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

not prevent John's being acknowledged and solemnly inaugurated Duke of Normandy."—HENRY: Webster's Philos. Gram., p. 182; his Improved Gram., 130; Sanborn's Gram., 189; Fowler's, 8vo, 1850, p. 541. UNDER NOTE X.—THE LEADING WORD IN SENSE.

"This would preclude the possibility of a nouns' or any other word's ever being in the possessive case."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 338. "A great part of our pleasure arises from the plan or story being well conducted."—Blair's Rhet., p. 18, "And we have no reason to wonder at this being the case."—Ib., p. 249. "She objected only, as Cicero says, to Oppianicus having two sons by his present wife."—Ib., p. 274. "The Britons being subdued by the Saxons, was a necessary consequence of their having called in these Saxons, to their assistance."—Ib., p. 329. "What he had there said, concerning the Saxons expelling the Britons, and changing the customs, the religion, and the language of the country, is a clear and good reason for our present language being Saxon rather than British."—Ib., p. 230. "The only material difference between them, besides the one being short and the other being prolonged, is, that a metaphor always explains itself by the words that are connected with it."—Ib., p. 151; Murray's Gram., p. 342. "The description of Death's advancing to meet Satan, on his arrival."—Rush, on the Voice, p. 156. "Is not the bare fact of God being the witness of it, sufficient ground for its credibility to rest upon?"—Chalmers, Serm., p. 288. "As in the case of one entering upon a new study."—Beattie's Moral Science, i, 77. "The manner of these affecting the copula is called the imperative mode."—BP. WILKINS: Lowth's Gram., p. 43. "We are freed from the trouble, by our nouns having no diversity of endings."—Buchanan's Syntax, p. 20. "The Verb is rather indicative of the actions being doing, or done, than the time when, but indeed the ideas are undistinguishable."—Booth's Introd., p. 69. "Nobody would doubt of this being a sufficient proof."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 66. "Against the doctrine here maintained, of conscience being, as well as reason, a natural faculty."—Beattie's M. Sci., i, 263. "It is one cause of the Greek and English languages being much more easy to learn, than the Latin."—Bucke's Classical Gram., p. 25. "I have not been able to make out a solitary instance of such being the fact."—Liberator, x, 40. "An angel's forming the appearance of a hand, and writing the king's condemnation on the wall, checked their mirth, and filled them with terror."—Wood's Dict., w. Belshazzar. "The prisoners' having attempted to escape, aroused the keepers."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 357. "I doubt not, in the least, of this having been one cause of the multiplication of divinities in the heathen world."—Blair's Rhet., p. 155. "From the general rule he lays down, of the verbs being the parent word of all language."—Diversions of Purley, Vol. i, p. 227. "He was accused of himself being idle."—Felch's Comp. Gram., p. 52. "Our meeting is generally dissatisfied with him so removing."—Wm. Edmondson. "The spectacle is too rare of men's deserving solid fame while not seeking it."—Prof. Bush's Lecture on Swedenborg. "What further need was there of an other priest rising?"—See Key.

UNDER NOTE XI.—REFERENCE OF PARTICIPLES.

"Viewing them separately, different emotions are produced."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 344. "But leaving this doubtful, another objection occurs."—Ib., ii, 358. "Proceeding from one particular to another, the subject grew under his hand."—Ib., i, 27. "But this is still an interruption, and a link of the chain broken."—Ib., ii, 314. "After some days hunting, Cyrus communicated his design to his officers."—Rollin, ii, 66. "But it is made, without the appearance of making it in form."—Blair's Rhet., p. 358. "These would have had a better effect disjoined thus."—Ib., p. 119; Murray's Gram., i, 309. "An improper diphthong has but one of the vowels sounded."—Murray's Gram., p. 9; Alger's, 12; Merchant's, 9; Smith's, 118; Ingersoll's, 4. "And being led to think of both together, my view is rendered unsteady."— Blair's Rhet., p. 95; Murray's Gram., 302; Jamieson's Rhet., 66. "By often doing the same thing, it becomes habitual."—Murray's Key, p. 257. "They remain with us in our dark and solitary hours, no less than when surrounded with friends and cheerful society."—Ib., p. 238. "Besides shewing what is right, the matter may be further explained by pointing out what is wrong."—Lowth's Gram., Pref., p. viii. "The former teaches the true pronunciation of words, comprising accent, quantity, emphasis, pause, and tone."—Murray's Gram., Vol., i, p. 235. "Persons may be reproved for their negligence, by saying; 'You have taken great care indeed.'"—Ib., i, 354. "The words preceding and following it, are in apposition to each other."—Ib., ii, p. 22. "Having finished his speech, the assembly dispersed."—Cooper's Pract. Gram., p. 97. "Were the voice to fall at the close of the last line, as many a reader is in the habit of doing."— Kirkham's Elocution, p. 101. "The misfortunes of his countrymen were but negatively the effects of his wrath, by depriving them of his assistance."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 299. "Taking them as nouns, this construction may be explained thus."—Grant's Latin Gram., p. 233. "These have an active signification, those which come from neuter verbs being excepted."—Ib., p. 233. "From the evidence of it not being universal."—Butler's Analogy, p. 84. "And this faith will continually grow, by acquainting ourselves with our own nature."—Channing's Self-Culture, p. 33. "Monosyllables ending with any consonant but f, l, or s, and preceded by a single vowel, never double the final consonant; excepting add, ebb," &c.—Murray's Gram., p. 23; Picket's, 10; Merchant's, 13; Ingersoll's, 8; Fisk's, 44; Blair's, 7. "The relation of being the object of the action is expressed by the change of the Noun Maria to Mariam"—Booth's Introd., p. 38. "In analyzing a proposition, it is first to be divided into its logical subject and predicate."—Andrews and Stoddard's Latin Gram., p. 254. "In analyzing a simple sentence, it should first be resolved into its logical subject and logical predicate."—Wells's School Gram., 113th Ed., p. 189.

UNDER NOTE XII.—OF PARTICIPLES AND NOUNS.

"The discovering passions instantly at their birth, is essential to our well being."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 352. "I am now to enter on considering the sources of the pleasures of taste."—Blair's Rhet., p. 28. "The varieties in using them are, indeed many."—Murray's Gram., i, 319. "Changing times and seasons, removing and setting up kings, belong to Providence alone."—Ib., Key, ii, p. 200. "Adhering to the partitions seemed the cause of France, accepting the will that of the house of Bourbon."—Bolingbroke, on Hist., p. 246. "Another source of darkness in composing is, the injudicious introduction of technical words and phrases."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 247. "These are the rules of grammar, by the observing of which, you may avoid mistakes."—Murray's Gram., i, 192; Merchant's, 93; Fisk's, 135; Ingersoll's, 198. "By the observing of the rules you may avoid mistakes."—Alger's Gram., p. 65. "By the observing of these rules he succeeded."—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 82. "Being praised was his ruin."—Ibid. "Deceiving is not convincing."— Ibid. "He never feared losing a friend."—Ibid. "Making books is his amusement."—Alger's Gram., p. 65. "We call it declining a noun."— Ingersoll's Gram., p. 22. "Washington, however, pursued the same policy of neutrality, and opposed firmly, taking any part in the wars of Europe."—Hall and Baker's School Hist., p. 294. "The following is a note of Interrogation, or asking a question (?)."—Infant School Gram., p. 132. "The following is a note of Admiration, or expressing wonder (!)."—Ib. "Omitting or using the article a forms a nice distinction in the sense."—Murray's Gram., ii, 284. "Placing the preposition before the word it governs is more graceful."—Churchill's Gram., p. 150. "Assistance is absolutely necessary to their recovery, and retrieving their affairs."—Butler's Analogy, p. 197. "Which termination, [ish,] when added to adjectives, imports diminution, or lessening the quality."—Murray's Gram., i, 131; Kirkham's, 172. "After what is said, will it be thought refining too much to suggest, that the different orders are qualified for different purposes?"—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 114. "Who has nothing to think of but killing time."—West's Letters, p. 58. "It requires no nicety of ear, as in the distinguishing of tones, or measuring time."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 65. "The Possessive Case denotes possession, or belonging to."—Hall's Gram., p. 7.

UNDER NOTE XIII.—PERFECT PARTICIPLES.

"Garcilasso was master of the language spoke by the Incas."—Robertson's Amer., ii, 459. "When an interesting story is broke off in the middle."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 244. "Speaking of Hannibal's elephants drove back by the enemy."—Ib., ii, 32. "If Du Ryer had not wrote for bread, he would have equalled them."—Formey's Belles-Lettres, p. 166. "Pope describes a rock broke off from a mountain, and hurling to the plain."—Kames, ii, 106. "I have wrote or have written, Thou hast wrote or hast written. He hath or has wrote, or hath or has written;" &c.—Dr. Ash's Gram., p. 47; Maltby's, 47. "This was spoke by a pagan."—Webster's Improved Gram., p. 174. "But I have chose to follow the common arrangement."—Ib., p. 10. "The language spoke in Bengal."—Ib., p. 78. "And sound Sleep thus broke off, with suddain Alarms, is apt enough to discompose any one."—Locke, on Ed., p. 32. "This is not only the Case of those Open Sinners, before spoke of."—Right of Tythes, p. 26. "Some Grammarians have wrote a very perplexed and difficult doctrine on Punctuation."—Ensell's Gram., p. 340. "There hath a pity arose in me towards thee."—Sewel's Hist., fol., p. 324. "Abel is the only man that has underwent the awful change of death."—Juvenile Theatre, p. 4.

   "Meantime, on Afric's glowing sands,
    Smote with keen heat, the Trav'ler stands."—Union Poems, p. 88.

CHAPTER VIII.—ADVERBS.

The syntax of an Adverb consists in its simple relation to a verb, a participle, an adjective, or whatever else it qualifies; just as the syntax of an English Adjective, (except in a few instances,) consists in its simple relation to a noun or a pronoun.

RULE XXI.—ADVERBS.

Adverbs relate to verbs, participles, adjectives, or other adverbs: as, "Any passion that habitually discomposes our temper, or unfits us for properly discharging the duties of life, has most certainly gained a very dangerous ascendency."—Blair.

"How bless'd this happy hour, should he appear, Dear to us all, to me supremely dear!"—Pope's Homer.

EXCEPTION FIRST.

The adverbs yes, ay, and yea, expressing a simple affirmation, and the adverbs no and nay, expressing a simple negation, are always independent. They generally answer a question, and are equivalent to a whole sentence. Is it clear, that they ought to be called adverbs? No. "Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery then? No."—SHAK.: First Part of Hen. IV, Act v, 1.

EXCEPTION SECOND.

The word amen, which is commonly called an adverb, is often used independently at the beginning or end of a declaration or a prayer; and is itself a prayer, meaning, So let it be: as, "Surely, I come quickly. Amen: Even so, come Lord Jesus."—Rev., xxii, 20. When it does not stand thus alone, it seems in general to be used substantively; as, "The strangers among them stood on Gerizim, and echoed amen to the blessings."—Wood's Dict. "These things saith the Amen."—Rev., iii, 14

EXCEPTION THIRD.

An adverb before a preposition seems sometimes to relate to the latter, rather than to the verb or participle to which the preposition connects its object; as, "This mode of pronunciation runs considerably beyond ordinary discourse."—Blair's Rhet., p. 334. "Yea, all along the times of the apostasy, this was the thing that preserved the witnesses."—Penington's Works, Vol. iv, p. 12. [See Obs. 8th on Rule 7th.]

"Right against the eastern gate, Where the great sun begins his state."—Milton, L'Allegro.

EXCEPTION FOURTH.

The words much, little, far, and all, being originally adjectives, are sometimes preceded by the negative not, or (except the last) by such an adverb as too, how, thus, so, or as, when they are taken substantively; as, "Not all that glitters, is gold."—"Too much should not be offered at once."—Murray's Gram., p. 140. "Thus far is consistent."—Ib., p. 161. "Thus far is right."—Lowth's Gram., p. 101.

OBSERVATIONS ON RULE XXI.

OBS. 1.—On this rule of syntax, Dr. Adam remarks, "Adverbs sometimes likewise qualify substantives;" and gives Latin examples of the following import: "Homer plainly an orator:"—"Truly Metellus;"—"To-morrow morning." But this doctrine is not well proved by such imperfect phrases, nor can it ever be very consistently admitted, because it destroys the characteristic difference between an adjective and an adverb. To-morrow is here an adjective; and as for truly and plainly, they are not such words as can make sense with nouns. I therefore imagine the phrases to be elliptical: "Verè Metellus," may mean, "This is truly Metellus;" and "Homerus planè orator," "Homer was plainly an orator." So, in the example, "Behold an Israelite indeed,"