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

   "But ah! what myriads claim the bended knee!
    Go, count the busy drops that swell the sea."—Rogers.

"Honour is an useful distinction in life."—Milnes's Greek Grammar, p. vii.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the article an is used before useful, which begins with the sound of yu. But, according to a principle expressed on page 225th, "A is to be used whenever the following word begins with a consonant sound." Therefore, an should here be changed to a; thus, "Honour is a useful distinction in life."]

"No writer, therefore, ought to foment an humour of innovation."—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 55. "Conjunctions require a situation between the things of which they form an union."—Ib., p. 83. "Nothing is more easy than to mistake an u for an a."—Tooke's Diversions, i, 130. "From making so ill an use of our innocent expressions."—Wm. Penn. "To grant thee an heavenly and incorruptible crown of glory."—Sewel's Hist., Ded., p. iv. "It in no wise follows, that such an one was able to predict."—Ib., p. viii. "With an harmless patience they have borne most heavy oppressions,"—Ib., p. x. "My attendance was to make me an happier man."—Spect., No. 480. "On the wonderful nature of an human mind."—Ib., 554. "I have got an hussy of a maid, who is most craftily given to this."—Ib., No. 534. "Argus is said to have had an hundred eyes, some of which were always awake."—Classic Stories, p. 148. "Centiped, an hundred feet; centennial, consisting of a hundred years."—Town's Analysis, p. 19. "No good man, he thought, could be an heretic."—Gilpin's Lives, p. 72. "As, a Christian, an infidel, an heathen."—Ash's Gram., p. 50. "Of two or more words, usually joined by an hyphen."—Blair's Gram., p. 7. "We may consider the whole space of an hundred years as time present."—BEATTIE: Murray's Gram., p. 69. "In guarding against such an use of meats and drinks."—Ash's Gram., p. 138. "Worship is an homage due from man to his Creator."—Annual Monitor for 1836. "Then, an eulogium on the deceased was pronounced."—Grimshaw's U. S., p. 92. "But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him."—Gen., ii, 20. "My days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth."—Psalms, cii, 3. "A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof"—Exod., xii, 45. "The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill, as the hill of Bashan."—Psalms, lxviii, 15. "But I do declare it to have been an holy offering, and such an one too as was to be once for all."—Wm. Penn. "An hope that does not make ashamed those that have it."—Barclay's Works, Vol. i, p. 15. "Where there is not an unity, we may exercise true charity."—Ib., i, 96. "Tell me, if in any of these such an union can be found?"—Brown's Estimate, ii, 16.

   "Such holy drops her tresses steeped,
    Though 'twas an hero's eye that weeped."—Sir W. Scott.

"This veil of flesh parts the visible and invisible world."—Sherlock.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the article the is omitted before invisible, where the sense requires it. But, according to a suggestion on page 225th, "Articles should be inserted as often as the sense requires them." Therefore, the should be here supplied; thus, "This veil of flesh parts the visible and the invisible world."]

"The copulative and disjunctive conjunctions operate differently on the verb."—Murray's Gram., Vol. ii, p. 286. "Every combination of a preposition and article with the noun."—Ib., i, 44. "Either signifies, 'the one or the other;' neither imports not either, that is, 'not one nor the other.'"—Ib., i, 56. "A noun of multitude may have a pronoun, or verb, agreeing with it, either of the singular or plural number."—Bucke's Gram., p. 90. "Copulative conjunctions are, principally, and, as, both, because, for, if, that, then, since, &c."—See ib., 28. "The two real genders are the masculine and feminine."—Ib., 34. "In which a mute and liquid are represented by the same character, th."—Music of Nature, p. 481. "They said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee."—Luke, vii, 20. "They indeed remember the names of abundance of places."—Spect., No. 474. "Which created a great dispute between the young and old men."—Goldsmith's Greece, Vol. ii, p. 127. "Then shall be read the Apostles' or Nicene Creed."—Com. Prayer, p. 119. "The rules concerning the perfect tenses and supines of verbs are Lily's."—King Henry's Gram., p. iv. "It was read by the high and the low, the learned and illiterate."—Johnson's Life of Swift. "Most commonly, both the pronoun and verb are understood."—Buchanan's Gram., p. viii. "To signify the thick and slender enunciation of tone."—Knight, on the Greek Alph., p. 9. "The difference between a palatial and guttural aspirate is very small."—Ib., p. 12. "Leaving it to waver between the figurative and literal sense."—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 154. "Whatever verb will not admit of both an active and passive signification."—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 31. "The is often set before adverbs in the comparative or superlative degree."—Ib., p. 15; Kirkham's Gram., 66. "Lest any should fear the effect of such a change upon the present or succeeding age of writers."—Fowle's Common School Gram., p. 5. "In all these measures, the accents are to be placed on even syllables; and every line is, in general, more melodious, as this rule is more strictly observed."—L. Murray's Octavo Gram, p. 256; Jamieson's Rhet., 307. "How many numbers do nouns appear to have? Two, the singular and plural."—Smith's New Gram., p. 8. "How many persons? Three persons—the first, second, and third."—Ib., p. 10. "How many cases? Three—the nominative, possessive and objective."—Ib., p. 12.

   "Ah! what avails it me, the flocks to keep,
    Who lost my heart while I preserv'd sheep."
        POPE'S WORKS: British Poets, Vol. vi, p. 309: Lond., 1800.

"The negroes are all the descendants of Africans."—Morse's Geog.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the article the before descendants, is useless to the construction, and injurious to the sense. But, according to a principle on page 225th, "Needless articles should be omitted; they seldom fail to pervert the sense." Therefore, the should be here omitted; thus, "The negroes are all descendants of Africans."]

"A Sybarite was applied as a term of reproach to a man of dissolute manners."—Morse's Ancient Geog., p. 4. "The original signification of knave was a boy."—Webster's El. Spell., p. 136. "The meaning of these will be explained, for the greater clearness and precision."—Bucke's Gram., p. 58. "What Sort of a Noun is Man? A Noun Substantive common."—Buchanan's Gram., p. 166. "Is what ever used as three kinds of a pronoun?"—Kirkham's Gram., p. 117. "They delighted in the having done it, as well as in the doing of it."—Johnson's Gram. Com., p. 344. "Both the parts of this rule are exemplified in the following sentences."—Murray's Gram., p. 174. "He has taught them to hope for another and a better world."—S. L. Knapp. "It was itself only preparatory to a future, a better, and perfect revelation."—Keith's Evid., p. 23. "Es then makes another and a distinct syllable."— Brightland's Gram., p. 17. "The eternal clamours of a selfish and a factious people."—Brown's Estimate, i, 74. "To those whose taste in Elocution is but a little cultivated."—Kirkham's Eloc., p. 65. "They considered they had but a Sort of a Gourd to rejoice in."—Bennet's Memorial, p. 333. "Now there was but one only such a bough, in a spacious and shady grove."—Bacon's Wisdom, p. 75. "Now the absurdity of this latter supposition will go a great way towards the making a man easy."—Collier's Antoninus p. 131. "This is true of the mathematics, where the taste has but little to do."—Todd's Student's Manual, p. 331. "To stand prompter to a pausing, yet a ready comprehension."—Rush, on the Voice, p. 251. "Such an obedience as the yoked and the tortured negro is compelled to yield to the whip of the overseer."—Chalmers's Serm., p. 90. "For the gratification of a momentary and an unholy desire."—Wayland's Mor. Sci., p. 288. "The body is slenderly put together; the mind a rambling sort of a thing."—Collier's Antoninus, p. 26. "The only nominative to the verb, is, the officer."—Murray's Gram., ii, 22. "And though in the general it ought to be admitted, &c."—Blair's Rhet., p. 376. "Philosophical writing admits of a polished, a neat, and elegant style."—Ib., p. 367. "But notwithstanding this defect, Thomson is a strong and a beautiful describer."—Ib., p. 405. "So should he be sure to be ransomed, and a many poor men's lives saved."—SHAK.: Hen. v.

   "Who felt the wrong, or fear'd it, took the alarm,
    Appeal'd to Law, and Justice lent her arm."—Pope, p. 406.

"To enable us to avoid the too frequent repetition of the same word."—Bucke's Gr., p, 52.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the article the is used to limit the meaning of "repetition," or "too frequent repetition," where a would better suit the sense. But, according to a principle on page 225th, "The articles can seldom be put one for the other, without gross impropriety; and either is of course to be preferred to the other, as it better suits the sense." Therefore, "the" should be a, which, in this instance, ought to be placed after the adjective; thus, "To enable us to avoid too frequent a repetition of the same word."]

"The former is commonly acquired in the third part of the time."—Burn's Gram., p. xi. "Sometimes the adjective becomes a substantive, and has another adjective joined to it: as, 'The chief good.'"—L. Murray's Gram., i, 169. "An articulate sound is the sound of the human voice, formed by the organs of speech."—Ib., i, 2; Lowth's Gram., 2; T. Smith's, 5. "Tense is the distinction of time: there are six tenses."—Maunder's Gram., p. 6. "In this case, the ellipsis of the last article would be improper."—L. Murray's Gram., i, p. 218. "Contrast has always the effect to make each of the contrasted objects appear in the stronger light."—Ib., i, 349; Blair's Rhet., p. 167. "These remarks may serve to shew the great importance of the proper use of the article."—Lowth's Gram., p. 12; Murray's, i, 171. "'Archbishop Tillotson,' says an author of the History of England, 'died in this year.'"—Blair's Rhet., p. 107. "Pronouns are used instead of substantives, to prevent the too frequent repetition of them."—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 22. "That, as a relative, seems to be introduced to save the too frequent repetition of who and which."—Ib., p. 23. "A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun to avoid the too frequent repetition of the same word."—L. Murray's Gram., i, p. 28. "That is often used as a relative, to prevent the too frequent repetition of who and which."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 109; L. Murray's, i, 53; Hiley's, 84. "His knees smote one against an other."—Logan's Sermons. "They stand now on one foot, then on another."—Walker's Particles, p. 259. "The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another."—Gen., xxxi, 49. "Some have enumerated ten [parts of speech], making a participle a distinct part."—L. Murray's Gram, i, p. 29. "Nemesis rides upon an Hart, because a Hart is a most lively Creature."—Bacon's Wisdom, p. 50. "The transition of the voice from one vowel of the diphthong to another."—Wilson's Essay on Gram., p. 29. "So difficult it is to separate these two things from one another."—Blair's Rhet., p. 92. "Without the material breach of any rule."—Ib., p. 101. "The great source of a loose style, in opposition to precision, is the injudicious use of those words termed synonymous."—Ib., p. 97. "The great source of a loose style, in opposition to precision, is the injudicious use of the words termed synonymous."—Murray's Gram., i, p. 302. "Sometimes one article is improperly used for another."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 197.

   "Satire of sense, alas! can Sporus feel?
    Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?"—Pope, p. 396.

"He hath no delight in the strength of an horse."—Maturin's Sermons, p. 311. "The head of it would be an universal monarch."—Butler's Analogy, p. 98. "Here they confound the material and formal object of faith."—Barclay's Works, Vol. iii, p. 57. "The Irish and Scotish Celtic are one language; the Welsh, Cornish, and Armorican, are another."—Dr. Murray's Hist., Vol. ii, p. 316. "In an uniform and perspicuous manner."—Ib., i, 49. "SCRIPTURE, n. Appropriately, and by way of distinction, the books of the Old and New Testament; the Bible."—Webster's Dict. "In two separate volumes, entitled the Old and the New Testaments."—Wayland's Mor. Sci., p. 139. "The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament contain a revelation."—Ib. "Q has ever an u after it; which is not sounded in words derived from the French."—Wilson's Essay, p. 32. "What should we say of such an one? That he is regenerate? No."—Hopkins's Prim. Ch., p. 22. "Some grammarians subdivide vowels into the simple and the compound."—Murray's Gram., i, p. 8. "Emphasis has been further distinguished into the weaker and stronger emphasis."—Ib., i, 244. "Emphasis has also been divided into superior and the inferior emphasis."—Ib.,