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

foster the principles of Whigism."—Payne's Geog., Vol. ii, p. 511. "Their extreme indolence shuned every species of labour."—Robertson's Amer., Vol. i, p. 341. "In poverty and stripedness they attend their little meetings."—The Friend, Vol. vii, p. 256. "In guiding and controling[126] the power you have thus obtained."—Abbott's Teacher, p. 15. "I began, Thou beganest, He began; We began, You began, They began."—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 92. "Why does began change its ending; as, I began, Thou beganest?"—Ib., p. 93. "Truth and conscience cannot be controled by any methods of coercion."—Hints on Toleration, p. xvi. "Dr. Webster noded, when he wrote 'knit, kniter, and knitingneedle' without doubling the t."—See El. Spelling-Book, 1st Ed., p. 136. "A wag should have wit enough to know when other wags are quizing him."—G. Brown. "Bon'y, handsome, beautiful, merry."—Walker's Rhyming Dict. "Coquetish, practicing coquetry; after the manner of a jilt."—Webster's Dict. "Potage, a species of food, made of meat and vegetables boiled to softness in water."—See ib. "Potager, from potage, a porringer, a small vessel for children's food."—See ib., and Worcester's. "Compromit, compromited, compromiting; manumit, manumitted, manumitting."—Webster. "Inferible; that may be inferred or deduced from premises."—Red Book, p. 228. "Acids are either solid, liquid, or gaseous."—Gregory's Dict., art. Chemistry. "The spark will pass through the interrupted space between the two wires, and explode the gases."—Ib. "Do we sound gases and gaseous like cases and caseous? No: they are more like glasses and osseous."—G. Brown. "I shall not need here to mention Swiming, when he is of an age able to learn."—Locke, on Ed., p. 12. "Why do lexicographers spell thinnish and mannish with two Ens, and dimish and ramish with one Em, each?"—See Johnson and Webster. "Gas forms the plural regularly, gases."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 38. "Singular, Gas; Plural, Gases."—S. W. Clark's Gram., p. 47. "These are contractions from sheded, bursted."—Hiley's Grammar, p. 45. "The Present Tense denotes what is occuring at the present time."—Day's Gram., p. 36, and p. 61. "The verb ending in eth is of the solemn or antiquated style; as, he loveth, he walketh, he runeth."—P. Davis's Gram., p. 34.

   "Thro' freedom's sons no more remonstrance rings,
    Degrading nobles and controling kings."—Murray's Sequel, p. 292.

UNDER RULE IV.—NO DOUBLING.

"A bigotted and tyrannical clergy will be feared."—Brown's Estimate,
Vol. ii, p. 78.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the final t of bigot is here doubled in "bigotted." But, according to Rule 4th, "A final consonant, when it is not preceded by a single vowel, or when the accent is not on the last syllable, should remain single before an additional syllable." Therefore, this t should be single; thus, bigoted.]

"Jacob worshipped his Creator, leaning on the top of his staff."—Key in Merchant's Gram., p. 185. "For it is all marvelously destitute of interest."—Merchant's Criticisms. "As, box, boxes; church, churches; lash, lashes; kiss, kisses; rebus, rebusses."—Murray's Gram., 12mo, p. 42. "Gossipping and lying go hand in hand."—Old Maxim. "The substance of the Criticisms on the Diversions of Purley was, with singular industry, gossipped by the present precious secretary of war, in Payne the bookseller's shop."—See Key. "Worship makes worshipped, worshipper, worshipping; gossip, gossipped, gossipper, gossipping; fillip, fillipped, fillipper, fillipping."—Nixon's Parser, p. 72. "I became as fidgetty as a fly in a milk-jug."—Blackwood's Mag., Vol. xl, p. 674. "That enormous error seems to be rivetted in popular opinion."—Webster's Essays, p. 364. "Whose mind iz not biassed by personal attachments to a sovereign."—Ib., p. 318. "Laws against usury originated in a bigotted prejudice against the Jews."—Ib., p. 315. "The most criticcal period of life iz usually between thirteen and seventeen."—Ib., p. 388. "Generallissimo, the chief commander of an army or military force."—See El. Spelling-Book, p. 93. "Tranquillize, to quiet, to make calm and peaceful."—Ib., p. 133. "Pommeled, beaten, bruised; having pommels, as a sword or dagger."—Webster and Chalmers. "From what a height does the jeweler look down upon his shoemaker!"—Red Book, p. 108. "You will have a verbal account from my friend and fellow traveler."—Ib., p. 155. "I observe that you have written the word counseled with one l only."—Ib., p. 173. "They were offended at such as combatted these notions."—Robertson's America, Vol. ii, p. 437. "From libel, come libeled, libeler, libeling, libelous; from grovel, groveled, groveler, groveling; from gravel, graveled and graveling."—See Webster's Dict. "Wooliness, the state of being woolly."—Ib. "Yet he has spelled chappelling, bordeller, medallist, metalline, metallist, metallize, clavellated, &c. with ll, contrary to his rule."—Cobb's Review of Webster, p. 11. "Again, he has spelled cancelation and snively with single l, and cupellation, pannellation, wittolly, with ll."—Ib. "Oilly, fatty, greasy, containing oil, glib."—Rhyming Dict. "Medallist, one curious in medals; Metallist, one skilled in metals."—Johnson, Webster, Worcester, Cobb, et al. "He is benefitted."—Town's Spelling-Book, p. 5. "They traveled for pleasure."—S. W. Clark's Gram., p. 101.

   "Without you, what were man? A groveling herd,
    In darkness, wretchedness, and want enchain'd."
        —Beattie's Minstrel, p. 40.

UNDER RULE V.—OF FINAL CK.

"He hopes, therefore, to be pardoned by the critick."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 10.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word "critick" is here spelled with a final k. But, according to Rule 5th, "Monosyllables and English verbs end not with c, but take ck for double c; as, rack, wreck, rock, attack: but, in general, words derived from the learned languages need not the k, and common use discards it." Therefore, this k should be omitted; thus, critic.]

"The leading object of every publick speaker should be to persuade."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 153. "May not four feet be as poetick as five; or fifteen feet, as poetick as fifty?"—Ib., p. 146. "Avoid all theatrical trick and mimickry, and especially all scholastick stiffness."—Ib., p. 154. "No one thinks of becoming skilled in dancing, or in musick, or in mathematicks, or logick, without long and close application to the subject."—Ib., p. 152. "Caspar's sense of feeling, and susceptibility of metallick and magnetick excitement were also very extraordinary."—Ib., p. 238. "Authorship has become a mania, or, perhaps I should say, an epidemick."—Ib., p. 6. "What can prevent this republick from soon raising a literary standard?"—Ib., p. 10. "Courteous reader, you may think me garrulous upon topicks quite foreign to the subject before me."—Ib., p. 11. "Of the Tonick, Subtonick, and Atoniek elements."—Ib., p. 15. "The subtonick elements are inferiour to the tonicks in all the emphatick and elegant purposes of speech."—Ib., p. 32. "The nine atonicks, and the three abrupt subtonicks cause an interruption to the continuity of the syllabick impulse."—Ib., p. 37. "On scientifick principles, conjunctions and prepositions are but one part of speech."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 120. "That some inferior animals should be able to mimic human articulation, will not seem wonderful."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, Vol. i, p. 2.

   "When young, you led a life monastick,
    And wore a vest ecelesiastick;
    Now, in your age, you grow fantastick."—Johnson's Dict.

UNDER RULE VI.—OF RETAINING.

"Fearlesness, exemption from fear, intrepidity."—Johnson's Dict.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word "fearlesness" is here allowed to drop one s of fearless. But, according to Rule 6th, "Words ending with any double letter, preserve it double before any additional termination not beginning with the same letter." Therefore, the other s should be inserted; thus, fearlessness.]

"Dreadlesness; fearlesness, intrepidity, undauntedness."—Johnson's Dict. "Regardlesly, without heed; Regardlesness, heedlessness, inattention."—Ib. "Blamelesly, innocently; Blamlesness, innocence."—Ib. "That is better than to be flattered into pride and carelesness."—TAYLOR: Joh. Dict. "Good fortunes began to breed a proud recklesness in them."—SIDNEY: ib. "See whether he lazily and listlesly dreams away his time."—LOCKE: ib. "It may be, the palate of the soul is indisposed by listlesness or sorrow."—TAYLOR: ib. "Pitilesly, without mercy; Pitilesness, unmercifulness."—Johnson. "What say you to such as these? abominable, accordable, agreable, &c."—Tooke's Diversions, Vol. ii, p. 432. "Artlesly; naturally, sincerely, without craft."—Johnson. "A chilness, or shivering of the body, generally precedes a fever."—Murray's Key, p. 167. "Smalness; littleness, minuteness, weakness."—Rhyming Dict. "Gall-less, a. free from gall or bitterness."—Webster's Dict. "Talness; height of stature, upright length with comparative slenderness."—See Johnson et al. "Wilful; stubborn, contumacious, perverse, inflexible."—Id. "He guided them by the skilfulness of his hands."—Psal. lxxviii, 72. "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof."—Murray's Key, p. 172. "What is now, is but an amasment of imaginary conceptions."—GLANVILLE: Joh. Dict. "Embarrasment; perplexity, entanglement."—See Littleton's Dict. "The second is slothfulness, whereby they are performed slackly and carelesly."—Perkins's Theology, p. 729. "Instalment; induction into office; part of a large sum of money, to be paid at a particular time."—See Johnson's Dict. "Inthralment; servitude, slavery."—Ib.

   "I, who at some times spend, at others spare,
    Divided between carelesness and care."—Pope.

UNDER RULE VII.—OF RETAINING.

"Shall, on the contrary, in the first person, simply foretels."—Murray's
Gram., p. 88; Ingersoll's, 136; Fisk's, 78; Jaudon's, 59; A.
Flint's, 42; Wright's, 90; Bullions's, 32.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word "foretels" does not here retain the double l of tell. But, according to Rule 7th, "Words ending with any double letter, preserve it double in all derivatives formed from them by means of prefixes." Therefore, the other l should be inserted; thus, foretells.]

"There are a few compound irregular verbs, as befal, bespeak, &c."—Ash's Gram., p. 46. "That we might frequently recal it to our memory."—Calvin's Institutes, p. 112. "The angels exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befal us."—Ib., p. 107. "Inthral; to enslave, to shackle, to reduce to servitude."—Walker's Dict. "He makes resolutions, and fulfils them by new ones."—Red Book, p. 138. "To enrol my humble name upon the list of authors on Elocution."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 12. "Forestal; to anticipate, to take up beforehand."—Walker's Rhym. Dict. "Miscal; to call wrong, to name improperly."—Johnson. "Bethral; to enslave, to reduce to bondage."—See id. "Befal; to happen to, to come to pass."—Rhym. Dict. "Unrol; to open what is rolled or convolved."—Johnson. "Counterrol; to keep copies of accounts to prevent frauds."—See id. "As Sisyphus uprols a rock, which constantly overpowers him at the summit."—Author. "Unwel; not well, indisposed, not in good health."—See Red Book, p. 336. "Undersel; to defeat by selling for less, to sell cheaper than an other."—See id., p. 332. "Inwal; to enclose or fortify with a wall."—See id., p. 295. "Twibil; an instrument with two bills, or with a point and a blade; a pickaxe, a mattock, a halberd, a battle-axe."—See Dict. "What you miscal their folly, is their care."—Dryden. "My heart will sigh when I miscal it so."—Shakspeare. "But if the arrangement recal one set of ideas more readily than another."—Blair's Rhet., p. 130.

   "'Tis done; and since 'tis done, 'tis past recal;
    And since 'tis past recal, must be forgotten."—Dryden.

UNDER RULE VIII.—OF FINAL LL.

"The righteous is taken away from the evill to come."—Perkins's Works, p. 417.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word "evill" is here written with final ll. But, according to Rule 8th, "Final ll is peculiar to monosyllables and their compounds, with the few derivatives formed from such roots by prefixes; consequently, all other words that end in l, must be terminated with a single l." Therefore, one l should be here omitted; thus, evil.]

"Patroll; to go the rounds in a camp or garrison, to march about and observe what passes."—Webster's Amer. Dict., 8vo. "Marshall; the chief officer of arms, one who regulates rank and order."—See Bailey's Dict. "Weevill; a destructive grub that gets among corn."—See Rhym. Dict. "It much excells all other studies and arts."—Walker's Particles, p. 217. "It is essentiall to all magnitudes, to be in one place."—Perkins's Works, p. 403. "By nature I was thy vassall, but Christ hath redeemed me."—Ib., p. 404. "Some, being in want, pray for temporall blessings."—Ib., p. 412. "And this the Lord doth, either in temporall or spirituall benefits."—Ib., p. 415. "He makes an idoll of them, by setting his heart on them."—Ib., p. 416. "This triall by desertion serveth for two purposes."—Ib., p. 420. "Moreover, this destruction is both perpetuall and terrible."—Ib., p. 726. "Giving to severall men several gifts, according to his good pleasure."—Ib., p. 731. "Untill; to some time, place, or degree, mentioned."—See Red Book, p. 330. "Annull; to make void, to nullify, to abrogate, to abolish." "Nitric acid combined with argill, forms the nitrate of argill."—Gregory's Dict., art. Chemistry.

   "Let modest Foster, if he will, excell
    Ten Metropolitans in preaching well."—Pope, p. 414.

UNDER RULE IX.—OF FINAL E.

"Adjectives ending in able signify capacity; as, comfortable, tenable, improvable."—Priestley's Gram., p. 33.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the word "improveable" here retains the final e of improve. But, according to Rule 9th, "The final e of a primitive word is generally omitted before an additional termination beginning with a vowel." Therefore, this e should be omitted; thus, improvable.]

"Their mildness and hospitality are ascribeable to a general administration of religious ordinances."—Webster's Essays, p. 336. "Retrench as much as possible without obscureing the sense."—James Brown's Amer. Gram., 1821, p. 11. "Changable, subject to change; Unchangeable, immutable."—Walker's Rhym. Dict. "Tameable, susceptive of taming; Untameable, not to be tamed."—Ib. "Reconcileable, Unreconcileable, Reconcileableness; Irreconcilable, Irreconcilably, Irreconcilableness."—Johnson's Dict. "We have thought it most adviseable to pay him some little attention."— Merchants Criticisms. "Proveable, that may be proved; Reprovable. blameable, worthy of reprehension."—Walker's Dict. "Moveable and Immovable, Moveably and Immovably, Moveables and Removal, Moveableness and Improvableness, Unremoveable and Unimprovable, Unremoveably and Removable, Proveable and Approvable, Irreproveable and Reprovable, Unreproveable and Improvable, Unimproveableness and Improvably."—Johnson's Dict. "And