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

from it in your loftiest flight. The smoothest verse and the exactest sense displease us, if ill English give offence: a barbarous phrase no reader can approve; nor bombast, noise, or affectation love. In short, without pure language, what you write can never yield us profit or delight. Take time for thinking, never work in haste; and value not yourself for writing fast." See Dryden's Art of Poetry:—British Poets, Vol. iii, p. 74. UNDER RULE XIV.—OF EXAMPLES.

"The word rather is very properly used to express a small degree or excess of a quality: as, 'she is rather profuse in her expenses.'"—Murray's Gram., p. 47.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word she begins with a small letter.
But, according to Rule 14th, "The first word of a full example, of a
distinct speech, or of a direct quotation, should begin with a capital."
Therefore, the word "She" should here begin with a capital S.]

"Neither imports not either; that is, not one nor the other: as, 'neither of my friends was there.'"—Murray's Gram., p. 56. "When we say, 'he is a tall man,' 'this is a fair day,' we make some reference to the ordinary size of men, and to different weather."—Ib., p. 47. "We more readily say, 'A million of men,' than 'a thousand of men.'"—Ib., p. 169. "So in the instances, 'two and two are four;' 'the fifth and sixth volumes will complete the set of books.'"—Ib., p. 124. "The adjective may frequently either precede or follow it [the verb]: as, 'the man is happy;' or, 'happy is the man:' 'The interview was delightful;' or, 'delightful was the interview.'"—Ib., p. 168. "If we say, 'he writes a pen,' 'they ran the river, 'the tower fell the Greeks,' 'Lambeth is Westminster-abbey,' [we speak absurdly;] and, it is evident, there is a vacancy which must be filled up by some connecting word: as thus, 'He writes with a pen;' 'they ran towards the river;' 'the tower fell upon the Greeks;' 'Lambeth is over against Westminster-abbey.'"—Ib., p. 118. "Let me repeat it;—he only is great, who has the habits of greatness."—Murray's Key, 241. "I say not unto thee, until seven times; but, until seventy times seven."—See Matt., xviii, 22.

   "The Panther smil'd at this; and when, said she,
    Were those first councils disallow'd by me?"—Dryden, p. 95.

UNDER RULE XV.—OF CHIEF WORDS.

"The supreme council of the nation is called the divan."—Balbi's Geog., p. 360.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word divan begins with a small letter. But, according to Rule 15th, "Other words of particular importance, and such as denote the principal subjects treated of, may be distinguished by capitals." Therefore, "Divan" should here begin with a capital D.]

"The British parliament is composed of kings, lords, and commons."—Murray's Key, p. 184. "A popular orator in the House of Commons has a sort of patent for coining as many new terms as he pleases."—See Campbell's Rhet., p. 169; Murray's Gram., 364. "They may all be taken together, as one name; as, the house of commons."— Merchant's School Gram., p. 25. "Intrusted to persons in whom the parliament could confide."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 202. "For 'The Lords' house,' it were certainly better to say, 'The house of lords;' and, in stead of 'The commons' vote,' to say, 'The votes of the commons.'"—See ib., p. 177, 4th Amer. Ed.; also Priestley's Gram., p. 69. "The house of lords were so much influenced by these reasons."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 152; Priestley's Gram., 188. "Rhetoricians commonly divide them into two great classes; figures of words, and figures of thought. The former, figures of words, are commonly called tropes."—Blair's Rhet., p. 132. "Perhaps figures of imagination, and figures of passion, might be a more useful distribution."—Ib., p. 133. "Hitherto we have considered sentences, under the heads of perspicuity, unity, and strength."—Ib., p. 120.

   "The word is then depos'd, and in this view,
    You rule the scripture, not the scripture you."—Dryden, p. 95.

UNDER RULE XVI.—OF NEEDLESS CAPITALS.

"Be of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid."—ALGER: Matt., xiv, 27.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word It begins with a capital I, for which there appears to be neither rule nor reason. But, according to Rule 16th, "Capitals are improper wherever there is not some special rule or reason for their use." Therefore, 'it' should here begin with a small letter, as Dr. Scott has it.]

"Between passion and lying, there is not a Finger's breadth."—Murray's Key, p. 240. "Can our Solicitude alter the course, or unravel the intricacy, of human events?"—Ib., p. 242. "The last edition was carefully compared with the Original M. S."—Ib., p. 239. "And the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews?"—ALGER: Matt., xxvii, 11. "Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame, that say, Aha, Aha!"—FRIENDS' BIBLE: Ps., lxx, 3. "Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame, that say unto me, Aha, aha!"—IB.: Ps., xl, 15. "What think ye of Christ? whose Son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in Spirit call him Lord?"—SCOTT: Matt., xxii, 42, 43. "Among all Things in the Universe, direct your Worship to the Greatest; And which is that? 'T is that Being which Manages and Governs all the Rest."—Meditations of M. Aurelius Antoninus, p. 76. "As for Modesty and Good Faith, Truth and Justice, they have left this wicked World and retired to Heaven: And now what is it that can keep you here?"—Ib., p. 81.

   "If Pulse of Terse, a Nation's Temper shows,
    In keen Iambics English Metre flows."—Brightland's Gram., p. 151.

PROMISCUOUS ERRORS RESPECTING CAPITALS. LESSON I.—MIXED.

"Come, gentle spring, Ethereal mildness, come."—Gardiner's Music of
Nature, p. 411.

[FORMULES.—1. Not proper, because the word spring begins with a small letter. But, according to Rule 10th, "The name of an object personified, when it conveys an idea strictly individual, should begin with a capital." Therefore "Spring" should here begin with a capital S.

2. Not proper again, because the word Ethereal begins with a capital E, for which there appears to be neither rule nor reason. But, according to Rule 16th. "Capitals are improper whenever there is not some special rule or reason for their use." Therefore, "ethereal" should here begin with a small letter.]

As, "He is the Cicero of his age; he is reading the lives of the Twelve Cæsars."—Murray's Gram., p. 36. "In the History of Henry the fourth, by father Daniel, we are surprized at not finding him the great man."—Priestley's Gram., p. 151. "In the history of Henry the fourth, by Father Daniel, we are surprised at not finding him the great man."—Murray's Gram., p. 172; Ingersoll's, 187; Fisk's, 99. "Do not those same poor peasants use the Lever and the Wedge, and many other instruments?"—Murray, 288; from Harris, 293. "Arithmetic is excellent for the gauging of Liquors; Geometry, for the measuring of Estates; Astronomy, for the making of Almanacks; and Grammar, perhaps, for the drawing of Bonds and Conveyances."—Harris's Hermes, p. 295. "The wars of Flanders, written in Latin by Famianus Strada, is a book of some note."—Blair's Rhet., p. 364. "William is a noun.—why? was is a verb.—why? a is an article.—why? very is an adverb.—why?" &c.—Merchant's School Gram., p. 20. "In the beginning was the word, and that word was with God, and God was that word."—Gwilt's Saxon Gram., p. 49. "The greeks are numerous in thessaly, macedonia, romelia, and albania."—Balbi, varied. "He is styled by the Turks, Sultan (Mighty) or Padishah (lord)."—Balbi's Geog., p. 360. "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues;[109] O grave, I will be thy destruction."—SCOTT, ALGER, ET AL.: Hosea, xiii, 14. "Silver and Gold have I none; but such as I have, give I unto thee."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 321. "Return, we beseech thee, O God of Hosts, look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine."—Ib., p. 342. "In the Attic Commonwealth, it was the privilege of every citizen to rail in public."—Ib., p. 316. "They assert that, in the phrases, 'give me that,' 'this is John's,' and 'such were some of you,' the words in italics are pronouns: but that, in the following phrases, they are not pronouns; 'this book is instructive,' 'some boys are ingenious,' 'my health is declining,' 'our hearts are deceitful,' &c."—Ib., p. 58. "And the coast bends again to the northwest, as far as Far Out head."—Glasgow Geog., Vol. ii, p. 308. Dr. Webster, and other makers of spelling-books, very improperly write "sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday," without capitals.—See Webster's Elementary Spelling-Book p. 85. "The commander in chief of the Turkish navy is styled the capitan-pasha."—Balbi's Geog., p. 360. "Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits, and live?"—SCOTT'S BIBLE: Heb., xii, 9. "Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and live?"—FRIENDS' BIBLE: Heb., xii, 9. "He was more anxious to attain the character of a Christian hero."—Murray's Sequel, p. 308. "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion."—Psalms, xlviii, 2. "The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."—SCOTT: Heb., xiii, 6. "Make haste to help me, O LORD my Salvation."—SCOTT: Ps., xxxviii, 22.

   "The City, which Thou seest, no other deem
    Than great and glorious Rome, Queen of the Earth."
                              Harris's Hermes, p. 49.

LESSON II.—MIXED.

"That range of hills, known under the general name of mount Jura."—Priestley's Gram., p. 110. "He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up."—SCOTT: Ps., cvi, 9. "Jesus went unto the mount of Olives."—John, viii, 1. "Milton's book, in reply to the Defence of the king, by Salmasius, gained him a thousand pounds from the parliament, and killed his antagonist with vexation."—See Murray's Sequel, 343. "Mandeville, sir John, an Englishman, famous for his travels, born about 1300, died in 1372."—Biog. Dict. "Ettrick pen, a mountain in Selkirkshire, Scotland, height 2,200 feet."—Glasgow Geog., Vol. ii, p. 312. "The coast bends from Dungsbyhead in a northwest direction to the promontory of Dunnet head."—Ib., p. 307. "Gen. Gaines ordered a detachment of near 300 men, under the command of Major Twiggs, to surround and take an Indian Village, called Fowl Town, about fourteen miles from fort Scott."—Cohen's Florida, p. 41. "And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha Cumi."—ALGER: Mark, v, 4. "On religious subjects, a frequent recurrence of scripture-language is attended with peculiar force."—Murray's Gram., p. 318. "Contemplated with gratitude to their Author, the Giver of all Good."—Ib., p. 289. "When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth."—Ib., p. 171; Fisk, 98; Ingersoll, 186. "See the lecture on verbs, rule XV. note 4."—Fisk's E. Gram., p. 117. "At the commencement of lecture II. I informed you that Etymology treats, 3dly, of derivation."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 171. "This VIII. lecture is a very important one."—Ib., p. 113. "Now read the XI. and XII. lectures four or five times over."—Ib., p. 152. "In 1752, he was advanced to the bench, under the title of lord Kames."—Murray's Sequel, p. 331. "One of his maxims was, 'know thyself.'"—Lempriere's Dict., n. Chilo. "Good master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"—See Matt., xix, 16. "His best known works, however, are 'anecdotes of the earl of Chatham,' 2 vols. 4to., 3 vols. 8vo., and 'biographical, literary, and political anecdotes of several of the most eminent persons of the present age; never before printed,' 3 vols. 8vo. 1797."—Univ. Biog. Dict., n. Almon. "O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee?"—Merchant's School Gram., p. 172. "O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse," &c.—SINGER'S SHAK. Sec. Part of Hen. IV, Act iii. "Sleep, gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse," &c.—Dodd's Beauties of Shakspeare, p. 129.

   "And Peace, O, Virtue! Peace is all thy own."—Pope's Works, p. 379.
    "And peace, O virtue! peace is all thy own."—Murray's Gram., ii, 16.

LESSON III.—MIXED.

"Fenelon united the characters of a nobleman and a Christian pastor. His book entitled 'An explication of the Maxims of the Saints concerning the interior life,' gave considerable offence to the guardians of orthodoxy."—Murray's Sequel, p. 321. "When natural religion, who before was only a spectator, is introduced as speaking by the centurion's voice."—Blair's Rhet., p. 157. "You cannot deny, that the great mover and author of nature constantly explaineth himself to the eyes of men, by the sensible intervention of arbitrary signs, which have no similitude, or connexion, with the things signified."—Berkley's Minute Philosopher, p. 169. "The name of this letter is double U, its form,