LESSON XXVI. RULE XXVI.

Let him that hastens to be rich, take heed lest he suddenly become poor.

He seems to have made an injudicious choice, though he is esteemed a sensible man.

"Inspiring thought, of rapture yet to be!

The tears of love were hopeless but for thee!
If in that frame no deathless spirit dwell,
If that faint murmur be the last farewell,
If fate unite the faithful but to part,
Why is their memory sacred to the heart ?"

Campbell.

RULES OF SYNTAX,

WITH EXAMPLES, EXCEPTIONS, OBSERVATIONS, NOTES, AND FALSE SYNTAX.

1. RELATION AND AGREEMENT.

OBS.-Relation and Agreement, being closely allied, are taken together, that the rules may stand in the order of the parts of speech. Seven of the ten parts of speech are, with a few exceptions, incapable of any agreement: of these the relation and use must be explained in parsing; and all necessary agreement between any of the rest, is confined to words that relate to each other.

RULE I.—ARTICLES.

Articles relate to the nouns which they limit: as, “A man stood near the fountain, leaning against an oak."

EXCEPTION FIRST.

The definite article, used intensively, may relate to an adjective or adverb of the comparative or the superlative degree; as, "A land which was the mightiest."—Byron. The farther they proceeded, the greater appeared their alacrity."—Dr. Johnson. "He chooses it the rather."

Couper. [See Obs. 7th, next page.)

How many and what exceptions are there to Rule 1st?

EXCEPTION SECOND.

The indefinite article is sometimes used to give a collective meaning to an adjective of number; as, " Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis." —Rev. "There are a thousand things which crowd into my memory." —Spectator, No. 468. [See Obs. 12th, next page.]

OBSERVATIONS ON RULE I.

Obs. 1.—Articles often relate to nouns understood; as, "The [river] Thames"—" Pliny the younger" [man]—" The animal [world] and the vegetable world"—" Neither to the right [hand] nor to the left" [hand], Bible.

Obs. 2.—It is not always necessary to repeat the article before several nouns in the same construction: the same article serves sometimes to limit the signification of more than one noun; but we doubt the propriety of ever construing two articles as relating to one and the same

noun.

Obs. 3.—The article precedes its noun, and is never, by itself, placed after it; as, "Passion is the drunkenness of the mind."—Southey. Obs. 4. When an adjective precedes the noun, the article is placed before the adjective, that its power may extend over that also; as,

"The private path, the secret acts of men,

If noble, far the noblest of their lives."—Young.

Except the adjectives all, such, many, what, both, and those which are preceded by the adverbs too, to, as, or how; as, "All the materials were bought at too dear a rate."—" Like many an other poor wretch, I now suffer all the ill consequences of so foolish an indulgence.'

Obs. 5.—When the adjective is placed after the noun, the article generally retains its place before the noun, and is not repeated before the adjective; as, "A man ignorant of astronomy"—"The primrose pale."

Obs. 6.—Articles, according to their own definition, come before their nouns; but the definite article and an adjective seem sometimes to be placed after the noun to which they both relate: as, " Chapter the fifth" "Edward the First." Such examples, however, may be supposed elliptical; and, if they are so, the article, in English, can never be placed after its noun, nor can two articles ever properly relate to one noun, in any particular construction of it.

Obs. 7.—The definite article is often prefixed to comparatives and superlatives; and its effect is (in the words of Lowth) "to mark the degree the more strongly, and to define it the more precisely:" as, "The oftener I see him, the more I respect him"-" A constitution the most fit"—"The men the most difficult to be replaced." In these instances, the article seems to be used adverbially, and to relate only to the adjective or adverb following it; but after the adjective, the noun may be supplied.

Obs. 8.—The article the is applied to nouns of both numbers; as, man, the men- -The good boy, the good boys."

"The

OBS. 9.—The article the is generally prefixed to adjectives that are used, by ellipsis, as nouns; as,

"The great, the gay, shall they partake

The heav'n that thou alone canst make?"—Cowper.

Obs. 10. The article the is sometimes elegantly used instead of a possessive pronoun; as, "Men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal."—Rom. xi. 4.

Obs. 11.—A or an implies one, and belongs to nouns of the singular number only; as, "A man, a good boy."

OBS. 12.—A or an is sometimes put before an adjective of number when the noun following is plural; as, A few days"-“A hundred sheep." In these cases, the article seems to relate only to the adjective.

Obs. 13.—A or an has sometimes the import of each or every; as, "He came twice a year." The article in this sense, with a preposition understood, is preferable to the mercantile per, so frequently used; as, "Five shillings [for] a bushel," rather than " per bushel."

NOTES TO RULE I.

Note I.—When the indefinite article is required, a should always be used before the sound of a consonant, and an before that of a vowel; as, "With the talents of an angel, a man may be a fool."—Young.

Obs.—An was formerly used before all words beginning with n, and before several other words which are now pronounced in such a manner as to require a thus, we read in the Bible, "An house, an one, an

usurer.

Note II.—When nouns are joined in construction, without a close connexion and common dependence, the article must be repeated. The following sentence is therefore inaccurate : "She never considered the quality, but merit, of her visitors." The should be inserted before merit.

Note III.—When adjectives are connected, and belong to things individually different, though of the same name, the article should be repeated: as, "A black and a white horse"—i. e. two horses, one black and the other white.

Note IV. When adjectives are connected, and belong to the same thing or things, the articles should not be repeated: as, "A black and white horse"—i. e. one horse, piebald.

Obs. 1.—The reason of the two preceding notes is this: by a repetition of the article before several adjectives in the same construction, a

repetition of the noun is implied; but without a repetition of the article, the adjectives are confined to one and the same noun.

Obs. 2.-To avoid repetition, we sometimes, with one article, join inconsistent qualities to a plural noun; as, “The Old and New Testaments"—for "The Old and the New Testament." But the phrases "The Old and New Testament," and "The Old and the New Testa. ments," are both obviously incorrect.

66

NOTE V.—The article should not be used before the names of virtues, vices, passions, arts, or sciences; before simple proper names; or before any noun whose signification is sufficiently definite without it: as, "Falsehood is odious." —"Iron is useful."

Note VI.—When titles are mentioned merely as titles, the article should not be used: as, "He is styled Marquis." -“Ought a teacher to call his pupil Master?"

"He

NOTE VII.—In expressing a comparison, if both nouns refer to the same subject, the article should not be inserted; if to different subjects, it should not be omitted: thus, if we say, "He is a better teacher than poet," we compare different qualifications of the same man; but if we say, is a better teacher than a poet," we refer to different men. Note VIII.—The definite article is generally required before the antecedent to the pronoun who or which in a restrictive clause: as, 66 The men who were present, consented."- -"The book which I lost, is found."

Note IX.—The article is generally required in that construction which converts a participle into a verbal noun: as, "They shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."—Isaiah.

Note X.-The article should not be prefixed to a participle that is not taken in all respects as a noun: as, "He made a mistake in the giving out the text." Omit the.

FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE I.

Examples under Note 1.

He went into an house.

[Not proper, because the article an is used before house, which begins with the sound of the consonant h. But, according to Note 1st under Rule 1st," When the indefinite article is required, a should always be used before the sound of a consonant, and an before that of a vowel." Therefore, an should be a; thus, He went into a house.]

This is an hard saying.

Passing from an earthly to an heavenly diadem.
She evinced an uniform adherence to the truth.
A hospital is an asylum for the sick.

Under Note 2.

As the drop of the bucket and dust of the balance.
Not a word was uttered, nor sign given.

I despise not the doer, but deed.

Under Note 3.

What is the difference between the old and new method?
Is Paris on the right hand or left?

The book was read by the old and young.
I have both the large and small grammar.

Under Note 4.

A great and a good man looks beyond time.

They made but a weak and an ineffectual resistance.
Were God to raise up another such a man as Moses.

Under Note 5.

Edward was another sort of a youth.

The contemplative mind delights in the silence.
I expected some such an answer.

Under Note 6.

He is entitled to the appellation of a gentleman.
Cromwell assumed the title of a Protector.
Her father is honoured with the title of an Earl.

Under Note 7.

He is a better writer than a reader.

He was an abler mathematician than a linguist.

Under Note 8.

Words which are signs of complex ideas, are liable to be misunderstood.

Carriages which were formerly in use, were very clumsy.