OF FALSITIES.

"The long sound of i is like a very quick union of the sound of a, as heard in bar, and that of e, as heard in be."—Churchill cor. "The omission of a word necessary to grammatical propriety, is of course an impropriety, and not a true ellipsis."—Priestley cor. "Not every substantive, or noun, is necessarily of the third person."—A. Murray cor. "A noun is in the third person, when the subject is merely spoken of; and in the second person, when the subject is spoken to; and in the first person, when it names the speaker as such."—Nutting cor. "With us, no nouns are literally of the masculine or the feminine gender, except the names of male and female creatures."—Dr. Blair cor. "The apostrophe is a little mark, either denoting the possessive case of nouns, or signifying that something is shortened: as, 'William's hat;'—'the learn'd,' for 'the learned.'"—Inf. S. Gram. cor. "When a word beginning with a vowel coupled with one beginning with a consonant, the indefinite article must not be repeated, if the two words be adjectives belonging to one and the same noun; thus, 'Sir Matthew Hale was a noble and impartial judge;'—'Pope was an elegant and nervous writer.'"—Maunder cor.[555] "W and y are consonants, when they precede a vowel heard in the same syllable: in every other situation, they are vowels."—L. Mur. et al. cor. See Inst., p. 16. "The is not varied before adjectives and substantives, let them begin as they will."—Bucke cor. "A few English prepositions, and many which we have borrowed from other languages, are often prefixed to words, in such a manner as to coalesce with them, and to become parts of the compounds or derivatives thus formed."—Lowth cor. "H, at the beginning of syllables not accented, is weaker, but not entirely silent; as in historian, widowhood."—Rev. D. Blair cor. "Not every word that will make sense with to before it, is a verb; for to may govern nouns, pronouns, or participles."—Kirkham cor. "Most verbs do, in reality, express actions; but they are not intrinsically the mere names of actions: these must of course be nouns."—Id. "The nominative denotes the actor or subject; and the verb, the action which is performed or received by this actor or subject."—Id. "But if only one creature or thing acts, more than one action may, at the same instant, be done; as, 'The girl not only holds her pen badly, but scowls and distorts her features, while she writes.'"—Id. "Nor is each of these verbs of the singular number because it denotes but one action which the girl performs, but because the subject or nominative is of the singular number, and the words must agree."—Id. "And when I say, 'Two men walk,' is it not equally apparent, that walk is plural because it agrees with men?"—Id. "The subjunctive mood is formed by using the simple verb in a suppositive sense, and without personal inflection."—Beck cor. "The possessive case of nouns, except in instances of apposition or close connexion, should always be distinguished by the apostrophe."—Frost cor. "'At these proceedings of the Commons:' Here of is a sign of the objective case; and 'Commons' is of that case, being governed by this preposition."—A. Murray cor. "Here let it be observed again, that, strictly speaking, all finite verbs have numbers and persons; and so have nearly all nouns and pronouns, even when they refer to irrational creatures and inanimate things."—Barrett cor. "The noun denoting the person or persons addressed or spoken to, is in the nominative case independent: except it be put in apposition with a pronoun of the second person; as, 'Woe to you lawyers;'—'You political men are constantly manoeuvring.'"—Frost cor. "Every noun, when used in a direct address and set off by a comma, becomes of the second person, and is in the nominative case absolute; as, 'Paul, thou art beside thyself."—Jaudon cor. "Does the conjunction ever join words together? Yes; the conjunction sometimes joins words together, and sometimes sentences, or certain parts of sentences."—Brit. Gram. cor.; also Buchanan. "Every noun of the possessive form has a governing noun, expressed or understood: as, St. James's. Here Palace is understood. But one possessive may govern an other; as, 'William's father's house.'"—Buchanan cor. "Every adjective (with the exceptions noted under Rule 9th) belongs to a noun or pronoun expressed or understood."—L. Murray et al. cor. "Not every adjective qualifies a substantive, expressed or understood."—Bullions cor. "Not every adjective belongs to a noun expressed or understood."—Ingersoll cor. "Adjectives belong to nouns or pronouns, and serve to describe things."—R. C. Smith cor. "English adjectives, in general, have no modifications in which they can agree with the nouns to which they relate."—Allen Fisk cor. "The adjective, if it denote unity or plurality, must agree with its substantive in number."—Buchanan cor. "Not every adjective and participle, by a vast many, belongs to some noun or pronoun, expressed or understood."—Frost cor. "Not every verb of the infinitive mood, supposes a verb before it, expressed or understood."—Buchanan cor. "Nor has every adverb its verb, expressed or understood; for some adverbs relate to participles, to adjectives, or to other adverbs."—Id. "A conjunction that connects one sentence to an other, is not always placed betwixt the two propositions or sentences which it unites."—Id. "The words for all that, are by no means 'low;' but the putting of this phrase for yet or still, is neither necessary nor elegant."—L. Murray cor.; also Dr. Priestley. "The reader or hearer then understands from AND, that the author adds one proposition, number, or thing, to an other. Thus AND often, very often, connects one thing with an other thing, or one