Jesus ftood in the midft;" instead of, when the doors were fhut, &c.

The infinitive mode is often made abfolute, when it fupplies the place of the conjunction that with the subjunctive mode: : as, to begin with the firft;"" to conclude;" that is, that Imay begin with the firft; that I may conclude.

manner

The participle is also made abfolute in the fame as the infinitive mode; as, "this, ftrictly Speaking, is the fense;" that is, this, if I may speak strictly, is the sense.

ADVERBS have no government. They should always be placed as near as poflible to the word which they modify.

Their place is generally before adjectives, after active and neuter verbs, and fometimes between the auxiliary and the verb: as, "He was a very wife prince; he governed mildly; and was reverentially beloved by his fubjects."

When two negatives occur in one fentence, they destroy one another, and are equal to an affirmative: as,

Nor did they not perceive the evil plight

In which they were, or the sharp pains not feel.

MILTON, P. L. i. 335

There is no adverb fo liable to be misplaced as the adverb only: most of our claffical writers have erred in placing this adverb at too great diftance from the word which it modifies: thus, it is commonly faid, "they only fought one hour;" whereas it should be, they fought only one hour.

PREPOSITIONS have a government of cafe, and in English they always require the objective cafe after them: as, with her, from me, to him, by us, &c.

When the prepofition governs a relative, it should be placed before the relative; as, "this is he of whom it is written;" though fome writers have placed the prepofition at the end of the fentence, and feparate from the relative, which is always ungraceful, and can hardly be reconciled to the rules of grammar: as, "Horace is an author whom I am much delighted with."

Many

Many of our beft writers have committed errors in the use of the prepofition, fome omitting it entirely when it fhould be used, others using one prepofition for another: as, into for in, to, or unto; for for of; of for on, &c. as may be feen by an attentive perufal of the claffical writers in the English tongue.

The noun moftly requires after it the fame prepofition as the verb from which it is formed would do: as, "the wifeft princes need not think it any diminution to (of) their greatnefs, or derogation to (from) their fufficiency, to rely upon counsel.”—Bacon, Effay 20. Here the nouns diminution and derogation, being formed from the verbs diminish and derogate, require the prepofitions of and from.

The prepofitions to and for are often understood, without being expreffed, before the objective cafe of the pronoun: as, get me a place; pay him the money you owe them; that is, get for me a place; pay to him the money you owe to them." This is a relic of the Saxon in which language, thofe pronouns which are in the objective cafe in English, are in the dative cafe; and confequently have the prepofitions to and for understood.In or on is also often omitted before nouns expreffing time: as, laft week; next year; to-morrow: that is, in last week; in next year;" on to-morrow.

The preposition subjoined to the adverbs here, there, where: as, herewith or hereof, therefore, therewith, wherewith, whereupon, &c. have the construction or nature of a pronoun; but they are now almoft obfolete, except in the very folemn style only.

· CONJUNCTIONS have only a government of mode. Some require the indicative, others the fubjunctive mode.

The following govern the fubjunctive firft, hypothetical conjunctions: as, "if thou be the Son of God." Matt.iv.3. -Secondly, conditional conjunctions: as, "though he lay me, yet will I put my trust in him." Job, xiii.-Thirdly, distributive conjunctions; whether it were I, or (whether it were) they, fo we preach." 1 Cor. xv. 11.-Fourthly, conceffive conjunctions;

conjunctions; "Unless he wash his flesh." Lev,-xii. 6.Fifthly, exceptive conjunctions; "no power, except it were given from above."-Sixthly, the conjunctions left and that, following a verb in the imperative mode; as, "let him that ftandeth take heed left he fall." 1 Cor.x. 12.

that thou speak not to Jacob." Gen. xxxi. 24.

"Take heed

Here it must be noted, that all the foregoing conjunctions may be used, and often are, with the indicative mode; when the circumftance expreffed is of a more abfolute and certain nature. It is the circumftance being of a doubtful nature, or expreffed under a condition, or fuppofition, or in the form of a wish, that determines the verb to be in the fubjunctive mode.

Other conjunctions of a more positive nature govern indicative mode.

the

There are some conjunctions which have other conjunctions belonging to them, and anfwering to them: as, although (though), yet, nevertheless; whether or neither or nôr—non ; either-or; as-as; as- ~fo; fa-as. Asas exprefs a comparison of equality; "as good as another," that is, equal in fome or every quality; as-fo exprefs a comparison fometimes of equality; "as he is, so shall we be;" fometimes a comparifon of quality; 66 as the one dieth, fo dieth the other;" that is, in like manner; fo-as exprefs both quality and quantity: as, "Pope was not so fublime a poet as Milton, nor so great a man as Johnson; neither, nor, and not, nor, express a double negative, as in the foregoing example; either-or, a double distributive, as, either choose ye this or that.

1

In comparative fentences, or when different qualities are compared, the cafe of the latter noun or pronoun is governed by the verb or prepofition, which are fometimes not expreffed as, thou art a greater man, than he; that is, than he is; you fhew him more favour than me; that is, than ( you Shew) me. Thus, by fupplying that part of the sentence that is understood, the cafe of the latter noun or pronoun will be understood.

INTERJECTIONS in English have no government, nor any particular place in a fentence; they are used only to express the speaker's affection; but when they are used too frequently, they rather expofe his affectation.

These are the rules of English fyntax, in the conftruction of fentences. But there are alfo phrases, confifting of two or more words, employed in the formation of fentences: of which the following are the most common :

ift Phrase: when a fubftantive or pronoun is placed before a verb active, paffive, or neuter: as, I love; he is loved; thou art.

2d Phrafe: when the fubftantive follows the verb neuter, or paffive; or when the fubftantive following the verb intends the fame thing as the fubftantive before the verb: as, I am he; Milton is esteemed a claffic.

3d Phrafe: when the adjective follows a verb neuter, or paffive: as, life is short; exercise is esteemed wholefome.

4th Phrafe when the fubftantive follows a verb active; as, to build a house.

5th Phrase: when a verb follows another verb; as, they defire to die.

6th Phrafe when one thing is faid to belong to another: as, Milton's poems; or the poems of Milton.

7th Phrase: when a fubftantive is added to another, to explain it more fully: as, St. John the Baptif; King George'; Robert Brown, &c. Here the latter noun is faid to be in appofition to the former.

A

8th Phrase: when the adjective or participle is placed be fore the noun: as, a fine day; a loving friend.

9th Phrafe: when the adjective is placed before a verb in the infinitive mode: as, worthy to live.

10th Phrafe: when an adverb is used with an adjective, or a verb: as, he writes quick; he is very juft.

11th Phrase: when a fubftantive with a prepofition before it, is added to a verb or an adjective: as, he acts with prudence; good for nothing.

VOL. I.

F

12th

12th Phrafe: when the quality of a fubject is compared with that of another subject; the positive adjective having after it the conjunction as; the comparative the conjunction than; the fuperlative the prepofition of: as, as tall as you; taller than he; tallest of all.

SECT. V.

OF PUNCTUATION.

PUNCTUATION is the art of making the feveral points, ufed in fentences, to exprefs the degrees of connexion between fentences and their parts; and to exprefs the stops, or paufes, as they are expressed in a juft and accurate pro

nunciation.

Notwithstanding the different paufes in fentences, and degrees of connexion between them, admit of great variety, yet we have but four points by which to exprefs them.

Thus we are often obliged to exprefs paufes of the fame quantity, on different occafions, by different points; but more frequently to exprefs paufes of different quantities by the fame points."

The doctrine of punctuation muft therefore be very imperfect: few rules can be given that will hold good in all cafes; but much must be left to the judgment of the writer.

Grammarians have followed the divifion of the Rhetori cians, who divide all the paufes in writing or difcourfe inte the four following: