explain the origin and use of his building materials, yet in practice should exhibit ignorance of the laws of symmetry? In recommending for imitation the example of the French, so far as relates to grammatical propriety, I do not wish to be understood as recommending that we should sacrifice any of the advantages of our own mother-tongue to the attainment of that object. French is one of the poorest of modern languages; but its poverty does not arise from its method and propriety. This indeed is so little the case, that, if it were written with no greater attention to grammar than English commonly is, it would soon be reduced to an intolerable jargon. English, on the other hand, is one of the richest of living languages; but its copiousness and vigour would suffer no diminution by being combined with a higher degree of method and propriety. That these qualities are not unattainable is sufficiently shown by the examples of such writers as Hazlitt, Southey, and Landor. That they are attainable in an eminent degree, is proved by the fact that the greatest prose writer of the age is indebted for much of his 1 fame to the correctness and brilliancy of his diction. Correctness, however, like other merits in a writer, has its relative value. In some, it is the chief recommendation; in others, its absence is the principal defect. Correctness is not necessary to constitute a great writer ; inaccuracy is sufficient to disparage the greatest. 15th July, 1856. Singular misemployed for Plural Different Modes of Speech in which it is misemployed Plural misemployed for Singular .... |