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The Grammar of English Grammars
by Goold Brown
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OBS. 26.—Allen's account of the participle is no better than Churchill's—and no worse than what the reader may find in many an English Grammar now in use. This author's fault is not so much a lack of learning or of comprehension, as of order and discrimination. We see in him, that it is possible for a man to be well acquainted with English authors, ancient as well as modern, and to read Greek and Latin, French and Saxon, and yet to falter miserably in describing the nature and uses of the English participle. Like many others, he does not acknowledge this sort of words to be one of the parts of speech; but commences his account of it by the following absurdity: "The participles are adjectives derived from the verb; as, pursuing, pursued, having pursued."—Elements of E. Gram., p. 62. This definition not only confounds the participle with the participial adjective, but merges the whole of the former species in a part of speech of which he had not even recognized the latter as a subdivision: "An adjective shows the quality of a thing. Adjectives may be reduced to five classes: 1. Common—2. Proper—3. Numeral—4. Pronominal—5. Compound."—Ib., p. 47. Now, if "participles are adjectives," to which of these five classes do they belong? But there are participial or verbal adjectives, very many; a sixth class, without which this distribution is false and incomplete: as, "a loving father; an approved copy." The participle differs from these, as much as it does from a noun. But says our author, "Participles, as simple adjectives, belong to a noun; as, a loving father; an approved copy;—as parts of the verb, they have the same government as their verbs have; as, his father, recalling the pleasures of past years, joined their party."—Ib., p. 170. What confusion is this! a complete jumble of adjectives, participles, and "parts of verbs!" Again: "Present participles are often construed as substantives; as, early rising is conducive to health; I like writing; we depend on seeing you."—Ib., p. 171. Here rising and writing are nouns; but seeing is a participle, because it is active and governs you, Compare this second jumble with the definition above. Again he proceeds: "To participles thus used, many of our best authors prefix the article; as, 'The being chosen did not prevent disorderly behaviour.' Bp. Tomline. 'The not knowing how to pass our vacant hours.' Seed."—Ib., p. 171. These examples I take to be bad English. Say rather, "The state of election did not prevent disorderly behaviour."—"The want of some entertainment for our vacant hours." The author again proceeds: "If a noun limits the meaning of a participle thus used, that noun is put in the genitive; as, your father's coming was unexected."—Ib., p. 171. Here coming is a noun, and no participle at all. But the author has a marginal note, "A possessive pronoun is equivalent to a genitive;" (ibid.;) and he means to approve of possessives before active participles: as, "Some of these irregularities arise from our having received the words through a French medium."—Ib., p. 116. This brings us again to that difficult and apparently unresolvable problem, whether participles as such, by virtue of their mixed gerundive character, can, or cannot, govern the possessive case; a question, about which, the more a man examines it, the more he may doubt.

OBS. 27.—But, before we say any thing more about the government of this case, let us look at our author's next paragraph on participles: "An active participle, preceded by an article or by a genitive, is elegantly followed by the preposition of, before the substantive which follows it; as, the compiling of that book occupied several years; his quitting of the army was unexpected."—Allen's Gram., p. 171. Here the participial nouns compiling and quitting are improperly called active participles, from which they are certainly as fairly distinguished by the construction, as they can be by any means whatever. And this complete distinction the author considers at least an elegance, if not an absolute requisite, in English composition. And he immediately adds: "When this construction produces ambiguity, the expression must be varied."—Ib., p. 171. This suggestion is left without illustration; but it doubtless refers to one of Murray's remarks, in which it is said: "A phrase in which the article precedes the present participle and the possessive preposition follows it, will not, in every instance, convey the same meaning as would be conveyed by the participle without the article and preposition. 'He expressed the pleasure he had in the hearing of the philosopher,' is capable of a different sense from, 'He expressed the pleasure he had in hearing the philosopher.'"—Murray's Octavo Gram., p. 193; R. C. Smith's Gram., 161; Ingersoll's, 199; and others. Here may be seen a manifest difference between the verbal or participial noun, and the participle or gerund; but Murray, in both instances, absurdly calls the word hearing a "present participle;" and, having robbed the former sentence of a needful comma, still more absurdly supposes it ambiguous: whereas the phrase, "in the hearing of the philosopher," means only, "in the philosopher's hearing;" and not, "in hearing the philosopher," or, "in hearing of the philosopher." But the true question is, would it be right to say, "He expressed the pleasure he had in the philosopher's hearing him?" For here it would be equivocal to say, "in the philosopher's hearing of him;" and some aver, that of would be wrong, in any such instance, even if the sense were clear. But let us recur to the mixed example from Allen, and compare it with his own doctrines. To say, "from our having received of the words through a French medium," would certainly be no elegance; and if it be not an ambiguity, it is something worse. The expression, then, "must be varied." But varied how? Is it right without the of, though contrary to the author's rule for elegance?

OBS. 28.—The observations which have been made on this point, under the rule for the possessive case, while they show, to some extent, the inconsistencies in doctrine, and the improprieties of practice, into which the difficulties of the mixed participle have betrayed some of our principal grammarians, bring likewise the weight of much authority and reason against the custom of blending without distinction the characteristics of nouns and participles in the same word or words; but still they may not be thought sufficient to prove this custom to be altogether wrong; nor do they pretend to have fully established the dogma, that such a construction is in no instance admissible. They show, however, that possessives before participles are seldom to be approved; and perhaps, in the present instance, the meaning might be quite as well expressed by a common substantive, or the regular participial noun: as, "Some of these irregularities arise from our reception of the words—or our receiving of the words—through a French medium." But there are some examples which it is not easy to amend, either in this way, or in any other; as, "The miscarriages of youth have very much proceeded from their being imprudently indulged, or left to themselves."—Friends' N. E. Discipline, p. 13. And there are instances too, of a similar character, in which the possessive case cannot be used. For example: "Nobody will doubt of this being a sufficient proof."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 66. "But instead of this being the fact of the case, &c."—Butlers Analogy, p. 137. "There is express historical or traditional evidence, as ancient as history, of the system of religion being taught mankind by revelation."—Ibid. "From things in it appearing to men foolishness."—Ib., p. 175. "As to the consistency of the members of our society joining themselves to those called free-masons."—N. E. Discip., p. 51. "In either of these cases happening, the person charging is at liberty to bring the matter before the church, who are the only judges now remaining."—Ib., p. 36; Extracts, p. 57. "Deriving its efficacy from the power of God fulfilling his purpose."—Religious World, Vol. ii, p. 235. "We have no idea of any certain portion of time intervening between the time of the action and the time of speaking of it."—Priestley's Gram., p. 33: Murray's, i, 70; Emmons's, 41; and others. The following example therefore, however the participle may seem to be the leading word in sense, is unquestionably wrong; and that in more respects than one: "The reason and time of the Son of God's becoming man."—Brown's Divinity, p. xxii. Many writers would here be satisfied with merely omitting the possessive sign; as does Churchill, in the following example: "The chief cause of this appears to me to lie in grammarians having considered them solely as the signs of tense."—New Gram., p. 243. But this sort of construction, too, whenever the noun before the participle is not the leading word in sense, is ungrammatical. In stead, therefore, of stickling for choice between two such errors, we ought to adopt some better expression; as, "The reason and time of the Saviour's incarnation."—"The chief cause of this appears to me to be, that grammarians have considered them solely as signs of tense."

OBS. 29.—It is certain that the noun or pronoun which "limits the meaning of a participle," cannot always be "put in the genitive" or possessive case; for the sense intended sometimes positively forbids such a construction, and requires the objective: as, "A syllable consists of one or more letters forming one sound."—Allen's Gram., p. 29. The word representing or denoting would here be better than forming, because the letters do not, strictly speaking, form the sound. But chiefly let it be noticed, that the word letters could not with any propriety have been put in the possessive case. Nor is it always necessary or proper, to prefer that case, where the sense may be supposed to admit it; as, "'The example which Mr. Seyer has adduced, of the gerund governing the genitive of the agent.' Dr. Crombie."—Grant's Lat. Gram., p. 237. "Which possibly might have been prevented by parents doing their duty."—N. E. Discipline, p. 187. "As to the seeming contradiction of One being Three, and Three One."—Religious World, Vol. ii, p. 113. "You have watched them climbing from chair to chair."—PIERPONT: Liberator, Vol. x, p. 22. "Whether the world came into being as it is, by an intelligent Agent forming it thus, or not."—Butler's Analogy, p. 129. "In the farther supposition of necessary agents being thus rewarded and punished."—Ib., p. 140. "He grievously punished the Israelites murmuring for want of water."—Leslie, on Tythes, p. 21. Here too the words, gerund, parents, One, Three, them, Agent, agents, and Israelites, are rightly put in the objective case; yet doubtless some will think, though I do not, that they might as well have been put in the possessive. Respectable writers sometimes use the latter case, where the former would convey the same meaning, and be more regular; as, "Which is used, as active verbs often are, without its regimen's being expressed."—Grant's Lat. Gram., p. 302. Omit the apostrophe and s; and, if you please, the word being also. "The daily instances of men's dying around us."—Butler's Analogy, p. 113. Say rather,—"of men dying around us." "To prevent our rashly engaging in arduous or dangerous enterprises."—Brown's Divinity, p. 17. Say, "To prevent us from," &c. The following example is manifestly inconsistent with itself; and, in my opinion, the three possessives are all wrong: "The kitchen too now begins to give 'dreadful note of preparation;' not from armourers accomplishing the knights, but from the shop maid's chopping force meat, the apprentice's cleaning knives, and the journeyman's receiving a practical lesson in the art of waiting at table."—West's Letters to a Lady, p. 66. It should be—"not from armorers accomplishing the knights, but from the shopmaid chopping forcemeat, the apprentice cleaning knives, and the journeyman receiving," &c. The nouns are the principal words, and the participles are adjuncts. They might be separated by commas, if semicolons were put where the commas now are.

OBS. 30.—Our authors, good and bad, critics and no critics, with few exceptions, write sometimes the objective case before the participle, and sometimes the possessive, under precisely the same circumstances; as, "We should, presently, be sensible of the melody suffering."—Blair's Rhet., p. 122. "We should, presently, be sensible of the melody's suffering."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 327. "We shall presently be sensible of the melody suffering."—Murray's Exercises, 8vo, p. 60. "We shall presently be sensible of the melody's suffering."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 195. "And I explain what is meant by the nominative case governing the verb, and by the verb agreeing with its nominative case."—Rand's Gram., p. 31. "Take the verb study, and speak of John's studying his lesson, at different times."—Ib., p. 53. "The following are examples of the nominative case being used instead of the objective."—J. M. Putnam's Gram., p. 112. "The following are examples of an adverb's qualifying a whole sentence."—Ib., p. 128. "Where the noun is the name of a person, the cases may also be distinguished by the nominative's answering to WHO, and the objective to WHOM."—Hart's Gram., p. 46. "This depends chiefly on their being more or less emphatic; and on the vowel sound being long or short."—Churchill's Gram., p. 182. "When they speak of a monosyllable having the grave or the acute accent."—Walker's Key, p. 328. Here some would erroneously prefer the possessive case before "having;" but, if any amendment can be effected it is only by inserting as there. "The event of Maria's loving her brother."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 55. "Between that and the man being on it."—Ib., p. 59. "The fact of James placing himself."—Ib., p. 166. "The event of the persons' going."—Ib., p. 165. Here persons' is carelessly put for person's, i.e., James's: the author was parsing the puerile text, "James went into a store and placed himself beside Horatio."—Ib., p. 164. And I may observe, in passing, that Murray and Blair are both wrong in using commas with the adverb presently above.

OBS. 31.—It would be easy to fill a page with instances of these two cases, the objective and the possessive, used, as I may say, indiscriminately; nor is there any other principle by which we can determine which of them is right, or which preferable, than that the leading word in sense ought not to be made the adjunct in the construction, and that the participle, if it remain such, ought rather to relate to its noun, as being the adjunct, than to govern it in the possessive, as being the principal term. To what extent either of these cases may properly be used before the participle, or in what instances either of them may be preferable to the other, it is not very easy to determine. Both are used a great deal too often, filling with blemishes the style of many authors: the possessive, because the participle is not the name of any thing that can be possessed; the objective, because no construction can be right in which the relation of the terms is not formed according to the sense. The former usage I have already criticised to a great extent. Let one example suffice here: "There can be no objection to a syllable's being long, on the ground of its not being so long, or so much protracted, as some other long syllables are."—Murray's Gram., 8vo, p. 242. Some would here prefer syllable to syllable's, but none would be apt to put it for its, without some other change. The sentence may be amended thus: "There can be no objection to a syllable as being long, on the ground that it is not so long as some other syllables."

OBS. 32.—It should be observed, that the use of as between the participle and the noun is very often better than either the adoption of the possessive sign, or the immediate connexion of the two words; as, "Another point constantly brought into the investigation now, is that of military success as forming a claim to civil position."—Boston Daily Advertiser. Concerning examples like the following, it may be questioned, whether the objective is proper or not; whether the possessive would be preferable or not; or whether a better construction than either may not be found: "There is scarce an instance of any one being chosen for a pattern."—Kames, El. of Crit., Vol. ii, p. 338. "Instead of its authenticity being shaken, it has been rendered more sure than ever."— West's Letters, p. 197. "When there is no longer a possibility of a proper candidate being nominated by either party."—Liberator, Vol. x. p. 9. "On the first stone being thrown, it was returned by a fire of musketry."—Ib., p. 16. "To raise a cry about an innocent person being circumvented by bribery."—Blair's Rhet., p. 276. "Whose principles forbid them taking part in the administration of the government."— Liberator, Vol. x, p. 15. "It can have no other ground than some such imagination, as that of our gross bodies being ourselves."—Butler's Analogy, p. 150. "In consequence of this revelation being made."—Ib., p. 162. If such relations between the participle and the objective be disapproved, the substitution of the possessive case is liable to still stronger objections; but both may be avoided, by the use of the nominative or otherwise: thus, "Scarcely is any one ever chosen for a pattern."— "Its authenticity, in stead of being shaken, has been rendered more sure than ever."—"When there is no longer a possibility that a proper candidate will be nominated by either party."—"As soon as the first stone was thrown, there was returned a fire of musketry."—"To raise a cry, as if an innocent person had been circumvented by bribery."— "Whose principles forbid them to take part in the administration of the government."—"It can have no other ground than some such imagination, as that our gross bodies are ourselves."—"In consequence of this revelation which is made."

OBS. 33.—A recent grammarian quotes Dr. Crombie thus: "Some late writers have discarded a phraseology which appears unobjectionable, and substituted one that seems less correct; and instead of saying, 'Lady Macbeth's walking in her sleep is an incident full of tragic horror,' would say, 'Lady Macbeth walking in her sleep is an incident full of tragic horror.' This seems to me an idle affectation of the Latin idiom, less precise than the common mode of expression, and less consonant with the genius of our language; for, ask what was an incident full of tragic horror, and, according to this phraseology, the answer must be, Lady Macbeth; whereas the meaning is, not that Lady Macbeth, but her walking in her sleep, is an incident full of tragic horror. This phraseology also, in many instances, conveys not the intended idea; for, as Priestley remarks, if it is said, 'What think you of my horse's running to-day?' it is implied that the horse did actually run. If it is said, 'What think you of my horse running to-day?' it is intended to ask whether it be proper for my horse to run to-day. This distinction, though frequently neglected, deserves attention; for it is obvious that ambiguity may arise from using the latter only of these phraseologies to express both meanings."— Maunder's Compendious Eng. Gram., p. 15. (See Crombie's Treatise, p. 288-290.) To this, before any comment is offered, let me add an other quotation: "RULE. A noun before the present participle is put in the possessive case; as, Much will depend on the pupil's composing frequently. Sometimes, however, the sense forbids it to be put in the possessive case; thus, What do you think of my horse running to-day? means, Do you think I should let him run? but, What do you think of my horse's running? means, he has run, do you think he ran well?"— Lennie's Gram., p. 91; Brace's Gram., 94. See Bullions's Gram., p. 107; Hiley's, 94; Murray's, 8vo. 195: Ingersoll's, 201: and many others.

OBS. 34.—Any phraseology that conveys not the intended idea, or that involves such an absurdity as that of calling a lady an "incident" is doubtless sufficiently reprehensible; but, compared with a rule of grammar so ill-devised as to mislead the learner nine times in ten, an occasional ambiguity or solecism is a mere trifle. The word walking, preceded by a possessive and followed by a preposition, as above, is clearly a noun, and not a participle; but these authors probably intend to justify the use of possessives before participles, and even to hold all phraseology of this kind "unobjectionable." If such is not their design, they write as badly as they reason; and if it is, their doctrine is both false and inconsistent. That a verbal noun may govern the possessive case, is certainly no proof that a participle may do so too; and, if these parts of speech are to be kept distinct the latter position must be disallowed: each must "abide by its own construction," as says Lowth. But the practice which these authors speak of, as an innovation of "some late writers," and "an idle affectation of the Latin idiom," is in fact a practice as different from the blunder which they quote, or feign, as their just correction of that blunder is different from the thousand errors or irregularities which they intend to shelter under it. To call a lady an "incident," is just as far from any Latin idiom, as it is from good English; whereas the very thing which they thus object to at first, they afterwards approve in this text: "What think you of my horse running to-day?" This phraseology corresponds with "the Latin idiom;" and it is this, that, in fact, they begin with pronouncing to be "less correct" than, "What think you of my horse's running to-day?"

OBS. 35.—Between these expressions, too, they pretend to fix a distinction of signification; as, if "the horse's running to-day," must needs imply a past action, though, (they suppose,) "the pupil's composing frequently," or, "the horse running to-day," signifies a future one. This distinction of time is altogether imaginary; and the notion, that to prefer the possessive case before participles, is merely to withstand an error of "some late writers," is altogether false. The instructions above cited, therefore, determine nothing rightly, except the inaccuracy of one very uncommon form of expression. For, according to our best grammarians, the simple mode of correction there adopted will scarcely be found applicable to any other text. It will not be right where the participle happens to be transitive, or even where it is qualified by an adverb. From their subsequent examples, it is plain that these gentlemen think otherwise; but still, who can understand what they mean by "the common mode of expression?" What, for instance, would they substitute for the following very inaccurate expression from the critical belles-lettres of Dr. Blair? "A mother accusing her son, and accusing him of such actions, as having first bribed judges to condemn her husband, and having afterwards poisoned him, were circumstances that naturally raised strong prejudices against Cicero's client."—Blair's Lectures, p. 274. Would they say. "A mother's accusing her son, &c., were circumstances," &c.? Is this their "common mode of expression?" and if it is, do they not make "common" what is no better English than the Doctor's? If, to accuse a son, and to accuse him greatly, can be considered different circumstances of the same prosecution, the sentence may be corrected thus: "A mother's accusing of her son, and her charging of him with such actions, as those of having first bribed judges to condemn her husband, and having afterwards poisoned him, were circumstances that naturally raised strong prejudices against Cicero's client."

OBS. 36.—On several occasions, as in the tenth and twelfth observations on Rule 4th, and in certain parts of the present series, some notice has been taken of the equivalence or difference of meaning, real or supposed, between the construction of the possessive, and that of an other case, before the participle; or between the participial and the substantive use of words in ing. Dr. Priestley, to whom, as well as to Dr. Lowth, most of our grammarians are indebted for some of their doctrines respecting this sort of derivatives, pretends to distinguish them, both as constituting different parts of speech, and as conveying different meanings. In one place, he says, "When a word ending in ing is preceded by an article, it seems to be used as a noun; and therefore ought not to govern an other word, without the intervention of a preposition."—Priestley's Gram., p. 157. And in an other: "Many nouns are derived from verbs, and end in ing, like participles of the present tense. The difference between these nouns and participles is often overlooked, and the accurate distinction of the two senses not attended to. If I say, What think you of my horse's running to-day, I use the NOUN running, and suppose the horse to have actually run; for it is the same thing as if I had said, What think you of the running of my horse. But if I say, What think you of my horse running to-day, I use the PARTICIPLE, and I mean to ask, whether it be proper that my horse should run or not: which, therefore, supposes that he had not then run."—Ib., p. 122. Whatever our other critics say about the horse running or the horse's running, they have in general borrowed from Priestley, with whom the remark originated, as it here stands. It appears that Crombie, Murray, Maunder, Lennie, Bullions, Ingersoll, Barnard, Hiley, and others, approve the doctrine thus taught, or at least some part of it; though some of them, if not all, thereby contradict themselves.

ODS. 37.—By the two examples here contrasted, Priestley designed to establish a distinction, not for these texts only, but for all similar expressions—a distinction both of the noun from the participle, and of the different senses which he supposed these two constructions to exhibit. In all this, there is a complete failure. Yet with what remarkable ductility and implicitness do other professed critics take for granted what this superficial philologer so hastily prescribes! By acknowledging with reference to such an application of them, that the two constructions above are both good English, our grammarians do but the more puzzle their disciples respecting the choice between them; just as Priestley himself was puzzled, when he said, "So we may either say, I remember it being reckoned, a great exploit; or, perhaps more elegantly, I remember its being reckoned, &c."—Gram., p. 70. Murray and others omit this "perhaps," and while they allow both forms to be good, decidedly prefer the latter; but neither Priestley, nor any of the rest, ever pretended to discern in these a difference of signification, or even of parts of speech. For my part, in stead of approving either of these readings about the "great exploit," I have rejected both, for reasons which have already been given; and now as to the first two forms of the horserace question, so far as they may strictly be taken for models, I cannot but condemn them also, and for the same reasons: to which reasons may be joined the additional one, that neither expression is well adapted to the sense which the author himself gives to it in his interpretation. If the Doctor designed to ask, "Do you think my horse ran well to-day?" or, "Do you think it proper for my horse to run to-day?" he ought to have used one or the other of these unequivocal and unobjectionable expressions. There is in fact between the others, no such difference of meaning as he imagines; nor does he well distinguish "the NOUN running" from the PARTICIPLE runnning; because he apparently allows the word, in both instances, to be qualified by the adverb to-day.[422]

OBS. 38.—It is clear, that the participle in ing partakes sometimes the nature of its verb and an adjective; so that it relates to a noun, like an adjective, and yet implies time, and, if transitive, governs an object, like a verb: as, "Horses running a race." Hence, by dropping what here distinguishes it as a participle, the word may become an adjective, and stand before its noun; as, "A running brook." So, too, this participle sometimes partakes the nature of its verb and a noun; so that it may be governed by a preposition, like a noun, though in itself it has no cases or numbers, but is indeclinable: as "In running a race." Hence, again, by dropping what distinguishes it as a participle, it may become a noun; as, "Running is a safer sport than wrestling." Now, if to a participle we prefix something which makes it an adjective, we also take away its regimen, by inserting a preposition; as, "A doctrine undeserving of praise,"—"A man uncompromising in his principles." So, if we put before it an article, an adjective, or a possessive, and thus give to the participle a substantive character or relation, there is reason to think, that we ought, in like manner, to take away its regimen, and its adverb too, if it have any, and be careful also to distinguish this noun from the participial adjective; as, "The running of a race,"—"No racing of horses,"—"Your deserving of praise."—"A man's compromising of his principles." With respect to the articles, or any adjectives, it seems now to be generally conceded, that these are signs of substantives; and that, if added to participles, they must cause them to be taken, in all respects, substantively. But with respect to possessives before participles, the common practice of our writers very extensively indulges the mixed construction of which I have said so much, and concerning the propriety of which, the opinions of our grammarians are so various, so confused, and so self-contradictory.

OBS. 39.—Though the participle with a nominative or an objective before it, is not in general, equivalent to the verbal noun or the mixed participle with a possessive before it; and though the significations of the two phrases are often so widely different as to make it palpably absurd to put either for the other; yet the instances are not few in which it makes little or no difference to the sense, which of the two forms we prefer, and therefore, in these instances, I would certainly choose the more simple and regular construction; or, where a better than either can readily be found, reject both. It is also proper to have some regard to the structure of other languages, and to the analogy of General Grammar. If there be "some late writers" who are chargeable with "an idle affectation of the Latin idiom," there are perhaps more who as idly affect what they suppose "consonant with the genius of our language." I allude to those who would prefer the possessive case in a text like the following: "Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?"'—1 Kings, i, 41. "Quid sibi vult clamor civitatis tumultuantis?"—Vulgate. "[Greek: Gis hae phonae taes poleos aechousaes];"—Septuagint. Literally: "What [means] the clamour of the city resounding?" "Que veut dire ce bruit de la ville qui est ainsi emue?"—French Bible. Literally: "What means this noise of the city which is so moved?" Better English: "What means this noise with which the city rings?" In the following example, there is a seeming imitation of the foregoing Latin or Greek construction; but it may well be doubted whether it would be any improvement to put the word "disciples" in the possessive case; nor is it easy to find a third form which would be better than these: "Their difficulties will not be increased by the intended disciples having ever resided in a Christian country."—West's Letters, p. 119.

OBS. 40.—It may be observed of these different relations between participles and other words, that nouns are much more apt to be put in the nominative or the objective case, than are pronouns. For example: "There is no more of moral principle in the way of abolitionists nominating their own candidates, than in that of their voting for those nominated by others."—GERRIT SMITH: Liberator, Vol. X, p. 17. Indeed, a pronoun of the nominative or the objective case is hardly ever used in such a relation, unless it be so obviously the leading word in sense, as to preclude all question about the construction.[423] And this fact seems to make it the more doubtful, whether it be proper to use nouns in that manner. But it may safely be held, that if the noun can well be considered the leading word in sense, we are at least under no necessity of subjecting it to the government of a mere participle. If it be thought desirable to vary the foregoing example, it may easily be done, thus: "There is no more of moral principle to prevent abolitionists from nominating their own candidates, than to prevent them from voting for those nominated by others." The following example is much like the preceding, but less justifiable: "We see comfort, security, strength, pleasure, wealth, and prosperity, all flowing from men combining together; and misery, weakness, and poverty, ensuing from their acting separately or in opposition to each other."—West's Letters, p. 133. Say rather,—"from men's combining-together," or, "from the just combination of men in society;" and,—"from their separate action, or their opposition to one an other." Take an other example: "If illorum be governed here of negotii, it must be in this order, gratia negotii illorum videndi; and this is, for the sake of their business being seen, and not, for the sake of them being seen."—Johnson's Grammatical Commentaries, p. 352. Here the learned critic, in disputing Perizonius's resolution of the phrase, "illorum videndi gratia" has written disputable English. But, had he affected the Latin idiom, a nearer imitation of it would have been,—"for the sake of their business's being seen, and not for the sake of their being seen." Or nearer still,—"for the sake of seeing of their business, and not, for the sake of seeing of them." An elegant writer would be apt to avoid all these forms, and say,—"for the sake of seeing their business;" and,—"for the sake of seeing them;" though the former phrase, being but a version of bad Latin, makes no very good sense in any way.

OBS. 41.—Idioms, or peculiarities of expression, are never to be approved or valued, but according to their convenience, utility, or elegance. By this rule, some phrases that are not positively barbarous, may yet be ungrammatical, and a construction that is sometimes allowable, may yet be quite unworthy to be made or reckoned, "the common mode of expression." Thus, in Latin, the infinitive verb is occasionally put for a noun, and taken to signify a property possessed; as, "Tuum scire, [thy to know,] the same as tua scientia, thy knowledge. Pers."—Adam's Gram., p. 153. So, in English, the participle in ing is often taken substantively, when it does not actually become a substantive or noun; as, "Thy knowing this,"—"Our doing so."—West. Such forms of speech, because they are idiomatical, seldom admit of any literal translation, and are never naturalized by any transfer from one language or dialect into an other; nor is it proper for grammarians to justify them, in vernacular speech, except as figures or anomalies that ought not to be generally imitated. It cannot be truly affirmed, that the genius of our language ever requires that participles, as such, should assume the relations of a noun, or govern the possessive case; nor, on the other hand, can it be truly denied, that very excellent and learned writers do sometimes make use of such phraseology. Without disrespect to the many users and approvers of these anomalies, I set down for bad English every mixed construction of the participle, for which the language can furnish an equivalent expression that is more simple and more elegant. The extent to which these comparative barbarisms now abound in English books, and the ridiculous fondness for them, which has been shown by some writers on English grammar, in stead of amounting to any argument in their favour, are in fact, plain proofs of the necessity of an endeavour to arrest so obvious and so pernicious an innovation.

OBS. 42.—A late author observes as follows: "That the English gerund, participle, or verbal noun, in ing, has both an active and a passive signification, there can be little doubt.[424] Whether the Latin gerund has precisely a similar import, or whether it is only active, it may be difficult, and, indeed, after all, it is not of much moment, to ascertain."—Grant's Latin Gram., p. 234. The gerund in Latin most commonly governs the case of its own verb, as does the active participle, both in Latin and English: as, "Efferor studio patres vestros videndi. Cic. de sen. 23."—Lily's Gram., p. 96. That is, "I am transported, with a desire of seeing your fathers." But sometimes we find the gerund taken substantively and made to govern the genitive. Or,—to adopt the language of an old grammarian:—"Interdum non invenuste additur gerundiis in di etiam genitivus pluralis: ut, 'Quum illorum videndi gratia me in forum contulissem.'—'Novarum [qui] spectandi faciunt copiam.' Ter. Heaut. prol. 29."—Lily's Gram., p. 97. That is, "To gerunds in di there is sometimes not inelegantly added a genitive plural: as, 'When, for the sake of seeing of them, I went into the forum.'—'Who present an opportunity of attending of new ones:' i.e., new comedies." Here the of which is inserted after the participle to mark the genitive case which is added, forms rather an error than an elegance, though some English writers do now and then adopt this idiom. The gerund thus governing the genitive, is not analogous to our participle governing the possessive; because this genitive stands, not for the subject of the being or action, but for what would otherwise be the object of the gerund, or of the participle, as may be seen above. The objection to the participle as governing the possessive, is, that it retains its object or its adverb; for when it does not, it becomes fairly a noun, and the objection is removed. R. Johnson, like many others, erroneously thinks it a noun, even when it governs an objective, and has merely a preposition before it; as, "For the sake of seeing them. Where seeing (says he) is a Substantive."—Gram. Com., p. 353.

OBS. 43.—If the Latin gerund were made to govern the genitive of the agent, and allowed at the same time to retain its government as a gerund, it would then correspond in every thing but declension, to the English participle when made to govern both the possessive case and the objective. But I have before observed that no such analogy appears. The following example has been quoted by Seyer, as a proof that the gerund may govern the genitive of the agent: "Cujus autem in dicendo aliquid reprehensum est—Cic."—Grant's Lat. Gram., p. 236. That is, (as I understand it,) "But in whose speaking something is reprehended." This seems to me a case in point; though Crombie and Grant will not allow it to be so. But a single example is not sufficient. If the doctrine is true, there must be others. In this solitary instance, it would be easier to doubt the accuracy even of Cicero, than to approve the notion of these two critics, that cujus is here governed by aliquid, and not by the gerund. "Here," says Grant, "I am inclined to concur in opinion with Dr. Crombie, whose words I take the liberty to use, 'That, for the sake of euphony, the gerund is sometimes found governing the genitive of the patient, or subject [say object] of the action, is unquestionable: thus, studio videndi patrum vestrorum. [That is, literally, By a desire of seeing of your fathers.] But I recollect no example, where the gerund is joined with a possessive adjective, or genitive of a noun substantive, where the person is not the patient, but the agent; as, dicendum meum, ejus dicendum, cujus dicendum. [That is, my speaking, his speaking, whose speaking.] In truth, these phraseologies appear to me, not only repugnant to the idiom of the language, but also unfavourable to precision and perspicuity.'"—Grant's Latin Gram., 8vo, p. 236.

OBS. 44.—Of that particular distinction between the participle and the participial noun, which depends on the insertion or omission of the article and the preposition of, a recent grammarian of considerable merit adopts the following views: "This double nature of the participle has led to much irregularity in its use. Thus we find, 'indulging which,' 'indulging of which,' 'the indulging which,' and 'the indulging of which,' used indiscriminately. Lowth very properly instructs us, either to use both the article and the preposition with the participle; as, 'the indulging of which:' or to reject both; as, 'indulging which:' thus keeping the verbal and substantive forms distinct. But he is wrong, as Dr. Crombie justly remarks, in considering these two modes of expression as perfectly similar. Suppose I am told, 'Bloomfield spoke warmly of the pleasure he had in hearing Fawcet:' I understand at once, that the eloquence of Fawcet gave Bloomfield great pleasure. But were it said, 'Bloomfield spoke warmly of the pleasure he had in the hearing of Fawcet:' I should be led to conclude merely that the orator was within hearing, when the poet spoke of the pleasure he felt from something, about which I have no information. Accordingly Dr. Crombie suggests as a general rule, conducive at least to perspicuity, and perhaps to elegance; that, when the noun connected with the participle is active, or doing something, the article should be inserted before the participle, and the preposition after it; and, when the noun is passive, or represents the object of an action, both the article and the preposition should be omitted:[425] agreeably to the examples just adduced. It is true, that when the noun following the participle denotes something incapable of the action the participle expresses, no mistake can arise from using either form: as, 'The middle condition seems to be the most advantageously situate for the gaining of wisdom. Poverty turns our thoughts too much upon the supplying of our wants; and riches, upon enjoying our superfluities.' Addison, Spect., 464. Yet I cannot think it by any means a commendable practice, thus to jumble together different forms; and indeed it is certainly better, as the two modes of expression have different significations, to confine each to its distinct and proper use, agreeably to Dr. Crombie's rule, even when no mistake could arise from interchanging them."—Churchill's Gram., p. 319.

OBS. 45.—The two modes of expression which these grammarians would thus apply constantly to different uses, on the supposition that they have always different significations, are the same that Lindley Murray and his copyists suppose to be generally equivalent, and concerning which it is merely admitted by the latter, that they do "not in every instance convey the same meaning." (See Obs. 27th above.) If Dr. Lowth considered them "as perfectly similar," he was undoubtedly very wrong in this matter: though not more so than these gentlemen, who resolve to interpret them as being perfectly and constantly dissimilar. Dr. Adam says, "There are, both in Latin and [in] English, substantives derived from the verb, which so much resemble the Gerund in their signification, that frequently they may be substituted in its place. They are generally used, however, in a more undetermined sense than the Gerund, and in English, have the article always[426] prefixed to them. Thus, with the gerund, Detector legendo Ciceronem, I am delighted with reading Cicero. But with the substantive, Delector lectione Ciceronis, I am delighted with the reading of Cicero."—Lat. and Eng. Gram., p. 142. "Gerunds are so called because they, as it were, signify the thing in gerendo, (anciently written gerundo,) in doing; and, along with the action, convey an idea of the agent."—Grant's Lat. Gram., p. 70; Johnson's Gram. Com., p. 353. "The reading of Cicero," does not necessarily signify an action of which Cicero is the agent, as Crombie, Churchill, and Hiley choose to expound it; and, since the gerundive construction of words in ing ought to have a definite reference to the agent or subject of the action or being, one may perhaps amend even some of their own phraseology above, by preferring the participial noun: as, "No mistake can arise from the using of either form."—"And riches [turn our thoughts too much] upon the enjoying of our superfluities."—"Even when no mistake could arise from the interchanging of them." Where the agent of the action plainly appears, the gerundive form is to be preferred on account of its brevity; as, "By the observing of truth, you will command respect;" or, "By observing truth, &c."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 189. Here the latter phraseology is greatly preferable, though this author did not perceive it. "I thought nothing was to be done by me before the giving of you thanks."—Walker's Particles, p. 63. Say,—"before giving you thanks;" for otherwise the word thanks has no proper construction, the pronoun alone being governed by of—and here again is an error; for "you" ought to be the object of to.

OBS. 46.—In Hiley's Treatise, a work far more comprehensive than the generality of grammars, "the established principles and best usages of the English" Participle are so adroitly summed up, as to occupy only two pages, one in Etymology, and an other in Syntax. The author shows how the participle differs from a verb, and how from an adjective; yet he neither makes it a separate part of speech, nor tells us with what other it ought to be included. In lieu of a general rule for the parsing of all participles, he presents the remark, "Active transitive participles, like their verbs, govern the objective case; as, 'I am desirous of hearing him;' 'Having praised them, he sat down.'"—Hiley's Gram., p. 93. This is a rule by which one may parse the few objectives which are governed by participles; but, for the usual construction of participles themselves, it is no rule at all; neither does the grammar, full as it is, contain any. "Hearing" is here governed by of, and "Having praised" relates to he; but this author teaches neither of these facts, and the former he expressly contradicts by his false definition of a preposition. In his first note, is exhibited, in two parts, the false and ill-written rule which Churchill quotes from Crombie. (1.) "When the noun, connected with the participle, is active or doing something, the participle must have an article before it, and the preposition of after it; as, 'In the hearing of the philosopher;' or, 'In the philosopher's hearing;' 'By the preaching of Christ;' or, 'By Christ's preaching.' In these instances," says Hiley, "the words hearing and preaching are substantives." If so, he ought to have corrected this rule, which twice calls them participles; but, in stead of doing that, he blindly adds, by way of alternative, two examples which expressly contradict what the rule asserts. (2.) "But when the noun represents the object of an action, the article and the preposition of must be omitted; as, 'In hearing the philosopher.'"—Ib., p. 94. If this principle is right, my second note below, and most of the corrections under it, are wrong. But I am persuaded that the adopters of this rule did not observe how common is the phraseology which it condemns; as, "For if the casting-away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?"—Rom., xi, 15. Finally, this author rejects the of which most critics insert when a possessive precedes the verbal noun; justifies and prefers the mixed or double construction of the participle; and, consequently, neither wishes nor attempts to distinguish the participle from the verbal noun. Yet he does not fail to repeat, with some additional inaccuracy, the notion, that, "What do you think of my horse's running? is different to [say from,] What do you think of my horse running?"—Ib., p. 94.

OBS. 47.—That English books in general, and the style of even our best writers, should seldom be found exempt from errors in the construction of participles, will not be thought wonderful, when we consider the multiplicity of uses to which words of this sort are put, and the strange inconsistencies into which all our grammarians have fallen in treating this part of syntax. It is useless, and worse than useless, to teach for grammar any thing that is not true; and no doctrine can be true of which one part palpably oversets an other. What has been taught on the present topic, has led me into a multitude of critical remarks, designed both for the refutation of the principles which I reject, and for the elucidation and defence of those which are presently to be summed up in notes, or special rules, for the correction of false syntax. If my decisions do not agree with the teaching of our common grammarians, it is chiefly because these authors contradict themselves. Of this sort of teaching I shall here offer but one example more, and then bring these strictures to a close: "When present participles are preceded by an article, or pronoun adjective, they become nouns, and must not be followed by objective pronouns, or nouns without a preposition; as, the reading of many books wastes the health. But such nouns, like all others, may be used without an article, being sufficiently discovered by the following preposition; as, he was sent to prepare the way, by preaching of repentance. Also an article, or pronoun adjective, may precede a clause, used as a noun, and commencing with a participle; as, his teaching children was necessary."—Dr. Wilson's Syllabus of English Gram., p. xxx. Here the last position of the learned doctor, if it be true, completely annuls the first; or, if the first be true, the last must needs be false, And, according to Lowth, L. Murray, and many others, the second is as bad as either. The bishop says, concerning this very example, that by the use of the preposition of after the participle preaching, "the phrase is rendered obscure and ambiguous: for the obvious meaning of it, in its present form, is, 'by preaching concerning repentance, or on that subject;' whereas the sense intended is, 'by publishing the covenant of repentance, and declaring repentance to be a condition of acceptance with God.'"—Lowth's Gram., p. 82. "It ought to be, 'by the preaching of repentance;' or, by preaching repentance."—Murray's Gram., p. 193.

NOTES TO RULE XX.

NOTE I.—Active participles have the same government as the verbs from which they are derived; the preposition of, therefore, should never be used after the participle, when the verb does not require it. Thus, in phrases like the following, of is improper: "Keeping of one day in seven;"—"By preaching of repentance;"—"They left beating of Paul."

NOTE II.—When a transitive participle is converted into a noun, of must be inserted to govern the object following; as, "So that there was no withstanding of him."—Walker's Particles. p. 252. "The cause of their salvation doth not so much arise from their embracing of mercy, as from God's exercising of it"—Penington's Works, Vol. ii, p. 91. "Faith is the receiving of Christ with the whole soul."—Baxter. "In thy pouring-out of thy fury upon Jerusalem."—Ezekiel, ix, 8.

NOTE III.—When the insertion of the word of, to complete the conversion of the transitive participle into a noun, produces ambiguity or harshness, some better phraseology must be chosen. Example: "Because the action took place prior to the taking place of the other past action."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 140. Here the words prior and place have no regular construction; and if we say, "prior to the taking of place of the other," we make the jumble still worse. Say therefore, "Because the action took place before the other past action;"—or, "Because the action took place previously to the other past action."

NOTE IV.—When participles become nouns, their adverbs should either become adjectives, or be taken as parts of such nouns, written as compound words: or, if neither of these methods be agreeable, a greater change should be made. Examples of error: 1. "Rightly understanding a sentence, depends very much on a knowledge of its grammatical construction."—Comly's Gram., 12th Ed., p. 8. Say, "The right understanding of a sentence," &c. 2. "Elopement is a running away, or private departure."—Webster's El. Spelling-Book. p. 102. Write "running-away" as one word. 3. "If they [Milton's descriptions] have any faults, it is their alluding too frequently to matters of learning, and to fables of antiquity."—Blair's Rhet., p. 451. Say, "If they have any fault, it is that they allude too frequently," &c.

NOTE V.—When the participle is followed by an adjective, its conversion into a noun appears to be improper; because the construction of the adjective becomes anomalous, and its relation doubtful: as, "When we speak of 'ambition's being restless' or, 'a disease's being deceitful.'"—Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 346; Kirkham's, p. 224. This ought to be, "When we speak of ambition as being restless, or a disease as being deceitful;" but Dr. Blair, from whom the text originally came, appears to have written it thus: "When we speak of ambition's being restless, or a disease being deceitful."—LECT. xvi, p. 155. This is inconsistent with itself; for one noun is possessive, and the other, objective. NOTE VI.—When a compound participle is converted into a noun, the hyphen seems to be necessary, to prevent ambiguity; but such compound nouns are never elegant, and it is in general better to avoid them, by some change in the expression. Example: "Even as the being healed of a wound, presupposeth the plaster or salve: but not, on the contrary; for the application of the plaster presupposeth not the being healed."—Barclays Works, Vol. i, p. 143. The phrase, "the being healed" ought to mean only, the creature healed; and not, the being-healed, or the healing received, which is what the writer intended. But the simple word healing might have been used in the latter sense; for, in participial nouns, the distinction of voice and of tense are commonly disregarded.

NOTE VII.—A participle should not be used where the infinitive mood, the verbal noun, a common substantive, or a phrase equivalent, will better express the meaning. Examples: 1. "But placing an accent on the second syllable of these words, would entirely derange them."—Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 239. Say rather, "But, to place an accent—But the placing of an accent—or, But an accent placed on the second syllable of these words, would entirely derange them." 2. "To require their being in that case."—Ib., Vol. ii, p. 21. Say, "To require them to be in that case." 3. "She regrets not having read it."—West's Letters, p. 216. Say, "She regrets that she has not read it." Or, "She does not regret that she has read it." For the text is equivocal, and admits either of these senses.

NOTE VIII.—A participle used for a nominative after be, is, was, &c., produces a construction which is more naturally understood to be a compound form of the verb; and which is therefore not well adapted to the sense intended, when one tells what something is, was, or may be. Examples: 1. "Whose business is shoeing animals."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 365. Say, "Whose business it is, to shoe animals;"—or, "Whose business is the shoeing of animals." 2. "This was in fact converting the deposite to his own use."—Murray's Key, ii, p. 200. Say rather, "This was in fact a converting of the deposite to his own use."—Ib.

NOTE IX.—Verbs of preventing should be made to govern, not the participle in ing, nor what are called substantive phrases, but the objective case of a noun or pronoun; and if a participle follow, it ought to be governed by the preposition from: as, "But the admiration due to so eminent a poet, must not prevent us from remarking some other particulars in which he has failed."—Blair's Rhet., p. 438. Examples of error: 1. "I endeavoured to prevent letting him escape"—Ingersoll's Gram., p. 150. Say,—"to prevent his escape." 2. "To prevent its being connected with the nearest noun."—Churchill's Gram., p. 367. Say, "To prevent it from being connected," &c. 3. "To prevent it bursting out with open violence."—Robertson's America, Vol. ii, p. 146. Say, "To prevent it from bursting out," &c. 4. "To prevent their injuring or murdering of others."—Brown's Divinity, p. 26. Say rather, "To prevent them from injuring or murdering others."

NOTE X.—In the use of participles and of verbal nouns, the leading word in sense should always be made the leading or governing word in the construction; and where there is reason to doubt whether the possessive case or some other ought to come before the participle, it is better to reject both, and vary the expression. Examples: "Any person may easily convince himself of the truth of this, by listening to foreigners conversing in a language [which] he does not understand."—Churchill's Gram., p. 361. "It is a relic of the ancient style abounding with negatives."—Ib., p. 367. These forms are right; though the latter might be varied, by the insertion of "which abounds" for "abounding." But the celebrated examples before cited, about the "lady holding up her train," or the "lady's holding up her train,"—the "person dismissing his servant," or the "person's dismissing his servant,"—the "horse running to-day," or the "horse's running to-day,"—and many others which some grammarians suppose to be interchangeable, are equally bad in both forms.

NOTE XI.—Participles, in general, however construed, should have a clear reference to the proper subject of the being, action, or passion. The following sentence is therefore faulty: "By establishing good laws, our peace is secured."—Russell's Gram., p. 88; Folker's, p. 27. Peace not being the establisher of the laws, these authors should have said, "By establishing good laws, we secure our peace." "There will be no danger of spoiling their faces, or of gaining converts."—Murray's Key, ii, p. 201. This sentence is to me utterly unintelligible. If the context were known, there might possibly be some sense in saying, "They will be in no danger of spoiling their faces," &c. "The law is annulled, in the very act of its being made."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 267. "The act of MAKING a law," is a phrase intelligible; but, "the act of its BEING MADE," is a downright solecism—a positive absurdity.

NOTE XII.—A needless or indiscriminate use of participles for nouns, or of nouns for participles, is inelegant, if not improper, and ought therefore to be avoided. Examples: "Of denotes possession or belonging."— Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 118; Ingersoll's, 71. "The preposition of, frequently implies possession, property, or belonging to."—Cooper's Pl. and Pr. Gram., p. 137. Say, "Of frequently denotes possession, or the relation of property." "England perceives the folly of the denying of such concessions."—Nixon's Parser, p. 149. Expunge the and the last of, that denying may stand as a participle.

NOTE XIII.—Perfect participles being variously formed, care should be taken to express them agreeably to the best usage, and also to distinguish them from the preterits of their verbs, where there is any difference of form. Example: "It would be well, if all writers who endeavour to be accurate, would be careful to avoid a corruption at present so prevalent, of saying, it was wrote, for, it was written; he was drove, for, he was driven; I have went, for, I have gone, &c., in all which instances a verb is absurdly used to supply the proper participle, without any necessity from the want of such word."—Harris's Hermes, p. 186.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE XX.

EXAMPLES UNDER NOTE I.—EXPUNGE OF.

"In forming of his sentences, he was very exact."—Error noticed by Murray, Vol. i, p. 194.

[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the preposition of is used after the participle forming, whose verb does not require it. But, according to Note 1st under Rule 20th, "Active participles have the same government as the verbs from which they are derived; the preposition of, therefore, should not be used after the participle, when the verb does not require it." Therefore, of should be omitted; thus, "In forming his sentences, he was very exact."]

"For not believing of which I condemn them"—Barclay's Works, iii. 354. "To prohibit his hearers from reading of that book."—Ib., i, 223. "You will please them exceedingly, in crying down of ordinances."—MITCHELL: ib., i, 219. "The war-wolf subsequently became an engine for casting of stones,"—Constable's Miscellany, xxi, 117. "The art of dressing of hides and working in leather was practised."—Ib., xxi, 101. "In the choice they had made of him, for restoring of order."—Rollin's Hist., ii, 37. "The Arabians exercised themselves by composing of orations and poems."—Sale's Koran, p. 17. "Behold, the widow-woman was there gathering of sticks."—1 Kings, xvii, 10. "The priests were busied in offering of burnt-offerings."—2 Chron., xxxv, 14. "But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him."—2 Sam., ii, 21. "He left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah."—1 Kings, xv, 21. "Those who accuse us of denying of it, belie us."—Barclay's Works, iii, 280. "And breaking of bread from house to house."—Ib., i, 192. "Those that set about repairing of the walls."—Ib., i, 459. "And secretly begetting of divisions."—Ib., i, 521. "Whom he had made use of in gathering of his church."—Ib., i, 535. "In defining and distinguishing of the acceptions and uses of those particles."—Walker's Particles, p. 12.

"In punishing of this, we overthrow The laws of nations, and of nature too."—Dryden, p. 92.

UNDER NOTE II.—ARTICLES REQUIRE OF.

"The mixing them makes a miserable jumble of truth and fiction."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 357. "The same objection lies against the employing statues."—Ib., ii, 358. "More efficacious than the venting opulence upon the Fine Arts."—Ib., Vol. i, p. viii. "It is the giving different names to the same object."—Ib., ii, 19. "When we have in view the erecting a column."—Ib., ii, 56. "The straining an elevated subject beyond due bounds, is a vice not so frequent."—Ib., i, 206. "The cutting evergreens in the shape of animals is very ancient."—Ib., ii, 327. "The keeping juries, without meet, drink or fire, can be accounted for only on the same idea."—Webster's Essays, p. 301. "The writing the verbs at length on his slate, will be a very useful exercise."—Beck's Gram., p. 20. "The avoiding them is not an object of any moment."—Sheridan's Lect., p. 180. "Comparison is the increasing or decreasing the Signification of a Word by degrees."—British Gram., p. 97. "Comparison is the Increasing or Decreasing the Quality by Degrees."—Buchanan's English Syntax, p. 27. "The placing a Circumstance before the Word with which it is connected, is the easiest of all Inversion."—Ib., p. 140. "What is emphasis? It is the emitting a stronger and fuller sound of voice," &c.—Bradley's Gram., p. 108. "Besides, the varying the terms will render the use of them more familiar."—Alex. Murray's Gram., p. 25. "And yet the confining themselves to this true principle, has misled them!"—Horne Tooke's Diversions, Vol. i, p. 15. "What is here commanded, is merely the relieving his misery."—Wayland's Moral Science, p. 417. "The accumulating too great a quantity of knowledge at random, overloads the mind instead of adorning it."—Formey's Belles-Lettres, p. 5. "For the compassing his point."—Rollin's Hist., ii, 35. "To the introducing such an inverted order of things."—Butler's Analogy, p. 95. "Which require only the doing an external action."—Ib., p. 185. "The imprisoning my body is to satisfy your wills."—GEO. FOX: Sewel's Hist., p. 47. "Who oppose the conferring such extensive command on one person."—Duncan's Cicero, p. 130. "Luxury contributed not a little to the enervating their forces."—Sale's Koran, p. 49. "The keeping one day of the week for a sabbath."—Barclay's Works, i. 202. "The doing a thing is contrary to the forbearing of it."—Ib., i, 527. "The doubling the Sigma is, however, sometimes regular."—Knight, on the Greek Alphabet, p. 29. "The inserting the common aspirate too, is improper."—Ib., p. 134. "But in Spenser's time the pronouncing the ed seems already to have been something of an archaism."—Philological Museum, Vol. i, p. 656. "And to the reconciling the effect of their verses on the eye."—Ib., i, 659. "When it was not in their power to hinder the taking the whole."—Brown's Estimate, ii, 155. "He had indeed given the orders himself for the shutting the gates."—Ibid. "So his whole life was a doing the will of the Father."—Penington, iv, 99. "It signifies the suffering or receiving the action expressed."—Priestley's Gram., p. 37. "The pretended crime therefore was the declaring himself to be the Son of God."—West's Letters, p. 210. "Parsing is the resolving a sentence into its different parts of speech."—Beck's Gram., p. 26.

UNDER NOTE II.—ADJECTIVES REQUIRE OF.

"There is no expecting the admiration of beholders."—Baxter. "There is no hiding you in the house."—Shakspeare. "For the better regulating government in the province of Massachusetts."—British Parliament. "The precise marking the shadowy boundaries of a complex government."—J. Q. Adams's Rhet., Vol. ii, p. 6. "[This state of discipline] requires the voluntary foregoing many things which we desire, and setting ourselves to what we have no inclination to."—Butler's Analogy, p. 115. "This amounts to an active setting themselves against religion."—Ib., p. 264. "Which engaged our ancient friends to the orderly establishing our Christian discipline."—N. E. Discip., p. 117. "Some men are so unjust that there is no securing our own property or life, but by opposing force to force."—Brown's Divinity, p. 26. "An Act for the better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject."—Geo. III, 31st. "Miraculous curing the sick is discontinued."—Barclay's Works, iii, 137. "It would have been no transgressing the apostle's rule."—Ib., p. 146. "As far as consistent with the proper conducting the business of the House."—Elmore, in Congress, 1839. "Because he would have no quarrelling at the just condemning them at that day."—Law and Grace, p. 42. "That transferring this natural manner—will ensure propriety."—Rush, on the Voice, p. 372. "If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key."—Macbeth, Act ii, Sc. 3.

UNDER NOTE II.—POSSESSIVES REQUIRE OF.

"So very simple a thing as a man's wounding himself."—Blair's Rhet., p. 97; Murray's Gram., p. 317. "Or with that man's avowing his designs."—Blair, p. 104; Murray, p. 308; Parker and Fox, Part III, p. 88. "On his putting the question."—Adams's Rhet., Vol. ii, p. 111. "The importance of teachers' requiring their pupils to read each section many times over."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 169. "Politeness is a kind of forgetting one's self in order to be agreeable to others."—Ramsay's Cyrus. "Much, therefore, of the merit, and the agreeableness of epistolary writing, will depend on its introducing us into some acquaintance with the writer."—Blair's Rhet., p. 370; Mack's Dissertation in his Gram., p. 175. "Richard's restoration to respectability, depends on his paying his debts."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 176. "Their supplying ellipses where none ever existed; their parsing words of sentences already full and perfect, as though depending on words understood."—Ib., p. 375. "Her veiling herself and shedding tears," &c., "her upbraiding Paris for his cowardice," &c.—Blair's Rhet., p. 433. "A preposition may be known by its admitting after it a personal pronoun, in the objective case."—Murray's Gram., p. 28; Alger's, 14; Bacon's, 10; Merchant's, 18; and others. "But this forms no just objection to its denoting time."—Murray's Gram., p. 65. "Of men's violating or disregarding the relations which God has placed them in here."—Butler's Analogy, p. 164. "Success, indeed, no more decides for the right, than a man's killing his antagonist in a duel."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 295. "His reminding them."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 123. "This mistake was corrected by his preceptor's causing him to plant some beans."—Ib., p. 235. "Their neglecting this was ruinous."—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 82. "That he was serious, appears from his distinguishing the others as 'finite.'"—Felch's Gram., p. 10. "His hearers are not at all sensible of his doing it."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 119.

UNDER NOTE III.—CHANGE THE EXPRESSION.

"An allegory is the saying one thing, and meaning another; a double-meaning or dilogy is the saying only one thing, but having two in view."—Philological Museum, Vol. i, p. 461. "A verb may generally be distinguished, by its making sense with any of the personal pronouns, or the word to before it."—Murray's Gram., p. 28; Alger's, 13; Bacon's, 10; Comly's, and many others. "A noun may, in general, be distinguished by its taking an article before it, or by its making sense of itself."—Merchant's Gram., p. 17; Murray's, 27; &c. "An Adjective may usually be known by its making sense with the addition of the word thing: as, a good thing; a bad thing."—Same Authors. "It is seen in the objective case, from its denoting the object affected by the act of leaving."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 44. "It is seen in the possessive case, from its denoting the possessor of something."—Ibid. "The name man is caused by the adname whatever to be twofold subjective case, from its denoting, of itself, one person as the subject of the two remarks."—Ib., p. 56. "When, as used in the last line, is a connective, from its joining that line to the other part of the sentence."—Ib., p. 59. "From their denoting reciprocation."—Ib., p. 64. "To allow them the making use of that liberty."—Sale's Koran, p. 116. "The worst effect of it is, the fixing on your mind a habit of indecision."—Todd's Student's Manual, p. 60. "And you groan the more deeply, as you reflect that there is no shaking it off."—Ib., p. 47. "I know of nothing that can justify the having recourse to a Latin translation of a Greek writer."—Coleridge's Introduction, p. 16. "Humour is the making others act or talk absurdly."—Hazlitt's Lectures. "There are remarkable instances of their not affecting each other."—Butler's Analogy, p. 150. "The leaving Caesar out of the commission was not from any slight."—Life of Cicero, p. 44. "Of the receiving this toleration thankfully I shall say no more."—Dryden's Works, p. 88. "Henrietta was delighted with Julia's working lace so very well."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 255. "And it is from their representing each two different words that the confusion has arisen."—Booth's Introd., p. 42. "AEschylus died of a fracture of his skull, caused by an eagle's letting fall a tortoise on his head."—Biog. Dict. "He doubted their having it."—Felch's Comp. Gram., p. 81. "The making ourselves clearly understood, is the chief end of speech."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 68. "There is no discovering in their countenances, any signs which are the natural concomitants of the feelings of the heart."—Ib., p. 165. "Nothing can be more common or less proper than to speak of a river's emptying itself."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 186. "Our not using the former expression, is owing to this."—Bullions's E. Gram., p. 59.

UNDER NOTE IV.—DISPOSAL OF ADVERBS.

"To this generally succeeds the division, or the laying down the method of the discourse."—Blair's Rhet., p. 311. "To the pulling down of strong holds."—2 Cor., x, 4. "Can a mere buckling on a military weapon infuse courage?"—Brown's Estimate, i, 62. "Living expensively and luxuriously destroys health."—Murray's Gram., i, 234. "By living frugally and temperately, health is preserved."—Ibid. "By living temperately, our health is promoted."—Ib., p. 227. "By the doing away of the necessity."—The Friend, xiii, 157. "He recommended to them, however, the immediately calling of the whole community to the church."—Gregory's Dict., w. Ventriloquism. "The separation of large numbers in this manner certainly facilitates the reading them rightly."—Churchill's Gram., p. 303. "From their merely admitting of a twofold grammatical construction."—Philol. Museum, i. 403. "His gravely lecturing his friend about it."—Ib., i, 478. "For the blotting out of sin."—Gurney's Evidences, p. 140. "From the not using of water."—Barclay's Works, i, 189. "By the gentle dropping in of a pebble."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 125. "To the carrying on a great part of that general course of nature."—Butler's Analogy, p. 127. "Then the not interposing is so far from being a ground of complaint."—Ib., p. 147. "The bare omission, or rather the not employing of what is used."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 180; Jamieson's, 48. "Bringing together incongruous adverbs is a very common fault."—Churchill's Gram., p. 329. "This is a presumptive proof of its not proceeding from them."—Butler's Analogy, p. 186. "It represents him in a character to which the acting unjustly is peculiarly unsuitable."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 372. "They will aim at something higher than merely the dealing out of harmonious sounds."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 65. "This is intelligible and sufficient; and going farther seems beyond the reach of our faculties."—Butler's Analogy, p. 147. "Apostrophe is a turning off from the regular course of the subject."—Murray's Gram., p. 348; Jamieson's Rhet., 185. "Even Isabella was finally prevailed upon to assent to the sending out a commission to investigate his conduct."—Life of Columbus. "For the turning away of the simple shall slay them."—Prov., i, 32.

"Thick fingers always should command Without the stretching out the hand."—King's Poems, p. 585.

UNDER NOTE V.—PARTICIPLES WITH ADJECTIVES.

"Is there any Scripture speaks of the light's being inward?"—Barclay's Works, i, 367. "For I believe not the being positive therein essential to salvation."—Ib., iii, 330. "Our not being able to act an uniform right part without some thought and care."—Butler's Analogy, p. 122. "Upon supposition of its being reconcileable with the constitution of nature."—Ib., p. 128. "Upon account of its not being discoverable by reason or experience."—Ib., p. 170. "Upon account of their being unlike the known course of nature."—Ib., p. 171. "Our being able to discern reasons for them, gives a positive credibility to the history of them."—Ib., p. 174. "From its not being universal."—Ib., p. 175. "That they may be turned into the passive participle in dus is no decisive argument in favour of their being passive."—Grant's Lat. Gram., p. 233. "With the implied idea of St. Paul's being then absent from the Corinthians."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 123. "On account of its becoming gradually weaker, until it finally dies away into silence."—Ib., p. 32. "Not without the author's being fully aware."—Ib., p. 84. "Being witty out of season, is one sort of folly."—Sheffield's Works, ii. 172. "Its being generally susceptible of a much stronger evidence."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 102. "At least their being such rarely enhanceth our opinion, either of their abilities or of their virtues."—Ib., p. 162. "Which were the ground of our being one."—Barclay's Works, i, 513. "But they may be distinguished from it by their being intransitive."—Murray's Gram., i, 60. "To distinguish the higher degree of our persuasion of a thing's being possible."—Churchill's Gram., p. 234.

"His being idle, and dishonest too, Was that which caus'd his utter overthrow."—Tobitt's Gram., p. 61.

UNDER NOTE VI.—COMPOUND VERBAL NOUNS.

"When it denotes being subjected to the exertion of another."—Booth's Introd., p. 37. "In a passive sense, it signifies being subjected to the influence of the action."—Felch's Comp. Gram., p. 60. "The being abandoned by our friends is very deplorable."—Goldsmith's Greece, i, 181. "Without waiting for their being attacked by the Macedonians."—Ib., ii, 97. "In progress of time, words were wanted to express men's being connected with certain conditions of fortune."—Blair's Rhet., p. 135. "Our being made acquainted with pain and sorrow, has a tendency to bring us to a settled moderation."—Butler's Analogy, p. 121. "The chancellor's being attached to the king secured his crown; The general's having failed in this enterprise occasioned his disgrace; John's having been writing a long time had wearied him."—Murray's Gram., p. 66; Sanborn's, 171; Cooper's, 96; Ingersoll's, 46; Fisk's, 83; and others. "The sentence should be, 'John's having been writing a long time has wearied him.'"—Wright's Gram., p. 186. "Much depends on this rule's being observed."—Murray's Key, ii, 195. "He mentioned a boy's having been corrected for his faults; The boy's having been corrected is shameful to him."—Alger's Gram., p. 65; Merchant's, 93. "The greater the difficulty of remembrance is, and the more important the being remembered is to the attainment of the ultimate end."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 90. "If the parts in the composition of similar objects were always in equal quantity, their being compounded would make no odds."—Ib., p. 65. "Circumstances, not of such importance as that the scope of the relation is affected by their being known."—Ib., p. 379. "A passive verb expresses the receiving of an action or the being acted upon; as, 'John is beaten'"—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 16. "So our Language has another great Advantage, namely its not being diversified by Genders."—Buchanan's Gram., p. 20. "The having been slandered is no fault of Peter."—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 82. "Without being Christ's friends, there is no being justified."—William Penn. "Being accustomed to danger, begets intrepidity, i.e. lessens fear."—Butler's Analogy, p. 112. "It is, not being affected so and so, but acting, which forms those habits."—Ib., p. 113. "In order to our being satisfied of the truth of the apparent paradox."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 164. "Tropes consist in a word's being employed to signify something that is different from its original and primitive meaning."—Blair's Rhet., p. 132; Jamieson's, 140; Murray's Gram., 337; Kirkham's, 222. "A Trope consists in a word's being employed," &c.—Hiley's Gram., p. 133. "The scriptural view of our being saved from punishment."—Gurney's Evidences, p. 124. "To submit and obey, is not a renouncing a being led by the Spirit."—Barclay's Works, i, 542.

UNDER NOTE VII.—PARTICIPLES FOR INFINITIVES, &C.

"Teaching little children is a pleasant employment."—Bartlett's School Manual, ii, 68. "Denying or compromising principles of truth is virtually denying their divine Author."—Reformer, i, 34. "A severe critic might point out some expressions that would bear being retrenched."—Blair's Rhet., p. 206. "Never attempt prolonging the pathetic too much."—Ib., p. 323. "I now recollect having mentioned a report of that nature."— Whiting's Reader, p. 132. "Nor of the necessity which there is for their being restrained in them."—Butler's Analogy, p. 116. "But doing what God commands, because he commands it, is obedience, though it proceeds from hope or fear."—Ib., p. 124. "Simply closing the nostrils does not so entirely prevent resonance."—Music of Nature, p. 484. "Yet they absolutely refuse doing so."—Harris's Hermes, p. 264. "But Artaxerxes could not refuse pardoning him."—Goldsmith's Greece, i, 173. "Doing them in the best manner is signified by the name of these arts."—Rush, on the Voice, p. 360. "Behaving well for the time to come, may be insufficient." —Butler's Analogy, p. 198. "The compiler proposed publishing that part by itself."—Dr. Adam, Rom. Antiq., p. v. "To smile upon those we should censure, is bringing guilt upon ourselves."—Kirkham's Elocution, p. 108. "But it would be doing great injustice to that illustrious orator to bring his genius down to the same level."—Ib., p. 28. "Doubting things go ill, often hurts more than to be sure they do."—Beauties of Shak., p. 203. "This is called straining a metaphor."—Blair's Rhet., p. 150; Murray's Gram., i, 341. "This is what Aristotle calls giving manners to the poem."—Blair's Rhet., p. 427. "The painter's being entirely confined to that part of time which he has chosen, deprives him of the power of exhibiting various stages of the same action."—Murray's Gram., i, 195. "It imports retrenching all superfluities, and pruning the expression."— Blair's Rhet., p. 94; Jamieson's, 64; Murray's Gram., p. 301; Kirkham's, 220. "The necessity for our being thus exempted is further apparent."—West's Letters, p. 40. "Her situation in life does not allow of her being genteel in every thing."—Ib., p. 57. "Provided you do not dislike being dirty when you are invisible."—Ib., p. 58. "There is now an imperious necessity for her being acquainted with her title to eternity."—Ib., p. 120. "Discarding the restraints of virtue, is misnamed ingenuousness."—Ib., p. 105. "The legislature prohibits opening shop of a Sunday."—Ib., p. 66. "To attempt proving that any thing is right."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 256. "The comma directs making a pause of a second in duration, or less."—Ib., p. 280. "The rule which directs putting other words into the place of it, is wrong."—Ib., p. 326. "They direct calling the specifying adjectives or adnames adjective pronouns."— Ib., p. 338. "William dislikes attending court."—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 82. "It may perhaps be worth while remarking that Milton makes a distinction."—Philological Museum, i, 659. "Professing regard, and acting differently, discover a base mind."—Murray's Key, p. 206; Bullions's E. Gram., pp. 82 and 112; Lennie's, 58. "Professing regard and acting indifferently, discover a base mind."—Weld's Gram., Improved Edition, p. 59. "You have proved beyond contradiction, that acting thus is the sure way to procure such an object."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 92.

UNDER NOTE VIII.—PARTICIPLES AFTER BE, IS, &C.

"Irony is expressing ourselves in a manner contrary to our thoughts."—Murray's Gram., p. 353; Kirkham's, 225; Goldsbury's, 90. "Irony is saying one thing and meaning the reverse of what that expression would represent."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 303. "An Irony is dissembling or changing the proper signification of a word or sentence to quite the contrary."—Fisher's Gram., p. 151. "Irony is expressing ourselves contrary to what we mean."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 280. "This is in a great Measure delivering their own Compositions."—Buchanan's Gram., p. xxvi. "But purity is using rightly the words of the language."—Jamieson's Rhet., p. 59. "But the most important object is settling the English quantity."—Walker's Key. p. 17. "When there is no affinity, the transition from one meaning to another is taking a very wide step."— Campbell's Rhet., p. 293. "It would be losing time to attempt further to illustrate it."—Ib., p. 79. "This is leaving the sentence too bare, and making it to be, if not nonsense, hardly sense."—Cobbett's Gram., 220. "This is requiring more labours from every private member."—West's Letters, p. 120. "Is not this using one measure for our neighbours, and another for ourselves?"—Ib., p. 200. "Is it not charging God foolishly, when we give these dark colourings to human nature?"—Ib., p. 171. "This is not enduring the cross as a disciple of Jesus Christ, but snatching at it like a partizan of Swift's Jack."—Ib., p. 175. "What is Spelling? It is combining letters to form syllables and words."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 18. "It is choosing such letters to compose words," &c.—Ibid. "What is Parsing? (1.) It is describing the nature, use, and powers of words."—Ib., pp. 22 and 192. (2.) "For parsing is describing the words of a sentence as they are used."—Ib., p. 10. (3.) "Parsing is only describing the nature and relations of words as they are used."—Ib., p. 11. (4.) "Parsing, let the pupil understand and remember, is describing facts concerning words; or representing them in their offices and relations as they are."—Ib., p. 34. (5.) "Parsing is resolving and explaining words according to the rules of grammar."—Ib., p. 326. (6.) "Parsing a word, remember, is enumerating and describing its various relations and qualities, and its grammatical relations to other words in the sentence."—Ib., p. 325. (7.) "For parsing a word is enumerating and describing its various properties and relations to the sentence."—Ib., p. 326. (8.) "Parsing a noun is telling of what person, number, gender, and case, it is; and also telling all its grammatical relations in a sentence with respect to other words."—Ingersoll's Gram., p. 16. (9.) "Parsing any part of speech is telling all its properties and relations."—Ibid. (10.) "Parsing is resolving a sentence into its elements."—Fowler's E. Gram., 1850, Sec.588. "The highway of the righteous is, departing from evil."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 168. "Besides, the first step towards exhibiting truth should be removing the veil of error."—Ib., p. 377. "Punctuation is dividing sentences and the words of sentences, by pauses."—Ib., p. 280. "Another fault is using the preterimperfect shook instead of the participle shaken"—Churchill's Gram., p. 259. "Her employment is drawing maps."—Alger's Gram., p. 65. "Going to the play, according to his notion, is leading a sensual life, and exposing ones self to the strongest temptations. This is begging the question, and therefor requires no answer."—Formey's Belles-Lettres, p. 217. "It is overvaluing ourselves to reduce every thing to the narrow measure of our capacities."—Murray's Gram., i, 193; Ingersoll's, 199. "What is vocal language? It is speaking; or expressing ideas by the human voice."—Sanders, Spelling-Book, p. 7.

UNDER NOTE IX.—VERBS OF PREVENTING.

"The annulling power of the constitution prevented that enactment's becoming a law."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 267. "Which prevents the manner's being brief."—Ib., p. 365. "This close prevents their bearing forward as nominatives."—Rush, on the Voice, p. 153. "Because this prevents its growing drowzy."—Formey's Belles-Lettres, p. 5. "Yet this does not prevent his being great."—Ib., p. 27. "To prevent its being insipid."—Ib., p. 112. "Or whose interruptions did not prevent its being continued."—Ib., p. 167. "This by no means prevents their being also punishments."—Wayland's Moral Science, p. 123. "This hinders not their being also, in the strictest sense, punishments."—Ibid., "The noise made by the rain and wind prevented their being heard."—Goldsmith's Greece, Vol. i, p. 118. "He endeavoured to prevent its taking effect."—Ib., i, 128. "So sequestered as to prevent their being explored."—West's Letters, p. 62. "Who prevented her making a more pleasant party."—Ib., p. 65. "To prevent our being tossed about by every wind of doctrine."—Ib., p. 123. "After the infirmities of age prevented his bearing his part of official duty."—Religious World, ii, 193. "To prevent splendid trifles passing for matters of importance."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 310. "Which prevents his exerting himself to any good purpose."—Beattie's Moral Science, i, 146. "The want of the observance of this rule, very frequently prevents our being punctual in our duties."—Student's Manual, p. 65. "Nothing will prevent his being a student, and his possessing the means of study."—Ib., p. 127. "Does the present accident hinder your being honest and brave?"—Collier's Antoninus, p. 51. "The e is omitted to prevent two es coming together."—Fowle's Gram., p. 34. "A pronoun is used for or in place of a noun.—to prevent repeating the noun."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 13. "Diversity in the style relieves the ear, and prevents it being tired with the too frequent recurrence of the rhymes."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 166. "Diversity in the style relieves the ear, and prevents its being tired," &c.—Murray's Gram., i. p. 362. "Timidity and false shame prevent our opposing vicious customs."—Murray's Key, ii, 236; Sanborn's Gram., 171; Merchant's, 205. "To prevent their being moved by such."— Campbell's Rhet., p. 155. "Some obstacle or impediment, that prevents its taking place."—Priestley's Gram., p. 38. "Which prevents our making a progress towards perfection."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 4. "This method of distinguishing words, must prevent any regular proportion of time being settled."—Ib., p. 67. "That nothing but affectation can prevent its always taking place."—Ib., p. 78. "This did not prevent John's being acknowledged and solemnly inaugurated Duke of Normandy."—HENRY: Webster's Philos. Gram., p. 182; his Improved Gram., 130; Sanborn's Gram., 189; Fowler's, 8vo, 1850, p. 541.

UNDER NOTE X.—THE LEADING WORD IN SENSE.

"This would preclude the possibility of a nouns' or any other word's ever being in the possessive case."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 338. "A great part of our pleasure arises from the plan or story being well conducted."—Blair's Rhet., p. 18, "And we have no reason to wonder at this being the case."—Ib., p. 249. "She objected only, as Cicero says, to Oppianicus having two sons by his present wife."—Ib., p. 274. "The Britons being subdued by the Saxons, was a necessary consequence of their having called in these Saxons, to their assistance."—Ib., p. 329. "What he had there said, concerning the Saxons expelling the Britons, and changing the customs, the religion, and the language of the country, is a clear and good reason for our present language being Saxon rather than British."—Ib., p. 230. "The only material difference between them, besides the one being short and the other being prolonged, is, that a metaphor always explains itself by the words that are connected with it."—Ib., p. 151; Murray's Gram., p. 342. "The description of Death's advancing to meet Satan, on his arrival."—Rush, on the Voice, p. 156. "Is not the bare fact of God being the witness of it, sufficient ground for its credibility to rest upon?"—Chalmers, Serm., p. 288. "As in the case of one entering upon a new study."—Beattie's Moral Science, i, 77. "The manner of these affecting the copula is called the imperative mode."—BP. WILKINS: Lowth's Gram., p. 43. "We are freed from the trouble, by our nouns having no diversity of endings."—Buchanan's Syntax, p. 20. "The Verb is rather indicative of the actions being doing, or done, than the time when, but indeed the ideas are undistinguishable."—Booth's Introd., p. 69. "Nobody would doubt of this being a sufficient proof."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 66. "Against the doctrine here maintained, of conscience being, as well as reason, a natural faculty."—Beattie's M. Sci., i, 263. "It is one cause of the Greek and English languages being much more easy to learn, than the Latin."—Bucke's Classical Gram., p. 25. "I have not been able to make out a solitary instance of such being the fact."—Liberator, x, 40. "An angel's forming the appearance of a hand, and writing the king's condemnation on the wall, checked their mirth, and filled them with terror."—Wood's Dict., w. Belshazzar. "The prisoners' having attempted to escape, aroused the keepers."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 357. "I doubt not, in the least, of this having been one cause of the multiplication of divinities in the heathen world."—Blair's Rhet., p. 155. "From the general rule he lays down, of the verbs being the parent word of all language."—Diversions of Purley, Vol. i, p. 227. "He was accused of himself being idle."—Felch's Comp. Gram., p. 52. "Our meeting is generally dissatisfied with him so removing."—Wm. Edmondson. "The spectacle is too rare of men's deserving solid fame while not seeking it."—Prof. Bush's Lecture on Swedenborg. "What further need was there of an other priest rising?"—See Key.

UNDER NOTE XI.—REFERENCE OF PARTICIPLES.

"Viewing them separately, different emotions are produced."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 344. "But leaving this doubtful, another objection occurs."—Ib., ii, 358. "Proceeding from one particular to another, the subject grew under his hand."—Ib., i, 27. "But this is still an interruption, and a link of the chain broken."—Ib., ii, 314. "After some days hunting, Cyrus communicated his design to his officers."—Rollin, ii, 66. "But it is made, without the appearance of making it in form."—Blair's Rhet., p. 358. "These would have had a better effect disjoined thus."—Ib., p. 119; Murray's Gram., i, 309. "An improper diphthong has but one of the vowels sounded."—Murray's Gram., p. 9; Alger's, 12; Merchant's, 9; Smith's, 118; Ingersoll's, 4. "And being led to think of both together, my view is rendered unsteady."— Blair's Rhet., p. 95; Murray's Gram., 302; Jamieson's Rhet., 66. "By often doing the same thing, it becomes habitual."—Murray's Key, p. 257. "They remain with us in our dark and solitary hours, no less than when surrounded with friends and cheerful society."—Ib., p. 238. "Besides shewing what is right, the matter may be further explained by pointing out what is wrong."—Lowth's Gram., Pref., p. viii. "The former teaches the true pronunciation of words, comprising accent, quantity, emphasis, pause, and tone."—Murray's Gram., Vol., i, p. 235. "Persons may be reproved for their negligence, by saying; 'You have taken great care indeed.'"—Ib., i, 354. "The words preceding and following it, are in apposition to each other."—Ib., ii, p. 22. "Having finished his speech, the assembly dispersed."—Cooper's Pract. Gram., p. 97. "Were the voice to fall at the close of the last line, as many a reader is in the habit of doing."— Kirkham's Elocution, p. 101. "The misfortunes of his countrymen were but negatively the effects of his wrath, by depriving them of his assistance."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 299. "Taking them as nouns, this construction may be explained thus."—Grant's Latin Gram., p. 233. "These have an active signification, those which come from neuter verbs being excepted."—Ib., p. 233. "From the evidence of it not being universal."—Butler's Analogy, p. 84. "And this faith will continually grow, by acquainting ourselves with our own nature."—Channing's Self-Culture, p. 33. "Monosyllables ending with any consonant but f, l, or s, and preceded by a single vowel, never double the final consonant; excepting add, ebb," &c.—Murray's Gram., p. 23; Picket's, 10; Merchant's, 13; Ingersoll's, 8; Fisk's, 44; Blair's, 7. "The relation of being the object of the action is expressed by the change of the Noun Maria to Mariam"—Booth's Introd., p. 38. "In analyzing a proposition, it is first to be divided into its logical subject and predicate."—Andrews and Stoddard's Latin Gram., p. 254. "In analyzing a simple sentence, it should first be resolved into its logical subject and logical predicate."—Wells's School Gram., 113th Ed., p. 189.

UNDER NOTE XII.—OF PARTICIPLES AND NOUNS.

"The discovering passions instantly at their birth, is essential to our well being."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 352. "I am now to enter on considering the sources of the pleasures of taste."—Blair's Rhet., p. 28. "The varieties in using them are, indeed many."—Murray's Gram., i, 319. "Changing times and seasons, removing and setting up kings, belong to Providence alone."—Ib., Key, ii, p. 200. "Adhering to the partitions seemed the cause of France, accepting the will that of the house of Bourbon."—Bolingbroke, on Hist., p. 246. "Another source of darkness in composing is, the injudicious introduction of technical words and phrases."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 247. "These are the rules of grammar, by the observing of which, you may avoid mistakes."—Murray's Gram., i, 192; Merchant's, 93; Fisk's, 135; Ingersoll's, 198. "By the observing of the rules you may avoid mistakes."—Alger's Gram., p. 65. "By the observing of these rules he succeeded."—Frost's El. of Gram., p. 82. "Being praised was his ruin."—Ibid. "Deceiving is not convincing."— Ibid. "He never feared losing a friend."—Ibid. "Making books is his amusement."—Alger's Gram., p. 65. "We call it declining a noun."— Ingersoll's Gram., p. 22. "Washington, however, pursued the same policy of neutrality, and opposed firmly, taking any part in the wars of Europe."—Hall and Baker's School Hist., p. 294. "The following is a note of Interrogation, or asking a question (?)."—Infant School Gram., p. 132. "The following is a note of Admiration, or expressing wonder (!)."—Ib. "Omitting or using the article a forms a nice distinction in the sense."—Murray's Gram., ii, 284. "Placing the preposition before the word it governs is more graceful."—Churchill's Gram., p. 150. "Assistance is absolutely necessary to their recovery, and retrieving their affairs."—Butler's Analogy, p. 197. "Which termination, [ish,] when added to adjectives, imports diminution, or lessening the quality."—Murray's Gram., i, 131; Kirkham's, 172. "After what is said, will it be thought refining too much to suggest, that the different orders are qualified for different purposes?"—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 114. "Who has nothing to think of but killing time."—West's Letters, p. 58. "It requires no nicety of ear, as in the distinguishing of tones, or measuring time."—Sheridan's Elocution, p. 65. "The Possessive Case denotes possession, or belonging to."—Hall's Gram., p. 7.

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