RULE IX.

Part 1. The article a or an agrees with nouns in the singular number only, individually or collectively; as, "A Christian, an infidel, a score, a thousand."

Part 2. The definite article the may agree with nouns in the singular or plural number; as, "The garden, the house, the stars."

Part 3. The articles are often properly omitted: when used they should be justly applied, according to their distinct nature; as, "Gold is corrupting; The sea is green; A lion is bold."

If I say,

Note 1. A nice distinction of the sense is sometimes made by the use or omission of the article a. "He behaved with a little reverence;" my meaning is positive. If I say, haved with little reverence;" my meaning is negative.

"He be

Note 2. In general, it may be sufficient to prefix the article to the former of two words in the same construction; as, "There were many hours both of the night and day."

For the sake of emphasis, we often repeat the article in a series of epithets. "He hoped that this title would secure him an ample and an independent authority."

Note 3. In common conversation, and in familiar style, we frequently omit the articles, which might be inserted with propriety in writing, especially in a grave style. "At worst, time might be gained by this expedient;" "At the worst," would have been better. "Give me here John Baptist's head;" better, "John the Baptist's head;" or, "The head of John the Baptist.'

RULE X.

One substantive governs another signifying a different thing, in the possessive or genitive case as, "My father's house;" "Man's happiness;" "Virtue's reward."

App. 1. Substantives govern pronouns as well as nouns in the possessive case; as, "Every tree is known by its fruit;". "Goodness brings its reward;" "That desk is mine;" "This compo

sition is his."

App. 2. The pronoun his, when detached from the noun to which it relates, is to be considered not as a possessive pronoun, but as the genitive case of the personal pronoun; as, "This composition is his." "Whose book is that?" "His."

Illustration. The difference between the adjective and personal pronouns will be seen in the following sentences: "Is it her or his honour that is tarnished" "It is not hers, but his."

App. 3. When two or more nouns come together, or a noun and pronoun, and signify the same thing, they are said to be in apposition, and agree in case; as, "Paul the apostle;" "George, King of Great Britain, elector of Hanover," &c. "Maria rejected Valerius, the man [him] whom she had rejected before."

App. 4. Nouns are not unfrequently set in apposition to sentences, or clauses of sentences; as, "If a man had a positive idea of infinite, either duration or space, he could add two infinites together; nay, make one infinite infinitely bigger than another; absurdities too gross to be confuted." Here the absurdities are the whole preceding propositions.

Note 1. Part 1. When several nouns come together in the possessive case, the apostrophe with s is annexed to the last, and understood in the rest; as, "John and Eliza's books;" "This was my father, mother, and uncle's advice."

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But if any words intervene, the sign of the possessive should be annexed to each; as, They are John's as well as Eliza's books.' Part 2. When any subject or subjects are considered as the common property of two or more persons, the sign of the possessive is affixed only to the noun of the last person; as, "This is Henry, William, and Joseph's estate."

Part 3. But when several subjects are considered as belonging separately to distinct individuals; the names of the individuals have the sign of the possessive case annexed to each of them; as, These are Henry's, William's, and Joseph's estates."

Rem. It is, however, better to say, "It was the advice of my father, mother, and uncle;" This estate belongs in common to Henry, William, and Joseph."

Note 2. Part 1. In poetry, the additional s is frequently omitted, but the apostrophe retained; as, "The wrath of Peleus' son." The following examples in prose are erroneous: Moses' minister;" "Phinehas' wife;" "Festus came into Felix' room;" they should have been, "Moses's, Phinehas's, Felix's."

Part 2. But when cases occur which would give too much of the hissing sound, or increase the difficulty of pronunciation, the omission of the apostrophick s takes place even in prose; as, "For righteousness' sake;" "For conscience' sake.

Note 3. Explanatory circumstances ought not to be used between the possessive case and the word which follows it; as, "She began to extol the farmer's, as she called him, excellent understanding" it ought to be, "The excellent understanding of the farmer, as she called him."

Rem. The word in the genitive case is frequently placed improperly; as, "This fact appears from Dr. Pearson of Birmingham's experiments;" it should be, "From the experiments of Dr. Pearson of Birmingham."

Note 4. Part. 1. When terms signifying a name and an office are connected, that which denotes the name of person should be pos sessive; as, “I left the parcel at Smith's the bookseller."

Part 2. A phrase in which the words are so connected and dependent, as to admit of no pause before the conclusion, necessarily requires the genitive sign at or near the end of the phrase; as, "Whose prerogative is it? It is the king of Great Britain's;' "That is the duke of Bridgewater's canal," &c.

Part 3. When words in apposition follow each other in quick succession, the genitive sign should have a similar situation; especially if the noun which governs the genitive be expressed; as, The emperour Leopold's;' Dionysius the tyrant's;" "For David my servant's sake;" "Give me John the Baptist's head" "Paul the apostle's advice."

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Part 4. But when a pause is proper, and the governing noun not expressed; and when the latter part of the sentence is extended; it appears to be requisite that the sign should be applied to the first genitive, and understood to the other; as, "I reside at Lord Stormont's, my old patron and benefactor;" "Whose glory did he emulate? He emulated Cæsar's, the greatest general of antiquity."

Note 5. The English genitive, or possessive case, has often an unpleasant sound, so that we daily make more use of the particle of to express the same relation; thus, instead of saying, “The army's name, the Commons' vote, the Lords' house;" we say, "The name of the army, the vote of the Commons, the house of Lords.” Rem. The use of three substantives dependent on one another, and connected by the preposition of applied to each of them, is not to be recommended.

Note 6. In some cases we use both the possessive termination and the preposition of; as, "It is a discovery of Sir Isaac Newton's." The word genius, or property, &c. may be understood at the end of such phrases, and the noun or pronoun signifying the possessor, is governed in the possessive case, by the noun signify*ing the thing possessed.

Note 7. When an entire clause of a sentence, beginning with a participle of the present tense, is used as one name, or to express one idea of circumstance, the noun on which it depends may be put in the possessive case; thus, we say, "What is the reason of this person's dismissing of his servant so hastily?" Just as we say, "What is the reason of this person's hasty dismission of his servant?"

RULE XI.

Active-transitive verbs govern the objective case; 66 Truth ennobles her" "She comforts me as, They support us;" "Virtue rewards her followers."

App. 1. Verbs neuter or intransitive do not act upon, or govern, nouns and pronouns. "He sleeps; they muse;" &c. are not transitive, and therefore not followed by an objective case specifying the object of an action.

App. 2. In the phrases, " To dream a dream," "To live a virtuous life," 66 To run a race,' "To walk the horse," "To dance the child," the verbs certainly assume a transitive form, and may not in these cases, be improperly denominated transitive verbs.

App. 3. Part of a sentence, as well as a noun or pronoun, may be said to be in the objective case, or to be put objectively, governed by the active verb; as, "We sometimes see virtue in distress: but we should consider how great will be her ultimate reward." Sentences or phrases under this circumstance, may be termed objective sentences or phrases.

App. 4. Some verbs appear to govern two words in the objective case; "The author of my being formed me man, and made me accountable to him." "They desired me to call them brethren." "He seems to have made him what he was."

Note 1. Some writers use certain neuter verbs as if they were transitive, improperly putting after them the objective case; as, "Repenting him of his design;" "The nearer his successes approached him to the throne;""The popular lords did not fail to enlarge themselves upon the subject;" Repenting of his design; approached to the throne; enlarge upon the subject."

Note 2. Active verbs are sometimes as improperly made neuter; as, "I must premise with three circumstances ;" "Those that think to ingratiate with him by calumniating me;" it should be, "premise three circumstances, ingratiate themselves."

Note 3. Neuter verbs of motion and change, are varied like the active, and admit of the passive form, retaining still the neuter signification; as, "I am come; I was gone; I am grown; I was fallen."

The following examples should have an active, and not a passive form: "We are infinitely swerved; the whole obligation was also ceased; the number was now amounted," &c.

Note 4. Part 1. The verb to be, and other intransitive verbs, through all their variations, may have the same case after them, as that which next precedes them; as, “ I am he whom they invited;" ;" "I believe it to have been them ;"" He desired to be their king;" "She walks a queen."

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Part 2. When the verb to be is understood, it has the same case before and after it as when it is expressed; as, "He seems the leader of the party;" "He shall continue steward They appointed me executor;" "I supposed him a man of learning;" that is, "He seems to be the leader of the party," &c.

Part 3. Passive verbs which signify naming, and others of a similar nature, have the same case before and after them; as, "He was called Cæsar;" "She was named Penelope;" "Homer is styled the Prince of poets;" "James was created a duke," &c.

Part 4. The verbs to Become, wander, go, return, expire, ap pear, die, live, look, grow, seem, roam, and others, are of this na

ture.

as,

Note 5. The auxiliary let,* governs the objective case; "Let him beware;" "Let us judge candidly;" "Let them not presume.;""Let George study his lesson."

RULE XII.

"Cease

One verb governs another that follows it, or depends upon it, in the infinitive mood; as, to do evil; learn to do well ;" "We should be prepared to render an account of our actions."

App. 1. The infinitive is frequently governed by adjectives, substantives, and participles; as, "He is eager to learn;" "She is worthy to be loved," "They have a desire to improve ;"" Endeavouring to persuade.”

App. 2. The infinitive sometimes follows the word as: thus, "An object so high as to be invisible;" "A question so obscure as to perplex the understanding."

App. 3. The infinitive occasionally follows than after a comparison; as, He desired nothing more than to know his own imperfections."

App. 4. The infinitive mood is often made absolute, or used independently on the rest of the sentence, supplying the place of the conjunction that, with the potential mood; as, "To confess the truth, I was in fault ;" that is, That I may confess," &c.

App. 5. The verbs, Bid, dare, need, make, see, hear, feel, and also let, not used as an auxiliary; and a few others, have, in the active form, the infinitive after them without the sign to before it; as, "I både him do it ;" "Ye dare not do it ;" "I saw him do it ;' "I heard him say it," "Thou lettest him go." Note 1. The particle to, the sign of the infinitive mood, is sometimes improperly used; as, I have observed some satirists to use," &c.; " To see so many to make so little conscience of so great a sin;" "I am not like other men, to envy the talents I cannot reach."

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RULE XIII.

In the use of words and phrases which, in point of time, relate to each other, a due regard to that relation should be observed. Instead of saying, "The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away;" we should say, "The Lord gave, and the

* In philosophical strictness, both number and person might be entirely excluded from every verb. They are, in fact, the properties of substantives, not a part of the essence of a verb. Even the name of the imperative mood, does not always correspond to its nature; for it sometimes petitions as well as commands. But, with respect to all these points, the practice of our grammarians is so uniformly fixed, and so analogous to the languages, ancient and modern, which our youth have to study, that it would be an unwarrantable degree of innovation, to deviate from the established terms and arrangements. See Imperative Mood, p. 31.